Reply #25: more on the twelve tribes

[mongo]

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.

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

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."

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.

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."

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.

# 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."

# 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.


It goes on and on http://www.twelvetribes-ex.org/

look under bizarre.

The above does not mean that I believe the woman had any right to beat up the girl. But these people are in a bizarre cult. She may have had a personal reason to go off on her.