
“转折点美国”信仰事务副总裁卢卡斯·迈尔斯呼吁唐纳德·特朗普总统介入,此前澳大利亚议员在听证会上向一位基督教会领袖询问其宗教信仰,包括他是否影响成员的婚姻、发型甚至宠物饲养。
A Turning Point USA faith leader is calling on President Donald Trump to intervene after Australian lawmakers grilled a Christian church leader about his religious beliefs, including whether he influences members' marriages, hairstyles and even pet ownership.
“转折点美国”信仰事务副总裁卢卡斯·迈尔斯对福克斯新闻数字频道表示,他已联系白宫信仰办公室及多位政府官员,针对他认为是出于政治动机、针对普利茅斯弟兄基督教会的调查表达关切。
Lucas Miles, vice president of faith at Turning Point USA, told Fox News Digital he contacted the White House Faith Office and several administration officials over what he described as a politically motivated investigation into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.
“我们已联系信仰办公室,也联系了政府的几位成员,以确保他们知晓此事,”迈尔斯说。“我们希望尽快看到回应和行动。”
"We've reached out to the faith office, we've reached out to several members of the administration to make sure that they're aware of this," Miles said. "We're hoping to see some response and action soon."
争议在10月16日的议会听证会上升级,该听证会旨在审查教会成员在澳大利亚2025年联邦大选中涉嫌协调政治活动的指控。
The controversy intensified during an Oct. 16 parliamentary hearing examining allegations of coordinated political activity by church members during Australia's 2025 federal election.
独立议员莫尼克·瑞安询问教会全球领袖布鲁斯·黑尔斯,成员是否视他为“蒙拣选的器皿”或上帝的直接信使。她还询问成员是否会就婚姻、住房、宠物、服饰和面部毛发寻求他的指导。
Independent MP Monique Ryan questioned the church's global leader, Bruce Hales, about whether members considered him an "elect vessel" or a direct messenger from God. She also asked whether members sought his guidance on marriage, housing, pets, clothing and facial hair.

自由党议员本·斯莫尔对这种提问提出异议,称其“显然荒谬”,且“严重偏离了调查的职权范围”。另一位议员插话称发型与选举事务无关,但委员会主席允许提问继续进行。
Liberal MP Ben Small objected to the questioning, calling it "patently ridiculous" and "so far off the terms of reference for this inquiry." Another lawmaker interjected that hairstyles had no bearing on electoral matters, while the committee chair allowed the questioning to continue.
“当一个负责调查选举事务的澳大利亚议会委员会开始盘问一位基督教领袖的神学信念时,必须对该调查的目的提出严肃质疑,”迈尔斯在提供给福克斯新闻数字频道的声明中说。
"When an Australian parliamentary committee tasked with investigating election matters begins interrogating a Christian leader about his theological convictions, serious questions must be asked about the purpose of the inquiry," Miles said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
他补充道:“布鲁斯·黑尔斯被传唤是为了回答关于选举行为的问题,而不是为了在政府面前为普利茅斯弟兄基督教会的教义进行辩护。”
"Bruce Hales was summoned to answer questions about electoral conduct, not to defend the doctrines of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church before the government," he added.
迈尔斯辩称,这一提问路线可能说明对宗教自由存在更广泛的威胁。
Miles argued that the line of questioning may illustrate a broader threat to religious freedom.
他说:“从选举监督转向宗教审查,这种令人不安的转变完全看起来像是一场政治动机的猎巫行动。”
"The troubling shift from election oversight to religious scrutiny gives every appearance of a politically motivated witch hunt," he said.
黑尔斯否认在2025年大选期间指导、资助或协调政治竞选活动,坚称教会成员是独立行动的。
Hales denied directing, funding or coordinating political campaigning during the 2025 election, maintaining that church members acted independently.
黑尔斯对委员会表示:“我完全没有参与任何成员自愿参加或以任何方式参与2025年联邦大选的事务。”
"I had no involvement whatsoever in relation to any members who volunteered or took part in any aspect of the 2025 federal election," Hales told the committee.
议员们质询黑尔斯在一次布道中称澳大利亚需要“再次快乐起来,再次微笑起来”,是否影响了成员的政治活动,并引用随后出现的呼应他这番言论的竞选宣传口号作为佐证。
Lawmakers questioned whether a sermon in which Hales said Australia needed to be "happy again, smiling again" influenced members' political activities, citing subsequent campaign messaging that echoed his words.
他的儿子加雷斯承认鼓励已参与竞选的人,但否认指导过有组织的教会竞选活动。
His son, Gareth, acknowledged encouraging people already involved in campaigning but denied directing an organized church campaign.
委员会还在审查大选期间涉嫌恐吓和协调竞选的指控。教会领袖否认组织或纵容不当行为。
The committee is also examining allegations of intimidation and coordinated campaigning during the election. Church leaders have denied organizing or condoning improper conduct.
黑尔斯表示,他不支持骚扰或恐吓,并坚持认为个别成员应对自己的行为负责。
Hales said he did not support harassment or intimidation and maintained that individual members should be accountable for their own actions.

迈尔斯说:“在自由社会中,政府有权调查违反选举法的行为,但无权将基督教教义置于审判席上。”
"In a free society, government has every right to investigate violations of election law, but it has no business putting Christian doctrine on trial," Miles said.
普利茅斯弟兄基督教会(Plymouth Brethren Christian Church)历史可追溯至约200年前,称其全球约5.5万名成员遵循“分离教义”,远离他们认为与圣经教导相冲突的某些世俗活动和做法。
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, which traces its roots back roughly 200 years, says its roughly 55,000 members worldwide follow a "Doctrine of Separation," distancing themselves from certain secular activities and practices they believe conflict with biblical teachings.
该教会拒绝将该教派描述为邪教,坚称其成员自由实践信仰,并通过经商和慈善项目为社区做贡献。
The church rejects descriptions of the denomination as a cult, maintaining that its members freely practice their faith and contribute to their communities through businesses and charitable initiatives.
听证会也把话题转向了美国,参议员斯蒂芬·霍金斯-梅就“美国转折点”组织对该教会的支持,以及教会领袖是否曾与特朗普政府会面一事质询了黑尔斯。
The hearing also turned to the United States when Sen. Steph Hodgins-May questioned Hales about Turning Point USA's support for the church and whether church leaders had met with the Trump administration.
黑尔斯表示,他本人从未见过特朗普,但据了解,纽约的一些教会成员曾与总统短暂会面。
Hales said he had never met Trump but understood that some church members in New York had briefly met the president.
迈尔斯并非该教派成员,他表示希望特朗普对澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴尼斯施加外交压力,敦促其终止这项调查。
Miles, who is not a member of the denomination, said he wants Trump to apply diplomatic pressure on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and urge an end to the inquiry.
迈尔斯对福克斯新闻数字频道说:“首先,我希望看到的是施加一些压力,无论是通过外交渠道还是由总统本人出面。”
"What I would like to see, first of all, is some pressure applied, whether that be through diplomatic channels or through the president himself," Miles told Fox News Digital.
迈尔斯表示,他仍对政府会采取行动抱有希望,并警告说,这场争议可能会为美国教会开创一个令人不安的先例,他还提到美国以往涉及宗教组织和政府限制的争端。
Miles said he remains hopeful the administration will take action and warned that the controversy could establish a troubling precedent for American churches, pointing to past disputes involving religious organizations and government restrictions in the United States.
他说:“如果这种事能在澳大利亚发生,如果能在英格兰和加拿大这样的地方发生,那么如果我们不保持警惕,它当然也能在美国发生。”
"If this can happen in Australia, if it can happen places like England and Canada, it certainly can happen America if we don't stay alert," he said.
迈尔斯强调,基督徒应当可以自由参与政治,而不应因其个人选择就让所属教会自动承担责任。
Miles emphasized that Christians should be free to participate in politics without their churches automatically being held responsible for their individual choices.
他说:“仅仅因为碰巧去同一间教会的个别普通公民对政治持有相似看法,这并不构成什么大阴谋。”
"Just because individual private citizens who happen to go to a church have a similar opinion about politics, that does not constitute a grand conspiracy," he said.
他敦促特朗普推行他所称的“基于信仰的外交”,以捍卫海外的宗教自由。
He urged Trump to pursue what he called "faith-based diplomacy" to defend religious liberty abroad.
迈尔斯说:“如果宗教自由只保护那些政府认可其信仰的人,那它就毫无意义。”白宫未立即回应福克斯新闻数字频道的置评请求。
"Religious liberty means nothing if it only protects those whose beliefs the government approves of," Miles said. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.