Twelve Tribes Communities
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ERE ID
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10724
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URL of title group
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http://www.twelvetribes.org/
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Stated purpose
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The Twelve Tribes is a confederation of twelve worldwide self-governing tribes, made up of self-governing communities. We are disciples of the Son of God (whose name in Hebrew is Yahshua). We follow the pattern of the early church written in Acts 2:44 and 4:32, sharing all things in common. We believe everything that is written in the Old and New Covenants of the Bible.
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Source
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Parent organization URL
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Messianic Judaism, Christian Fundamentalism
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Social Media Accounts
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Not for the official group, but: "Women Survivors of the Twelve Tribes Communities" Facebook Page.
There seem to be individual pages for Yellow Delis/businesses that communities run. Some people are aware of the organization behind the delis -- "I would literally join this cult to eat this sandwich every day" wrote one user.
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Date established
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1972
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Established by
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Elbert Eugene Spriggs
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Membership
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about 2,500 according to Wikipedia
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Google Trends comparison (2004-present) for "Twelve Tribes communities," "Elbert Eugene Spriggs," and "Yellow Deli"
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Research note
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"One of our greatest desires is to share our life with others...visiting is as simple as dropping by...usually we arrange visits of 4-5 days." (from website). The Internet and outside media influence is restricted, however.
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Found through Wikipedia list. Close-knit, family/community based communes that seem similar to the WBC. Emphasis on communal living, shared responsibility, and a mission to find "lost sheep."
Twelve Tribes property connected to Marshall Fire, largest fire in Colorado history.
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Location
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Many locations across United States/abroad. Farms closest to Ohio: Marshall, MI; Asheville, NC.
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Communities closest to Ohio: Hillsboro, VA; Lakeview, NY; Chattanooga, TN; Pulaski, TN; Asheville, NC.
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Publications about the group
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Palmer, Susan J. "The Twelve Tribes: preparing the bride for Yahshua's return." Nova Religio 13.3 (2010): 59-80. PDF Link
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"Into Darkness" Southern Poverty Law Center, Summer 2018.
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https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/darkness.
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"Praise the Lord: The Community Goes Forth to Meet the World." Vermont Sunday Magazine. 1994, June 19.
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https://web.archive.org/web/20110728135254/http://www.twelvetribes.org/pdf/appendixes/940619-vt-sun-mag.pdf
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"Fundamentalist Christian Group Gets School of Their Own" Deutsche Welle, 2006.
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https://www.dw.com/en/fundamentalist-christian-group-gets-school-of-their-own/a-2151809
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Palmer, Susan J. (1998). "Messianic Communities/North East Community Church". In James R. Lewis (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. pp. 334–335. ISBN 9781573922227.
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“Children of Sect Seized in Vermont.” The New York Times, 23 June 1984.
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https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/23/us/children-of-sect-seized-in-vermont.html.
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Swantko, Jean A.. “The Twelve Tribes' Communities, the Anti-Cult Movement, and Government's Response.” Social Justice Research 12 (1999): 341-364.
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Wright, Stuart A. “Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any ‘Good News’ for Minority Faiths?” Review of Religious Research, vol. 39, no. 2, 1997, pp. 101–15. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3512176.
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Swantko-Wiseman, Jean. 2009. "State-Sanctioned Raids and Government Violations of Religious Freedom: Revealing Similarities of Constitutional Errors in Both the 1984 Island Pond Raid and the 2008 FLDS Raid." The 2009 CESNUR Conference. Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Miller, Timothy. "A Tradition of Innovation and the Innovation of Tradition: The Cultural Developments of the Twelve Tribes Community." Spiritual and Visionary Communities. Routledge, 2016. 149-166.
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Behnk, Wolfgang. "Die Zwölf Stämme (The Twelve Tribes): die Jünger Jahschuas des Elbert Eugene Spriggs aka Yonek." Materialdienst 63.3 (2000): 76-83.
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Perceived enemies
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"There must be a thorough judgment of all mankind, to determine who is, and who is not worthy to fill the universe for eternity."
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Source
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"Modern man is becoming a product of media consumption, deceived into thinking that he is living a rich life. Every bit of one's own passion and potential has been cleverly drained from childhood through schemes and devices from YouTube and video games to political podcasts and complex documentaries."
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Source
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"Our whole society is based on Self. Your self wants more than it needs."
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"Mindless entertainment and abundance of playtime has produced the most self–centered and spoiled children that history has ever seen. Their over-stimulated and materialistic lifestyles are failing to satisfy their profound need for deep, loving relationships. Children under five are the fastest growing group being prescribed antidepressants."
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Source
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"Satan thrives upon man’s vain philosophy and religions, the chief among them being Christianity. Satan controls over one third of the world’s population by this one vain philosophy alone. Christianity is a mere philosophy because it does not accomplish the purpose of the “Christ” it professes to follow."
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Source
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Key URLs about the group -- not by the group
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Wikipedia Page
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https://www.twelvetribes.org/whoweare/ourhistoryy, https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/50537707/TwelveTribes.NOVA.RELIGIO-pdf-file-libre.pdf?1480083849=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DThe_Twelve_Tribes_Preparing_the_Bride_fo.pdf&Expires=1655224175&Signature=TC1TkMSld7cC-7qtQXRCxM2WVDa020FY~MZ12BGRqNrJiuFvpe0xTqlA4s38lNgE~VEaZmXpLkZXtTw18rfUEnLRi6BisPuuBToN90XOXwBPoOBJV-R1qp-BSWE68fHh49aGJKL6ZIBDacTfO7ozm26PVArBbUUciAH0KKQGVL6Q03vCfiEX~fD9rKGGJbYACX2WyVK9MMA4klpS1zl6JQe6dZjBL9~MCRgspECPRU4DprDebMjx-s8rieomq7bvG50zPeob-RhPbb3jy2ngA3DTEOvaADudWSpVQOEaGtMmPz-EZfQBIB2OPasvG8UfsbisLqyQmA0hBy-1BlF3Lw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=%2Fm%2F07h_q3,%2Fg%2F11b7c82klf,%2Fm%2F07h_kr&hl=en-US, https://twelvetribes.org/visiting https://twelvetribes.org/farms, https://twelvetribes.org/worldwide, https://www.facebook.com/Women-Survivors-of-Twelve-tribes-community-Yoneq-cult-1395873067405544/, https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=yellow%20deli, https://kdvr.com/news/local/twelve-tribes-property-history-of-controlled-burns/, http://twelvetribes.org/beliefs), https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/i-team-former-member-carolyn-figuera-twelve-tribes-religious-group-alleges-emotional-abuse/, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/darkness, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/darkness, https://www.thewhig.com/2016/08/02/controversial-community-defends-beliefs?fbclid=IwAR0xXeOrttPFPiKO9L4p3p9iS5C5SxPb33MtHtx1StEMoTzeodVSQ10-Ea0
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Outsider views of the group
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Viewed as a welcoming group by many members or potential members...“It was relieving,” Colucci recalls. “They all lived together, they didn’t seem separate in [a racial] way." (SLPC Source)
News articles detail "issues of severe cult behaviour, death threats, child abuse and exploitation of vulnerable populations..." (Source)
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Dehumanizing speech by group
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Paraphrased belief by ex-member Carolyn Figuera: "Black people need to live a life of slavery or in servitude to white man in order to redeem themselves from their curse." (CBS News Source)
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"Homosexuals deserve no less than death...Homosexuality is a capital offense." (SLPC Twelve Tribes Summary Source)
"Martin Luther King was filled with every evil spirit there is to say Cham doesn’t have to serve Shem. All manner of evil filled that man...It is horrible that someone would rise up to abolish slavery."