'Hopeful Christians were bullies' - Gloriavale defector denounces 'entrenched' culture that mocks and disparages Christian community

A hopeful Christian who was the founder and leader of Gloriavale until his death – real name Neville Cooper. Cooper was a convicted sex offender.Photo/TVNZ/Sunday

The mother of an 11-year-old who fled Gloriavale said the community’s founder, Hopeful Christian, was a “bully” and that his cruel treatment of people had become “ingrained” in the entire population. increase.

Virginia Clarge is part of an employment court case against the Christian community, alleging that women were treated as “modern slaves” and forced to work from an early age.

The law states that she and fellow defectors Pearl Valor, Serenity Pilgrim, Rose Standtrue, Anna Klage, and Crystal Royale were employees, not volunteers, during their time at Gloriavale. We are fighting for a verdict.

Women are, in effect, born into and held in ‘slavery’, which is illegal in New Zealand, in physically demanding work, often with no breaks and little food or water. You are expected to work long hours.

Their case follows a similar case in the Employment Court by a group of former Gloriavale men who the court ruled were employees when they were just six years old.

The lawsuit is expected to last at least six weeks, and a Givealittle page has been set up to support the women and their families during the long process.

More than 600 people live in Gloriavale on the west coast.Photography/George Hurd

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE GIVEALITTLE FUNDRAISING PAGE

Last week, Pilgrim, Valor and Standtrue presented evidence at a hearing before Chief Employment Court Judge Christina Inglis.

Virginia College began filing evidence on Friday and returned to court today to continue speaking about her experience with Gloriavale.

She spoke of bullying within the community she claimed was prevalent.

“Bullying and ridiculing the people of Gloriavale is part of the culture…you’re insensitive to it and don’t even realize how wrong it is,” she said.

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“Hopeful was a bully, bullying everyone…he ridiculed how I looked when I was pregnant and how I walked during a severe pregnancy.

“It’s part of their culture, it’s ingrained in them. Everyone has done it, everyone has seen it.”

Women who work at Gloriavale. Photo/TVNZ

She recalled that older women were just as tough.

After the birth of one of her babies, she was called from work to breastfeed.

“Don’t take too long to feed that baby. Do what you need to do and get back in that kitchen. It needs you,” Courage recalled an older woman telling her. I got

Courage went on to explain how the shepherds entrusted with running Gloriavale had “total control” over the people, even though they claimed no one had that level of power. did.

She said that as an example shepherds are ordering women to work in certain fields as ‘punishment’.

Older women could choose who worked on which “team,” Courage said, but a shepherd could come and change things up in an instant.

She said her daughter was “sent to the baby room” to work as a way to keep her in line.

The young woman struggled to keep up with her work, and Courage tried to help her in any way he could.

“She wasn’t allowed to work with anyone else,” Courage said through tears.

“She said to me, ‘I think Howard was going to kill me,’ because she had to work hard … because he had control and power.”

Pearl Valor in court.Photography/George Hurd

Courage gave emotional evidence of his sister’s poor health. This is the result of her many years of hard work at Gloriavale.

“My sister has repeated burnouts because she’s done so much,” she said.

“The children of Gloriavale, myself included, are raised with a real sense of duty. [Christian] If you hadn’t built a community, you wouldn’t have been born.

“You have a duty to the community and a real sense that you owe them something…you have to prove yourself and you have to do everything you can .

“They gave you life…you are told that sacrificing yourself, working hard and laying down your flesh is all you have to do.”

She claimed that women were “mandated” to work even when ill, and said she worked after pregnancy, a bladder infection, a severe sciatic nerve injury, and surgery.

She said she had no choice but to work, including when her baby or child was sick.

“Working at Gloriavale has a lot of focus… Howard [Temple, a shepherd] “Mothers cannot decide to stay home with their sick children.”

Courage also spoke about her experience of motherhood.

Her first 10 children were all born in Gloriavale, and her 11th child, Jonas, was the one she was holding when she filed the evidence and was “out there” just nine weeks ago. Was born.

“This is the easiest baby I’ve ever had,” she explained.

“It doesn’t bother me to take care of the other kids or take care of the house.

“When you’re in Gloriavale, you have to routine your babies to match the routines of the community. With Jonas, you don’t have to…you’re not trying to manipulate their sleep…your feeding.” is.”

Christina Inglis Chief Employment Court Judge.Photography/George Hurd

She recalled another leaver talking to her about the birth of her tenth child, born outside Gloriavale, while she was pregnant with Jonas.

“She said, ‘Jin, you’re going to love having a baby here, don’t worry… I spend a lot more time with mine than I do with other kids.’ I said,” Courage told the court.

“Jonas is only 9 weeks old and I get to spend a lot of time with him…other kids say ‘Mommy, you’re going to be spoiled’ but I I tell them that love and compassion spoil no one.”

The court found that girls and women were forced to work from an early age, wake up early in the morning to work, lack education, dentistry and medical care, force them to marry and have children, and have no choice in their lives. I heard about .

They said they feared the shepherds and leaders of the community. .

StandTrue also spoke of inappropriate touching and abuse by men of single young women in the community, and regular “unwanted attention” including “physical and mental pressure to conform”. rice field.

Gloriavale’s attorney, Phillip Skelton QC, said the community refuted the allegations and said the incident was an example of “outraged” defectors seeking to “blacken” the sect’s reputation.

After the defector’s evidence is in place, the court will hear from current members of Gloriavale about their lives within the community.

The case continues.

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