Does anyone know much about the Brethren?

[carlycurly]

There are plenty of indications that our new neighbours may be part of the Brethren and I suspect that the house has been bought by the church for let to Brethren families.

I'm fascinated by such a different way of life and am really just interested in finding out some more about it all. I'm guessing I won't find any on here due to the restrictions on using internet. we've had a few interesting situations with them so far and it's certainly not the usual neighbour interaction.

Was is a Focus school? The one I worked at was quite hardcore and many children had terrible behavioural issues.

Music was completely removed in 2017 it was very sad.

I also find it odd how hard they are pushed to do well in these subjects- as they can't then go to college and university. They're not off to become teachers or scientists or journalists.

Agree about the smut, many songs blacklisted too.

Perhaps so. I'm sharing this on here, but I'm sympathetic to the fact that it sounded very hard for the parents to deal with.

I was most curious as to where the language might even have been picked up though, given the restrictions.

We had a lot of Plymouth brethren in the town where I grew up in SW England, and DH had the same in NI

They only work for brethren-owned companies
I remember one company made wooden toys and play equipment for nurseries and schools and was v successful. Not sure what their ‘typical’ industries are though

Same as everyone else said about dress codes

We had a brethren house a few doors down from us which would host some sort of church meeting a couple of nights a week and the parking was mayhem

The road was a narrow single lane, and the first set visitors would just park in the road outside the house, and then others would just park behind them
When it was time to leave, the one at the back would leave first etc

Absolutely zero consideration for anyone who lived further down the lane! They would be trapped in for a couple of hours!

Would have made a wonderful MN parking thread…

@CraftyGin

No discussion of evolution in school

It's on the Science GCSE specification.

Yup. But an academy school doesn’t have to follow the curriculum. That’s any academy school.

Yep!

I was most curious as to where the language might even have been picked up though, given the restrictions

I was wondering that too!

Yup. But an academy school doesn’t have to follow the curriculum. That’s any academy school.

They are independent schools, and teach the full specification for exam courses.

Kids will pick up and use foul language whenever and wherever they can. Just because they gear god, doesn't mean they're not naughty. Brethren mums tend to, in my experience, be very young themselves and unable to handle their kids as well as we might imagine. I've seen some chaotic scenes at homes where the kids are running riot around the mums. Some other houses are like libraries, and the kids are angelic. Varies as much as the rest of the world.

They also all have the same photos/images of the church leaders on display at home. Sometimes they're on the piano.

Plymouth Brethren you wouldn't even notice - very caring community, quite strict on biblical beliefs, but willing to share, communicate and socialise with all

Speaking from first hand experience, simply not true, they don’t socialise and operate like a cult. Controlling and manipulative. My grandmother was part of the Plymouth Brethren and she was dealt with by the elders if she ever saw us. She never came to our house, our very rare visits to her were reported back. Told we couldn’t go to her funeral.

*fear god!

@Wetellyourstory

Plymouth Brethren you wouldn't even notice - very caring community, quite strict on biblical beliefs, but willing to share, communicate and socialise with all

Speaking from first hand experience, simply not true, they don’t socialise and operate like a cult. Controlling and manipulative. My grandmother was part of the Plymouth Brethren and she was dealt with by the elders if she ever saw us. She never came to our house, our very rare visits to her were reported back. Told we couldn’t go to her funeral.

Open brethren not so bad. Sounds like your grandmother was exclusive brethren. I'm sorry for your experience and her restricted life :(

In terms of music they didn't like popular music. They were not allowed a radio in the warehouse where I worked (even though all the warehouse staff were non brethen). Its considered sinful or corrupt.

However to say they don't like music is wrong. They often have pianos and play other traditional instruments like violins etc. They have sing songs around the piano. But usually more religious songs.

If you see a house on right move with a piano but no tv, its a good bet its Brethren owned.

Traditional industries seem to related to things like packaging, furniture, medical supplies - anything which is selling manufactured goods or import of goods rather than services of any kind. Mainly to avoid dealing with people outside their world. It tends to be skilled work rather than menial work - they will hire others to do things like warehouse or general unskilled labouring work. I always got the sense they thought this beneath them. Some of these businesses are very successful and they do well because many are linked together and use Brethren supply chains around the world.

They try and avoid things like the NHS (so its homebirths all the way) as much as possible. My non-brethren colleague said they didn't pay NI as they were using a religious exemption and were paid strangely - so weren't eligible for the NHS as a result. I didn't quite understand what she meant but she was the one responsible for payroll but I was never quite sure if that was true or not.

They only work for brethren-owned companies
I remember one company made wooden toys and play equipment for nurseries and schools and was v successful. Not sure what their ‘typical’ industries are though

Community Playthings is, I believe, a Brethren owned company. www.communityplaythings.co.uk/about-us/Why-Community-Playthings/Behind-the-scenes

Any Early Years teacher or Nursery staff will tell you that they are far and away the best nursery products you can buy.

They never push their Christianity and will happily sell to anyone. If you look at the catalogue you will see that the girls are all in skirts etc.

I have a you g friend who was brought up by Plymouth Brethren. Home schooled (which isn't a problem) using books which were redacted by his parents (which is a problem!). Still managed to get to Cambridge. Now has a girlfriend who he hasn't yet introduced Ed to his parents. He is a lovely chap. But what a properly weird childhood he had.
This is my only experience of Brethren. Maybe this family were an extreme. I don't know..

I am so fascinated by communities like this. I am going to check out the book mentioned above.

I've ordered the rebecca stott book

@Beseen22 - that was my experience. I attended meetings with a school friend. I used to spend every Sunday with them. They used to pick me up, then it was church, Sunday school and church again early evening.

And film Book of Rambow is set around a Plymouth Brethren community, and shows the family alienation when someone tries to leave the religion

It’s the same a JW and Scientologist - if you leave, your entire family will disown you

I am in NZ in a rural community with lots Brethren.
They live a separate life, they cannot vote ( but donate huge amounts of money to conservative politicians), they separate families by excommunicating those who leave.
They run businesses and often are very wealthy but regarded as exploitive.
They cannot marry outside their community so there is a huge issue with inter-marriage and there are lots children with learning difficulties in the community.
They cannot watch TV, go to movies but they drink enormous amounts of alcohol and that is a huge issue in the communities.

faithschoolersanonymous.uk/2016/06/exclusive-brethren/

Interesting account re evolution in EB school here from another teacher

Interesting to hear people mention inter marriage. Of the 6 Brethren mums at dds school 3 of them looked exactly the same - to the point that for 2 years I thought they were just 1 person, until I saw them together. All of the kids were like clones of each other.

This thread is very interesting for me as my maternal grandfather's father was from Plymouth, Devon & Plymouth Brethren. I know nothing about them apart from they hailed from N.I. way back & that is possibly the origins of PB's. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

It's not unlike the Taliban in some ways to be quite honest.

Novels are considered wrong because they're not 'true'.
The cinema is out.
Accompanied singing is not allowed (meaning that some tone deaf fellow starts every psalm at an impossible key).
Women aren't supposed to wear colours. The morning meeting is a sea of navy and black.
Women are supposed to be silent during teaching and most gatherings are technically teaching. Men get away with throwing their weight around unchecked under the guise of male leadership. There is a narrow definition of how to be an acceptable female.
Women are supposed to be submissive in the home and out of it. Only the male (and the odd woman married to the leading male) are powerful.
Most people do have a TV, it's just kept in a cabinet so the doors can be closed when elders visit. Even elders do this.
They think the world is full of sin and corruption and mostly headed for hell. Probably why they're often a bit stiff to chat to. They think you're doomed unless you join them.
They technically don't do Christmas as it's apparently idolatry.
If you visit a meeting, you will require a letter of introduction from the elders of another meeting otherwise you must sit at the back.
They labour under the delightful delusion that they are not a denomination at all, just a group of friendly communities. This is because they don't technically agree with denominations. In their eyes, they are the only true remnant and everyone else is a little bit pagan.
They do expect your money and your time.
Women spend an incredible amount of time preparing food for men, who are always sitting down at the time. Food seems to stand in for a lot of other pleasures. Gluttony is not a thing, but smoking and drinking are damning.

My aunt was once denounced from the not-a-pulpit by a not-a-minister because she'd been ill and missed three weeks in a row. She was just a teenager and had been really unwell.

There are good people within them but make no mistake, there is an essentially loveless cult present there too.

@nancy75

Interesting to hear people mention inter marriage. Of the 6 Brethren mums at dds school 3 of them looked exactly the same - to the point that for 2 years I thought they were just 1 person, until I saw them together. All of the kids were like clones of each other.

There’s been issues with kids being born with rare hereditary disorders. I remember a conversation a number of years ago where one of the women casually mentioned that the community had approached a Plymouth brethren community in Canada and asked if some of their women could be sent over. One had already arrived. Basically to get some new blood in the gene pool. All a bit Handsmaid Tale. Hopefully the women had some choice in the matter.

My parents also live near some and there recycling has plenty of alcohol so I think ot must really vary, in my town there are a lot of brethren and brethren owned buisness and I have found them all pleasant the ones I have met , they own a fair few buisnesses who employ many non brethren , probably like all people many different ones around .