Tucked away in a quiet part of East Sussex lies a radical Christian community called the Bruderhof.<\/p>\n
There is no debt, no crime, no homelessness and everyone has a job - but none of them earn a salary.<\/p>\n
Modern technology like television and computers are shunned and even rejected.<\/p>\n
Residents don't even carry mobile phones, reports Mirror Online. <\/p>\n
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Members of the 300-strong Darvell Bruderhof community have to ask for permission to begin courting a person of the opposite sex, divorces are banned, their jobs are chosen for them and they have no possessions.<\/p>\n
In 2019, a documentary was given extraordinary access to the community, which has quietly existed in Britain for almost 50 years and allowed TV cameras for the first time.<\/p>\n
The programme follows a number of members, including a young woman who has left the settlement and is questioning her future in the sect which refuses to join mainstream society.<\/p>\n
Located ten miles north of Hastings since 1971, the near self-sufficient community (Bruderhof is German for \"place of brothers\") is in a converted tuberculosis sanatorium near the village of Robertsbridge.<\/p>\n
The Bruderhof Christian movement is based around common ownership and was founded in Germany in 1920 by protestant theologian Eberhard Arnold.<\/p>\n
The community was forced to flee in 1937 after refusing to join the Nazi Party, and many members moved to England.<\/p>\n
But they left for Paraguay and then North America when members were threatened with internment in 1941, only to later return.<\/p>\n
Living as disciples of Jesus, members give up all possessions, money and status when they take their vow of commitment.<\/p>\n
Everything is provided for them - from groceries to clothing - and members run a farm, orchard, schools and a multi-million-pound business which makes childrens toys and furniture.<\/p>\n
It's a simple way of life, based on early biblical text, which is similar to the lifestyles of the Amish.<\/p>\n
There is a personal cost and sacrifice for residents, with strict rules and restrictions around same-sex relationships, divorce and what members wear.<\/p>\n
Women avoid fashions of any sort, wearing modest clothing including headscarves, long plaid dresses and loose shirts. The uniform looks like traditional peasant dress.<\/p>\n
Many decisions about the residents' lives are made for them, including where they live and the jobs they do.<\/p>\n
Family live in shared houses with several other families, and most meals are taken with other residents in a large communal dining room.<\/p>\n
Members are frequently moved between the other 23 Bruderhof settlements in the world.<\/p>\n
There are just 3,000 members worldwide, and the other communities in the UK are in Nonington, Kent, and Peckham, south London.<\/p>\n
Bernard Hibbs, 38, the communitys outreach director, is featured in the programme with his wife Rachel.<\/p>\n
He said: \"We have a different vision for our society.<\/p>\n
\"We dont proselytise, its unwholesome to try to make people become members.<\/p>\n
\"But we thought, 'Why not show people how we live?' When I go outside the community, people are interested in it.<\/p>\n
\"They worry about their kids and technology, and like the idea of sharing.<\/p>\n
\"So were showing what weve learnt. Its not perfect, but if we can encourage people to think about how they live, thats great.\"<\/p>\n
Bernard, whose parents joined the community when he was nine, added: \"This is about people living according to the New Testament.<\/p>\n
\"People loving each other, sharing possessions and supporting each other.\"<\/p>\n
He rejected any notion that the Bruderhof is a cult, adding: \"People who have never visited us sometimes imagine that we might be a cult.<\/p>\n
\"But when they come, they find we are far too normal to qualify - there are no UFOs, no weird rituals, no secret handshakes.<\/p>\n
\"People are free to come and go and nobody is compelled to think a certain way; we disagree amongst each other on almost everything, from Brexit to how often we should mow the grass.<\/p>\n
\"We are of course occasionally accused of being a cult, but that is to be expected.<\/p>\n
\"In our experience, if people visit and see for themselves those concerns are easily answered.\"<\/p>\n
The programme also follows a young woman called Hannah, who wanted an experience outside Darvell and is now living at a Bruderhof site in New York after living in London.<\/p>\n
The 18-year-old will soon begin her university studies to become a teacher before making a lifelong commitment.<\/p>\n
She lived on her own, got her first paid job, played video games while working with youth at a Christian charity and wore \"whatever was practical\".<\/p>\n
She said: \"I was never really into watching a screen all day long - personal preference - I find it unproductive and unhealthy.\"<\/p>\n
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Original post: <\/p>\n
Inside the radical community near Kent without modern technology and where nobody is paid - Kent Live<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tucked away in a quiet part of East Sussex lies a radical Christian community called the Bruderhof. There is no debt, no crime, no homelessness and everyone has a job - but none of them earn a salary. Modern technology like television and computers are shunned and even rejected. Continue reading