Very interesting doc. Not only their shunning policy, but their language and doctrines are stunningly close to the JWS. (I don't see their shunning as more severe, just different.)
I had to say, got choked up seeing that young mother, with the infant and toddler, checking the pregnancy test whilst her 18YO fiance smoking while sitting next to baby. So sad for this child, really, trying to find love in her children, and so , so sad for the children. The whole image gave me a lump in my throat.
I did a bit of googling on their leader, John Nelson Darby (called the Father of Dispensationalism), and after reading the following information in several sources, have to wonder if CTR learned some of his terminology and thoughts from Darby, who by that time, had quite a reputation. The similarities in language are eerily similar, and dispensationalism is one of the foundations of Zionism, is it not?
New England - I didn't check the referenced map, but perhaps, Pennsylvania? Hmmmm....
[bold is mine]
He made at least 5 missionary journeys to North America between 1862 and 1877. He worked mostly in New England, Ontario, and theGreat Lakes region, but took one extended journey from Toronto to Sydney by way of San Francisco, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby
.
Food for thought, and maybe some interesting research for anyone that is into it. tal