Shalom

APEC

This weekend marks the beginning of the APEC meeting in Sydney. It also marks the beginning of some major interruptions and disruption for the people of Sydney.

Goeroge Bush is not eligible to stand for election aagin and there is a federal election due here. Many of us hope that this year is also the end of the road for the current Prime Minister. It seems that he has decided to host a farewell shindig for his mate, George. Possibly a knees-up do for himself too.

APEC is meeting here in Sydney.

President Bush is arriving a couple of days earlier than originally planned and bringing an entourage of several hundred. This is adding some millions to the already astronomical costs of hosting this shindig for George. The Herald has an article on some of the disruptions to the city. This fence is disgusting. There are designated checkpoints for those who need to enter the fenced area or even to cross the road. It runs alongside the Quay, around past the Opera House, up through the Botanical Gardens and through a business section of Sydney. It appals me.

The Sydney metropolitan area has been given a public holiday next Friday, supposedly in honour of the meeting. Rubbish! Sydneysiders have been told to stay out of the city. Not much honourable about that. Businesses are wondering where their compensation is coming from. Probably nowhere. The place is swarming with police, defence force personnel, security guys, whatever. Known "troublemakers" have been warned that if they enter the city, they will be arrested. Troublemakers is not my word, by the way. It comes from the government. Some buses have been converted to mobile prisons with cells. Some prisoners have been given home detentions so the gaol cells are freed for those arrested during expected protests. Fighter jests will patrol an exclusion zone over Sydney. Orders are to shoot down any plane trying to enter that zone. Major interruptions to train services and othr public transport have also been announced. I live near one of Sydney's major roads. A long section near me has been branded a clearway with long hours for over a week. How do shopkeepers and businesses get to cope with something like that?

There is obviously much more than the public has any knowledge of.

I'm glad I will be away next weekend. I'll be attending a conference in Mittagong in the Southern Highlands. This was arranged well before details of the meeting began to emerge and I'm thankful I'll not be around.

I suggested to my son that the government could have bought an ailing country property, renovated it and declared an exclusion zone around it. This could well cost less than the huge sum spent so far. It could then be run as a tourist resort and make money, instead of costing mney for the people of this state.

At the end of such a conference, the heads of state usually parade in hideous shirts or other ghastly mementos of the conference. They look self conscious, as well they might. I wondered aloud what would be produced this time. Swaggies bush hats with bobbing corks to keep the flies off? Very Aussie. My son suggested budgie smugglers. He then suggested that Howard and Bush may well not be able to fill these, a sentiment I would not normally make in public, but one I agree with.

Scroll down the page from that link or go here for a very funny video on budgie smuggling. A bit crude, but scenes like this can be seen on any Sydney beach in summer.

brethren

Here's   a link to an article in this morning's Sydney Morning Herald.  I've heard rumblings ofthis for quite a while now, so was interested to read the article. It is about  the interference in various politics and parties by senior members of the Exclusive Brethren.  I would call them Londoners and have had some experience with them.

I was never a member of their group, although the group I married into was quite close to them in many areas.   The paper calls them a sect and that is close to the mark.  They deny the eternal sonship of Christ and are Arian in outlook.  The women and children are easy to spot in the shops, long hair, only ever skirts, never trousers.  Most of the women wear scarves or headbands as a sign of submission. 

I was interested to see that the reporter mentioned no shared walls in business between one in fellowship with the local assembly and an outsider.  Of course, worldly contamination travels easily through walls.  (please note sarcasm.)  I know someone who ran a business in a large country town near one of the centres mentioned in the article.  He shared a porch/entranceway  with the business next door.  He was told to move and refused.  He came home from work one day to find all the locks on his home had been changed by other brethren and his family would have no contact with him.  With their financial clout behind them, they prevented him from access to his children and kept them out of the way.  His youngest child was developmentally  retarded and  missed his dad.  He was soon re-educated.  When his father was out shopping, the boy saw his father and called out that the wicked man was near.  That led to an order to stay away from the family.  This had been a purely chance encounter, certainly not planned.  On orders fromthe brethren, his wife divorced him.  If she hadn't she would have lost contact with her children and other family members.  Emotional blackmail is very strong.

So much of this article rings true.

It raises the question of involvement in politics when they are not allowed to vote themselves or be members of a union or any other group. The article mentions that they call it a "sin."  Surely encouraging others in their way of voting must also be a sin?  Politics is supposed to be a no-no as Christians are citizens of another place and have no part to play down here.  (Their ideas, not mine.)

Hales is mentioned as their leader.  Certainly their leaders are followed without question.   This follows a pattern from Raven about 100 years ago.  However, the teaching is that there are no pastors, all  MEN are able to take part in the meeting.   Hales  is almost like a pope  in his power.

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When my sons were at school,   there were London boys in their classes.  They were not allowed to use computers as the "man of sin" would use one.  Now that is dodgy exegesis to start with.  The Bible talks about antichrists in the plural.  How they found out that one would use a computer is amazing.  I can't find that verse anywhere! The group is totally dispensationalist in outlook as John Nelson Darby, the founder of brethren groups, was the one who recovered what was regarded as  long lost truth.  This is what Scofield based his commentary on.  Many of the brothers run highly successful businesses.  I wonder how many of them don't use computers in these ?  I also know for a fact that TV and radios are used.  They are just kept hidden in back rooms which are shut when other brethren come to visit. 

I notice the article mentions that alcohol is allowed.  It should perhaps say strongly encouraged.  Perhaps it is an outlet for those whose only diversions in life are frequent meetings or a drink.  My friend, mentioned above, had great difficulty in regulating intake of alcohol  as he was used to drinking much.

I believe that the attempt at influencing politics is probably based on self interest.  Many are businessmen and they have a vested interest in politics in keeping what is for them a favourable  government.

Having some inside knowledge of the group, I am surprised to such an article in the paper.  I know money has been spent in the past to counteract what they saw as poor publicity but which ws really the revelation of what was little less than brainwashing.  I know there are many people trapped in the group through fear of losing their family and friends.  Contact is cut immediately with those transgressing their regulations, even if it means husband/wife/children etc are disrupted.  No meals, no conversation, no gifts, no attendance at funerals even of close family members.  The group I was associated with did not belong to these people so myhusband's family still speak to us, but when we left, we were told we were going to Satan.