Rules of the Australian cult Anglican Catholic Mission Community
A new investigation has revealed the shocking details of daily life in a cult that has communes across Australia, including rules they live by.
News.com, Australia/December 10, 2023
Rhys O’Neill and Greg Stolz
The Anglican Catholic Mission Community religious cult, formerly known as the Jesus People of North Queensland, also has a huge compound in North Queensland as well as communes in Parkes and Sydney in NSW, as well as overseas.
One former member said she lost more than 30kg in the first two months she lived in the Sydney arm of the cult, run by a leader called a “reshan”.
According to the cult’s doctrine, for breakfast members on non-fasting days are allowed “a bowl of brown rice, layered by a portion of scrambled egg, a scoop of sultanas and another of mixed dried fruit and wetted with either skim milk or full cream milk”.
Breakfast must be finished by 6.30am followed by two hours of exercise, with members told to use homemade washing machines propelled by pushbikes.
Community members are forbidden from eating any food while away from the commune without approval from a superior.
The rules are as stipulated in a number of documents called The Customary, the Proposed Rule of Life and The Golden Thread, all written by the group’s founder, the late Daniel Landy-Ariel.
“Reshan will allocate a female missioner (married or single) … to keep him informed of what she and or others may see as current problems or disorder,” the Customary rules.
“Why allocate a female? No female can become Governor and therefore there will not ensue any ‘competing for the job’ manoeuvring.”
Landy-Ariel set up the cult in the 1970s with a cafe and a North Queensland compound on the Atherton Tablelands.
The sprawling ACMC property where many of the members still live, is called “Bethel” and straddles two sides of Walsh River Rd at Watsonville, roughly 15km west of Herberton.
The remote commune 100km southwest of Cairns has a collection of buildings along with old motorhomes and caravans, and facilities including a basketball court, swimming pool, playground,orchard and large market garden.
On the other side of the road are buildings including a mechanical workshop called Village Maintenance – one of many businesses owned by the ACMC.
