60 Responses for "Is the Twelve Tribes a Cult?"

1. bob hyatt November 2nd, 2005 at 11:25 am 1

   hey Drew- Thanks for a good review- highlighting the good, the bad and the kind of kooky :)

2. Robert Roberg November 2nd, 2005 at 5:49 pm 2

   I spent some time living with the 12 tribes but left because they taught at that time that they were the only true body of Christ on the earth. Sounds like a cult to me.

3. Ben Keller November 2nd, 2005 at 6:32 pm 3

   Very thoughtful remarks, Drew. The communitarianism I’ve seen among them does bear some hallmarks of Acts Christianity, and yet historically “perfect” communities either veer off into free love or rank legalism. 12 Tribes has opted for the latter. Your questions about salvation were probing and it seemed to uncover lots of Bible saturation (machine-gun use of Scriptures at any moment) but not too much Biblical thinking and reflection. We materialistic capitalist American Christians certainly have much crap to answer for, but the “join us to be saved” theology is getting the gospel seriously wrong.

4. D. Goodmanson November 2nd, 2005 at 6:49 pm 4

   The communitarianism aspect did get me thinking about a ‘corporate witness’ of the church as the bride of Jesus Christ.

5. fatherofaking November 6th, 2005 at 4:06 pm 5

   according to what you said in your article, they did not say that everyone needs to join their group to escape the second death (the lake of fire).
   that doesn’t sound exclusionary to me.

6. Chezikah January 1st, 2006 at 10:00 am 6

   Reasons for Leaving
   89 Reasons why a past member left the Cult.

   ——————————————————————————–
   WHY I LEFT ELBERT EUGENE SPRIGGS “TWELVE TRIBES COMMUNES”
   The reasons why a past member left the Twelve Tribes Cult.
   The past member that wrote this has wished to remain anonymous.
   Formerly known as: Northeast Kingdom Community Church, Church of God, The New Apostolic Order in Messiah, The Church in Island Pond and generally, The Communities)

   (Friendship-love-dogma-shame-guilt-fear-) Warning: The Tribes consider all negative reporting on their life as “malicious lies and slander.” They also state “both those who lie and those who listen to lies are worthy of the lake of fire.”

   The community started in the 1970’s with a Christian couple, Gene and Marsha Spriggs, who helped troubled teens and furnished them a place to stay in their home. Somehow Christian hippie love and a free communal life degenerated into a total control religious cult mixed with Jewish Old Testament Law and the Christian Gospel.

   Though they beat around the bush with first time visitors, the tribes clearly consider themselves “the only true work of God on earth since the apostles.” Being the called, chosen, and the faithful, one member repeatedly shouted at a daily gathering, “1 am so thankful and not ashamed to declare we’re it! We’re it! God’s only people! We are the people He’s always wanted and never obtained!” The tribes teach that only they possess God’s Spirit. “If you’re in the world, you have another spirit, or perhaps an angel leading you to God’s body (Tribes).

   Only community members can preach the “true gospel.” They say “the sheep will obediently receive, hear and obey a ’sent one’ giving up wealth, jobs, friends, relatives and inheritance to enter the one sheepfold.” To join the community “sheep” must donate their time and free labor. “Saved” means calling upon Yahshua (Jesus is a demon) and consenting to outdoor baptism even in the middle of winter. Within the communities, opportunities abound for a member to “die to themselves” and “crucify their flesh.” Believing Jesus’ death insufficient to save a person, they render community members totally dependent upon the group.

   I was told, “God created a special place for His own where His Holy Spirit dwells, the Edah, our Twelve Tribes. Currently we don’t have twelve tribes, but someday we will. Forgiveness, love and restoration cannot occur anywhere else. Our Master Yahshua accomplished this through His death on the tree, suffering in our place and rising again on our behalf.”

   Full of unclean birds and spirits, Christianity is “the bloody whore of Revelation. Her ministers are liars. Thieves and draw glory to themselves while destroying the sheep,” according to Spriggs’ teaching. Instructed regularly, members omit ‘the bloody whore’ part with new visitors. Community members also believe “Jews and Christians failed to perform God’s purpose, so God cut them off, cast them aside and waited 1900 years for a people willing to obey His commands.” They try to persuade people into believing that “only they bear good fruit.”

   Members cannot enter any Church or Temple “especially on Sundays,” because “evil spirits are near”.

   E. Spriggs refers to the Bible as “the most dangerous book.” The tribes also say “In order to understand the Scriptures one must connect himself to the vine (the tribes). And in another teaching Spriggs says “The Bible is written to confound the wise and meant to be misunderstood unless you are under the anointing.” (Spriggs’ interpretation) Stone IV 6/18/89

   Before Messiah can return for “His Bride,” the tribes believe they alone must perfectly keep God’s laws for 49 years.

   Filling their members with fear and dread, the community makes it difficult for devastated members to depart. As they are leaving, defectors may hear “Whoever has the Holy Spirit and leaves the body is turned over to death. You will not live long.” In another teaching Spriggs says, “If a person even thinks about returning to Egypt, our Father will provide them an opportunity to return. ..If you go back, you will drown.” These damaged people can no longer trust God, themselves or others, and are unable to receive ‘help from the world.”

   AI Jayne “Ne’eman”, one of my shepherds told me candidly, “We make people unable to survive and stand on their own two feet in the world.”

   The tribes latched onto the Catholic purgatory model for their “three eternal destinies” teaching. One of their main sales pitches, they treat this teaching like golden revelation from on High. Even though Jesus said, “Why do you call me good, only God alone is good,” the tribes teach some people are “good” and “live according to their conscience.”

   The tribes “freepapers” and Website fail to give potential “sheep” the dark, depressed, painful side of life in the communes.

   Community members cannot accuse their leaders of wrong or voice discontent. Concerning complaints and malcontents Spriggs says, “Whoever is against the Father makes himself brother to Satan, the rebel prince of this world system.”

   If you “oppose the anointing” (Spriggs, his elders or teachings), God may cause you to become ill, experience an accident or die.” Mary Wiseman, who died of cancer, told another sister, “You don’t know Yoneq (Spriggs), he can have real anger.” Following her death, the elders remarked, “Our Father removed Mary from His body because she opposed the anointing.” Spriggs and his henchmen are untouchable little kings.

   By inhibiting critical thinking among community members, a “group think” mentality prevails. Accordingly, followers surrender their right to make value judgments. (They cannot reason ). All female members must wear dresses or hideous clown-type pants. Men must grow their hair long enough to tie their hair in a short pony tail. Unity means “we perfectly agree about everything.” We do not agree to disagree like Christianity with all their denominations.” We are one as Yahshua commanded.” They always rid themselves of those who cause division.

   Young adults who break away from the tribes are told, “you are forsaking God, your parents and friends, so you can indulge your flesh in the world.” One young man courageously told two shepherds, “I can’t live this way.” Later the elders publicly blamed the young man’s mother as a poor example of an imma (Hebrew mother).

   Gene Spriggs decides all belief, practice and lifestyle. Positioned in a place of unrivaled power-and control. Spriggs the monarch and pope of the community answers to no one. Being the sole leader of the tribes. Spriggs prefers to maintain a low profile, and keeps any knowledge of his whereabouts, lifestyle, or finances secret.

   Carefully guarded in each commune house, Spriggs’ teachings are not available to the public nor to many of the sheep. Sometimes an elder may give a less dramatic teaching if he believes “It will help a ’sheep’ to increase. One newer black member repeatedly asked to see “the Ham teaching” which describes “God’s curse on the black race, their continuing sin of disrespect, and their duty to serve whites.” Believing that the teaching would cause him to stumble, the elder denied him access. Outsiders often hear, “any brother may bring a teaching.” Actually this means any brother may study a teaching Spriggs dreamed up and then repeat the teaching to the household. I often heard, “scripture is not personally interpreted.” Another oft heard control phrase within the community is, “you need to receive and cling to the anointing (Spriggs).”

   Though I’ve heard reports of Spriggs watching television and reading whatever he chooses, the average community member cannot exercise such freedom. By contrast, radio, television, and printed materials are off limits to almost all community members. Musicians use cassette players, but soon they will not enjoy access to them. Tribal teen boys often read newspapers and various magazines when they are alone. Listening to the car radio is a gray area.

   Bowel movements and how you have them are critical. During bathroom visits, members squat on small unstable wooden stools. A difficult feat it is! They say “toilets are killing Americans, because as you sit not enough crap comes out. This causes colon cancer.”

   Concerning crap, while outdoors “members must bury all bowel movements because our Father walks around and may step in the crap.” Upon hearing this, I almost rolled on the floor laughing. All I could picture is a half-man half-horse deity trotting around the countryside and through the woods at night. You must honestly question who their God/god really is.

   A husband no longer holds authority within his family, but a shepherd usurps authority over your wife and children. This is humiliating and frightening.

   Eddie Wiseman beat a teenage community member leaving 89 bloody welts on her body. As a result, the family stayed away from the commune for 15 years, but sadly returned in 1998. None of them received the courage to pursue charges against “cold Eddie” (Hakam). I have heard stories of this man sexually abusing at least one boy. As the boy courageously told his elders of the abuse, they rewarded him by beating him and locking him in a closet. People like Eddie Wiseman and Gene Spriggs don’t repent. They never do anything wrong.

   Awakened and frightened by the boring religious service, a crying 2 year old child refused to sit like a miniature adult. In response, the parents rolled their son in a sheet to prevent him from moving his arms or legs. The parents repeated this “discipline” over several weeks.

   One of my shepherds approached me and said, “I don’t like the behavior of your two year old son. You need to hit him.” I felt like telling Al Jayne “Ne’eman”, “Too damn bad, look at your own children.” If I didn’t hit my son, I felt like Al Jayne would have enjoyed the task in my place. The tribes expect too much from small children. Burdened with the goal of raising up three successive generations of increasingly pure and perfect children, community members constantly “beat the tar out of their babies.” Spriggs also says, “If our children can’t learn obedience, Yahshua will not return.”

   Many parents “in the world” punish their children as a last resort. In the tribes, parents punish their children as a first resort. Walloping their children provides some adults with an excuse to leave a gathering. Instructed to remove their “disobedient” children far from the listening ears of visitors, the parents strike their children on outstretched palms or bare buttocks with long thin flexible sticks. Foolishness, joke telling, laughing or making faces often results in “discipline” for these young children.

   “My imma and abba (mother and father) hit me all day, “exclaimed a little boy.

   After my wife and I divorced, she and my 6-year-old son lived outside the community. I asked Al Jayne, I haven’t seen my son in several months, and I really miss him. You often drive to his town, can I travel with you sometime? Al responded with, “”If you visit your son when he is young you will only confuse him. As he reaches his teens, he will wonder and visit you.” Another newer, but older member told me, ‘”You’re just a babe, Eric. You must mature before you visit your relatives. Perhaps your son and former wife are sheep. They need to see you living obediently with God’s people, then you can share the gospel with them.” Several other members emphasized, ‘”You must follow the example of Abraham and place your son on the altar. You must reckon Jason as dead, just as Abraham reckoned Isaac dead.” One sister suggested I seek legal custody of Jason, and remove him from his mother. My former wife is an excellent mother. Taking Jason would break her heart and destroy her.

   According to Spriggs “parents who send their children to public schools hate them.”

   Community children cannot celebrate birthdays or “demonic” holidays such as Christmas or Easter.

   One teen-age girl boldly told me that “at one time the adults used to put children into boxes and lock them in closets. They wanted the children to experience DEATH.”

   To control difficult teenagers, the tribes sometimes sends them overseas to sister communes. This hinders relatives from helping the imprisoned teenager.

   The community routinely removes children from their parents, if the parents cannot raise them according to Spriggs’ standards. One young child moved into my communal home, and shortly thereafter his “teacher” thrashed him with a balloon stick.

   Within the community, parents routinely deny their children immunizations and medical care. They don’t want doctors to discover the many scars on their children’s buttocks. The community hates to spend money on “worldly medical care.”

   The daughter of one shepherd told me, “Growing up in the Edah is difficult. As a young child, I endured constant “discipline.” Currently, I am busy with never ending work, but when I marry I will have even more work, and my husband will rule over me. I know Yahshua loves me. I need to trust Him and give up my life.”

   I was told several times, “If you don’t use chopsticks during your meal, you offend and hate Japheth. (Oriental people, Native American people). The tribes hope to recruit more minorities. In Hamburg, members exercised more freedom concerning the use of forks or chopsticks.

   If the young children engage in imaginary play, pretend, fantasy or imaginary friends, their parents beat them. In one commune, small boys could not push blocks of wood, or make truck noises. Community children possess few if any toys, and cannot play unless an adult “covers” them. In defense of their views, they say, “we want our children to deal with real life, such as learning a trade or helping their mothers in the kitchen.” A commune house may own one ball or bicycle, which, the children may play with provided they don’t have too much fun. Sadly, the children enjoy little play time, because the adults must continue working “so that the sheep have a home to come to, food to eat and clothes to wear.”

   Within the communities, tightly swaddled babies, toddlers and small children are a common sight. Unable to move their arms or legs, the poor children are wrapped in a cloth or blanket like little mummies. They are made helpless and often must sit for long periods, while their mothers work. One member explained, “swaddling helps to break their will without breaking their spirit.” I often pitied a frightened little black baby wrapped in this way. She wanted to move but couldn’t.

   Mothers who deliver their infants in the hospital, lack faith in God and their brothers. A woman named Amy who suffers from a heart condition, endured six days of sleepless labor with a breech birth. She and her husband, Aaron Anderson, refused outside medical help and chose to “remain where our Father dwells.” “If you trust our Father you can accomplish anything.” They place no trust in doctors, hospitals or Christians.

   Years earlier, I questioned my household coordinator regarding women “who are just too small to safely deliver their babies at home.” Coldly he said “LET THEM RIP!” I was stunned. A cold religious spirit dominates in the community, which reminds me of some Old-Order Amish groups and “Desert Father'’ type monasteries. To them the “pain of child birth is beneficial for a woman.” Through many trials and tribulations we will enter the kingdom.” You need to die.” - -

   Spriggs’ teachings dictate that married women must produce at least seven children. According to Spriggs he says “God is going to bring forth a male child (144,000) with absolutely no deceit in them. There will not be one lie in them. They will be just like Messiah. They will be so pure that fire comes out of their mouth and they will be righteously indignant.”

   In each communal home, every newborn male endures circumcision. Furthermore they say, “Every adult male should desire circumcision.” The tribes totally ignore the apostle Paul’s extensive teachings regarding law, grace, and circumcision.

   Individuals and families lack personal privacy.

   Because they enjoyed a “burlesque” piece of lingerie, one couple had to confess their “sin” to the entire household. I felt sorry for them. Through his teachings, I believe Spriggs instructs couples about “correct” sexual positions. Tribal control doesn’t necessarily stop at the bedroom doors. Content with their one baby, one couple had to repent when they honestly stated that they wished to have no more. This couple left the tribes after an entire household collapsed in Lancaster, New Hampshire, amidst a series of hushed up scandals.

   As I sat in a chair and silently prayed, One brother accused me “of communing with evil spirits.” A shepherd’s wife told me “You should pray aloud because the angels take our prayers to God.”

   If a wife refuses to join the tribes with her husband then “she was never his wife.”

   Within the communities, women must obey their husbands without reasoning or questioning. The community views a disobedient wife as rebellious, independent and un-submissive. To persuade the wife to repent, sometimes the husband may withhold sex from her.

   A household coordinator referred to my wife as a witch when she tried to dissuade me from joining the tribes. At our baptism, we were told to ‘renounce Jesus and the demonic spirit of Christianity.’

   Several times a household coordinator secretly tapped into phone conversations when I spoke with my wife. In response he said, “I pay the telephone bill, and I have the right to know if someone is filling your head with defiling negative information.” (about the community).

   The tribes belittle Christians for attending church, sitting in a pew and listening to a clergyman talk about ‘white bread Jesus,’ yet in the community, teaching sessions may last three times longer than a sermon. I certainly didn’t feel like dancing when I heard these teachings.

   Those who sleep during a dull teaching must stand until the remainder of the session. During teachings, members may not use the bathroom or drink water

   At any time, you may be asked to stand in the center of a room ‘if you need help or correction.” They call this a “lemon fight.”

   You can understand why the tribes don’t tell new guests the real details of their life. It’s too bad for the guests who may be hypnotized by the initial love, smiles, compliments, hugs, dancing and testimonies. Because I was so sad in the world, I tried to sell myself on their “gospel.” I tried daily to believe that twelve tribes members were “the only Ones being saved.” After a while, I felt sick inside.

   Financially, the shepherds live better than “the sheep.” Makes sense right? Shepherds and sheep. Overseers of the community, shepherds possess credit cards, own cars, and control the money. They can buy food, purchase gifts for their wives and children, and take frequent trips. In contrast, the dumb sheep wash piles of dirty dishes, clean the toilets and wash the clothes. While most tribal women have few if any pictures to enjoy, Prisca, the wife of “Aquilla the Gorilla” owns and enjoys an expensive camera. Shepherd Al Jayne is fond of buying new higher-grade tools for his sons. His oldest son Nehemiah drives his own van and owns expensive musical instruments. Jesus said, “If you want to be the greatest, you must be the slave of all.” What did Yahshua say? “Disciples wash dishes.” Shepherds and their children do not. When I once hinted that Al Jayne’s boys never washed dishes, their mother responded with “you never sing songs or tell stories to my teenage sons while washing dishes.” A clear double standard prevails in the tribes. I think you call it a clergy-laity division.

   Men and women work long hours 16-18 hours) with no wages and little if any medical care. Members give everything and receive nothing in return except dances, hugs, baked squash, millet, beets, maggot infested potatoes, teachings and house arrest. As one brother said a couple of days prior to finally leaving, “I’m so tired…I’m so tired.” He could barely drive the car. After his departure, the elders said “his parents spoiled and pampered him.” The twelve tribes routinely use people and then cast them aside as “weak”.

   While working past midnight, a brother accidentally struck himself in the face with a hammer. Muscle hanging from his injured face, he called an ambulance. Because the elders desire to maintain control over communal money, the shepherds admonished the man for seeking medical care. Paid overtime isn’t even in tribal vocabulary. I remember hearing brothers ridicule time clocks “in the world.” If you have a time clock, be glad. Now that I live in the world, I’m glad that I receive “a living wage for a fair days work.”

   All communities will soon pay a tithe to cover tribal expenses such as property taxes and evangelism.. Guess who profits from any left over money? Elbert Eugene Spriggs. Eddie Wiseman. Don’t forget the higher ranks of “apostolic workers.” Silver and gold we have some. Lowly sheep you get none. We have it all. Keep laboring you sheep. -

   When I last lived in the tribes, the elders allotted only $10.00 per week per person for food, clothes and personal items. I waited three weeks to receive dental floss and longer for toothpaste. The shepherds and their families always had money for personal trips, ice cream and pizza. One elder, “Aquilla the Gorilla”, often frequents the local Denny’s Restaurant.

   One sister waited over two years to receive a bathrobe. Meanwhile, the shepherd just purchased a new and expensive computer system. Another sister spoke with me about her fear and guilt as she needed an eye exam and new glasses.

   Members need permission to visit family or friends “in the world.” They cannot attend any family funerals. Parents who oppose the Edah may never see their children again. When a young person joins the community, shepherds and their wives sometimes become the young adult’s new parents.

   Sexual abuse of children and physical abuse of married women, continues to be a problem within the communities. One single brother repeatedly exposed himself to the small children in a bathroom, and was asked to leave. Collectively, they refuse to repent for destroying the lives of their members. Denial is a key concept with the tribes, because they are always right and the individual is always wrong. One of their favorite sayings is “It is better to be wrong together, than to be right alone.”
   Hitler would have agreed! Emphasis added!

   The tribes insisted that they never helped Steve Wooten, a member wanted by the police for kidnapping. I was present at the morning gathering when the FBI arrested Steve Wooten in Florida. The tribes lied. They sheltered him for many years. Member’s called his former wife, a witch, a prostitute, a liar and an unfit mother.

   The tribes forbid it’s members from taking medication. Over a ten year period, one sister stopped taking her medication for manic - depression which resulted in irrational behavior. Repeatedly dumped at homeless shelters and cheap hotels, the elders insisted that her condition was the result of rebellion and unconfessed sin. Several months later, she returned to the community amid promises from the shepherd “Aquilla the Gorilla” that they would never again ask her to leave. Sometime later, a brother substituted a strong Tribe -produced St. John’s Wort tincture for her prescribed medication. As a result, she suffered from insomnia for four days. Once again,
   Al Jayne ditched the penniless sister at a hotel and told her “I guess the last nine or ten years have been a real waste.” When I inquired about the sister’s whereabouts, the shepherd responded with “she went crazy.” The community always treats the individual as a scapegoat. In contrast, the twelve tribes are always “God’s holy people.” The communes are far worse than the churches they condemn, because love is not the rule.

   The tribes condemn Christianity “for the sin of the Nicolaitins” which they interpret as a clergy -laity division. In the tribes you have Spriggs-shepherd-sheep division.

   Attempting to obey the many Old Testament laws, the communities in essence practice legalism. They ignore the many warnings of the apostle Paul and the Jerusalem Council. In Acts 15 Paul said, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: To abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”

   Forbidden to tuck in their shirts, tribal men look like slobs. Considering clean shaven men as emasculated and Roman, tribal men cannot shave or closely trim their beards. Priestly robes and wide headbands for use during the gatherings, are on the way.

   Members must eat whatever is on their plate, and if someone doesn’t like a particular food, they must eat more of it. Because I hate beets, one member told me, “Don’t think you’ll enter the kingdom if you don’t eat your veggies.” Sounds like legalism to me. Emphasis added!

   Community members can only wear cotton clothing against their skin.

   Community members cannot wear jewelry or wrist watches. During a gathering, his holiness Gene Spriggs smashed a member’s watch under his foot when the alarm accidentally sounded.

   Women in the community really suffer while working in the kitchen. While the men buy new tools from Home Depot, the women must chop cabbage and shred carrots by hand because they don’t have a food processor. They constantly cut their fingers on the very dull knives they must use. They must use temperamental old washers and dryers and hang out the laundry by hand. Because they refuse to install a dishwasher, the sheep must wash piles of dirty dishes. A former member once said “the community is the worst place for women since ancient China.” A drinking fountain would eliminate the need to wash 400 glasses each day.

   Women do not participate in tribal government.

   Children and adults within the communities cannot own personal pets. Most tribe children are fearful of cats and dogs, because they believe them to be unclean to a true Hebrew.

   A man cannot sleep with his wife during her monthly period, but must sleep on a floor mat. During this time, the woman is “unclean” but not too unclean to continue her daily work. You can see why the apostle Paul said: “The law kills.”

   Everyone in the tribes except Gene Spriggs and those closest to him are “covered.” This means someone always knows where you are working or where you can be found. In my opinion, it is the aim of the twelve tribes commune to discourage all independence (thought, action, freedom of movement, opinions, access to information, access to families) and to drive them into a hopeless, dispirited, gray herd of robots. They have lost all personal ambition, are easy to rule, willing to obey and willing to exist in selfless slavery to the community.

   Except for Spriggs, anyone can be “cut off.” Those who are “cut off” cannot wear their head covering (women), pray at gatherings, or participate in breaking of bread. Concerning those who are cut off, Spriggs says” … Don’t eat with them. We don’t talk to them except to reprove them, trying to bring them back to the faith -if we believe they are a brother or sister. We don’t have communion with them.” He also says, “One who has fallen and contracted “leprosy” needs to be restored and washed so everyone can touch him. If you touch him before this you get dirty, you contract their leprosy. “They shun the disobedient and rebellious member until they repent.

   Communal cars almost always have empty gas tanks. When people are given money for fuel, they usually buy a couple of gallons of gas, and then pocket the remaining money. Members are rarely given enough money to fill the tank, unless a shepherd needs to take a trip somewhere.

   Do you currently know where Yoneq is? What is he doing? How much money does he have stashed away? What kind of car is he driving? Who covers him? Has he been “cut off”? Is he “clinging to the anointing?” (Himself) Has he repented? Want to cause waves in the tribes? Start asking pointed questions about Yoneq. Why have some teachings “disappeared,” never to be heard again ?

   One brother told me he sleeps on a very hard futon so he can be prepared “for the wilderness..” The tribes are planning to gather in “the wilderness” someday because they believe the world will reject them. Sounds like Jonestown and Waco doesn’t it? Spriggs and elder Hawkins of the House of Yahweh should meet sometime and compare notes. But, they would probably “cut off” each other.

   The elders often censored, scrutinized and sometimes intentionally opened my mail. They always wanted to know if the sender was “a friend of Israel.” (The tribes).

   I often heard, “Only the strong survive in Christianity.” I marvel at this statement when I think of all the weary eyed, broken down and exhausted people I knew in the tribes. As Gene Spriggs says, “the longer you are in the body, the harder it is to remain, Only the faithful will endure to the very end.”

   Community members are slaves. It’s that simple. Members make it possible for Gene Spriggs to fly around the world, and for Spriggs and his buddies to retire in style.

   The twelve tribes is a high control, devastating religious cult which robs it’s members of basic human rights. Within the tribes there is no: free thought, free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, private property, freedom to travel, family contact, burial of relatives, earned income, inheritance, education, current events/world news, labor laws, workmen’s compensation, health insurance, right to bear arms, voting rights, fair trial, prescribed medications, choice of personal appearance, diet choice, marriage decisions, music choice, radio and TV.

   Before leaving I challenged the authority of my shepherd. He took on a different personality altogether as he said, “I am God in this house. You hate me and despise our Master. You love your own life. I’m trying to help you be saved.”

   The communities routinely give their “sheep” Hebrew names. They say, “Dead men don’t have opinions.”

   Everyone in the tribes must end each shower with a straight cold rinse. Cold not cool. This signifies the cold response disciples receive when they share the Tribes “gospel.” According to Spriggs, “the cold rinse multiplies white blood cells, prevents illness, and increases longevity.” I still cold rinse in the warmer months. In the winter, cold rinses terribly aggravate arthritis.

   Community members can only marry another member only if the body gives their holy approval. If the union benefits the body, they will approve the marriage.

   The last time I tried to visit the tribes, Aquilla the Gorilla escorted me out the door, because he feared I would “defile” their gathering or cause more “sheep” to leave. He was intensely interested in knowing if I was a Christian.

   No one needs to live in a legalistic cult to know God’s love, forgiveness, and brotherhood.

   I was told several times, “if you don’t use chopsticks during your meal, you offend and hate Japheth. (Oriental people, Native American people). The tribes hope to recruit more minorities. In Hamburg, members exercised more freedom concerning the use of forks or chopsticks.

7. Rick January 1st, 2006 at 10:14 am 7

   On The Seventh Day He Violated Me
   In 1987 my parents had been in a cult called “the Twelve Tribes” for two years. My mom gave birth to me without the assistance of any doctors, anesthetics, nurses, or hospital beds. It is forbidden to go to hospitals or have a normal life in our cult. Yoneq, our leader, had made these things forbidden to all members so that they would have no contact with the outside world. That ensured the cult leader there would be no interference with his brainwashing process. It took my mom five long, painful days to give birth to me because of cult law.

   A cult is a group that has a leader (s) that has almost complete control over all their members. The group usually does strange rituals or worships strange things. Some groups may sacrifice women, sheep, or kids as a part of their cultic way of life.

   As time passed I was growing up with weird rituals and the teachings of our leader, Yoneq. I remember having to go to a ritual every Saturday night called “the Breaking of the Bread.” All the kids would be read a story from the Bible and then sent to bed with the night watchmen. The adults would all go into one room of the house to eat and drink the blood and body of Christ. They did this to pay their respects to Yahshua and remember the sacrifices He made for them.

   My parents began to teach me what they had been taught by the cult, all the sick ritualistic habits of everyday cult life. When the horn blew we had to drop what we were doing and run into the desert where we would be safe from the Satan worshipers. They would teach us how to keep from committing sins. Sins were being unsubmissive or being too provocative. Teaching us these lessons was so that when the time came I would be able to jump up, like everyone else, and fly with Yahshua without being weighed down by my sins. I was taught that the outside world was evil and filled with Satan worshipers. I was taught that my purpose in life was to wash men’s clothes, get married, and have kids. I was to always to obey the three authority figures in my life: my husband/father, Yahshua, and Yoneq, the cult’s leader, who was God’s messenger. From an early age I understood, because of the many beatings I endured, that men were honored and women should be obedient in whatever way they were asked to be. Understanding this made me a very submissive and trusting girl. I questioned very little authority appointed to me.

   As I got older, my parents no longer took care of me as much. I began to be left in the care of various cult members. Most kids began to get handed over to others around age 9 so that everyone could help with the brainwashing process. One day my sister and I were left in the care of a man named Aquilla, (Ricky Kendricks ) and his wife Prisca. They had two daughters and a son. We were all about 6 or 7 at the time.

   The day began like any other normal Sunday in the cult. Everyone slept in on that day because that was the day God rested after creating the earth. My sister, a few other kids, and I were dropped off in Aquilla’s room for the day so that our parents could have their family night, otherwise known as some alone time for adults. We began the afternoon by taking a stroll around a city park in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was a perfect sunny, warm day. Everyone was in the park enjoying nature, even a group of exotic dancers. They were practicing a routine in a secluded part of the park. Skin attracts a lot of attention, and of course Aquilla lead our whole group straight over to the dancers. We were all very young and the show of flesh was very inappropriate for us. After an hour of gawking at the spectacle, we all finally made our way back to the houses. Once inside the house the children were made to feel guilty about watching the satanic skin fest; as if the kids had a choice in the matter. We were told that we would receive punishment for our sins.

   My sister, his daughter, and I were escorted to Aquilla’s room. We were told to take off all our clothes, even our underwear. Aquilla got an oiled bamboo rod and then he started to touch our butts with his hands. All three of us thought that there was nothing wrong with this because we were always getting punished. Even though no one had touched us in this manner we thought of punishment as a normal thing.

   Although we didn’t like what was happening, we had no idea that we were experiencing sexual abuse. He began to spank us with the rod leaving big welts on our bottoms and thighs. We cried, but we were used to this kind of torture. This was the way of the cult. The children of the cult must have been beaten at least once everyday in a similar fashion for anything an adult thought was bad. After the welting, Aquilla (Ricky Kendricks) proceeded to use the rod to violate our bodies in the worst way imaginable. I remember feeling weird and being in a lot of pain. The pain was from the beating, the guilt, and the 7-inch rod that was inserted into my private parts. After he was done he told us all a phrase that I will never forget, “Now we can be FRIENDS.” I never told my parents about this event until years later when we had escaped the cult. When it happened I said nothing because it wasn’t necessarily unusual for me to get punished. I was worried that they would be upset at Aquilla, that would lead to me getting further punishment from him.

   This sort of abuse happened twenty-four, seven in “The Twelve Tribes.” Many more stories of physical, sexual, and mental abuse were reported to my family after we left the cult. A sexual abuse case is a common occurrence in some cults because of the people that are in it. Many cults are set up so that women are not equal. This way men can demand to get laid and it happens.

   My family finally left the cult in 1996, after many more disturbing events that have scarred me for life. It has taken many therapy sessions and life lessons to get to where I can write about my experiences in this way. I have even begun to accept that I was sexually abused! I now accept my situation and I am facing problems with my sexual and authoritarian relationships. I am beginning to understand why I cannot have healthy relationships or why I tend to use sex as an escape when I’m feeling depressed.. This also means that I understand why I clash with every person who has authority over me. The reason is, I am still fighting Aquilla subconsciously. This experience has affected me in many areas and the most severe of those areas is school. I moved from middle school to home school because everyone in my school was calling me a slut, horror, and a ho. I wasn’t even sexually active yet, but they called me these names because I subconsciously carried myself in a sexually inviting manner. My therapists have explained that this manner in which I carry myself is a result of being abused and needing to fight back. This and many other experiences brought my self-esteem down. They made me depressed which in turn led me to sex. So, over time, I have learned to have high self esteem instead of judging myself as other people perceive me. Slowly I am mending my relationship problems. I still have years of work ahead of me.

   Most cults prey on women or men with low esteem because they are the most impressionate. These are people who are always searching for someone else to provide a remedy for them. People with high esteem do not wait for others to tell them what works, they look inside themselves for the answers, they believe in themselves. To avoid getting trapped in a cult women should work on having high self esteem. This way when cult recruiters try to approach you on the street you will have a good sense of what you really need and what is good for you. If women have high esteem they will avoid cults that prey on victims with low self esteem.

8. Ex Yathed January 1st, 2006 at 10:29 am 8

   Reasoning
   Are community member’s mindless robots?

   ——————————————————————————–
   Reasoning makes my life complicated and dark., There was a time I envied the flowers and birds whose life seemed so simple. Tonight I received hope because we are called to live a simple life - a life of obedience. -Reasoning 11/18/90

   After you join the community, you do not think, nor do you make decisions. You must submit, the guilt is so strong.
   -Melinda Horton Former Member

   The Holy Spirit is only given to the many whose hearts are known by God. He knows that their heart is to repent, capitulate, surrender their head They know that their head has to go…
   -Ransom 3/23/89

   All servants of God must be delivered from a life of reason.
   -Reasoning 11/18/90

   To live by reason is so complicated Consider the birds and flowers how simply they live. The more we subject ourselves to authority, the simpler our lives become and the more our offspring will be full of grace. The flowers and birds do not have reasoning. We have to be like them.
   -Elbert Eugene Spriggs

   If all of His commands must pass through our reasoning, we are operating under a satanic principle, setting yourself up on a equal plane to God.
   -Reasoning 11/18/90

   There are disciples who receive authority, and disciples who receive reasoning Those who have to be reasoned with will betray the body in the end!
   -Breaking of Bread 8/27/94

   Community members are always told “you don’t have to understand or have revelation to obey. Just stop thinking. Take off your head and your mental reasoning.
   -Former Member

   Anyone who reasons does not have eternal life.
   -Understanding the Deep Mysteries of Our Faith

   The broad road is full of reasons, the narrow way is obedience only.
   - Reasoning 2/16/91

   We learned reasoning from childhood through adulthood. In schools they taught us to question authority… We need to guard our children from reasoning.
   -Reasoning 11/11/90

   Reasoning is in us, the only way to be done with it is by confession…All servants of God must be delivered from a life of reason. Reason is the first thought of rebellion in word or thought. Many are enslaved by a spirit of reason - they will only come when they are called and go where they are sent, when it seems right to them… Satan can only be bound when there is a people who don’t utter slanderous words against authority.. To cease from reason asks for the very life of our flesh. Our flesh must die. Satan is the father of reason. 2 classes of believers: 1) those who live by reason 2) those who live by authority.
   -Reasoning 2/16/91

   If you trust in our Father you can put your foot on reasoning. I learned reasoning by day and by night. When I came here one day, I gave up me head.
   -Reasoning 1/18/90

   We are to learn obedience and teach our children to be obedient. This is done by casting out reasoning.
   -Reasoning 1/18/90

   Reasoning is rebellion in its highest form.
   -Reasoning 12/18/90

9. Jacob January 1st, 2006 at 10:32 am 9

   Spriggs’ Position
   Who does Spriggs claim to be?

   ——————————————————————————–

   We are Yoneq new sprout. We are Yoneq’s most precious possession. We are the validity of his apostleship. We stand in his place. We are the new sprout organically related to one another. We must practice his words.
   -Apostolic Workers Meeting 6/13/88

   Yoneq is the anointing everyone refers to.
   -Former member

   We must see that it is Yoneq’s spirit holding our community together. If we resist then it is hard to function in community. Resistance makes life miserable. Subtle rebellion disables Yoneq from functioning as an apostle. If we pick apart our leaders it makes it hard to rule. The work will go forward with cooperation. But if you resist authority the work ceases. We must be loyal to Yoneq and his anointing.
   -Apostolic Workers Meeting 6/13/88

   Only one of millions of sperm made it to the egg to make me! The exact combination of genes that made me were one of millions of possibilities. The odds are so against me having been made just like I am, I am truly unique. If I never come to Colossians 1:18 I will not fulfill the purpose that I was created for. There is no other reason for me to be on this planet.
   -Creation

   Our safeguarding - our umbrella of protection - is our loyalty to the anointing…
   -Guidelines

   The Lord has really gifted Gene Spriggs. He functions as an apostle of the church and we respect him deeply.
   -Judy Nunley current member

   My three dear brothers and friends. I am writing this to you by way of commission by our apostle… I know all of you are filled with the life that Yoneq has lavished on you. We are beginning to have this life revive our faint and weakened souls as his coming has been a most waited for and treasured event.
   -Defensiveness

   It grieves me that I was not connected or attached to Yoneq.. Dullness prompted me to call you, when Yoneq should have been the one I sought wisdom from.. All this stuff about Ayal’s baptism came about without Yoneq’s approval or knowledge…! Ayal will be restored by a ruling government who are attached and connected to Yoneq. For weeks my heart has been grieved at my lack of loyalty to Yoneq.
   -Letter Sent to Deshe 2/8/94

   Spriggs’ control is in every place where he has established a community. His control is the one common denominator that marks every community. James Howell Former member

   If there are any opinions contrary to the anointing then we are a potential hazard to the body..
   -Receiving the Anointing

   Elbert Eugene Spriggs controls everything in the community. Nothing happens unless it comes directly from him.
   -Michael Painter Former member

10. John Woodruff January 3rd, 2006 at 7:05 am 10

    My wife just joined the twelve Tribes of Israel and I am at a loss to know what to do. she has already given them over $50,000 and i am afraid she will give them everything because all our stuff is in her name.
    do you have any advise?
    Bewildered, confused, dazed, shocked and fearful.
    John

11. David Alexander January 5th, 2006 at 9:34 pm 11

    I would like to point out that the four posts above John’s, supposedly by “Chesikah”, “Rick”, “Ex-Yathed” and “Jacob”…were all posted by the same person…put on here consecutively a few minutes apart. They are all put on by the disturbed young man who runs the Twelve Tribes Ex website….

    There are people who leave the Twelve Tribes, and who decided to forsake the covenant they made. They do their best to slander our wonderful life, for the same reasons that a person who deserts a marriage tends to build a case to make the one they deserted out to be evil….

    But the fact is, we are a simple people, who have forsaken everything to live together in a common life of love and unity, according to the teachings of the Son of God. That is really the substance of our life, to lay down our lives for one another, as He commanded.

    To any reading the above accusations, please consider this: the Son of God himself said plainly that those who give all to love one another would be hated by all men, and have all manner of evil said against them falsely. So if you want to know the truth about us, just come and visit us. We are simple, loving people, who are true friends to God and man.

    But also, know this…the Gospel is a call to forsake all, for the One who gave up everything for us…our Master, Yahshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus) and if you visit, you may well hear the call to give all to love as He loved…and you, or someone who visits with you, may well respond. We are not playing games, unlike Christianity…we are the real thing. Your life may never be the same. That is what happened to John and Diane…the man who posted just above me here. He and Diane visited for many, many months, and Diane came to a point where she wanted with all her heart to give all to follow our Master Yahshua, just as all of the rest of us have…and just as the early disciples all did.

    John can pretend to be shocked, but I personally have spent many, many hours in honest conversation with John…and he well knows that Diane is simply following her hearts deepest convictions…and that we are a real people, with a real life of love. He also has plainly vowed that if to share our life was what Diane wanted, he would not oppose it.

12. David Alexander January 5th, 2006 at 9:40 pm 12

    Oh, yes….if you want to visit us, all you have to do is email me at david@parchmentpress.net and I will arrange it. Anyone can visit us at anytime, stay as long as they want, and share our life in every way while they are visiting.

    That hardly sounds like the policy of a People who have anything to hide, does it? Our lives are open, our homes are open, and we are not ashamed of them, because our Master Yahshua and our Father live among us. Come and see! We live in communities in nine different countries…one may well be near you.

    Sincerely, David Derush

13. John Woodruff January 7th, 2006 at 3:14 am 13

    I said that I want the best for Diane and I do. I was shocked and surprised and purplexed and confused and afraid…And still am to some degree…But yet it has made me examine the world and my life in it. I have read the negative comments on several sites and they are alarming until juxtaposed to the real life and very visceral loving experiences I have had with the many members of the Twelves Tribes. I have come to love them deeply. The children are alive, precious, responsive, attentive, loving and tenderly cared for. The adults are the same. The singing and dancing is fun to participate in. It has about it a very spontaneous and creative nature while also being generously peppered with an openness, a warmth, an understanding of people living and loving together in community and of course more love. I feel wanted, important, cared for and loved when I am there and I know by the responses when I leave and then return that my presence is genuinely missed. I am more comfortable in the Vista house or at the Ranch than anywhere I have ever been. I always feel that I am somehow at home with friends and loved ones like life is supposed to be when I’m in Vista. The dinners with David and Shalem have been more than special. But now , we segue back to my wife: love my wife very much indeed (with a heart and a Half or you might say “more than my arms can reach”) and I want to be with her and to not be with her is excrutiatingly hard to bear , but I know she is following her heart and she is in a very desirable place. Ish Kadosh, my rootbeer loving friend suggested I ask YHWH for Guidance. I have done so and am continueing to do so. One of the things that came from my praying is the knowledge and certainty that I want to and will become a disciple of Yahshua. I have a lot to learn as I am very untutored, but I look forward to new lessons, new experiences, a new life and a new song to sing. I long for it. I can think of no goal greater than to be a disciple of my master and king, Yahshua. I will soon be joining my wife as a proud member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel if they will have me.
    I haven’t given up all that Iknow I must give up, but I’m working on it.
    Please be patient with me.

    Meant sincerely and with a full heart FOR (not AGAINST) the Twelve Tribes!
    John Woodruff

14. The Doubter January 7th, 2006 at 4:37 pm 14

    I personally came to the point of leaving when I became convinced that things there were never going to change, that there was no will on a governmental level for change. If the Tribes gov. spent as much energy and zeal working at remedying the problems, and working towards the reality of Love, as they do in Pretending, Defending, Suppressing, & Oppressing, things would be much different there. One of my main areas of concern (though certainly there are other serious errors) was the blatantly hierarchical system (1. an arrangement, especially of people in a group, in order of rank or importance 2. the people who control an organization. {from Greek hieros, sacred + archein, to rule}). This system is so well defined that you see even the children (especially the elder’s children) participating in it, under unwritten but well defined rules. I can’t tell you the number of times I confronted this in meetings, private and otherwise. And I certainly didn’t win any popularity awards over it. You could almost compare it to the Hindi caste system, with the Brahmims on top (elders, apostolic workers, their children) down to the lowest castes of single brothers and sisters recently ‘baptized’. Of course they have many justifications for it, honoring those who have gone before you (even if they are unloving jerks), recoginizing the so-called grace of ‘your brothers’…But the sad reallity of this system is that it only breeds an elitist spirit in the Brahmins, and is diametrically opposed to loving ‘the body’. How often is it that those who run the community and its industries have their credit cards, laptops, cell phones, ‘industry’ vehicles, petty cash, and the means of meeting their own family’s needs quite apart from any ‘needs list’? Better clothing, shoes, food, dental care, etc etc. And those who are further down the food chain, they just don’t seem to do as well. Raggy clothes, shoes worn out, no opportunity for going out anywhere for anything that might be special, and certainly no braces for their kids. It is a system of extreme inequity, and quite contrary to the purported life of Acts that they claim to have, where everything is shared commonly and there was no need among them. The very thought of comparing the scriptural account and the truth makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. Those who control and perpetuate this system are not inclined to change it, because it would cramp their style, they might lose their perks. And it really grieves me when I see TTers like David who really have no clue, defending this situation with pithy and out of context scriptural references to the elders deserving double honor…I can only honor those deserving it by deed, not by appointment from some ecclesiastical body of one, namely Yoneq. The very thing that the Tribes condemn Christianity for, namely a clergy-laity system, is exactly what they have created in a more oppresive and coercive form than I ever personally encountered in any conventional church setting. Anyway, this is just one issue, there are quite a number of others I may expound on in later posts. I look forward to the reponse this will generate.

15. David Alexander January 9th, 2006 at 10:09 pm 15

    When I read things like what “Doubter” wrote above, all I can do is feel sorry for him.

    I have lived in three different Twelve Tribes communities, and visited a dozen others. Everywhere I have been, the elders and shepherds are daily laying down their lives for the sheep. They are the first to get up, and usually the last to go to bed. I have never seen any of the inequity that this poor person speaks of with such bitterness.

    But inequity is in the eye of the beholder. And anyone who comes into our life, if they mean what they say when they surrender their life to Yahshua in us, comes into our life with no other purpose than to love the brothers just as Yahshua loved His friends, with nothing held back for self. And love does not keep a record of “wrongs”, real or imagined.

    This means not comparing ourselves among ourselves. It means being glad to see your brother go to the dentist before you go. It means taking no thought for yourself, but looking to meet the needs of your brothers. It means suffering long…and giving up “pointing the finger”. It means trusting your friends just as unto Yahshua…and especially, trusting those who are your shepherds.

    We have surrendered ourselves to love one another with Yahshua’s love; a love that is stronger than death. We have surrendered ourselves to suffer long with one another, and stay together, even if it kills us. Even if it means we have to suffer unjustly, in order to remain together and keep covenant and work things through.

    Nothing short of that can lay any real claim to loving as He loved, and truly following Him. He is our example, and if anyone on earth could justly “point the finger” and cry “UNFAIR”….our Master Yahshua could.

    Doubter is just like Judas. Judas saw the woman pour out her precious ointment on our Master, and he cried, “UNFAIR”! “This ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor!”….He built a case against our Master, and betrayed Him. And he did it in the name of “the poor”.

    Any of us in the Twelve Tribes Communities could build a case against our leaders or against our friends in a day if we just gave place to the vile spirits that Doubter has surrendered himself to. And we would think ourselves justified in doing so.

    But there is no life in such a path. We are not interested in trying to live up to Doubters’ standards of “fairness”. We would rather follow Yahshua, be led by the Spirit, and do what is loving to the best of our ability. And love is not necessarily always “fair”. Love wasn’t fair to Yahshua. Love demanded that He suffer many things that were not at all “fair”.

    If I see my brother doesn’t have what he needs, I make it my business to help him get it. I do what I can to meet my brother’s need myself; and if it is beyond me, I go to my shepherds, and make them aware of my brother’s need. In my experience, the need is met; or if it isn’t there is some good reason why not.

    The simplest, humblest disciple in our life has everything he truly needs, as do we all. We eat the same food, all wear decent clothing, (mostly all from thrift stores) and have warm beds and a roof over our heads. According to Paul, if we have that, we should make it our business to be content.

    Especially since we have The Pearl of Great Price…a life in the Kingdom, of forgiveness, and extending forgiveness, of loving and being loved, and living and suffering gladly for the only purpose worth living for…to give our Master a Bride worthy of His return, to bring an end to this wicked age.

    But such a life is not good enough for Doubter. It is clear he loves the world. He couldn’t have a cell phone in the Tribes, or a laptop, apparently….

    So what. Hardly any of us have them. And those who do, contrary to Doubters’ slander, have them for no other reason than that they have very large responsibilities that make such tools necessary; and because they use them responsibly for the good of all. Personally, there is not one person in the Tribes that I envy…first, because I surrendered myself to love, and love does not envy; and second, because those in responsibility pour their lives out daily more than I am capable of myself, at this stage of my discipleship.

    Our leaders authority truly comes from the fact that they are servants; and Doubter’s slander to the contrary is nothing but the lies of the Accuser, trying to tear down our wonderful shepherds. The evil one hates the authority and leaders in the Body, because if he can tear them down, he can destroy our life.

    A person who has no appetite for suffering for Yahshua, but who comes into our life in pretense, will always look for excuses to desert their friends, heap scorn on those in authority, and break the blood covenant that they made. It is shameful and low behavior.
    But to justify themselves, such people come up with the most ridiculous accusations imaginable.

    Doubter claims to be shocked to have found out we are “blatantly hierarchical”. This is so ridiculous I have to remember what a sad case Doubter is, lest I hurt myself laughing. I can’t help but recall the Captain of Police in Casablanca…. When told by the Nazi’s to close Ricks Gambling house, where he habitually gambled…and he seizes on that as a pretext for obeying the Nazi general…turning to Rick, saying “I’m shocked, shocked, there is gambling going on in here!”…and a second later, one of the employees comes to him with a bag of money, saying “Your winnings, sir.”….to which the Captain says, “Thank you”. What hypocrisy, for Doubter to make such a claim.

    Of COURSE we are hierarchical! And anyone with any sense that comes into our life knows it full well up front. We are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Yahshua the Messiah being the chief cornerstone. We have genuinely apostolically gifted men leading us, men with real authority from our Father. No one comes into our life apart from knowingly coming under the authority that is in the Body; in the Communities of the Twelve Tribes.

    Wherever you have authority, you have hierarchy. We are an army, in a spiritual sense. We obey those who have the rule over us (Heb.13:17); we come when we are called, and go where we are sent, just like a soldier does. Doubter knew this when he made a solemn covenant with us…but now he pretends to be shocked! Shocked!, that we actually have authority and hierarchy in our life. I find his protests unbelievable.

    I spent my entire life in Christianity. I was a pastor myself for 10 years. I know what a clergy-laity system is, and Doubter is spouting slander and lies when he claims such a thing exists in our life. It is just an excuse to break his covenant and live his own life.

    As I have said, I have lived in 3 of our communities, and visited a dozen more. Everywhere I have been, the shepherds and responsible people are those who love the most. They live with those they lead. They work harder, stay up later laboring for the good of those in their charge; they bear a greater burden than any of us. I for one am honored to be following such men as those who lead us. And I know them, for I live with them. I know how they are with their wives, with their children. They cook fish with me, wash dishes with me, worship and pray with me every morning and evening. They stay up late in meetings, seeking for what will please our Father in caring for those under their care.

    I am 51, and spent my entire life in Christianity till I met us back in 2002; and I have never seen anything like the quality of men who lead us in the Communities of the Twelve Tribes. It was precisely the character that I saw in them, and in their wives and children, that won my heart and gave me faith to surrender my life to Yahshua in this Way. And like the thousands of us here in our life, I have not been disappointed. Are our leaders perfect? No. But they are on the path to being like Yahshua, and we are gladly on the path following their lead.

    Doubter is not with us any more, whoever he or she is. And we are better off without him, if he prefers the kind of spirits that he has given himself to. If he had the courage, he could blame himself and love his brothers and suffer long with them…and live. But it seems he has chosen to blame others, stop loving his brothers, break his solemn oath, go his own way, and die. That is a shame. He would have been far better off never to know the Way, than to know it and desert it and heap scorn and slander in public on those who have chosen to be faithful to the same covenant that he broke.

    If anyone wonders how to sort out who is telling the truth here, all you have to do is come and visit us…even live with us for a month or more. Then, go live with Doubter or any of the others who heap slander on us…and you will know where the truth, and love and unity are. All that is happening here is just what Yahshua said would happen; that those who follow Him, and give all to love as He did, would have all manner of evil said against them falsely. We rejoice and leap for joy at it, just as He commanded!

    I am not going to dignify any more of Doubtful’s slander with response. I only answered him this time to give any who view his lies a real context for understanding the truth. Now that I have done so, I have better things to do that go back and forth with people like him. There are many people out there who are hungry for truth and a real life of loving and being loved; and will not act like ungrateful children once they find it. They are the ones’ we are seeking, and if you are one of them, you can write me at david@parchmentpress.net . I can show you the way to come home, like I did.

    Sincerely,
    David

16. The Doubter January 10th, 2006 at 1:04 pm 16

    It seems clear that the TwelveTribes embody traits that could only be called _SATANIC_. They throw up a flurry of arguments to prove their validity whilst breeding the very same pharisee mentality that put Christ on the cross. And they do this unrepentant, devoid of any honest introspection or self-reflection.

    Many who once lived in this HELL-cult can confirm that the Twelve Tribes are without fault and blameless…IN THEIR OWN EYES! Even after horrible facts are made public, broadcast to the world, they will only make a feeble public apology. While inside they will be “witch-hunting” and crucifying anyone who even suggests there may be a problem.

    Does this sound like a Holy life? A life inspired by God? It depends on which “God” your talking about.

    The Tribes serve the God of the mind. A God of reasoning and elaborate theologies. A God that cares more about HOW they look than how they actually are. A God that can overlook abuse and mistreatment in order to have a “nice” cafe. Yes, a God that doesnt care about the human cost to have HIS kingdom built.

    Who prospers in this HELL-cult? Definetely not the HUMBLE! Definetely not the WEAK! They are trampled and trashed, worked to exhaustion and then treated with contempt! While the ELITE enjoy “special” favors reserved only for them! Does this sound like the first church in the book of Acts? Or more like one of the churches in REVELATIONS!!!

    Yes, the facts are obvious to those who have eyes to see.
    A cult from Hell.

17. Jacob January 12th, 2006 at 3:46 pm 17

    IDENTIFYING MARKS OF A
    HIGH CONTROL GROUP(CULT)
    Can community members make decisions for themselves?

    ——————————————————————————–
    1. Led by Elbert Eugene Spriggs who claims to be an “Apostle” and “the prophet Elijah.” Spriggs says of himself, “I must begin by saying that the only authority I have to be called an apostle is my fruit. Of course authority comes from God, but is recognized by men according to its fruit its practicality”. (Apostolic Role) He also says, “This is why Elijah must come to raise up the age old foundation, restore the church to the Israel of YHWH. The Roman, Greek and Protestant are completely off the foundation (Apostasy, Apostate Israel Today).

    2. Elbert Spriggs also claims a “direct pipeline to God”, and that he is a special messenger with a unique revelation! “Yoneq (Spriggs) expressed how there have been several things which our Father has spoken to him which have kept us on course.” (Letter from Yoceph to Jonathan and Caleb). And in another teaching Spriggs says, “This is a word to all true disciples. Our Father revealed to me that we were to observe the Sabbath - the day He made, not Sunday.” (Observing The Sabbath).

    3. Only Elbert Spriggs is allowed to give original teaching, and his writings are the final authority within the communities. Elbert Eugene Spriggs has no real accountability.

    4. Community members must obey the teachings of Spriggs or risk shunning or excommunication. “Everything we hear in the teachings we are required to obey.” (Repentance 4/2/91). “If an elder questioned Spriggs’ teachings he could lose his place of authority. Dissenting elders were also talked about in the apostolic workers Meetings.” Michael Painter, Former Member

    5. Every person must submit to the elders who are in submission to the leader (Spriggs). Demand absolute obedience.

    6. Inhibits critical thinking so that a “group think” predominates. Followers give up the right to make value judgments of their own. (They cannot reason). Behavior Control

    7. There is intense control over community members in the areas of dress, and the regulation of where one lives. “When we are in the Body we have no independent action or movement. AWM 6/12/88) “When God commands us, if we stop to consider the matter to see if there is sufficient reason for us to do it, then we are still living according to the flesh. If the elders say, you need to move to…’ and you say, ‘what is the reason for that? I’m doing fine here, etc., no matter how good you may do in the flesh, you cannot go past that rebellion” Reasoning 11/I 8/90

    A. All men must wear their hair in short ponytails with a long, trimmed beard. All women wear long dresses, skirts or “Sus” pants. Women also have long hair. Unity with the “church” is heavily stressed, usually to the point where it becomes the chief doctrine. Unity is considered to be more important than “Doctrine”. (Behavior Control)

    B. Food restrictions are also tightly regulated. This is not only in regards to what a member can eat but even his enjoyment of food and how fast he eats. “Lev 11:46…A LAW NEVER CHANGES…There will always be clean and unclean beast, birds, fish. The law for us is to eat what is EATABLE. ALL FOOD IS CLEAN. We must distinguish the unclean and the clean - between the animal that is food and the animal that is not food… (Priesthood Distinguish Between the clean and Unclean). “If it is not a need it is an act of the flesh - like eating when you don’t need to. Eating for pleasure is greed. No one who does this will enter the Kingdom, also no one who eats fast- even when you are alone - will enter the kingdom… If we eat hurriedly it means we don’t know God or our brothers and sisters.’

    C. Twelve tribes’ members live communally where their movement, thoughts and actions are monitored.
    8 Emotion control is also practiced within the communities, narrowing a person’s emotional responses. The gray areas of life are slowly eliminated, and everything progressively becomes black and white. This manipulation and narrowing of emotions occurs in three ways. –Bob. Pardon NEIRR

    9. The Twelve Tribes Community practices brutal information control. Community members are not permitted to read newspapers, books or listen to the radio. This causes the individual member to become highly dependent on the group.

    10. The community claims a special exalted status for itself. “We are the light and the hope of the world. We are the only ones who can reclaim this earth for its Maker. We are the only ones whose lives of love and pure devotion, like a bride for her groom, can bring heaven to earth all other attempts to do so are not merely futile, they are evil..”

    11. Members are encouraged (strongly) to break ties with family and friends and society. The Community becomes a replacement family and society.
    Restricts the ability to leave the group.

18. Erin February 6th, 2006 at 4:06 pm 18

    I lived at several different Twelve Tribes communities over a ten year period. I can not recommend this life. Yes, it is beautiful and loving in many ways, especially to the newcomer. But, all that glitters is not gold. Under the surface, there is much saddness, and in general, the operation is one big workhouse. The emphasis is work. Work, work, work, and it’s their beliefs without any significant questioning of anything. Do what you’re told and get to work.

19. Nabashalam March 3rd, 2006 at 12:40 pm 19

    Well, I was discussing this TT’s teaching with a Christian man, who happens to be the grandson of a freed slave, who later became a pastor. He quickly pointed me to the clearly gross error and misinterpretation of the supporting scriptures the TT’s use, which are the same ones as the slave owners of the old south used. I was very surprised that I hadn’t noticed this obvious and glaring error before. I also felt foolish that I missed it. IT IS SO OBVIOUS!

    Here it is:

    After Ham went in to Noah’s tent (when Noah was drunk) and saw his father’s nakedness, exposing Noah to shame, Noah sobered up the next day and pronounced a curse, BUT IT WASN’T ON HAM!!! IT WAS ON CANAAN!!!!

    The curse was not on Black people, because Canaan wasn’t black! Canaan was the father of the Canaanites (Amorites, Jebusites, etc.), whom Joshua had displaced fulfilling the curse, that Canaan would serve Shem (Israel).

    DOH! Cush, Ham’s OTHER SON was the one who settled in Ethiopia and is therefore considered to be the father of the black race, not Ham, whom the TT’s say is the father of black people, who are under the curse!! The curse was not on Cush or Ham but on Canaan!!

    SO…. This teaching is clearly errant and heretical (besides being downright racist), because it appeals to scripture that is simply read incorrectly! Hmmm… maybe someone should tell them this, because it is kind of an Emperor’s New Clothes type thing. They are so clearly wrong and need to know it. Does this mean that they can be wrong and fallible in their interpretations of other scriptures? YOU BET!

20. Chunky Monkey March 3rd, 2006 at 5:45 pm 20

    The twelve tribes teachings web site has been resurrected! Finally the psychopathic narcissicist Elbert Eugene Spriggs will be exposed for the charlatan and rip off artist that he is. The address is http://www.twelvetribesteachings.com/

21. no name bob March 23rd, 2006 at 5:22 am 21

    i live in island pond vt where there is a twelve tribes cult, I hear screams late at night about 12 - 1 in the morning, women screaming names of people, sometimes just screaming for as long as 15 minutes…like as if she was being tortured in a war prison camp i hate it here i will be moving soon

22. Nabashalam March 27th, 2006 at 8:38 am 22

    This article addresses the fact that “Yoneq” is not a linguist and his ability to interpret the Bible is the same as a plumber’s ability to set up nuclear fusion. He just has NO expertise in the original languages what-so-ever (other than the elusive “anointing”). Then he has the audacity to send people to the Lake of Fire for questioning his interpretations and credentials. A true Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

    “The things I want to speak to you about are things that have been misunderstood for at least 1900 years. That is because the Bible is written in a way that assumes you already know what it is talking about…But for 1900 years it has been misunderstood. The Apostles back then would travel from village to village, from house to house and teach these things verbally. and (sic) then they would write a letter and confirm some things they had already spoken about — they did not explain it all again in the letters because it was understood. But this understanding has been lost. People in Christianity do not have it. Peter said that in his letters some things are hard to understand by the untaught — they have been taught by the wrong people.” Elbert Spriggs, More On The First And Second Death, 11/19/89, p.21

    It must be stated in the very beginning of this section that we have never personally met with or spoken to “Yoneq,” Elbert Eugene Spriggs, Jr. This is not the result of lack of desire or effort on our part, and has been very disappointing to us. We have made repeated requests to meet with him. After all, he is the “apostle” of the group, and it is his own teachings that indicate what the group truly teaches and believes. This is also the first of any comprehensive analysis of The Twelve Tribes. It would seem that the “apostle” would find it important enough to meet with “these outsiders” to correct any misperceptions on their part. In a letter sent to Nicki Cruz by Eddie Wiseman (second in authority under Spriggs), dated 2/8/95, Mr. Wiseman writes:

    “In fact we tried on several occasions to get with you after my wife and I initially contacted you in Kansas City. We wanted to discuss who we are and what we believe with you but you didn’t seem to have time to meet with us. Elbert Spriggs and Jose Rodrigez came to one of your crusade meetings in south Florida to see you, but your schedule was too busy.”

    It is our feeling, also, that Mr. Spriggs has missed a golden opportunity to “set the record straight.”

    One question to ask in evaluating any group that claims to have the truth is, “Where does your authority come from?” This question may arise in regards to their rituals, practices, or beliefs that deviate from an historical, orthodox understanding of Scripture. To truly understand The Twelve Tribes “Yoneq,” Elbert Eugene Spriggs, founder and “apostle,” has to be understood in terms of the position, stature and authority he holds within the group. We were continuously told that he was only “one amongst many leaders” in the Tribes, however ex-members and hundreds of his own teachings (that are disseminated worldwide to all the Tribes) give a far different picture. These teachings are their “inner doctrine,” and are not for public consumption.2 No one else in the Tribes is able to give original teachings, the teachings of others are merely a rehash of what Spriggs has already taught. This is because it is believed that he is an “apostle” and has the authority similar to that of Paul. This divine authority is demonstrated by the fact that he has brought the Twelve Tribes into existence.3 There are other “apostolic workers” in the group but they clearly do not carry the same weight/authority that Spriggs does. The following quotes clearly reveal his position and authority. These are just a very few of the many that could be quoted. Taken in the total context of his teachings they create a very clear picture.

    Sole Leadership

    “Ha-Emeq (Marsha Spriggs - rp): When Yoneq (Spriggs) was talking it reminded me of my first love, my first faith. I remembered how I came out of the world. There was no community like now. Just follow Yoneq.” Breaking of Bread, Sus, 2/24/90, p.5.

    “The day when I heard that you would come in a few weeks, I was crying out so much. I didn’t know how to continue - I was really finished. But when we heard you were coming, that gave me strength to go on. I can’t wait until you arrive - I long for you so much…I appreciate you so much.” Letter to Yoneq and Ha-Emeq from Shua, (a member of The Twelve Tribes) 6/94.

    “My three dear brothers and friends. I am writing this to you by way of commission by our apostle…I know that all of you there are filled with the life that Yoneq has lavished on you. We are beginning to have this life revive our faint and weakened souls as his coming has been a most waited for and treasured event.” Defensiveness, Letter Given to Three Brothers by an Unnamed Sister, undated, p.1.

    These are not private communications, but are disseminated to the teachers within The Twelve Tribes throughout all their locales.4 These statements are also very similar to those found in other groups like the International Churches of Christ (Boston Church of Christ).

    “Kip Mckean is the greatest living treasure that God has given the kingdom on the face of the earth today.” Sam Liang, Discipleship Magazine, 1988 Summer Quarter.

    “With eyes wide open I’m following Kip McKean; Consciously; Intentionally; Thankfully.” Steve Johnson, Discipleship Magazine, 3/86/89.

    Gene Edwards in his excellent little book, Letters to a Devastated Christian, speaks of evaluating a group by the “ten year test.” The question to ask is, “Just how many ex-elders are there?”

    “A man begins a movement. In some solemn ceremony, he ordains a group of elders and announces…these men have been chosen by God and appointed by God to have authority…a few years pass and some of these elders defy - or at least disagree with - the founder…The leader gets upset and announces that those who’ve opposed him are…of the devil. He throws them out - or in some ugly scene - they leave.” Letters to a Devastated Christian, The SeedSowers, 1984, pp. 23-24.

    Of the original Elders/Leaders of the Twelve Tribes in Chattanooga, Tennessee, many have left in disgrace or been “cut off” from the group. This includes: James Howell, Larry and Maryann Davis, Michael Painter, Bill Tiller, Roger and JoEllen Griffin, Bill Hinchliff, Cliff Daniels, Ron and Jan Schneider, Mike and Debbie Paris. After the Community moved to Island Pond other very prominent members left: Bob and Susan Benoit, Dante and Janet Gargenese, Valerie Henderson, etc.

    Edwards goes on to state that it does not matter how many people come and go over the years. The issue is the manner of their leaving. Were they thrown out? Was it an ugly scene when they left? “Or did they encounter true Christian grace, understanding and love as they struggled through the question of whether or not to leave?” He then goes on to ask, “Of the many people who left, how many of them feel really comfortable in coming back to the group for a visit?”5 Out of the scores of ex-members we have become personally acquainted with, we have yet to meet one who would feel comfortable going back for a visit.

    Only His Teachings Disseminated

    “I (Yoneq) heard from Derush in Judah that as he was teaching about mercy from a teaching I taught here a few months ago, which Baherah had typed, up a young 18 year old woman began weeping and cried out for salvation.” The New Age Movement Philosophy, 2/22/93, Brazil.

    “Havah - ‘I want to share how thankful I am for the teachings (Spriggs’ interpretations - rp).’” Authority 6, 9/26/90, p.10.

    “After this, Yoneq continued to feed the flock.” Ahavah 3, 9/13/89, p.2.

    As stated earlier, the Community leadership, less Spriggs, has denied many times that only he can bring teachings. However, in the hundreds and hundreds of teachings of the Tribes that we have read perhaps 3% are by others. Not one of these other teachings bring anything new to the “revelation” that Spriggs has already brought. A challenge to his understanding of Scripture by one of the others in leadership would not be tolerated.6

    It is easy to understand why his teachings are the final say in the Tribes. At an interview with the leadership in August of 1994, we were told that “he has the grace to bring light to the Scriptures.” This is meant to the exclusion of others. But this is not to say that others cannot have insight into Scripture. However, everything is measured by the “revelation” that Spriggs has uniquely brought, and this “revelation” cannot be countermanded.

    We were also told at this same meeting that Spriggs is able to “extract truth from the Scripture without violating them.” However, as will be demonstrated in this section, Spriggs lacks the critical skills to justify the many doctrinal deviations he makes from the clear teaching of Scripture. This is not to say he is to be faulted because he does not have training in this area. But if an expositor of Scripture wishes to declare, “…Greek scholars cannot read plain Greek in Col 2:17,” he best have very convincing arguments to demonstrate that such is the case.7 At the least he would need to be on a par with them in his own Greek competency!

    It was also reported to us in a phone interview with Larry Davis, an original member, that one of the factors that disillusioned him greatly was when he taught at their community in France a “teaching” that didn’t originate from Spriggs. When Spriggs heard about it he “was angry because this teaching didn’t come from the head.”8

    Holy Spirit Required to Understand Teachings.

    “The Holy Spirit dwells in our heart by faith…only if the Spirit dwells in your HEART can you understand the teachings.” Ahavah, First Day Teaching, Sus, 4/23/89, p.9.

    Many ex-members told us they were frequently confused by Spriggs’ teachings. They just did not seem to make sense or were not consistent with previous teachings given by him.

    No One Can Speak Against God’s Anointed.

    ”Acts 3:19-23…In verse 22 when someone comes from Him there cannot be obstinance in anyone or the obstinant (sic) one will be cut off from the Holy Nation (Twelve Tribes -rp). So you can see, shortly people will be cut off if we are not in unity about the anointing.” Receiving the Anointing, 8/2/88, p.1.

    Spriggs is referring to himself in this teaching. It is clear that to be obstinate regarding the one who “comes from Him” is to risk excommunication from the Kingdom of God. This is very similar to statements that are frequently made by those in other highly controlling movements. The following are examples of such threats.

    “Several people I know have criticized. Some of them are dead right today in an early grave because of it and more than one of them got cancer.” Kenneth Copeland

    “I love Copeland. He’s my friend, and anyone who is attacking him is attacking the very presence of God.” Benny Hinn

    It was reported by every single ex-member with whom we spoke that one prominent female member of the Tribes had contracted uterine cancer and died. Apparently, about

    ten years earlier she had made a negative comment about Spriggs.9

    Spriggs Views Himself As An Apostle And Elijah

    “I must begin by saying that the only authority I have to be called an apostle is my fruit. Of course authority comes from God, but is recognized by men according to its fruit its praticality.” Apostolic Role, 1976 or 1977, p.1.

    “The test of an apostle is that he works to raise up others to be greater than himself.” Sent Ones, undated, p.1

    “This is why Elijah (in the context Spriggs is clearly referring to himself) must come to raise up the age old foundation, restore the Church to the Israel of YHWH. Matt. 17:11 The Roman, Greek, and Protestant are completely off the foundation of Messiah.” Apostasy, Apostate Israel Today, undated, p.2.

    These kind of claims have been repeated many times down through history. They are also similar to the statements of individuals like Kip McKean who “follows in the pattern of Paul,” and Carl Stevens of the Greater Grace World Outreach who is “God’s prophet for the east coast.”

    Receives Special Revelation

    “Yoneq expressed how there have been several things which our Father has spoken to him which have kept us on course.” Letter From Yoceph to Jonathan and Caleb, Sus France, 9/89, p.2.

    “This is a word to all true disciples. Our Father revealed to me that we were to observe the Sabbath - the day He made, not Sunday.” Observing the Sabbath, 4/30/94, p.1.

    There is no problem with God speaking to an individual. This is abundantly demonstrated in the Scriptures and down through history. There is a problem with God supposedly speaking to someone who leads a group that is almost entirely dependent upon him, and who teaches heresy. Please see Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:20-22 and then turn to the section on theology.10

    Thus, when the Tribes state, “We are not followers of any man…,” that is not entirely accurate.11 While members are very sincere and not attempting to mislead in this regard the reality is that Spriggs is God’s prophet for these end times, and is the only one preparing the “Bride” so the heavenly “Bridegroom” will be able to return.12

    It also appears that a two tiered system exists within the Tribes. Upon joining, the convert must divest himself of everything he owns. People literally own only the clothes upon their back and a few personal items. Everything else is held in common. Also, there are no televisions, books, magazines, newspapers, etc., and members are discouraged from using a Bible that has study notes or any other such helps.13 However, Spriggs when he travels takes many suitcases with nothing but books. He is described as being a “voracious reader,” and from his teachings it is evident that he uses commentaries and reads other books dealing with the Bible, books not readily available to the average member.

    As The Apostle, Spriggs Wields Vast Authority

    This is evident in the stories told us by ex-members and by written communications that are disseminated throughout the Tribes.

    “It grieves me that I was not connected or attached to Yoneq…Dullness prompted me to call you, when Yoneq should have been the one I sought wisdom from…All this stuff about Ayal’s baptism came about without Yoneq’s approval or knowledge of what was happening!

    “Yoneq wants him to come to full repentance and be sorry for all he has done. I was working against this!

    “Ayal will be restored by a ruling government who are attached and connected to Yoneq.

    “I am a brother who was independent in my thinking and deeds. For weeks my heart has been grieved at my lack of loyalty to Yoneq.” Letter Sent to Deshe, 2/8/94, p.1.14

    This is an amazing admission to the authority and power that Spriggs exercises over the leadership in the Tribes. Continuosly (six times) the author berates and castigates himself for “independent thinking” and not being “attached to Yoneq,” not “seeking wisdom from Yoneq,” acting “without Yoneq’s approval,” “lack of loyalty to Yoneq,” etc.

    An ex-member also related to us an incident that occurred in Island Pond, Vermont. Apparently, the Elders in Island Pond decided to send a family that was living in their Community to another Community in Nova Scotia. This had been discussed between the Elders in both Tribes and agreed upon. Yoneq found out about it and rebuked the Elders in Island Pond. They had sent someone to “another tribe” and that was wrong even though both tribes agreed.

    Use Of Scripture — Misleading Methods

    The Twelve Tribes believes the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God. In that position it stands with historic Christianity. However, that being said, the method of interpretation utilized by Spriggs is fundamentally flawed. He seems to work backwards from his theological position to the Bible in order to prove a point of doctrine. He believes that agreement with the historic Creeds “is not proof of sound doctrine,” and that “the acid test for detecting orthodoxy is: Is it producing love?”15 Certainly precise agreement with the historic Creeds is not the ultimate standard whereby doctrinal purity is measured. The Creeds were not inspired, only God’s word is. However, one would be hard pressed to find a better or more concise statement of what the Bible teaches. What is extremely problematic is the standard of “love“ being elevated to the place where it determines doctrinal soundness. Biblical love is the hall mark of a truly vibrant Christian witness, however, love is always the handmaiden of sound doctrine and not the other way around.

    Therefore, proper principles of Biblical interpretation are critical in this subjective age in which we live.16 From the time of Paul the Church has been exhorted to “rightly divide the Word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15). The implication is that there is a wrong way to divide the Word of truth.17 Those involved in Biblical interpretation, or the interpretation of any other ancient document, generally employ three approaches to understand the author’s intent. These are the grammatical, the historical, and the theological approach.18 These approaches are absent from the Tribes’ (Spriggs) interpretation of Scripture, partly because no one understands the Biblical languages, and partly because the historical context is neglected or distorted. It appears that his scholarship is built upon the desire to find Biblical permission for what he has already planned to do. As has been aptly stated, “When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail.” Because Spriggs so desperately seeks justification for his heterodox teachings he is forced to filter out all Biblical evidence to the contrary. The result is Biblical confusion and gross perversion of God’s word. In the height of irony Spriggs underscores the importance of “rightly dividing” the Scriptures when he writes,

    “Rev. 22:18 - ‘if (sic) any adds to the word of the prophecy of this book, God shall add to him the plagues of this book, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and the Holy City which are written in this book.’ That is a solemn warning for everyone - for me too, if I deceive or am in such a state that I am being deceived.” First Day Teaching, Sus, 4/15/90, Members of Messiah, p.15.

    Spriggs’ errors of Biblical interpretation generally fall into four categories.

    1. Misunderstands Cultural/Historical Context

    “When the sun goes down, the Sabbath ends and the first day begins. It is obvious that Christianity has the wrong person (who died on Friday and rose on Sunday). But the real Savior spent three days and three nights in death (not one and a half).” Evening Sacrifice, 112/12/92, Brazil, Out of His Side, p.3.

    The Jews like many cultures, ours included, often used a figure of speech called synecdoche, where a part is spoken of as the whole. Jesus was in the grave part of Friday, all day Saturday, and then rose on Sunday morning. Thus, to Jewish reckoning He was in the grave three days.

    “2 Peter 3:14 - Be diligent to be found by Him to be without spot or blemish, having PEACE (SHALOM - they didn’t speak Greek back then, they hated it).” Sabbat Morning, Boston, A Seed Preserved/Serene Confidence/Peacemakers, p.2.

    Peter was a fisherman on the sea of Galilee. Galilee was a Gentile stronghold in Jesus day. It is unimaginable to think that Peter did not speak Greek in addition to his native tongue, Aramaic.19 Greek was the lingua franca of the times, and many, many people were bilingual in that culture.

    2. Misunderstands Greek

    “Matthew 5:17-19 The Law won’t pass away till the world’s (sic) pass away so they can become eternal and inhabitable. If the Sabbaths, new moons, and festivals are shadows of things to come, (In the Greek of Col. 2:17 it is ‘are a shadow’) where does the light come from? It is obvious anyone who had a hand in mistranslating this verse is going to the second death.” For This Cause, Part II, 6/19/90, p.15.

    “Weymouth and the rest of the Greek scholars cannot read plain Greek in Col 2:17. They fabricate the word ‘were’ in place of the ‘word’ are.” Redemption, undated, p.13.

    The arrogance of this second quote is amazing. Weymouth was a classical scholar of the last century and understood Greek fluently. Greek scholars understand that when Paul writes “is a shadow” this is a doctrinal statement. Such doctrinal statements are often timeless and appear in the present tense, which simply states a fact without any concern for time.20

    3. Changes Words

    “There is only one true Messiah and He is raising up the tribes of Israel. ‘I will build My community and the gates of hell will not prevail over my community - who stays in communion with one another and with Me.’” Evening Sacrifice, 12/12/92, Out of His Side, p.3.

    Unless Spriggs is speaking prophetically this is a partial quote of Matthew 16:18. Matthew writes ekklesia, which is literally “called out ones,” almost exclusively translated as church. The word community is inappropriate and misleading in this context, although that term fits the theology of The Twelve Tribes. This will be explored later in the theology part of the paper.

    4. Fanciful Interpretations

    “The steward in Luke 16:9 cut the bills of his Master’s debtors in half in order to have somewhere to live. He acted shrewdly. Our Master said, ‘therefore’ (in relationship to the context) make friends for yourself with all the money you have made in the world so that when it fails you may have an eternal dwelling. If you give it away to your parents or your ungodly friends, you are making homes for yourself with them. Submit it to the apostles feet who would do, with mercy and compassion, the righteous thing with that money.” First Day Teaching, Sus, 7/9/89, Matt “Be on the Alert,” p.5.

    This is a very interesting interpretation of this passage, and is pure eisegesis by Spriggs. It is unhinged from what Jesus was speaking to His disciples. The simplest explanation of such a parable is that Jesus was employing it to describe a worldly astuteness, and to teach a lesson on spiritual prudence. As in many parables, the details are often the “furniture” of the story and are of no intrinsic importance. All Jesus did here was use the wicked steward’s foresight and promptitude, evil as they were, to illustrate qualities that have an important place in the life of a true disciple. It is absurd to squeeze from this that a true disciple is to give all his worldly possessions to the apostles and not one’s parents or “ungodly friends.”

    Another very fanciful interpretation is Spriggs explanation of the fall of Adam and Eve. This is without any Scriptural support but does buttress the theology of the Twelve Tribes.

    .

    “Woman can appreciate man for not leaving her alone to die but eating the fruit and choosing to die with her…Adam chose to eat the fruit knowing that he could not nullify Eve’s act…seeing that he, her covering, had explained in detail to her all that God had told him, Gen. 2:15-17…If he had been negligent to tell her, the blood would have been on his hands. But he was a good covering…Adam could not nullify Eve’s act because she vowed with him to be obedient. Adam had only one recourse. He loved his wife, they were one flesh. He was so thankful to our Father for her. He loved her….He entered into death with her to lead her until Yahshua could bring restoration. Adam wasn’t accusing Eve in Gen 3:13 (sic, v.12).” Headcover, undated, p.9.

    Inaccurate Historical Statements

    Spriggs also makes many inaccurate historical statements to support his position. Classic among these are his statements about how Sunday replaced the Sabbath (Saturday) as the day of worship in the early Church.

    “The Sabbath has not passed away. The Catholic Church and all her daughters have changed the Sabbath to Sunday in 336 A.D. at the council of Laodicea.” More on First and Second Death, 11/19/95, p.11.

    “In 334 A.D. the council at Laodicea removed the sign (speaking of the Sabbath - rp).” Redemption, undated, p.15.

    “We see so many things that Constantine put in. 100 years after Revelations (sic) declared the Laodiceans lukewarm a council there declared there would be no more 7th Day Sabbath…If you don’t keep the Sabbath you die, whether anyone knows it or not.” Who We Are, 10/3/89, p.8.

    First, there is a discrepancy with the dates given for the Council at Laodicea, and it is more properly called a Synod. Also, there were seven great ecumenical councils in the early Church.21 Laodicea was not one of them. There most likely was a regional council at Laodicea but historians are unclear about this. The one that is at times alluded to probably occurred around 363 A.D.. However, leeway can be given for anywhere between 343 A.D. - 381 A.D.. Regardless, it most likely occurred decades after Spriggs date and certainly was not called by Constantine. In fairness, Spriggs is probably confused with some of the edicts of Constantine around the year 325 AD. Sunday was set aside for part of the empire as a day of rest in deference to the Christians, and his new found Christian faith. He did not legislate something that Christians were not already observing. The early Church father’s writings are replete with references to Sunday, the Lord’s Day.

    The Bible and Extra-Biblical Writings

    Spriggs will also use the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha in the same capacity as Scripture to support his doctrines.

    “Extra Biblical writings can be useful to those who have a safe spirit (e.g. gospel of Thomas, Testimonies of the 12 Patriarchs). Paul in his day ‘added’ to the O.T. speaking prophetically, so it is today.” Pray Lifting Up Holy Hands Without Wrath and Dissension, 6/5/88, p.1.

    “The Gospel of Thomas which was found in Egypt not too long ago said, ‘He who is nearest to me is nearest to the fire.’ Fire is for purification.

    So we see the meaning of baptism here.” Reasoning 2, 10/19/90, p.5.

    “In the quote from the book of Maccabees it was THE PRIESTHOOD who became completely defiled by sports. (2Mac. 4:14) Though they may have been late for everything else, “at the stroke of the gong, they would hurry to the games”. The Dangers of Sports, 1/95, p.1.22

    What is also very disturbing is how Spriggs’ own teachings are give a place of equal divine authority with the Bible. This is true of the Freepapers as well.

    “The teachings (Spriggs’ teachings to the Tribes - rp) kill us. The Bible - the Word of God kills our flesh. It requires our death.” Ahavah 2, The Work of Faith, The Labor of Love and the Perseverance of Hope, Tabitha’s Place, 9/6/89, p.7.

    “These Freepapers are eternal life - the Word of God…How much time do you think you can devote to this paper every day with your busy schedule…? 20 seconds? Maybe some people could build up to a minute a day - that’s 60 seconds…See if you can and watch what happens to your life! I’m saying this because some people don’t read it at all, then they claim to have eternal life - Impossible!

    “…I’m talking about this because I want you to know how great a sin it is if you don’t read them yourself. Don’t even imagine that you are saved and have eternal life..” Reading Our Freepapers, 7/13/94, pp.1-2.23

    It would seem fair to deduce that Elbert Eugene Spriggs, “Yoneq,” has an unequaled place of authority and influence within The Twelve Tribes. His unquestioned and unchallenged interpretation of Scripture, his equating his own writings with the Bible, his position as the “apostle” in the group, allows him to come across with teachings and pronouncements that are no less weighty than the Bible’s, “Thus saith the Lord.” The rest of this paper will develop the tragic impact this has had on the lives of thousands of people. It is a very dangerous practice to delegate to any human being a “direct pipeline to God,” with no real accountability.

    1The Tribes complained that part of this quote was missing and that it changed substantially what was being communicated. It is true that the quote is more narrow in its application, for Spriggs was specifically talking about a point in the Book of Revelation. However, the quote overall stands as a prime example of the Tribes’ approach towards the Bible, Spriggs, and the Early Church. It is explicitly taught that for 1,900 years there was no true Church on the face of the earth until The Twelve Tribes began. The Bible is also intended, by God’s design, to be misunderstood by unbelievers unless you are under the “anointing” (The Twelve Tribes). Also, so many of the Tribes’ arguments for their position are “arguments from silence,” which is the point of this quote. “Arguments form silence” are also used to justify other major doctrines: the giving away of all one’s possessions, the story of Adam and Eve’s fall, living in community as a perpetual concept, etc.

    2 Groups frequently have what is understood to be “inner” and “outer” doctrine.” Outer doctrine is for public consumption and in The Twelve Tribes this includes their Freepapers, booklets written by them, letters to the press, etc. Their inner doctrine is the teachings of their founder Elbert Eugene Spriggs (Yoneq). These are not necessarily in contradiction with one another, however, the teachings do reveal a picture of the power Spriggs exercises in the Tribes that is never evident in the Freepapers. We were able to get these teachings from numerous ex-members and two members in the group. The group’s leadership would not give us these teachings, although we asked on numerous occasions. Their contention was that they would only be misunderstand by outsiders who are not under the “anointing.” These “teachings” with their titles are extensively quoted throughout this paper, and are available for inspection.

    As an aside, our initial response to the Tribes was very favorable. It was not until we were able to secure the bulk of their teachings that we became progressively troubled. They evidence a litany of destructive control on the part of Spriggs that is almost unparalleled in our experience. This control is not administered with an iron fist, but rather with a velvet glove. Thus, it is more insidious and difficult to identify, particularly by those under its sway.

    At our final meeting with their top leadership we mentioned to them that as far as public relations were concerned “these ‘teachings’ were their worst nightmare.”

    3 In 1978 the Chattanooga Times reports that Eddie Wiseman referred to Gene Spriggs as a “gift from God,” and that “upon him…the church is built.” Chattanooga Times, 1/10/78.

    4 The Tribes disputes this assertion in their Critique of this paper, however, we have since come into possession of a 1,000 more of Spriggs’ teachings that are filled with statements that demonstrate this contention. It would be good to hear from the Tribes why they feel it necessary to distribute “teachings” of these kind that glorify Spriggs. It has also been our understanding from conversations with members, family of current members, ex-members, and others that Spriggs carries an unrivaled, exalted position with the Twelve Tribes.

    5 Letters to a Devastated Christian, Gene Edwards, The SeedSowers, 1984, p.25.

    6 The Tribes wrote in their Critique of this section of the Analysis: “What is the Scriptural authority for this business of challenging one another? Is it supposed to be tolerated? Is disagreement among leaders regarding their interpretation of the Word some sort of proof of orthodoxy? The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another’ (Gal 5:2