Quirky Neighbors or the Cult Next-Door?
An Analysis of Public Perceptions of the Exclusive Brethren in Australia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v3i2.163Keywords:
Exclusive Brethren, media, newspapers, controversy, politics, church/state issues, sects, content analysisAbstract
Beginning in 2005 the tiny Christian sect then known as the Exclusive Brethren suddenly underwent a media transformation from a virtually unknown or ignored group of quirky and old-fashioned Protestant sectarians to being touted as “Australia’s biggest cult” by tabloid television programs. This explosion of controversy came on the heels of media revelations about the involvement of Brethren members in providing financial donations to conservative political causes across the globe and a snowballing effect in response which brought forth a number of ex-members eager to expose their former group. This article looks at how this media transformation has been received by the wider Australian public. By studying the hitherto little utilized data contained in readers’ letters to Australia’s three mainstream broadsheet newspapers this article identifies which events or undertakings had the most impact on public perceptions of the Exclusive Brethren and which specific articles and issues struck the most responsive chord with readers. This content analysis found that Australian public opinion toward the Exclusive Brethren, while on the whole negative, was more indicative of their political involvement than their beliefs. The study also found that prior to what I call “The Brethren Controversy” the Exclusive Brethren had maintained a high degree of “sectarian tension” in Australia for almost four decades with little public outcry or media vilification.
References
Online News Media Sources
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 2006a Christian sect members attack Tas Greens (March 15). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-03-15/christian-sect-members-attack-tas-greens/818974
----- 2006b Greens warn voters about Christian sect (March 15). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/elections/tas/2006/news/stories/1592593.htm?elections/tas/2006/
----- 2006c Gay group calls on major parties to end “smear campaign” (March 16). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-03-16/gay-group-calls-on-major-parties-to-end-smear/819700
----- 2006d Greens question Liberal pamphlets’ origin (March 16). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/elections/tas/2006/news/stories/1593368.htm?elections/tas/2006/
----- 2006e Howard Australia’s most xenophobic leader, Greens say Senator Bob Brown says the Prime Minister is promoting xenophobia. (September 2). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-02/howard-australias-most-xenophobic-leader-greens-say/1253820
----- 2006f Greens urge transparency on Exclusive Brethren’s activities (September 19). ABC News. Retried from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-19/greens-urge-transparency-on-exclusive-brethrens/1267540
----- 2006g Greens senator calls for religious group to come clean (September 24). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-24/greens-senator-calls-for-religious-group-to-come/1270332
Newspapers
Adams, Phillip. 2007 Crusader, not just a God botherer. The Australian, October 23, p. 16.
Anon. 2006a Lennon’s election triumph. The Hobart Mercury, March 20, p. 16.
----- 2006b Pointing finger of blame. The Hobart Mercury, March 25, p. 26.
----- 2006c PM’s warning to Muslims. The Daily Telegraph, September 1, p. 2.
Bachelard, M. 2006a Court chief tells of Brethren sect seeking preferential treatment. The Age, September 22, p. 3.
----- 2006b Believers a world apart. The Age, September 23, p. 5.
----- 2006c Brethren bid to hide sex assaults. The Age, December 30, p. 1.
----- 2006d Brethren chief tells child to disown dad. The Age, December 26, p. 1.
----- 2006e Religious sect backs Nationals in run-up to state poll. The Age, September 19, p. 1.
----- 2006f Sect asked for power to prevent child visits. Sydney Morning Herlard, December 27, p. 2.
----- 2006g Brown demands sect inquiry. The Age, December 27, p. 3.
Cannold, L. 2006 There shouldn’t be one law for religions, another for the rest. The Age, October 13, p. 15.
Coorey, Phillip. 2007 Brethren still a cult in Rudd’s book. Sydney Morning Herald, August 23, p. 8.
Coultan, Mark. 2006 Power wielded from the fringes. The Age, September 23, p. 5.
Denholm, M. 2006a Scare and smear campaign against the Greens. The Australian, March 18, p. 24.
----- 2006b Greens king hit in “grubbiest” campaign. The Australian, March 20, p. 8.
Denholm, M. and P. Murphey. 2006 Brethren and the bearpit. The Australian, March 27, p. 12.
Doherty, L. 2005 Secretive sect campaigned for Howard. Sydney Morning Herald, September 16, p.2.
Grattan, M. 2006a PM met Brethren, defends their voice. The Age, September 27, p. 6.
----- 2006b PM refuses to give details of sect talks. The Age, September 28, p. 10.
Grattan, M. and M. Bachelard. 2006 Ex-sect leader tells of money-running. The Age, September 25, p. 6.
Higgins, D. 2006 Sects and Lies. Sydney Morning Herald, December 30, p. 24.
Higgins, Ean. 2005a Clark sets pace as Brash hits trouble ahead of NZ poll. The Australian, September 8, p. 2.
----- 2005b Kiwi leader traps opponent on smear. The Australian, September 8, p. 6.
----- 2005c Kiwi minor parties in play. The Australian, September 10, p. 11.
----- 2005d Howard’s “hired guns manipulating NZ poll.” The Australian, September 13, p. 2.
Horin, Adele. 2006 Must double standards be met, too? Sydney Morning Herald, September 30, p. 33.
Karvelas, Patricia. 2007 Exclusive Brethren a radical cult: Rudd. The Australian, August 23, p. 2.
Maddox, M. 2005b Step to the right as the brethren gather force. Sydney Morning Herald, September 14, p. 17.
Marr, D. 2006 Hidden Prophets. Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, p. 23.
McKinnon, M. and M. Franklin. 2007 ATO warns greens over politicking. The Australian, February 17, p. 5.
Noonan, G. and M. Bachelard. 2008 Exclusive Brethren schools to get $10m subsidy. The Age, January 21, p. 5.
Powell, Sian. 2007 Brothers duck and cover. The Australian, February 20, p. 13.
Rudd, K. 2006 Faith in Politics. The Monthly. October. Retrieved from http://www.themonthly.com.au/faith-politics-kevin-rudd-300
Topsfield, J. 2010 Sect’s small schools get $2m. The Age, April 7, p. 1.
Totaro, P. 2005 Church group weighs in to NZ election. Sydney Morning Herald, September 9, p. 2.
Television News Media
Belshaw, B. (executive producer). 2006 Four Corners. Separate Lives, first broadcast 16 September by ABC.
----- 2007 Four Corners. The Brethren Express, first broadcast 15 October by ABC.
Williams, G. (executive producer). 2011a A Current Affair. Battling Brethrenville, first broadcast October 11 by Channel Nine.
----- 2011b A Current Affair. People’s victory against Brethren, first broadcast November 9 by Channel Nine.
----- 2012 A Current Affair. Brethren’s planned suburban prayer hall meets backlash, first broadcast February 29 by Channel Nine.
Books and Articles
Al-Natour, R. J. 2010 “Folk Devils and the Proposed Islamic School in Camden.” Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 24(4): 573?585.
Bachelard, Michael. 2008 Behind the Exclusive Brethren. Melbourne, Australia: Scribe.
----- 2010 “Politics and the Exclusive Brethren.” In The Australian Book of Atheism edited by W. Bonnett, 285–298. Melbourne: Scribe.
----- 2011 “Reporting on Cults: Rewards and Punishments.” Cults in Australia [Conference Presentation]. Parliament House. Retrieved from http://www.cifs.org.au/fateful.php.
Bainbridge, W.S. and R. Stark. 1980 “Sectarian Tension.” Review of Religious Research 22(2): 105?124. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3510654
Barker, E. 2001 “Inform: Bringing the Sociology of Religion to the Public Space.” In Chercheurs de dieux dans l’espace public/ Frontier Religions in Public Space, edited by P. Côté, 21?34. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.
Bebbington, David. 1989 Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Beckford, J. 1983 “The Public Response to New Religious Movements in Britain.” Social Compass 30(1): 49?62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003776868303000104
----- 1985 Cult Contoversies: The Societal Response to the New Religious Movements. London: Tavistock.
----- 1999 “The Mass Media and New Religious Movements.” In New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response, edited by B. Wilson and J. Cresswell, 103?119. London: Routledge.
Beit-Hallahmi, B. 1991 “Judaism and the New Religions in Israel: 1970?1990.” In Tradition, innovation, conflict : Jewishness and Judaism in contemporary Israel, edited by Z. Sobel and B. Beit-Hallahmi, 203?223. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Best, J. 1990 Threatened Children. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
----- 2004 More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Bouma, G. D. 2006 Australian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139168526
Breschel, E.F. and D. Bromley. 1992 “General Population and Institutional Elite Support for Social Control of New Religious Movements: Evidence from National Survey Data.” Behavioral Sciences and the Law 10: 39?52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2370100105
Bromley, D. and A. Shupe. 1980 The New Vigilantes: Deprogrammers, Anti-Cultists, and the New Religions. London: Sage Publications.
----- 1989 “Public Reactions Against New Religious Movements.” In Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association, edited by M. Galanter, 305?335. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Bromley, M. 1998 “‘Watching the Watchdogs’? The Role of Readers’ Letters in Calling the Press to Account.” In Sex, Lies and Democracy: The press and the public, edited by M. Bromley, 147?162. London: Longman.
Burnham, J. D. 2004 A Story of Conflict: The Controversial Relationship between Benjamin Wills Newton and John Nelson Darby. Carlisle: Paternoster Press.
Cohen, S. 2002 [1972]. Folks Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. London: Routledge.
Connell, J. 2005 “Hillsong: A Megachurch in the Sydney Suburbs.” Australian Geographer 36(3): 315–332. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049180500325710
Crabb, A. 2009 “Invoking Religion in Australian Politics.” Australian Journal of Political Science 44(2): 259–279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140902862784
Crouch, B.M. and K. R. Damphousse. 1992 “Newspapers and the Antisatanism Movement: A Content Analysis.” Sociological Spectrum 12: 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02732173.1992.9981984
Gallup, G. 1978 “December 26 The Jonestown Tragedy.” The Gallup Poll 1978 275f.
----- 1982 “Intolerance Remains Regarding Neighbors; Cults, Refugees Top List of Undesirables.” The Gallup Report 197: 26–27
----- 1987 “Cults Lead List of Groups ‘Not Wanted as Neighbors’.” The Gallup Report 256–257: 19–21.
----- 1993 “Appendix.” The Gallup Poll 1993 242f.
Garran, R. 2004 True Believer: John Howard, George Bush and the American Alliance. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Grey, D.L. and Brown, T. R. 1970 “Letters to the Editor: Hazy Reflections of Public Opinion.” Journalism Quarterly 47(3): 450–471.
Hager, N. 2006 The Hollow Men: A Study in the Politics of Deception. Nelson: Craig Potton Publishing.
Hall, S. et al. 1978 Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State, and Law and Order. London: MacMillan Press.
Hogan, M. 1987 The Sectarian Strand: Religion in Australian History. Sydney: Penguin Books.
Hughes, P. and S. Bond. 2010 “Brethren.” Australia’s Religious Communities. CD-ROM. Melbourne, Christian Research Association.
Jenkins, P. 1992 Intimate Enemies: Moral Panics in Contemporary Britain. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
----- 1998 Moral Panic: Changing Concepts of the Child Molester in Modern America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
----- 2000a Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
----- 2000b Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
----- 2003 The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Johnson, C. 2007 “John Howard’s “Values” and Australian Identity.” Australian Journal of Political Science 42(2): 195–209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140701319986
Kabir, N. 2006 “Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Australian Media, 2001–2005.” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 26(3): 313–328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602000601141281
Spector, M. and J. I. Kitsuse. 1987 [1977] Constructing Social Problems. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Krapohl, R. H. 1988 “A Search For Purity: The Controversial Life of John Nelson Darby.” PhD diss., Baylor University.
Lineham, P. 2009 “Brethren in Australia.” In The Encyclopedia of Religion in Australia, edited by J. Jupp, 180–182. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lohrey, A. 2006 Voting for Jesus: Christianity and Politics in Australia. Sydney: Schwartz.
Maddox, M. 2005a God Under Howard: The Rise of the Religious Right in Australian Politics. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Manning, H. and C. Rootes. 2005 “The Tainted Triumph of the Greens: The Australian National Election of 9 October 2004.” Environmental Politics 14(3): 403–408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09644010500087681
McCloud, S. 2007 “From Exotics to Brainwashers: Portraying New Religions in Mass Media.” Religion Compass 1(1): 214–228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2006.00001.x
McDowell, I. 1968 A Brief History of the “Brethren”. Sydney: Victory Books.
Melton, G. 2009 “Plymouth Brethren (Raven-Taylor-Hales Brethren)”. In Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religion, edited by J. Gordon Melton, 527f. New York: Gale.
Mutch, S. 2004 “Religion in Australian Politics: A Surfacing Debate.” Australian Quarterley 76(5): 15–40.
----- 2007 “Cultish Religious Sects and Politics: The Brethren v. Greens Contest and Other Controversies Involving Minority Religious Sects Down Under.” Cultic Studies Review 6(3):298–310.
O’Farrell, Patrick. 2009 Imagination’s Stain: Historical Reflections on Sectarianism in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.patrickofarrell.com/pdf_download.php
Perrin, A.J. and S. Vaisey. 2008 “Parallel Public Spheres: Distance and Discourse in Letters to the Editor.” American Journal of Sociology 114(3): 781–810. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/590647
Possamai, A. and M. Lee. 2004 “New Religious Movements and the Fear of Crime.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 19(3): 337–352. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1353790042000266354
Poynting, S. et al. 2001 “Middle Eastern Appearances: “Ethnic Gangs”, Moral Panic and Media Framing.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 34(1): 67–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/000486580103400105
Richardson, J. 2008 “Readers’ Letters.” in Pulling Newspapers Apart: Analysing Print Journalism, edited by B. Franklin, 56–66. London, Taylor and Francis.
Richardson, J.E. and B. Franklin. 2004 “Letters of Intent: Election Campaigning and Orchestrated Public Debate in Local Newspapers” Letters to the Editor.” Political Communications 21: 459–478. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10584600490518342
Richardson, J.T. and B. van Driel. 1984 “Public Support for Anti-Cult Legislation.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 23(43): 412–418. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1385728
Rowdon, H. H. 1986 Who are the Brethren and Does it Matter? Exeter: Paternoster Press.
Rowe, L. and G. Cavender. 1991 “Cauldrons Bubble, Satan’s Trouble, But Witches are Okay: Media Construction of Satanism and Witchcraft.” In The Satanism Scare, edited by J.T. Richardson et al. 263–275. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Sandeen, Ernest. 1970 The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism, 1800–1930. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Scotland, N. 1997 “Encountering the Exclusive Brethren: A Late Twentieth Century Cult.” European Journal of Theology 6(2): 157–167.
----- 2000 Sectarian Religion in Contemporary Britain. Carlisle: Paternoster Press.
Shuff, R. 2005 Searching for the True Church. Carlisle: Paternoster.
Smith, R. 2009 “How Would Jesus Vote? The Churches and the Election of the Rudd Government.” Australian Journal of Political Science 44(4): 613–637. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140903296545
Stark, R. 2008 What Americans Really Believe. Waco, Texas, Baylor University Press.
Stark, R. and W.S. Bainbridge. 1985 The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival and Cult Formation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
----- 1987 A Theory of Religion. New York: Peter Lang.
Tchappatt, D. 2009 Breakout: How I escaped the Exclusive Brethren. Sydney: New Holland.
Thompson, E.P. 1963 The Making of the English Working Class. New York: Pantheon Books.
Thompson, K. 1998 Moral Panics. London: Routledge.
Thornthwaite, L. 2011 “Separatist Religious Sects, The Family Law Act and Shared Parenting: An Examination of Cases Involving the Exclusive Brethren.” Australian Journal of Family Law 25: 1–15.
Tonts, M. 2001 “The Exclusive Brethren and an Australian Rural Community.” Journal of Rural Studies 17: 309–322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0743-0167(00)00052-8
Turnbull, N. and A. Vromen. 2004 “Election 2004: Where do the Greens fit in Election 2004?” Australian Review of Public Affairs retrieved from http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2004/09/turnbull_vromen.html
Wahl-Jorgensen, K. 2001 “Letters to the Editor as a Forum for Public Deliberation: Modes of Publicity and Democratic Debate.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 18(3): 303–320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07393180128085
----- 2002 “Understanding the Conditions for Public Discourse: Four Rules For Selecting Letters to the Editor.” Journalism Studies 3(1): 69–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616700120107347
Warhurst, J. 2007 “Religion and Politics in the Howard Decade.” Australian Journal of Political Science 42(1): 19–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140601158526
Wilson, B. R. 1967 “The Exclusive Brethren: A Case Study in the Evolution of Sectarian Ideogy.” In Patterns of Sectarianism: Organisation and Ideology in Social and Religious Movements, edited by B.R. Wilson. 287–342. London: Heinemann.
----- 1970 Religious Sects: A Sociological Study. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
----- 1990 The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism: Sects and New Religious Movements in Contemporary Society. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Wright, B. R. E. 2010 Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You’ve Been Told. Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House.
Wright, S. A. 1997 “Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any “Good News” for Minority Faiths?” Review of Religious Research 39(2): 101–115. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3512176
Young, Sally and Joo-Cheong Tham. 2006 “Political Finance in Australia: A Skewed and Secret System.” Democratic Audit of Australia VII. Canberra: Australian National University.
Government Documents
Brown, Bob. 2005 Speech to Australian Senate, 12 September 2005. Parliamentary Debates, Senate, Australia,Senate2005,26-28.Accessed2July2012: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query%3DId%3A%22chamber/hansards/2005-09-12/0000%22
Press Releases
Brown, B. 2004 Outrageous Senate Outcome (November 2). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/outrageous-senate-outcome-%C2%96-brown
----- 2005 Exclusive Brethren money for Howard, Bush, Brash campaigns questioned (September 12). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethren-money-howard-bush-brash-campaigns-questioned
----- 2006a Cowardly Brethren will be investigated (March 22). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/cowardly-brethren-will-be-investigated-%C2%96-brown
----- 2006b Exclusive Brethren’s payback (April 2). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethrens-payback
----- 2006c Greens meet sect (June 6). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/greens-meet-sect
----- 2006d Terms of Reference for Exclusive Brethren Senate Inquiry (June 13). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/speeches/terms-reference-exclusive-brethren-senate-inquiry
----- 2006e Exclusive Brethren inquiry move in August (June 20). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethren-inquiry-move-august
----- 2006f Exclusive Brethren inquiry denied (August 16). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethren-inquiry-denied
----- 2007 Exclusive sect wields sway over Howard government Brown (August 22). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-sect-wields-sway-over-howard-government-%C2%96-brown
Legal Sources
Peter v Elspeth 2009 FamCA 551. Retrieved from http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FamCA/2009/551.html?stem=0andsynonyms=0andquery=title(peters%20and%20elspeth%20)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 2006a Christian sect members attack Tas Greens (March 15). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-03-15/christian-sect-members-attack-tas-greens/818974
----- 2006b Greens warn voters about Christian sect (March 15). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/elections/tas/2006/news/stories/1592593.htm?elections/tas/2006/
----- 2006c Gay group calls on major parties to end “smear campaign” (March 16). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-03-16/gay-group-calls-on-major-parties-to-end-smear/819700
----- 2006d Greens question Liberal pamphlets’ origin (March 16). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/elections/tas/2006/news/stories/1593368.htm?elections/tas/2006/
----- 2006e Howard Australia’s most xenophobic leader, Greens say Senator Bob Brown says the Prime Minister is promoting xenophobia. (September 2). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-02/howard-australias-most-xenophobic-leader-greens-say/1253820
----- 2006f Greens urge transparency on Exclusive Brethren’s activities (September 19). ABC News. Retried from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-19/greens-urge-transparency-on-exclusive-brethrens/1267540
----- 2006g Greens senator calls for religious group to come clean (September 24). ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-24/greens-senator-calls-for-religious-group-to-come/1270332
Newspapers
Adams, Phillip. 2007 Crusader, not just a God botherer. The Australian, October 23, p. 16.
Anon. 2006a Lennon’s election triumph. The Hobart Mercury, March 20, p. 16.
----- 2006b Pointing finger of blame. The Hobart Mercury, March 25, p. 26.
----- 2006c PM’s warning to Muslims. The Daily Telegraph, September 1, p. 2.
Bachelard, M. 2006a Court chief tells of Brethren sect seeking preferential treatment. The Age, September 22, p. 3.
----- 2006b Believers a world apart. The Age, September 23, p. 5.
----- 2006c Brethren bid to hide sex assaults. The Age, December 30, p. 1.
----- 2006d Brethren chief tells child to disown dad. The Age, December 26, p. 1.
----- 2006e Religious sect backs Nationals in run-up to state poll. The Age, September 19, p. 1.
----- 2006f Sect asked for power to prevent child visits. Sydney Morning Herlard, December 27, p. 2.
----- 2006g Brown demands sect inquiry. The Age, December 27, p. 3.
Cannold, L. 2006 There shouldn’t be one law for religions, another for the rest. The Age, October 13, p. 15.
Coorey, Phillip. 2007 Brethren still a cult in Rudd’s book. Sydney Morning Herald, August 23, p. 8.
Coultan, Mark. 2006 Power wielded from the fringes. The Age, September 23, p. 5.
Denholm, M. 2006a Scare and smear campaign against the Greens. The Australian, March 18, p. 24.
----- 2006b Greens king hit in “grubbiest” campaign. The Australian, March 20, p. 8.
Denholm, M. and P. Murphey. 2006 Brethren and the bearpit. The Australian, March 27, p. 12.
Doherty, L. 2005 Secretive sect campaigned for Howard. Sydney Morning Herald, September 16, p.2.
Grattan, M. 2006a PM met Brethren, defends their voice. The Age, September 27, p. 6.
----- 2006b PM refuses to give details of sect talks. The Age, September 28, p. 10.
Grattan, M. and M. Bachelard. 2006 Ex-sect leader tells of money-running. The Age, September 25, p. 6.
Higgins, D. 2006 Sects and Lies. Sydney Morning Herald, December 30, p. 24.
Higgins, Ean. 2005a Clark sets pace as Brash hits trouble ahead of NZ poll. The Australian, September 8, p. 2.
----- 2005b Kiwi leader traps opponent on smear. The Australian, September 8, p. 6.
----- 2005c Kiwi minor parties in play. The Australian, September 10, p. 11.
----- 2005d Howard’s “hired guns manipulating NZ poll.” The Australian, September 13, p. 2.
Horin, Adele. 2006 Must double standards be met, too? Sydney Morning Herald, September 30, p. 33.
Karvelas, Patricia. 2007 Exclusive Brethren a radical cult: Rudd. The Australian, August 23, p. 2.
Maddox, M. 2005b Step to the right as the brethren gather force. Sydney Morning Herald, September 14, p. 17.
Marr, D. 2006 Hidden Prophets. Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, p. 23.
McKinnon, M. and M. Franklin. 2007 ATO warns greens over politicking. The Australian, February 17, p. 5.
Noonan, G. and M. Bachelard. 2008 Exclusive Brethren schools to get $10m subsidy. The Age, January 21, p. 5.
Powell, Sian. 2007 Brothers duck and cover. The Australian, February 20, p. 13.
Rudd, K. 2006 Faith in Politics. The Monthly. October. Retrieved from http://www.themonthly.com.au/faith-politics-kevin-rudd-300
Topsfield, J. 2010 Sect’s small schools get $2m. The Age, April 7, p. 1.
Totaro, P. 2005 Church group weighs in to NZ election. Sydney Morning Herald, September 9, p. 2.
Television News Media
Belshaw, B. (executive producer). 2006 Four Corners. Separate Lives, first broadcast 16 September by ABC.
----- 2007 Four Corners. The Brethren Express, first broadcast 15 October by ABC.
Williams, G. (executive producer). 2011a A Current Affair. Battling Brethrenville, first broadcast October 11 by Channel Nine.
----- 2011b A Current Affair. People’s victory against Brethren, first broadcast November 9 by Channel Nine.
----- 2012 A Current Affair. Brethren’s planned suburban prayer hall meets backlash, first broadcast February 29 by Channel Nine.
Books and Articles
Al-Natour, R. J. 2010 “Folk Devils and the Proposed Islamic School in Camden.” Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 24(4): 573?585.
Bachelard, Michael. 2008 Behind the Exclusive Brethren. Melbourne, Australia: Scribe.
----- 2010 “Politics and the Exclusive Brethren.” In The Australian Book of Atheism edited by W. Bonnett, 285–298. Melbourne: Scribe.
----- 2011 “Reporting on Cults: Rewards and Punishments.” Cults in Australia [Conference Presentation]. Parliament House. Retrieved from http://www.cifs.org.au/fateful.php.
Bainbridge, W.S. and R. Stark. 1980 “Sectarian Tension.” Review of Religious Research 22(2): 105?124. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3510654
Barker, E. 2001 “Inform: Bringing the Sociology of Religion to the Public Space.” In Chercheurs de dieux dans l’espace public/ Frontier Religions in Public Space, edited by P. Côté, 21?34. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.
Bebbington, David. 1989 Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Beckford, J. 1983 “The Public Response to New Religious Movements in Britain.” Social Compass 30(1): 49?62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003776868303000104
----- 1985 Cult Contoversies: The Societal Response to the New Religious Movements. London: Tavistock.
----- 1999 “The Mass Media and New Religious Movements.” In New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response, edited by B. Wilson and J. Cresswell, 103?119. London: Routledge.
Beit-Hallahmi, B. 1991 “Judaism and the New Religions in Israel: 1970?1990.” In Tradition, innovation, conflict : Jewishness and Judaism in contemporary Israel, edited by Z. Sobel and B. Beit-Hallahmi, 203?223. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Best, J. 1990 Threatened Children. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
----- 2004 More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Bouma, G. D. 2006 Australian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139168526
Breschel, E.F. and D. Bromley. 1992 “General Population and Institutional Elite Support for Social Control of New Religious Movements: Evidence from National Survey Data.” Behavioral Sciences and the Law 10: 39?52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2370100105
Bromley, D. and A. Shupe. 1980 The New Vigilantes: Deprogrammers, Anti-Cultists, and the New Religions. London: Sage Publications.
----- 1989 “Public Reactions Against New Religious Movements.” In Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association, edited by M. Galanter, 305?335. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Bromley, M. 1998 “‘Watching the Watchdogs’? The Role of Readers’ Letters in Calling the Press to Account.” In Sex, Lies and Democracy: The press and the public, edited by M. Bromley, 147?162. London: Longman.
Burnham, J. D. 2004 A Story of Conflict: The Controversial Relationship between Benjamin Wills Newton and John Nelson Darby. Carlisle: Paternoster Press.
Cohen, S. 2002 [1972]. Folks Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. London: Routledge.
Connell, J. 2005 “Hillsong: A Megachurch in the Sydney Suburbs.” Australian Geographer 36(3): 315–332. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049180500325710
Crabb, A. 2009 “Invoking Religion in Australian Politics.” Australian Journal of Political Science 44(2): 259–279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140902862784
Crouch, B.M. and K. R. Damphousse. 1992 “Newspapers and the Antisatanism Movement: A Content Analysis.” Sociological Spectrum 12: 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02732173.1992.9981984
Gallup, G. 1978 “December 26 The Jonestown Tragedy.” The Gallup Poll 1978 275f.
----- 1982 “Intolerance Remains Regarding Neighbors; Cults, Refugees Top List of Undesirables.” The Gallup Report 197: 26–27
----- 1987 “Cults Lead List of Groups ‘Not Wanted as Neighbors’.” The Gallup Report 256–257: 19–21.
----- 1993 “Appendix.” The Gallup Poll 1993 242f.
Garran, R. 2004 True Believer: John Howard, George Bush and the American Alliance. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Grey, D.L. and Brown, T. R. 1970 “Letters to the Editor: Hazy Reflections of Public Opinion.” Journalism Quarterly 47(3): 450–471.
Hager, N. 2006 The Hollow Men: A Study in the Politics of Deception. Nelson: Craig Potton Publishing.
Hall, S. et al. 1978 Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State, and Law and Order. London: MacMillan Press.
Hogan, M. 1987 The Sectarian Strand: Religion in Australian History. Sydney: Penguin Books.
Hughes, P. and S. Bond. 2010 “Brethren.” Australia’s Religious Communities. CD-ROM. Melbourne, Christian Research Association.
Jenkins, P. 1992 Intimate Enemies: Moral Panics in Contemporary Britain. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
----- 1998 Moral Panic: Changing Concepts of the Child Molester in Modern America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
----- 2000a Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
----- 2000b Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
----- 2003 The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Johnson, C. 2007 “John Howard’s “Values” and Australian Identity.” Australian Journal of Political Science 42(2): 195–209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140701319986
Kabir, N. 2006 “Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Australian Media, 2001–2005.” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 26(3): 313–328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602000601141281
Spector, M. and J. I. Kitsuse. 1987 [1977] Constructing Social Problems. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Krapohl, R. H. 1988 “A Search For Purity: The Controversial Life of John Nelson Darby.” PhD diss., Baylor University.
Lineham, P. 2009 “Brethren in Australia.” In The Encyclopedia of Religion in Australia, edited by J. Jupp, 180–182. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lohrey, A. 2006 Voting for Jesus: Christianity and Politics in Australia. Sydney: Schwartz.
Maddox, M. 2005a God Under Howard: The Rise of the Religious Right in Australian Politics. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Manning, H. and C. Rootes. 2005 “The Tainted Triumph of the Greens: The Australian National Election of 9 October 2004.” Environmental Politics 14(3): 403–408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09644010500087681
McCloud, S. 2007 “From Exotics to Brainwashers: Portraying New Religions in Mass Media.” Religion Compass 1(1): 214–228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2006.00001.x
McDowell, I. 1968 A Brief History of the “Brethren”. Sydney: Victory Books.
Melton, G. 2009 “Plymouth Brethren (Raven-Taylor-Hales Brethren)”. In Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religion, edited by J. Gordon Melton, 527f. New York: Gale.
Mutch, S. 2004 “Religion in Australian Politics: A Surfacing Debate.” Australian Quarterley 76(5): 15–40.
----- 2007 “Cultish Religious Sects and Politics: The Brethren v. Greens Contest and Other Controversies Involving Minority Religious Sects Down Under.” Cultic Studies Review 6(3):298–310.
O’Farrell, Patrick. 2009 Imagination’s Stain: Historical Reflections on Sectarianism in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.patrickofarrell.com/pdf_download.php
Perrin, A.J. and S. Vaisey. 2008 “Parallel Public Spheres: Distance and Discourse in Letters to the Editor.” American Journal of Sociology 114(3): 781–810. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/590647
Possamai, A. and M. Lee. 2004 “New Religious Movements and the Fear of Crime.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 19(3): 337–352. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1353790042000266354
Poynting, S. et al. 2001 “Middle Eastern Appearances: “Ethnic Gangs”, Moral Panic and Media Framing.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 34(1): 67–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/000486580103400105
Richardson, J. 2008 “Readers’ Letters.” in Pulling Newspapers Apart: Analysing Print Journalism, edited by B. Franklin, 56–66. London, Taylor and Francis.
Richardson, J.E. and B. Franklin. 2004 “Letters of Intent: Election Campaigning and Orchestrated Public Debate in Local Newspapers” Letters to the Editor.” Political Communications 21: 459–478. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10584600490518342
Richardson, J.T. and B. van Driel. 1984 “Public Support for Anti-Cult Legislation.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 23(43): 412–418. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1385728
Rowdon, H. H. 1986 Who are the Brethren and Does it Matter? Exeter: Paternoster Press.
Rowe, L. and G. Cavender. 1991 “Cauldrons Bubble, Satan’s Trouble, But Witches are Okay: Media Construction of Satanism and Witchcraft.” In The Satanism Scare, edited by J.T. Richardson et al. 263–275. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Sandeen, Ernest. 1970 The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism, 1800–1930. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Scotland, N. 1997 “Encountering the Exclusive Brethren: A Late Twentieth Century Cult.” European Journal of Theology 6(2): 157–167.
----- 2000 Sectarian Religion in Contemporary Britain. Carlisle: Paternoster Press.
Shuff, R. 2005 Searching for the True Church. Carlisle: Paternoster.
Smith, R. 2009 “How Would Jesus Vote? The Churches and the Election of the Rudd Government.” Australian Journal of Political Science 44(4): 613–637. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140903296545
Stark, R. 2008 What Americans Really Believe. Waco, Texas, Baylor University Press.
Stark, R. and W.S. Bainbridge. 1985 The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival and Cult Formation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
----- 1987 A Theory of Religion. New York: Peter Lang.
Tchappatt, D. 2009 Breakout: How I escaped the Exclusive Brethren. Sydney: New Holland.
Thompson, E.P. 1963 The Making of the English Working Class. New York: Pantheon Books.
Thompson, K. 1998 Moral Panics. London: Routledge.
Thornthwaite, L. 2011 “Separatist Religious Sects, The Family Law Act and Shared Parenting: An Examination of Cases Involving the Exclusive Brethren.” Australian Journal of Family Law 25: 1–15.
Tonts, M. 2001 “The Exclusive Brethren and an Australian Rural Community.” Journal of Rural Studies 17: 309–322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0743-0167(00)00052-8
Turnbull, N. and A. Vromen. 2004 “Election 2004: Where do the Greens fit in Election 2004?” Australian Review of Public Affairs retrieved from http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2004/09/turnbull_vromen.html
Wahl-Jorgensen, K. 2001 “Letters to the Editor as a Forum for Public Deliberation: Modes of Publicity and Democratic Debate.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 18(3): 303–320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07393180128085
----- 2002 “Understanding the Conditions for Public Discourse: Four Rules For Selecting Letters to the Editor.” Journalism Studies 3(1): 69–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616700120107347
Warhurst, J. 2007 “Religion and Politics in the Howard Decade.” Australian Journal of Political Science 42(1): 19–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140601158526
Wilson, B. R. 1967 “The Exclusive Brethren: A Case Study in the Evolution of Sectarian Ideogy.” In Patterns of Sectarianism: Organisation and Ideology in Social and Religious Movements, edited by B.R. Wilson. 287–342. London: Heinemann.
----- 1970 Religious Sects: A Sociological Study. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
----- 1990 The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism: Sects and New Religious Movements in Contemporary Society. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Wright, B. R. E. 2010 Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You’ve Been Told. Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House.
Wright, S. A. 1997 “Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any “Good News” for Minority Faiths?” Review of Religious Research 39(2): 101–115. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3512176
Young, Sally and Joo-Cheong Tham. 2006 “Political Finance in Australia: A Skewed and Secret System.” Democratic Audit of Australia VII. Canberra: Australian National University.
Government Documents
Brown, Bob. 2005 Speech to Australian Senate, 12 September 2005. Parliamentary Debates, Senate, Australia,Senate2005,26-28.Accessed2July2012: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query%3DId%3A%22chamber/hansards/2005-09-12/0000%22
Press Releases
Brown, B. 2004 Outrageous Senate Outcome (November 2). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/outrageous-senate-outcome-%C2%96-brown
----- 2005 Exclusive Brethren money for Howard, Bush, Brash campaigns questioned (September 12). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethren-money-howard-bush-brash-campaigns-questioned
----- 2006a Cowardly Brethren will be investigated (March 22). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/cowardly-brethren-will-be-investigated-%C2%96-brown
----- 2006b Exclusive Brethren’s payback (April 2). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethrens-payback
----- 2006c Greens meet sect (June 6). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/greens-meet-sect
----- 2006d Terms of Reference for Exclusive Brethren Senate Inquiry (June 13). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/speeches/terms-reference-exclusive-brethren-senate-inquiry
----- 2006e Exclusive Brethren inquiry move in August (June 20). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethren-inquiry-move-august
----- 2006f Exclusive Brethren inquiry denied (August 16). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-brethren-inquiry-denied
----- 2007 Exclusive sect wields sway over Howard government Brown (August 22). Retrieved from http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/exclusive-sect-wields-sway-over-howard-government-%C2%96-brown
Legal Sources
Peter v Elspeth 2009 FamCA 551. Retrieved from http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FamCA/2009/551.html?stem=0andsynonyms=0andquery=title(peters%20and%20elspeth%20)
Published
2012-12-31
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Doherty, B. (2012). Quirky Neighbors or the Cult Next-Door? An Analysis of Public Perceptions of the Exclusive Brethren in Australia. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 3(2), 163-211. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v3i2.163
