Vorarlberg faith group faces abuse and schooling allegations

The Gemeinde Gottes faith community in Wald am Arlberg is facing allegations of abuse and operating a school instead of providing home education, ORF Vorarlberg reports. The education directorate says it has found no breach of the rules, while an investigation into the abuse allegations is ongoing.

A former member, who spoke to ORF anonymously for fear of reprisals, alleges that the group used physical and psychological violence and denied people medical care. He has filed a complaint against its leaders with the Feldkirch public prosecutor’s office. Several other former members described similar experiences to the magazine Datum.

The faith community rejected the allegations when approached by ORF. It said there had been no child abuse and that children were well integrated into the group.

The group, a strictly conservative Christian community not recognised by the state, moved to the Klostertal valley in 2009. At the time, it said Germany’s compulsory school attendance rules were the reason for the move; in Austria, home education is permitted.

Dalaas Mayor Martin Burtscher says members have repeatedly bought houses in the valley in recent years, often for prices well above the usual market rate. He is also concerned that the group is running a private school rather than providing home education, which is allowed under Austrian law.

Burtscher said children had been brought by bus to the village for lessons, and that the municipality had documented and reported this to the authorities. The local public primary school closed four years ago because it did not have enough pupils, he said.

The Vorarlberg education directorate said the district authority had examined the allegations. It concluded that the gatherings were Bible and singing lessons held during leisure time, and that the group had credibly shown that home education took place in a private setting. Burtscher wants the matter reviewed again.

Under Austrian rules, a private school without public status needs a permit and must demonstrate that it has suitable rooms, equipment and qualified teachers. Children attending such a school take an external examination because its certificates are not state-recognised. In home education, parents or guardians are responsible for children’s learning and development; a teaching qualification is not required. Authorities require details including the curriculum, teaching location, instructor and educational plan, as well as a compulsory review meeting.

The group has more than 100 members locally, according to an estimate in the report. Its roots are in a movement founded in the United States in 1988 by Daniel Layne, whom the group’s website describes as a prophet. The community is known for a strict interpretation of the Bible, traditional clothing practices, rejection of evolution and a largely separate way of life.