Australian Fundies

[naysayersspeak]

There was a long article in Sydney's most important newspaper over the weekend that freaked me out a little bit:

smh.com.au/lifestyle/spirited-away-20120312-1utb6.html

I've mentioned before that I had a fundie-lite upbringing, but that was my school, and I actually know those people, so I'm more than a little freaked out at the moment!

[keeks21]

There was a long article in Sydney's most important newspaper over the weekend that freaked me out a little bit:

smh.com.au/lifestyle/spirited-away-20120312-1utb6.html

I've mentioned before that I had a fundie-lite upbringing, but that was my school, and I actually know those people, so I'm more than a little freaked out at the moment!

Another Aussie former Fundie-lite here.

That article is chilling but I think they're more mentally unstable and culty then FJ's fundie's, although some fundies are mentally unstable and culty. I'm sorry your school did not protect you from these people.

We have some fascinating religious cults in Australia. AJ Miller, exclusive brethren, bruderhofs, then the usual scientologists, mormons, and the mainstream christian cults. There's also a few more obscure groups based around the hippy areas around australia.

[naysayersspeak]

I actually think it's closely related- when you put the critical thinking part of your brain into neutral, weird stuff happens. Sure, this is the extreme, but I think it's very closely related to the culture of that area generally- it's super into community over critical thinking, into cults of personality, into revering the Bible as a god, rather than as a text. All that stuff goes very, very closely together, and when those on the fringe delve into the weirder, it is, to my mind, not at all unrelated.

*Note* I grew up in the Sydney Anglican Jensonite Fundie crowd, which I still think is every bit as "fundie" as the rest for the Free Jinger snarking, just of its own ilk.

*edited for incorrect apostrophe*

[Lillian]

Wow. What a horrible/fascinating article. Reading stuff like that, so close to home, is very freaky (especially for you, naysayersspeak, I can't even imagine how freaked you must be!).

A new fundy church recently opened near in a nearby town (long skirts, head coverings, men in suits), but I don't know what the nature of the church is- tried googling to no avail. I'd love to go an observe a service but I think my family would have me committed!

[keeks21]

I actually think it's closely related- when you put the critical thinking part of your brain into neutral, weird stuff happens. Sure, this is the extreme, but I think it's very closely related to the culture of that area generally- it's super into community over critical thinking, into cults of personality, into revering the Bible as a god, rather than as a text. All that stuff goes very, very closely together, and when those on the fringe delve into the weirder, it is, to my mind, not at all unrelated.

*Note* I grew up in the Sydney Anglican Jensonite Fundie crowd, which I still think is every bit as "fundie" as the rest for the Free Jinger snarking, just of it's own ilk.

Yeah you're right the more I think into it it.

I grew up in Pentecostal AOG crowd, there was major cult of personality in that movement.

[crassy]

I am Canadian but currently living in Australia. My husband was brought up fundie-lite in SA. We now live in WA and there are quite a few whackjob fundie-lite churches here. One of hiis sisters and his mum are still involved in the church and they are very hellfire and brimstone, homeschooling, lots of kids etc. The other sister and her family don't attend church anymore but the dad is still pretty fundie-lite. He sings christian country music, doesn't accept evolution blah blah blah.

Isn't Nancy Campbell from Oz...or she lived here for a while? There is also that crazy fundie birthing lady who was implicated in the death of a mother here in WA (I believe) in the 90s. Her granddaughter was on an episode of Godless Bitches.

There is a seminar at my school on the 5th of April on 'Is atheism practical for life'. I am actually quite annoyed that they have this hack coming in, and that there are so many religious groups, but as long as my tuition and student fees aren't paying for this moron, I don't care.

Also, let us not forget Ken Ham who hails from Queensland, as well as the whole Christian right keeping the chaplaincy programme alive and well in Australian schools (fun fact: My daughter's school can afford a chaplain but not air conditioning. This is especially awesome when it is 45C outside and the kids are sweating like crazy).

ETA: I had to laugh at this part...

The documents also confirm the group's involvement with a man named John Darnell, who is the pastor of a church in Canberra called Shepherd's Heart. Darnell is the author of Satanic Strategies in the 21st Century, which explains how Satanic cults have infiltrated the "highest echelons" of government and mainstream churches. On a US Christian radio station last year, Darnell said he believed it was possible that the British royal family were actually shape-shifting reptiles.

[Miggy]

Hillsong? (Sydney)

Not fundy but definately heading off the loopy end of Christianity. Buy the products, attend the conferences, live the lifestyle....

[crassy]

Hillsong? (Sydney)

Not fundy but definately heading off the loopy end of Christianity. Buy the products, attend the conferences, live the lifestyle....

I would say they are fundie-lite for sure. They are fucking crazy and also the reason I cannot enjoy white chocolate mochas from Gloria Jeans. DAMN YOU HILLSONG!

[Patsy]

Yeah, Hillsong also did Mercy Ministries (now shut down, some pretty heinous shit with locking up vulnerable young women and performing exorcisms instead of doing stuff to actually help them get back on track) and Gloria Jeans had little donation boxes on their counters for Mercy Ministries at the time. I also boycott Gloria Jeans.

[Sola]

Another Aussie former Fundie-lite here.

That article is chilling but I think they're more mentally unstable and culty then FJ's fundie's, although some fundies are mentally unstable and culty. I'm sorry your school did not protect you from these people.

We have some fascinating religious cults in Australia. AJ Miller, exclusive brethren, bruderhofs, then the usual scientologists, mormons, and the mainstream christian cults. There's also a few more obscure groups based around the hippy areas around australia.

We have Exclusive Brethren near us. I got my fundie dose of them yesterday at the supermarket. There were about 6 EB women with a few small children there. I was a bit miffed because the supermarket had a clothing sale on and there was a denim skirt I liked, one of the EB fundies got the last one in my size as I was browsing through the rails. I consoled myself by going to the charity shops afterwards and found myself a very similar denim skirt, Monsoon label, perfect condition for just £2!

I've just had the Jehovah Witness door knockers round too. Had I not been on the phone at the time I might have let them in and proceeded to rip their theology to shreds. Hubby is out and he wont let me let them in usually! :twisted:

[crassy]

Yeah, Hillsong also did Mercy Ministries (now shut down, some pretty heinous shit with locking up vulnerable young women and performing exorcisms instead of doing stuff to actually help them get back on track) and Gloria Jeans had little donation boxes on their counters for Mercy Ministries at the time. I also boycott Gloria Jeans.

When I first came to Australia as a backpacker in 2005 they were still involved with Mercy. I was hankering for a coffee and my friend took me to a GJ in Melbourne. I saw the pamphlet at the counter, picked it up, and got a horrible vibe from it. Later I did some research and found out what they were really about and about the guy who owns GJ. That was the first and only time I've given them money and I still feel dirty about it.

Fuck I wish they had Sbux in Perth. This place sucks for coffee. :(

[uber frau]

Where are you in Perth if you can't get decent coffee? There's always Dome if all else fails. It's not brilliant, but their coffee isn't any worse than Sbux.

I grew up Fundie in Perth, the Jensonite Anglican's were my stepping stone out. We considered the EB to be freaks, but in actuality the church I grew up in is exactly the same, their dress code is just not so obviously fundie. My parents are still very involved in that church and keep trying to find excuses to have my kids sleep over on Saturday nights so that they can drag them off to church on Sunday morning. They're convinced they're hellbound because they're not being raised right. I haven't told them I'm atheist yet. Is it totally inappropriate to find it a little bit comparable it to a gay person coming out? That's how it feels to me.

Oh, and don't forget Family First and FredNile/the Christian Dems (who are neither Christian or Democratic) if you're talking about Australian Fundies.

And we had Clive Palmer telling us that Greenpeace is supported by the CIA this week. He's not Fundy (as far as I know), but it goes to show that conspiracy theorists aren't confined to the US.

[adidas]

There was a long article in Sydney's most important newspaper over the weekend that freaked me out a little bit:

smh.com.au/lifestyle/spirited-away-20120312-1utb6.html

I've mentioned before that I had a fundie-lite upbringing, but that was my school, and I actually know those people, so I'm more than a little freaked out at the moment!

Interesting, the Blue Mountains seem to be a fundie haven. The 12 Tribes with the 'hobbit' coffee shop in Katoomba (Common Ground) make the people in this story seem tame.

smh.com.au/news/national/sect-woos-recruits-at-easter-show/2008/03/23/1206206934258.html

notquitenigella.com/2009/12/29/common-ground-cafe-katoomba/

[Dinaberries]

When I first came to Australia as a backpacker in 2005 they were still involved with Mercy. I was hankering for a coffee and my friend took me to a GJ in Melbourne. I saw the pamphlet at the counter, picked it up, and got a horrible vibe from it. Later I did some research and found out what they were really about and about the guy who owns GJ. That was the first and only time I've given them money and I still feel dirty about it.

Fuck I wish they had Sbux in Perth. This place sucks for coffee. :(

Are you American? I am, and living in Sydney, and I've gotten tired Australians incessantly telling me how terrible American coffee is, while extolling the awesomeness of GJ. I'm not a huge Starbucks fan, but I do like the Coffee Bean, and the coffee I used to get from this cafe near my house was amazing. I miss it!

I used to go to GJ when I was in high school, in the States, and I had no idea they were Australian. They closed down in Hawaii a few years ago, and I was really surprised to find them here. Anyway, my husband and I boycott Gloria Jean's, since the founder is involved with Hillsong and we don't want our money going to them. It's not hard to do, since I think their coffee is crap, and there are lots of great independent cafes here.

Anyway, I was really surprised by how many fundie-lites there are in Sydney. At least half of my husband's high school friends are fundie-lite. I can't think of any of my friends from back home who are still religious (a few were when we were in school, though).

ETA: I had no idea that there were full-on fundie communities so close to where I live. I'm only about an hour from Katoomba.

[LIzzieB]

Ack - Gloria Jeans... I never go because the coffee is not good. Cibo or a local little Italian espresso place is the only way. Starbucks is also not my thing but compared with other coffee in Asia, UK or USA, I'll choose it. The Hillsong angle disturbs me too. We have a church here in Adelaide called Paradise Community Church, which I believe is aligned to Hillsong. They have started opening campuses all over the place. It's a large, American-style evangelical "megachurch". Well, mega by Australian standards anyway.

[samithemage]

On a US Christian radio station last year, Darnell said he believed it was possible that the British royal family were actually shape-shifting reptiles.

Ok, in general, this article is frightening and I wish something could be done about these groups that clearly prey on the mentally ill...however, this quote just made me think..."Crazy man, he's clearly never watched Dr Who and learned that the British royal family are clearly space alien werewolves"

[freejoytoo]

I saw the reptile guy on TV once. He claimed to see them in their 'true form' and that they were 'terrifying'. Okay...

[DarkAnts]

Another Aussie former Fundie-lite here.

That article is chilling but I think they're more mentally unstable and culty then FJ's fundie's, although some fundies are mentally unstable and culty. I'm sorry your school did not protect you from these people.

We have some fascinating religious cults in Australia. AJ Miller, exclusive brethren, bruderhofs, then the usual scientologists, mormons, and the mainstream christian cults. There's also a few more obscure groups based around the hippy areas around australia.

I was going to point out the Gloriavale Christian Community, then I remembered that they are in NZ :oops:

[Patsy]

Oh, and don't forget Family First and FredNile/the Christian Dems (who are neither Christian or Democratic) if you're talking about Australian Fundies.

Catch the Fire? :lol:

[Witsec7]

Darnell said he believed it was possible that the British royal family were actually shape-shifting reptiles.

Darnell was wrong. It was the Bush family here in the US.

[terranova]

NZ has Destiny Church, with "Pastor" Brian Tamaki. Evil fucker that he is.

And DAMN that about Gloria Jeans! Never had their coffee but I loved their strawberry freezers or what ever they're called. Bugger.

[crassy]

Are you American? I am, and living in Sydney, and I've gotten tired Australians incessantly telling me how terrible American coffee is, while extolling the awesomeness of GJ. I'm not a huge Starbucks fan, but I do like the Coffee Bean, and the coffee I used to get from this cafe near my house was amazing. I miss it!

I used to go to GJ when I was in high school, in the States, and I had no idea they were Australian. They closed down in Hawaii a few years ago, and I was really surprised to find them here. Anyway, my husband and I boycott Gloria Jean's, since the founder is involved with Hillsong and we don't want our money going to them. It's not hard to do, since I think their coffee is crap, and there are lots of great independent cafes here.

Anyway, I was really surprised by how many fundie-lites there are in Sydney. At least half of my husband's high school friends are fundie-lite. I can't think of any of my friends from back home who are still religious (a few were when we were in school, though).

ETA: I had no idea that there were full-on fundie communities so close to where I live. I'm only about an hour from Katoomba.

Nope, I am Canadian! Sbux is the closest thing I can get to good coffee here and I have to import it from a friend in Sydney. I would kill even more for Tim Horton's but that is not going to happen here!

I just hate how coffee takes so fucking long to make here. I don't need two tablespoons of espresso with a cup of frothed milk. I just want freshly brewed coffee!

GJ wasn't always Australian. It was originally an American company but bought by wossname from Hillsong quite a few years ago.

[crassy]

Where are you in Perth if you can't get decent coffee? There's always Dome if all else fails. It's not brilliant, but their coffee isn't any worse than Sbux.

I grew up Fundie in Perth, the Jensonite Anglican's were my stepping stone out. We considered the EB to be freaks, but in actuality the church I grew up in is exactly the same, their dress code is just not so obviously fundie. My parents are still very involved in that church and keep trying to find excuses to have my kids sleep over on Saturday nights so that they can drag them off to church on Sunday morning. They're convinced they're hellbound because they're not being raised right. I haven't told them I'm atheist yet. Is it totally inappropriate to find it a little bit comparable it to a gay person coming out? That's how it feels to me.

Oh, and don't forget Family First and FredNile/the Christian Dems (who are neither Christian or Democratic) if you're talking about Australian Fundies.

And we had Clive Palmer telling us that Greenpeace is supported by the CIA this week. He's not Fundy (as far as I know), but it goes to show that conspiracy theorists aren't confined to the US.

I am up in the northern suburbs. There is a Dome in Mindarie but tbh I really don't like their coffee at all. On The Go in Currambine is ok but still...meh. The best coffee I've had since being here was in a small cafe on Hay St near where the Apple Store is now. It was just brewed coffee in a pot but it was hot and awesome and not completely filled with milk. I don't drink milk so having a coffee here is annoying unless I want a long black (which I don't because I find them gross. I usually settle for a Vienna but there are a few places that look at me as though I have a penis growing out of my eye when I order them).

[naysayersspeak]

I just hate how coffee takes so fucking long to make here. I don't need two tablespoons of espresso with a cup of frothed milk. I just want freshly brewed coffee!

Haha, just goes to show it is v. much what you're used to- whenever friends or family of mine go to North America, the weak coffee is the no. 1 complaint.

*edited to add a t to "complain"*

[Miggy]

Anyway, I was really surprised by how many fundie-lites there are in Sydney. At least half of my husband's high school friends are fundie-lite. I can't think of any of my friends from back home who are still religious (a few were when we were in school, though).

ETA: I had no idea that there were full-on fundie communities so close to where I live. I'm only about an hour from Katoomba.

Keep travelling west. (I'm from the central west.) Bathurst, Orange, Molong, Wellington, Dubbo - there are fundys everywhere and it is spreading fast. I also have fundy friends/relatives in Sydney, Melbourne and regional Victoria. Home schooling is growing and the scariest part is that ATI home school materials are readily available.