Brethren church reminds members to give up pets after dog attack

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has reminded its members they should give up their pets, following a dog attack on a child in Australia last month.

The dog was owned by a member of the PBCC - formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren.

The boy, who Australian media reported is believed to be a relative of the sect leader Bruce Hales, sustained significant injuries to the face and needed surgery.

The church read out a letter to its 50,000 members worldwide in early May, stating that keeping pets was "clearly wrong" and urging members to maintain the standard "represented in the great men and their ministries".

The church says few members keep pets as they generally avoid distractions from family, faith and God.

The edict raised concerns among former members that animals may be put down as a result, which they said happened when the PBCC first banned pets in the 1960s - something that the church denies.

The sect denied instructing its members to euthanise their pets - it suggested rehoming unwanted animals with neighbours or at a local shelter.

"We are aware of untrue and distressing online commentary which has misconstrued this as members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church being told to euthanise their pets.

"The church would never condone cruelty to any living creature, and this position was strongly reinforced to our congregation over the weekend of 16-18 May.

"We have the utmost respect for all of God's creations. If a member of our church ever was cruel to animals, we would want the matter to be dealt with by the appropriate authorities."

Church member Lydia* said the edict was her line in the sand: "If it's going to ask me to choose between my church and my dog - the dog wins."

She said she would keep her dog, and accept any consequences from the church.

Lydia said her dog had been there for her when no one else had. She said that for the first time, "I did have someone in my corner".

She believed her attachment to her dog was not something the church could understand.

"A dog is absolute unconditional love. The Brethren have no capability of knowing that feeling. Everything is conditional, they judge you on your car, your business and how much money you have."

Critics argued the church was knowingly asking members to sever such meaningful attachments.

Former member Braden Simmons, who had been excommunicated, said the motivations behind the reminder about the pet directive were twofold. The first, he described as a "doctrinal" reason, in which PBCC teaches that animals are unclean.

Simmons also views the letter regarding pets as a means to test members' allegiance.

"It's just a high-control group tactic, a technique of coercion, in my view, the way that these clampdowns happen and then they fade away.

"But they just put everybody on edge and they get everybody used to recognising the central power of the church."

He said that high-control groups, such as cults or gangs, needed members to engage in objectionable behaviour to alienate themselves from their own moral compasses and deepen their connection to the group through a sense of complicity.

Former church member Neville McCallum agreed. He said the fact that pets meant so much to their owners provided the perfect opportunity to show a members' commitment to the sect above all else.

"And it shows, I guess, also why this edict is such a good test of faith and a show of allegiance because they're getting you to do things which are incredibly detrimental to yourself."

He believed it was especially cruel to ask people to give up pets which might be a great comfort to them.

The PBCC denied these explanations.

"Very few families in the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church would keep pets, as we generally avoid distractions from family, faith and God, such as television, radio, or pet ownership.

"That said, many families in our church own and operate farms with extensive livestock, and others keep chickens and ducks for eggs. It's not a test of fellowship in our church."

The church also rejected being a cult.

"This is an absurd and deeply offensive thing to say about us. We are a mainstream Christian church with a 150-year history in New Zealand."

The church did not answer questions about how it would respond to people who chose to keep their pets.

Simmons said that people who went against orders saw their privileges, such as international travel or the ability to host meetings and dinners, stopped.

Insiders described being gossiped about or treated with wariness by other members after perceived disobedience.

In the PBCC, members could be "withdrawn from" - or excommunicated - which Simmons and McCallum described as a deeply painful process which left them cut off from their communities, families and loved ones.

A PBCC spokesman said: "People leave churches and choose different paths. This is not unique to us. The Church does not stand in the way of members communicating with family members who have left."

*RNZ has agreed not to name this person

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