SkepticOfBible Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Hey Guys, I recently saw a documentary on New Zealand television on the Exclusive Brethren. Boy it was freaky. These guys are not allowed to have friends outside the church cause they are considered evil. TV, Internet and Radio are controlled by Satan so that is out of the question. The bright side is that they have no unemployment and all their housing needs are met. Offcouse all ex members are not allowed to mingle with the current member as they mix them with the sinful world. What do you guys know about this group? Pritish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Hey Guys, I recently saw a documentary on New Zealand television on the Exclusive Brethren... ...TV, Internet and Radio are controlled by Satan so that is out of the question... ...What do you guys know about this group? Nothing, and I actually wonder how this documentary came into being if all those media are from Saaaaaaaataaaaaan... ...I smell hypocrisy somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Never heard of the "Exclusive Brethren", but if I were to hazard a guess, (and I will!) I'd say they were descendants of the Anabaptist movement. Ye olde "radical wing of the Protestant Reformation". They were known to call themselves the "Brethren". And the Anabaptists were notorious for splintering into new denominations and spreading all over the world. Sounds like another splinter cell. And I agree with Thurisaz...sounds suspicious that they allow NO technology, YET they were filmed? Hmmm..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Carrion Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Never heard of them before this post, but I'd already like to throw them to the lions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totallyatpeace Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 It doesn't sound much different from the Amish...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Carrion Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 The Amish would also make excellent cat food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearview Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 It doesn't sound much different from the Amish...... Sounds similar, but the Amish freely mingle with the "Yankees", especially when they are in need of a telephone or a power tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 In my last Baptist, the pastor said that the Baptist denomination is descended from the Anabaptists. He claimed that the Anabaptists were the only true christian line. That they never were resistant to the Catholic church and developed apart from catholicism since the Acts church. He said they were not protestants and that they were persecuted by both protestants and catholics. I wonder if that is true. I couldn't find much on it and then I didn't care. Now I am too busy to read up on church history. One thing that bugged me about his story is, if they are so pure and set apart from the Catholics, why do they accept the Bible which was put together by the Catholics. Wouldn't they have had their own original copies of scripture? Ha! Allow me to say that your Baptist pastor was a typical idiot! If there is ONE group of Christians I KNOW about, it's the Anabaptists. Right before I quit the faith I was studying to become a Mennonite. (An Anabaptist) Baptists and Anabaptists share NO common ancestry. In fact, the Baptists can't even accurately trace their roots. However, they will all quickly claim to PRECEDE even the Roman Catholics in antiquity. The Anabaptists (the name is an insult meaning RE-baptizers, as they believed in ADULT baptisms, and not pedo-baptisms) came into being as a direct result of the messages of Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli. Inspired by the cries of "sola scriptura!" the leaders of the Anabaptist movement were determined to fully follow the scriptures alone. No more bowing down to church authority. This attitude pissed off both the Catholics AND the Protestant Reformers! In subsequent years the poor Anabaptists were hunted, hounded and martyred for the crime of following the bible AND being led individually by the Holy Spirit! The idiotic claim that these people, who did not come into existence until the mid 1500's, were somehow the First Baptists, is ludicrous in the extreme. The two groups have NOTHING in common! If you would like to learn more on the Anabaptist movement, here is an excellent link to get you started Scroll Publishing. Simply manuever around the site until you find links on "Early Christianity", "Kingdom Christianity" and "Anabaptists". The man responsible for this site is David Bercot (Ber-so). He's done extensive study on Early Christianity and the Anabaptists in particular. I have tons of his messages on CD and three of his books. I love his honesty and his willingness to expose the filthy underbelly of Christianity. At last report, Bercot is now a Mennonite. He came out of the JW, then the Anglican Church, then the Evangelicals, until finally settling down with the Anabaptist movement. As I said, I came close to joining him, it was so attractive. But instead I opted for intellectual honesty and chose atheism. Still, I respect Bercot's assessments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimdall Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 To a point I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Grinch, As near as I can find Anabaptists do claim an apostolic succession, believing that there has been a continuity of small groups outside the Church (Roman) since 30 CE. Whereas a comparison of there beliefs to other Protestants (they deny being a Protestant sect) sects show that they are probably of Waldensian or Cathar origin; which would place their beginnings sometime in the 15th or 16th century CE. It is highly unlikely that there was a continuity of small groups, enough so that the Anabaptists could claim a true Apostolic succession. - Heimdall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Heimdall, I don't know where you're getting your info, but I suggest you check out the link provided. I know of NO "Anabaptists" who lay claim to "apostolic succession", as that is within the province of Roman Catholics to claim. And a false claim it is. Also, the Anabaptists are UNIQUE. They have NO connections to the Waldensians either. Similar or cross-over doctrinal beliefs does NOT always equate to "common ancestry". What you're probably noticing is the penchant for these disparate groups to all be manifesting "Kingdom Christianity", i.e. the desire to live life exactly the same as the Early Church fathers had outlined and demonstrated. There were MANY such waves and movements throughout the centuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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