Media portrayed Gloriavale members as ‘mindless robots’ – resident

1 News |

The founder of Gloriavale would never have been convicted of sexual abuse if commune members hadn’t been portrayed as “mindless robots”, according to a senior resident.

Faithful Pilgrim is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is deciding whether six women were employees or volunteers and subject to “slave-like conditions”.

Pilgrim was asked about Hopeful Christian’s conviction on three charges of indecently assaulting a teenage girl in the 1980s.

He said he was “not convinced at all that he was guilty”.

“I think the media made a big fuss of it because he was a Christian.

Further reading and video: https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/02/17/media-portrayed-gloriavale-members-as-mindless-robots-resident/