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Jehovah’s Witnesses' "Awake!" magazine #fundie #homophobia culteducation.com

Devon and Cornwall Police have said a leaflet posted through doors in North Devon isn't a crime – despite it advising gay people to "control their urges".

The leaflet, entitled "How to Harness Your Habits", was distributed in North Devon by Jehovah's Witnesses and contains an article asking "What does the Bible say about homosexuality?"

In it, the religious group states that "rejecting homosexuality" is completely different to "rejecting people of a different skin colour" and says their views are the same as people who "view smoking as harmful and even repugnant".

The Journal was contacted by a reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, who felt "belittled" by the leaflet.

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Using passages from the Bible as, the text also says: "A person who has homosexual leanings can control what he allows his mind to dwell on, just as he would control any other wrong desire, including leanings towards anger, adultery or greed."

However, it also says "the Bible does not encourage prejudice, hate crimes or any other kind of mistreatment of homosexuals".

Devon and Cornwall Police looked at the leaflet and stated: "We have been made aware of some religious materials which have been distributed in North Devon.

"Whilst it doesn't appear to meet the threshold to be considered a crime, these have been passed on to our Diverse Communities Team to look into."

[The original article can be bound in "What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?", Awake!, No. 4 2016]

Anne Hamilton-Byrne, Bill Hamilton-Byrne and The Family #fundie culteducation.com

The notorious cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne has died in Melbourne.

Hamilton-Byrne, guru of a cult known as The Family, is reported to have died at an aged care home on Thursday night. She was 98 and had had dementia for many years.

From the 1960s until the 1980s, the cult treated children cruelly and violently, bringing them up in virtual isolation from the rest of the world at a base north-east of Melbourne.

Members of the sect were reported to have stolen babies, while others were brainwashed into handing over their children to Hamilton-Byrne and “aunties” to be raised as part of a so-called master race.

The children reported having their hair dyed platinum blonde, being drugged with LSD, beaten and starved.

Former Victoria Police detective Lex De Man, who led investigations into the cult, said he had received a number of confirmations on Friday that Hamilton-Byrne had died.

“The normal reaction when you receive the news of the death of someone is one of sadness,” he said. “It’s quite the contrary for me today. Today was a great day in that she is now dead. She can rot.

“The lives that she affected and her evil deeds, I shed no tear. Not one drop.”

De Man said he had spoken to a number of survivors since news broke of her death.

“She left a trail of broken lives, ruined people and the one good thing I’ve seen is that the former children who were victims of some horrible things have moved on with their lives and they’re good people,” he said.

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Victims have attempted to pursue Hamilton-Byrne through the supreme court to get justice for the abuse of more than 20 children.

Despite police raids on the Lake Eildon property and a massive investigation, the only penalties ever imposed on Hamilton-Byrne and her husband and sect co-founder Bill Hamilton-Byrne were $5,000 fines for falsifying a statutory declaration.