Twelve Tribes

[[File:Twelve Tribes Wedding 003.JPG|thumb|right|165px|During a wedding, Twelve Tribes members perform a ceremonial dance representing the battle of [[Armageddon]]]]{{expand}}{{cult}}

:''Distinct from the unrelated Twelve Tribes branch of [[Rastafari]]''

{{cquote|The Twelve Tribes, a [[Christian]] [[fundamentalist]] [[cult]] born in the American South in the 1970s, is little-known to much of the country, and on first impression its communes and [[hippie]]-vibed restaurants and cafes can seem quaint and bucolic. But beneath the surface lies a tangle of doctrine that teaches its followers that [[slavery]] was “a marvelous opportunity” for black people, who are deemed by the [[Bible]] to be servants of whites, and that [[homosexuality|homosexuals]] deserve no less than death.|||[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]<ref name=splc />}}

'''Twelve Tribes''' is a [[restorationism|restorationist]] [[Christian]]-type sect with [[Messianic Judaism|messianic Jewish]] elements. It is considered a [[cult]] because the group considers your "[[will]]" to be a possession which you give to the leaders upon joining. The sect originated out of the [[Jesus Movement]] in Southern [[California]] in the 1970s, where the founder received his anointing. Members moved from [[Tennessee]] to [[Vermont]] and have since grown and spread. Group founder Elbert Eugene Spriggs is known by the name "Yoneq" to followers. The group is known for complete [[mind control]] in their own intentional communities, requiring members to give up their thoughts and possessions and to live as a [[slave]] to the group — in harmony with {{bible|Acts|2|44}}. They are also known for their delis and coffee shops — often under the "Yellow Deli" and "Common Ground" names, furniture- and construction-businesses, and Blue Blinds Bakery, where their members work 16+ hour days.<ref name=dailybeast>Luke O'Neill, [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/17/twelve-tribes-the-church-preached-child-abuse-slavery.html? Twelve Tribes: The Church Preached Child Abuse & Slavery].  ''The Daily Beast'', 16 July 2016. {{quotebox|According to ex-members of Twelve Tribes who spoke to The Daily Beast, children are regularly beaten and leaders preached "slavery is necessary." Now, an escapee has taken over the Facebook page of the Plymouth bakery run by the commune so he can broadcast its ills.}}</ref> They are also known for [[Evangelism|proselytising]] at [[Rock music|rock concerts]], although their [[prophets]] claim that they do not proselytize. There are reportedly between 3000 to 4000 members as of 2016.<ref name=dailybeast/>

==Beliefs==

[[Theology|Theologically]], they believe that all of the Christian church is [[apostasy|apostate]].  They view their own communities as explicitly non-Christian. They reject the use of the names "[[God]]" and "[[Jesus]]" in favor of calling God the father "Abba" (no, not that {{wpl|Abba}}) and the son "Yahshua", while interchanging the words "Our father" and "Our master" for the former in an ambiguous attempt to exalt their leader Gene Spriggs. They believe the [[Bible]] mandates strict child-discipline including [[corporal punishment]], [[homeschooling]], following Saturday ([[Sabbath]]) worship rather than Sunday, observing the [[Old Testament]] feasts, practicing [[organic food|organic farming]], and making most of their own clothes. Their lifestyle has been described as a cross between that of the [[Amish]] or [[Hutterites]] and a [[hippie]] commune; their hippie appearance makes for a good fit at concerts where they have proselytised, including at Phish and the Grateful Dead concerts. Other targets of their proselytising have included [[Occupy Wall Street]] gatherings,<ref>Rosie Gray, [https://archive.ph/69Iyx Friendly Cult Looking For Recruits at Occupy Wall Street], ''The Village Voice'', 10 November 2011. Archived from rickross.com, 7 July 2013.</ref> and Appalachian Trail hikers.<ref>No, not [[Mark Sanford|that kind]], but real A.T. through-hikers, via the [http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?9935-Rutland-and-quot-The-Twelve-Tribes-quot-Hostel free hostel they operate in Rutland, Vermont] and [[advertising]] "work for stay" arrangements at other communes in the vicinity of the Trail, e.g. Hillsboro, Virginia</ref> The sales pitch, according to this group, is Acts 2:44 which they assert is the solution to the world's [[economic]] and ecological problems. But once you join, you are slowly drawn into trauma-based mind control, where the goal is to create a split personality which the group programs into the new you.

==Claims of cultism==

Cult accusations have defined the Twelve Tribes from the late 1970s to the present. Claiming to follow Acts 2:44 means dropping out of society and joining one of their communes, to slave labor on their farms or one of their businesses. Their proselytising style is rather low-key, more of the [[love bombing|love-bombing]] sort and information control through literature and well-kept secrets, rather than hitting people up front with their [[fire and brimstone|fire-and-brimstone]] theology (they [[milk before meat|save that for later]]<ref>[https://archive.ph/VnImy Quotes from the teachings of Elbert Eugene Spriggs]. Archived from neirr.org, 7 July 2013.</ref>). Much of their literature is tailored toward fans of the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and such, and their delis and natural-foods stores have a "groovy", somewhat upscale feel that gives little appearance at first glance of being operated by an [[authoritarian]] religious cult. Converts were the subject of several "deprogrammings" during the late 1970s by infamous cult "deprogrammer" Ted Patrick at the behest of alarmed family members, and the state of Vermont once raided their Vermont community in 1984 following disputes over child custody and accusations of [[child abuse]].<ref>[http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21594/twelve-tribes-8 1984 Vermont sect raid had similar judicial conclusion as Texas case], Associated Press</ref> Their groups today live in several [[U.S.]] states and in [[Europe]], [[South America]], [[Canada]], and [[Australia]]. They continue to be accused of child abuse,<ref>[http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20929/twelve-tribes-6 Spare the rod and spoil the …], ''Sydney Morning Herald''</ref> particularly over their practice of disciplining with "the rod"<ref>[https://archive.ph/MIUIX Twelve Tribes report from the New England Institute of Religious Research]. Archived from neirr.org, 15 April 2013.</ref> and [[child labor]],<ref>[https://archive.ph/Hg6i6 State Takes Close Look at Cult Kids in Factories], ''The New York Post'', 9 April 2001. Archived from twelvetribes-ex.org, 13 May 2015.</ref> of [[anti-Semitism]] and [[racism]] for statements in their literature supporting racial [[segregation]] and [[slavery]],<ref>[http://www.apologeticsindex.org/t29.html Apologetics Index article]</ref><ref name=dailybeast/> and that [[Evil Jew#Christ-killers|Jews are accursed for murdering Christ]]<ref>Jeevan Vasagar, [https://archive.ph/JBIaz Racist sect digs in at rock festivals]. ''The Guardian'', 3 July 2000. Archived from rickross.com, 7 July 2013.</ref> and of their leader Elbert Eugene Spriggs living high on the hog while ordinary followers toil in communes.<ref>
[https://archive.ph/5RLHL Cult leader travels the world in style], ''Boston Herald''. Archived from twelvetribes-ex.org, 5 September 2001.</ref>

[[Milk before meat|Secret teachings that were only given to the highest members]] have now been revealed by ex-members.<ref name=splc>Brendan Joel Kelley, [https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/darkness Into Darkness: Inside an American white supremacist cult.] Intelligence Report, Southern Poverty Law Center, 5 August 2018.</ref> Among the secret teachings is a racist interpretation of the [[Curse of Ham]] ({{bible|Genesis|9|20|25}}).<ref name=splc/> One of the [[African American]] leaders of Twelve Tribes, Yohannan Abraham (a.k.a. John Stringer), even spoke favorably of the early [[KKK]].<ref name=splc/>

Other secret teachings including mandating corporal punishment to children who are disobedient and that [[Homophobia|homosexuals should be put to death]].<ref name=splc/>

==External links==
* [http://www.twelvetribes.com/ Official website]
* [https://archive.ph/wM2XT Rick Ross Institute collection of articles]
* [https://archive.ph/Iy29S Critical site by ex-members]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Antisemitism]]
[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Christian denominations]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]

Categories: Antisemitism, California, Christian denominations, Cults, Homophobia