Plymouth Brethren

[clairethewitch70]

Just found out my neighbours are members, wondered why they ignore us. Does anyone have experience of this church? It's not one I have heard of.

There are different varieties of Brethren. All are conservative theologically which will mean no women in leadership. They don't mix much outside of their own sect.

I’ve met some and they were ok, friendly, helpful, religiously pretty strict and lived a fairly simple life. Good neighbours. No problems.

I’ve worked with some Brethren Families. They were truly delightful but slightly other worldly. No television, no mobile phones, no radio, no computers. A simple clean living, prayerful and god fearing life with a very patriarchal structure but also very respectful of the women in terms of courtesy and valuing their contribution. Charming to those who they interact with but often isolated because of their distinct clothing and appearance. Obviously there are variants on the degree of observance and different communities with different rules.
Very community focussed and care for those in need both within and outside their immediate community. Great respect for elders and grandparents are very involved in supporting young families.

They moved in December, I have not even seen the wife. She won't answer the door to me. (I only called once, but known she is home in the day) I suggested to the husband that she can call over for coffee or cake anytime and he looked at me totally aghast.

We live close to a Plymouth Brethren church and the Brethren children attend my children's school up until Year 3 when they go to their own school. The mums I have known over the years are really lovely people but keep themselves to themselves. The children are all lovely too. It must be tricky for them in mainstream school - no playdates, no parties, no celebrating birthdays, no Nativity, and they are not allowed to eat at the same table as non-Brethren. But they are always delightful members of the class - kind, good friends, and seem happy. It is always very sad when they leave in Yr 3, but the families always give a treat to the whole school on the last day.
I'm not sure how I feel about children giving out religious literature in town centres, it does bother me, but they seem happy so maybe it's not my place to judge.

Isolated cultish lot. Ofc perfectly pleasant on the outside but definitely a cult. Has all the hallmarks - restricted contact with others, restricted access to information other than tenets (eg no reading newspapers etc), rigid hierarchy, extreme demands on behaviour at odds with societal norms propped up by fear and often outright abuse. They will continue to ignore you. You can't do anything about this. A friendly hello will not cut it in the face of mind washing.

We live in the countryside, no other neighbours nearby. We are practising Pagans, and hold workshops and coven meetings in the garden. They have chopped a lot of their woodland down, so now have full view of our coven (not skyclad) activities.

This is a great opportunity to show that pagans are normal nice people

I don’t see them coming to your workshops and if they know that you are pagan then they would want to avoid you as you might influence their members.

www.plymouthbrethrenchristianchurch.org/

The office I used to work in did the accounts for some Plymouth Brethren members as they had to give a percentage (I believe 50%) of their earning to the church and they actually had to prove this with verified accounts.

My DDad's fathers family were Plymouth Brethren. His father was physically abusive to his mum (my lovely nan) and him and his siblings before leaving them nearly destitute due to gambling debts (he gambled away the family Farm!) His whole family then cut off my nan and his siblings completely as she divorced him which was against the church. I'm really not a fan of that religion at all!!!

I was at University with a PB. She was very pleasant but always ate alone in her room and went home every weekend.

It wouldn't surprise me that once they realise you practice paganism they will have absolutely nothing to do with you.

They don't have anything to do with anyone really. The reason your mate ate alone was because she's not allowed to eat with anyone unclean ie non. Pb.

I’m not sure how they can be good neighbours - maybe I’m thinking more in the biblical sense! They think you aren’t someone to mix with simply because you’re not one of them, the paganism will simply provide an extra level of horror I’m afraid. If they don’t move I expect a new fence/row of trees will be going up!
I think forcing small children to sit apart from others in awful. If it was a group of (insert other religions) children whose parents said they couldn’t sit with anyone outside their faith, would we facilitate that? I can’t sit next to Bilal as he’s a Muslim, that type of thing? They leave school and if female won’t receive an education that would enable them to make different life choices.
(Note not all brethren branches are as extreme as this)

One of the rules is some Convoluted thing about only breaking bread with a fellow PB which really limits their sociability.

I'm so loving the idea of op holding covens in the garden in front of brethren neighbours - they must be terrified of you op, they are living next to actual witches!

There was a tiny group in my secondary school. They somehow managed to get every book referring to ghosts and the like removed from the school. I've no idea how they managed that - I think there were three brethren children in a school of 900+. They didn't mix and were generally a bit odd.

You would not think they would be able to continue this extreme cult in the 21st century. I would imagine it covers up an awful lot of abuse, women and children.

The ‘hands off’ treatment of the many nasty cults by the authorities need to change.

I wonder what happens to all the money paid to the church?

In The Days Of Rain by Rebecca Stott is a memoir detailing her family's experiences in (and leaving) the Exclusive Brethren (the more hard core version).

Your neighbours may not be Exclusive Brethren, OP, but the book may give you some insight into some of their behaviours, also, it is beautifully written.

There’s a family who are Plymouth Brethren at DD’s school, they are pleasant but they don’t really socialise with other children. The rules of not ‘breaking bread’ means they aren’t allowed to eat with anyone who doesn’t share their faith so the wife won’t be able to have the cake you’re offering.

Went to school with some people from this religion, they were not allowed to eat at school or at friends’ houses.

They were made to leave school at 16 and go into “suitable” occupations such as carpentry.

I had a cb friend when I was young. They live simple lives based around prayer, the kids attended ordinary schools to 18 but she wasn't allowed to go to university despite 3 a*'s. Marry young semi arranged. The women wear skirts below the knee and they don't celebrate Christmas or birthdays, no gifts at all. Think it varies a bit - she drove and during college removed her head covering but replaced it as she left the college grounds, her cb friend in the year below pushed boundaries more but I know they both were married under 21 as I've seen her a handful of times since and she now has email and send me a merry Christmas message even though they don't celebrate

not allowed to eat with anyone unclean ie non. Pb

So they think my family is unclean and wouldn't sit at the same lunch table as my kids? That makes me angry. That's not a religion. They are not nice people. I'm glad they don't attend our school because I would struggle to give a polite explanation for why they think they are so much better than everyone else.

It’s an extreme religion.

I know a strict PB family, and I can't help wondering if he would be married to a woman if he was not PB. He's also like something from another decade in his behaviour. Lovely, clever man with a very ready & dry sense of humour. Drinks coffee with his colleagues though (and is a huge coffee nerd with all the V60/Aeropress kit), so the "breaking bread" thing definitely doesn't extend to liquids. Also invited non-PB to his wedding & fed them perfectly normally with all the PB guests. Couldn't tell you a single thing about his wife though.