The world leader of the Exclusive Brethren church, which ran a covert campaign supporting the Coalition at the last federal election, has described Jews as evil, malicious infidels who are unable to ever atone for the sin of killing Jesus.
asserted
who → run → Jesus
Leaked church records spanning more than two decades reveal Bruce Hales, the church’s leader and “Elect Vessel”, repeatedly preaching to his 56,000-stong global flock that Jews are beyond redemption.
asserted
Jews → span → redemption
“The poor Jew, still in the darkness of Judaism, trying to atone for the things they’ve done wrong; their lies and their iniquity, and their wickedness,” Hales, the Brethren’s “Man of God”, said in 2009.
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Hales → try → 2009
The Jews’ sin, Hales insists, is not recognising Jesus as the son of God, then “murdering” Him.
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Hales → insist → Him
He refers to Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, as when Jews “go on in their darkness trying to atone”.
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Jews → refer → darkness
“They fell into evil ...
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They → fall → evil
It’s not something they can eliminate,” he said in a separate 2009 ministry, adding in 2010 that this was a “terrible thing.
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this → ’ → 2010
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chair Peter Wertheim said the accusation that Jews were to blame collectively for killing Jesus – the “Deicide charge” – was “one of the clearest distinguishing markers of the disgrace of antisemitism”.
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Jews → say → antisemitism
It had “been used as the basis for untold deaths and suffering by Jewish communities for nearly two millennia”.
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It → use → millennia
Publicly – most recently in evidence to a parliamentary committee inquiry – the religion now known as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, says it condemns antisemitism as “abhorrent” and “completely antithetical to our views”.
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it → know → views
But in another 2020 ministry, Hales speaks of what he calls “the Jewish question” – another antisemitic trope – and their domination “by the devil”.
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he → speak → devil
Hales’ preachings also feature racist comments about Asians – who he repeatedly refers to as “Orientals” and accuses of “mendacity” – and sweeping disparagement of Africa.
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he → feature → Africa
He has been called to give evidence to a parliamentary committee next month over his church’s multimillion dollar undisclosed campaign for the Coalition at the last election.
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He → call → election
That campaign included a shadowy operation uncovered by this masthead in which neo-Nazi associates were paid to tail and heckle MPs and disrupt Labor, Greens and teal events.
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associates → include → Labor
The secret “election influence” plot with the far-right went all the way to the top of the church, with leaked messages showing Hales’ son, Gareth, was among the senior elders directly involved.
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son → go → elders
Gareth has also been called to give evidence.
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Gareth → call → evidence
The Coalition has defended the Brethren church’s covert campaign as an expression of the church’s religious freedom and has also repeatedly accused the Albanese government of being soft on antisemitism.
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Coalition → defend → antisemitism
Given almost two days to comment on Bruce Hales’ ministry, seven Coalition MPs who had previously supported the church, including Liberal leader Angus Taylor, failed to respond to questions.
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who → give → questions
Nationals leader Matt Canavan said: “I don’t agree with the views reported here [from Hales].
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I → say → Hales
Unlike the biased and bigoted reporting of The Age, however, I don’t hold people collectively responsible for the views of one person.”
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people → hold → person
Expert in extremism and political violence Josh Roose said the church’s use of associates of violent neo-Nazis as “hired thugs” to intimidate and harass politicians marked a dangerous escalation in Australian politics.
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use → say → politics
It was an attempt to import aggressive, MAGA-style politics into a local climate where threats against both MPs and the Jewish community are already growing, he said.
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he → import → MPs
They’re now emboldened to attack in public spaces federal parliamentarians for the first time.
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They → embolden → time
It needs to be investigated.”
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It → need → ?
Hales preaches in closed church meetings and “Lord’s Day” (Sunday) addresses, then his words are printed and distributed to the flock globally as “ministry” that his followers regard as holy writ.
A “Subject Index” of his most important sayings shows that in 2014 he sermonised that Jews were “just natural godless men, they were infidel Jews”.
Jews, he preached in Orange in 2005, “put Christ to death ... in hatred and malice” because they were envious of him.
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they → preach → him
They “murdered” Christ because “they were completely dominated by the devil”, he said in Penrith, NSW, in 2016.
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he → murder → 2016
The sin of killing Christ was “fixed on the Jews”, he added in 2020.
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he → kill → 2020
“What will eventually bring in finality to the whole Jewish question, that remains in the hands of Christ and perfectly under the control of God.”
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that → bring → God
“They rejected God Himself.
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They → reject → God
They had no God,” he said in Sydney in 2010.
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he → have → 2010
“The Jews were damned at that point … totally damned, because of their wretched infidelity.”
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Jews → damn → infidelity
Hales also preaches that the West is superior to other regions, describing Asia and Africa as “terrible continents” shrouded in “darkness”.
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West → preach → darkness
Of Asia, which Hales refers to as “the East”, he decries “the depravity, the depravity that men have fallen into through their own folly, influence of Satan, influence of Satan’s agents”.
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men → refer → agents
“The mendacity of the Eastern world or the orientals, was legendary,” he preached in 2003.
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he → preach → 2003
One Brethren operative involved in the church’s secret stunt campaign disrupting the election said they had felt deeply uncomfortable being told to target MPs alongside neo-Nazi associates heckling about immigration.
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they → involve → immigration
Brethren spokesman Lloyd Grimshaw said, “These statements are based on Holy Scripture,” and accused this masthead of making “a selective choice of quotes ... designed to misrepresent Mr Hales’ position on Jewish people”.
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statements → say → people
“The church has always strongly condemned antisemitism.
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church → condemn → antisemitism
The comments were made in a religious context as part of a theological discussion on the historical connection between our faith and Judaism.
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comments → make → faith
“The PBCC actively supports our valued Jewish communities and regularly pray in our church services for the safety and protection of Israel and its people.”
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PBCC → support → Israel
Wertheim, from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said much antisemitism stemmed from the refusal of Jews to accept the religious claims of Jesus and Muhammad and convert.
uncertain
antisemitism → say → Jesus
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
