New Page - Yoneq and the Twelve Tribes Litmus Test

I created a separate page dedicated to help people research and determine if a group, such as the Twelve Tribes, can be considered a cult as defined below by Janja Lalich:

"A cult can be either a sharply-bounded social group or a diffusely-bounded social movement held together through shared commitment to a charismatic leader. It upholds a transcendent belief system (often but not always religious in nature) that includes a call for a personal transformation. It also requires a high level of personal commitment from its members in words and deeds.

This definition is not meant to be evaluative in the sense of implying that a group is good, bad, benign, or harmful. Rather it is meant to convey a systemic view of such a group, which is comprised of a charismatic relationship, a promise of fulfillment, and a methodology by which to achieve it."

Additional information is provided on how destructive cults utilize thought reform techniques to attract, recruit and entrap individuals within the cult. I have provided polls for current, prospective and ex-members to compare practices within the Twelve Tribes with those tactics outlined in research performed by Steven Hassan, Janja Lilich, Lifton, and Margaret Thaler Singer.

Please take some time and read this literature and participate in the polls with the goal of helping others to better understand the methods and practices of the Twelve Tribes.

Yoneq and The Twelve Tribes - Litmus Test

Voice

Read the rest of this article (click here)

Ex-Testimonies Part V - Testimony from ex-member in Australia

The following testimony was made in 2006 and was part of an ABC radio program with Rachel Kohn. No matter where they are in the world, the affect they have on an individual's life is very consistent.
See if you know anyone in the Asher Community picture to the right.




Rachael Kohn: What was the group that you decided to join?

Guest: The group’s known as the Twelve Tribes, or the Community, they’re also known as. They’re out near Picton, but they’re quite common around several festivals in Sydney going under the name of The Common Ground Café.

Rachael Kohn: Is it an international group?

Guest: Yes, it’s all around the world. It’s currently located in about eight different countries.

Rachael Kohn: And is it a Christian group?

Guest: They kind of claim that they are Christians, but when you really get into their doctrine, they certainly are not Christians. In fact they believe that Christianity is led by Satan and that anyone who truly believes in Jesus or Yashua, as they call him, will leave Christianity and join the Twelve Tribes.

Rachael Kohn: Now the Twelve Tribes obviously refers to the 12 Tribes of Israel, so do they claim to be the original descendants of the 12 Tribes?

Guest: They don’t claim to be the original descendants but they do claim that they are God’s chosen people on earth, brought here to bring about the 12 Tribes, which is what God originally intended with the Jews.

Rachael Kohn: You were Christian, an active Christian. What attracted you to this group?

Guest: What attracted me to this group was the fact that they didn’t appear to be hypocrites. They claimed that they loved one another and they showed this love by their life and the way they looked after and cared for each other, and I was really taken back by the amount of commitment that these people seemed to live their life by.

Rachael Kohn: You seem to be implying that you were disenchanted with Christianity or the church that you’d been going to.

Guest: Yes, the church I was going to, they said all the right things, but I felt there was very little outside of the church that made people who’d claimed to be Christian, any different to anyone else in the world. They were just like everyone else in society, they just put a label of ‘We’re forgiven because Jesus died for our sins’ on top of their life.

Rachael Kohn: So what were the features of the group that you joined, the Twelve Tribes, that made you think this is the real thing?

Guest: The features that really drew me was the fact that they truly seemed to live the life they proclaimed. They truly seemed to love one another, they weren’t hypocrites in what I saw before I joined.

Rachael Kohn: Did they share things communally? Live together, commune style?

Guest: Everything was shared in common, everybody worked for the community, nobody had anything that they called their own. No-one got paid.

When we went out and did jobs for the outside, it went into a communal fund, and unless you were part of the people who distributed the money, you never had money unless it was given to you. But everything was provided for you, your food, your clothing, the children’s education, which was done at the farm out at Picton, cars, everything, medical expenses.

So although you didn’t have money, you were provided for.

Rachael Kohn: You were there for what? Over two years? What prompted you to leave it?

Guest: What prompted me to leave in the end was the hypocrisy that I saw in Christianity was even more so in the Twelve Tribes, because although they would point at Christianity and say, ‘Look at them, they are not loving one another’, what I found within the community, once you really learnt what they were doing is there wasn’t a whole lot of love there, there was a whole lot of fear and there were the people with the haves and the have-nots. And to quote Animal Farm, ‘We are all equal, but some are ore equal than others’, and that’s exactly what I saw in the Twelve Tribes.

The leaders cushioned their nest, so to speak, and although they weren’t rid in money or material goods, they had all the nice jobs. They had access to the cars, they could go visit their families, they got to go on business trips, whereas the less fortunate members of the group, they were the ones who just went out there and worked really, really hard, day after day.

Rachael Kohn: Were you discouraged from having contact with your family? You parents, for example?

Guest: I was certainly controlled with my contact, and I ended up being sent over to America to try and get away from my family’s influence over me.

Rachael Kohn: So you felt they were controlling your life?

Guest: The Twelve Tribes were certainly controlling my life, in every aspect. I mean they were controlling my physical existence, they were controlling what I did day to day, they were controlling me financially, and in the end they were also controlling my wife and getting information out of her to help control me even more.

Rachael Kohn: But they didn’t seem to control your mind, altogether, you were still able to discern things like hypocrisy and that kind of thing, that prompted you to leave.

Guest: Yes, I think I was fortunate in that I joined the Twelve Tribes for all the right reasons, because I wanted to be a committed Christian, and the longer I was there, the more hypocrisy I could see, and being a fairly strong character, I wasn’t afraid of being cut off from the group. And I also knew that I had the love of my family outside the group, no matter what happened. I always had somewhere to go, I wasn’t going to be left on the streets.

Rachael Kohn: Did your parents actually help you when you were starting to have doubts? Were they an important factor for you coming out?

Guest: The most important factor for me coming out with my parents, was firstly they went to a lot of trouble to understand cults, so when I did come out, they understood what I’d been through. They were working hard to try and get me out, but I managed to do that myself.

But the biggest thing was, I knew that I had unconditional love from them. Now the Twelve Tribes claim that they’re the only ones who truly know how to love, but when I asked my parents for help, they were there. When I asked my brother for help, he came over and got me, and I knew I had that, I always had that to stand on.

So the Twelve Tribes couldn’t scare me like that and make me capitulate to what they wanted me to do, because I knew that at the end of the day, I had my family support on the outside.

Rachael Kohn: What did they say would be the consequences for you if you left the group?

Guest: They didn’t tell me anything directly, because the leaders weren’t that good at making any arguments with me, because I’d call them on their bluffs. But there were plenty of stories going round about people who left who turned gay.

There was a couple of boys who left who grew up in the cult, they had a car accident and their mother was actually told that that was God’s mercy on the boys to kill them before they got into more sin. So it certainly wasn’t encouraged for people to leave, and if you did leave, firstly you were going to Hell and secondly that you’d probably go there a lot quicker than everyone else. That God would punish you for leaving.

Rachael Kohn: You had a wife and children. What happened to them?

Guest: My 3-1/2 year old son came with me when we got kicked out, and that was over in Winnipeg.

Rachael Kohn: In Canada?

Guest: In Canada, Winnipeg in Canada. So we were a fair way from home, and the group who told me they would always look after me and care for me, kicked me out on the street with $100, which doesn’t get you too far when you’re trying to get back to Australia.

So my wife and my other two children came back to Australia about two weeks after I got back here. I arranged to meet my wife to discuss why I’d left and to encourage her to leave with me because my family unit was very, very important to me, and she dropped the kids off to me, listened to me for half an hour, didn’t say a word, and then left. And that was almost the last time we ever saw her.

Rachael Kohn: How do you explain her staying there so long, giving up her husband and her three children?

Guest: I believe that she’s been coerced into believing that if she leaves, then her children will go to Hell, and that if she truly loves her children, the only hope they have is if she stays, and God will reward her obedience and bring her children back to her. But if she leaves, then she’s condemning her children to Hell. So she’s scared to leave for her children’s sake.

Rachael Kohn: Did she ever communicate that to you, or is that your surmise?

Guest: That’s my surmise, based on things that I heard in the community. But I’ve tried to speak to her many times, but she couldn’t open up to me. She was scared to talk to me, but I think she was scared to listen too much to me because I had so many good arguments as to why she shouldn’t be there, that it may cause her to stumble and leave as well. So she felt it was better to cut off all contact rather than continue to contact me, in case she did end up leaving.

Rachael Kohn: Well you had the help of your parents and their concern. Did she have help from hers?

Guest: Unfortunately her parents didn’t go to the extent that my parents went to educate themselves about the group that we were in, and how cults actually work. So when we got out, they were quite happy that I’d left with the children, but saying that she’s an adult, she’s smart enough to think for herself, she seems very happy there, and as such, she’s still there four years later.

Rachael Kohn: What do you think made you vulnerable to a group that exercised such control over your life?

Guest: I think what made me vulnerable was wanting to be a better Christian and not be a hypocrite, but I also had a lot of pressure from my wife, knowing that if I didn’t join, she was going to leave me, and I wanted more than anything to keep our family together. So I was willing at that stage to give anything a go.

But having said that, I believe that everyone at some stage in their life is vulnerable to these sorts of groups, and they’re not necessarily religious groups, they can be self-help or business groups, or meditation groups or whatever. It’s we at one stage, we’re all vulnerable to the right message.

Rachael Kohn: You’ve used the word ‘cult’ a few times. What do you think is the distinguishing factor that makes you use that term with respect to the 12 Tribes?

Guest: I use that term for the Twelve Tribes because they truly do try to control your emotions, they try to control your spirituality, they control you financially, they control you physically, and they certainly manipulate you into staying through fear and coercion, and so I’m quite comfortable calling the Twelve Tribes a cult. Also if you meet these people, they are really nice, they are really lovely and genuine because they do truly believe in what they are saying to you.

So I know many people who are listening to this will say, ‘I’ve met the Twelve Tribes at their Common Ground Café at the Woodford Folk Festival, and they’re not like that at all.’ But until you live with them and leave and be able to analyse your experience, you’re not in a position to be able to say ‘These are just nice happy people’. It’s taken me many years to be able to determine what this group was really about.

Rachael Kohn: Isn’t it just the case that some people really like a tightly organised style of life, and others jack up against it?

Guest: No, it’s not that simple. For example, take my ex-wife. Before she joined the group, she would do anything for her children. Now she’s in the group, she hasn’t seen them for over three years, because they have changed her mind into thinking that it is best that she doesn’t see her children that she has nothing to do with them.

We had a fairly good marriage I believe before we joined, but she was willing to dob on me. These groups will change your mind in the way you think, and they will change your value system, and they will exploit you for everything they can, and then when you’ve got nothing left to give, they’ll spit you out on the streets, and say it’s your fault.

Rachael Kohn: And do you reckon that’s what happened to you?

Guest: Fortunately I do. I’ve done a lot of reading and study and been quite introspective, for a number of years. I’m still going through things of course, but I’m certainly well on my way to understanding my experience and being able to understand how these groups operate, and understand why other people get caught up in the same trap.

Rachael Kohn: Has CIFS, the Cult Information and Family Support group, been of help to you?

Guest: They were a great help to my family as a starting point, as to what’s going on, why did my son just give up his business and leave and join this group without telling us much. And it gave them a starting point to get the information they needed to understand what I was going through so they knew what they needed to do to help me.

Rachael Kohn: Do you have a sense now that you want to help others?

Guest: Yes, I do have that sense, and if anyone needs any help or even someone to talk to, I’m always open to doing that.

Rachael Kohn: It’s been great talking to you.

Guest: Thank you.

Rachael Kohn: The name of my guest has been suppressed to ensure the anonymity of his children

Read the rest of this article (click here)

The Twelve Tribes' Money Machine - Updated 2/19

The life of the typical Twelve Tribes member is very simple. Women's dresses and "Sus" pants are hand made and most other clothes are bought at thrift stores. Much of the communities organic food is self grown. Members have given up all their possessions and do not have worldly treasures such as TV's, radios, jewelry, expensive cars etc. Ex-leaders and members often talk about the frugality of the life within the Twelve Tribe communities where every penny is pinched and members work long hours for no pay. The Twelve Tribes leaders do not deny this. They are actually very proud of this fact because they are working to build the kingdom of God on earth and preparing the Messiah's bride for His return.

The TT leaders adamantly deny that Gene Spriggs lives a "jet-setting" life or any different than the average member in good standing. However, Michael Painter and James Howell, former high level leaders (3rd and 4th in command under Spriggs and Eddie Wiseman) have gone on record as stating that Spriggs has a wallet full of credit cards and travels where he wants when he wants and also enjoys luxuries the average member does not have access to. As the only apostle for the Twelve Tribes it is his role and duty to plant new communities wherever he feels God is leading. So it is necessary for him to travel around the world to do this. Gene always had an inclination towards world travel. In his own biography published by the TT they state he gave up an executive job to take a job as a tour director for a large travel company so that he could see the world.

The Twelve Tribes has never had difficulty purchasing buildings, businesses and property to expand their kingdom on earth. They have claimed in the past that although a number of people come into the communities willing to give up wealth and possessions, just as many come in with little or nothing or even bring a load of debt that requires the community to pay-off. So how can they enter a town and drop millions of dollars to buy one or multiple buildings? How did they afford to host a large Cultural Event on the National Mall in Washington DC June 26-July 6th 2004 (Take a tour at Rekindling the Fire)? How can they afford to produce high quality films denouncing Christianity (see my article to Keli in the TT Parchment Press)?

The Twelve Tribes can do this because they own over 24 substantial businesses around the world. Many of these are high-end construction companies that list no affiliation to the Twelve Tribes on their websites or advertisements. Below, I have provided a consolidated list of direct links to these Twelve Tribes businesses. These are all businesses that you could stumble across on the various sites hosted by the communities, but as far as I have found, there is no one single list as I have provided below. I believe this is because the Twelve Tribes does not want the public or for that matter their own members to comprehend the vast amount of wealth that is generated by these businesses.

The TT leaders will tell you that many of their restaurants are operated at a loss. Most of these restaurants are not even listed below. Many ex-members have confirmed they often run at a loss but are necessary to recruit new members. However, these are far offset by the other lucrative construction companies as well as the furniture and other products that are made with "free" labor. The most recent defectors from the Twelve Tribes (especially those in leadership positions) complain the Twelve Tribes has become more of a business than a Messianic community.

Many people were amazed to find out a few years back that this obscure group actually had a large contract with Estee Lauder to provide their Origins products. In fact the group had been providing these products from 1995 through 2001 until Estee Lauder found they were using child labor to produce, package and distribute the products. Likewise, the Twelve Tribes provided products to Robert Redford's Sundance company until he cut-off dealings with them for child labor issues.

The following links are for those Twelve Twelves business that have/had a website. In addition to these businesses, there are a number of "cottage industries" the Twelve Tribes owns and operates with free labor from their members and their children. I will add to the list below as I become aware of more businesses.

Twelve Tribes Businesses in the US

• BOJ Construction - General Contracting (trim carpentry, cabinets, etc) and New Home Construction
• Common Wealth Construction - This is a high end construction company located in Savannah GA
• Anything Builders - The name says it all.
• Common Ground Cafe - This is the TT Cafe in Cambridge, NY
• Common Sense Farm - This is the TT Soap Shop in Cambridge, NY
• Mate Factor - This is the TT company that imports and packages Yerba Mate which they also produce in Brazil (again with free labor). This company sells Yeba Mate through many non-TT distributors as well
  
• Mate Factor Cafe - Direct sales of Mate Factor Products. This company makes no direct reference to being a Twelve Tribes owned organization. - New
• Common Sense Market - This is the TT whole-foods store in Plymouth, Ma
• The Parchment Press - This is the TT Print Shop in Coxsackie, NY (my dear friend Keli works there)
• Elad Products - High quality children's clothing
• Ozark Rustic Hickory Furniture - Quality rustic hickory lodge furnishings from Lake of the Ozarks, MO
• Simon The Tanner - Cobbler Shop and Shoe Store. Outfitter stores along the Appalachian trail and throughout the Northeast

Twelve Tribes International Businesses

• Sentido Comun - The TT Common Sense store in Spain
• Common Loaf - Bread and Baked goods store in England
• Prinz & Bettler - A Common Ground Cafe in Germany
• Tribal Trading Company - World Wide TT Tribal Trading Site
• Tribal Trading Catalog - Online Tribal Trading Catalog
• De Tribu a Tribu - Tribal Trading Outpost in Spain
• Tribal Trading De - Tribal Trading Outpost in Germany
  
• Tribal Trading Fr - Tribal Trading Outpost in France
• Tribal Brazil - Tribal Trading Outpost in Brazil
• Natuerlich Gemeinsam - TT Natural products from Germany
• Mate Factor of Canada - Canada's largest importer of Yerba Mate - New
  
• Mate Factor of France - France's largest importer of Yerba Mate- New
• Mate Factor of Germany - Germany's largest importer of Yerba Mate- New
• Tribal Brasil - Organics - Organic food supplier including Yerba Mate- New

Mate Factor and Common Grounds Locations- New

• Manitou Springs, Colorado - 966 Manitou Ave- New
• Ithaca NY - 143 E State St- New
• Asheville NC -2002 Riverside Dr Suite 42-E - New
• Winnipeg, Canada - 79 Sherbrook St. - New
• Hamburg NY - 327 Buffalo St - New
• Dorchester Ma - 2243 Dorchester Ave - New
• Nelsen BC Canada - 202 Vernon St. - New
• Oak Hill NY - 7771 State Rt. 81 - New
• Hyannis Ma - 420 Main Street - New
• Rutland VT - 23 Center Street - New
• Lancaster NH - 55 Main St. - New
  
  

Business that have closed or who’s websites are down:

• impaktgrafik.com - High-impact web site development.
• basketlights.com - Charming hanging basket lights and lamps.
• kombuchafactor.com - The ancient recipe for Kombucha tea is the factor for good digestion and a healthy sense of well-being.
• thecommonpot.com - Hand-thrown stoneware pottery from Southern California

Request for assistance: The Twelve Tribes is considered a unique kind of tax exempt business the IRS classifies as a "501(d)," under a small subparagraph of the tax code created for "religious and apostolic organizations." Only a handful of organizations qualify and are categorized as a 501(d). I would like to find out what information is available to the public or to the members of the Twelve Tribes organization concerning the reported income and tax liability of the Twelve Tribes. If you are a tax accountant or know someone who can answer this question please send the information to VOOCITD@gmail.com. If you are a current leader in the Twelve Tribes and would like to be up-front and volunteer this information, that would be appreciated (although not anticipated).

Voice

Return to Home Page

Read the rest of this article (click here)

Twelve Tribes News - New YATTT Page

I have created a collection of news reports starting around 1977 and going through 2008 and have provided links to these documents in a separate page (click on link below). I plan to add any new news I discover or you report to this page going forward. Heed the warning label. I have reported both positive and critical news reports. Engage your thinking caps and discern the truth from the sensationalism that often permeates media reports concerning religious organizations/sects/cults. Unlike the Twelve Tribes leaders, I trust you to think for yourselves concerning what is true and what is not.

Please feel free to submit links to any news articles you feel are relevant (positive or critical) and I will add these to the site.

Go to the Twelve Tribes News Page


Thank you,

Voice

Return to Home Page

Read the rest of this article (click here)

Michael Painter and James Howell - Missing Videos 7, 10, 24

I will add the following video clips to the appropriate past postings for new viewers. But for those of you who have been following my posts, attached below are the final videos I had not previously included. These video's had some off-air conversations that needed to be edited out before they could be published and it took me some time to educate myself on how to do that. Enjoy.

Video #7 - Discussion on the "Damaging affects of living in the Twelve Tribes" and Gene Spriggs and Eddie Wiseman have TV's in their closets.



Video #10 - Discussion on Gene Spriggs and the Island Pond Raid



Video #24



Return to Home Page

Read the rest of this article (click here)

Late Breaking TT News - More Members Leave 02/13/08

You listened to Noah Jones and Zeb Wiseman's testimonies. They left the TT years ago. Wouldn't it be good to hear from some more recent defectors?

I have heard from some internal TT sources that more senior level elder's children have chosen to leave the Twelve Tribes. My sources say that Arthur Nunnally's son (Tom) and his wife (Sarah) who is the daughter of Tom Wall have left along with one of Wall's younger daughters. Maybe they would be willing to give a video testimony once they get settled?

If you guys see my site, contact me at voocitd@gmail.com when you are ready to talk.


Return to Home Page

Read the rest of this article (click here)

A Pattern of Lies and a Path of Destruction

We have seen a pattern when it comes to the leadership of the Twelve Tribes. It goes like this:

1. Yoneq (Spriggs) writes and distributes a teaching (these are either made up, twisted from scripture or plagiarized from other religions)
2. Hakam (Wiseman) demonstrates and enforces this teaching to his elders and apostolic workers.
3. This is then passed down to heads-of-households and then
   
4. The members start to practice the teaching (emphasis on practice).
5. If negative press is received, the blame is placed on the members for misunderstanding or abusing the teaching.
6. If a great amount of negative press is received as in the case of the TT’s practice of child abuse, then the teachings are toned down or changed or just forgotten
7. All the blame is left with the ignorant members and history is rewritten retold by TT leaders.

This pattern was evident in my article on TT child abuse. It is also consistent with the TT’s teaching on lying. So let’s look at another case study using the teaching on lying.

Step 1: Yoneq writes and distributes a teaching:

“Our definition of lying means the intentional deception of those who had a right to know.” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“There is a difference between telling a lie and loving and practicing lying.” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“There is a vast difference between bearing false witness and concealing the truth.” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“There is a difference between bearing false witness and concealing a matter (not telling the truth) that others have forfeited their right to know because of their hostile and evil attitude toward God.” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“The court would say it was a lie because they would think they had a right to know”. – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“Sometimes we make a stand with the truth by not revealing the truth or by our answers that are or are not true.” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“Lying is more than intentional deception. Telling the truth may cause serious harm to an innocent party. Such intentional deception may be moral and must be determined by judging if someone has a moral right to know the truth for justice sake” - Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

“It is the glory of YHWH to conceal a matter. Prov. 25:2 This adds discretion and wisdom to our life and the apostolic teaching.” .” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Step 2 – Eddie demonstrates and enforces the teaching

Video 1 – Jeane Swantko states emphatically “I don’t know where Stephen Wooten is….I don’t have a clue where Stephen is”

Video 2 - Eddie Wiseman states, “I don’t know where Stephen Wooten is…..We do not know where he is” He also says, “There is a moral problem here….a moral disagreement” He was right the first time. The moral problem is he and his new wife are lying.

Video 3 – In the following video Eddie Wiseman says “I do not know where he is…I can’t find him, I do not know where he is…”

Video 4 - In the following video, notice how agitated Jeanne and Eddie get when Eddie is once again accused of beating Darlyn Church for seven hours. Jeanne frantically attempts to change the subject and Eddie denies it ever happened and claims the father has been brainwashed. If you want to see an example of brainwashed, watch the daughter who talks to her father next:



Video 5 - The Wooten boys have sworn affidavits stating what Jeanne and Eddie have said is not true.



Video 6 - Furthermore here is Nathan Wooten's video testimony stating that his father lied about whether or not the Twelve Tribes leaders knew where he, his father and his brother were:

Eddie - To answer your question, "What is the responsibility of the Church?" Well for one, it is to tell the truth. Stop your lies!!!!!

Video 7 - What have other high level leaders who have left the Twelve Tribes say about Eddie Wiseman and Jeane Swantko's lying about Stephen Wooten and the Darlyn Church beating by Eddie:

Step 3 – TT Leaders practice

In the next video, notice the look of sarcasm and joy this man (Jonathan) has as he watches this mother suffer the loss of her children. This is all a big game for these guys. Look at the smirky red-head sitting in the bottom left hand side of the screen and the facial expressions he makes. They are enjoying Laurie Johnson's pain. Is this the compassion of the Messiah?

Step 4 – Members start to practice it

In the following video it is obvious Laurie's sister is lying about not knowing where Stephen Wooten and his children are. Although they have bought into the teaching and are starting to practice it, they aren't very good at it.

Steps 5-7 – These steps have yet to be seen as they have not received enough publicity on their practice of lying. Starting with this article, let’s see if we can get the word out about this practice.

When a group is willing to lie about hiding children and abusing children, what else are they willing to lie about? How about lying about who they are and what they believe in order to gain more recruits? Surely this is a Godly act because it builds up the kingdom? How about lying to the law about child molestation by their members and leaders? Surely God would not want the community to have a bad “witness” to the “worldly” people around them. How about lying concerning debts and taxes they owe? Does the government have the right to take money that otherwise could be used to build His kingdom? I list these as questions because I do not know if they are telling the truth or lying about such things. That is the problem, once you open the door up to allow your integrity to be corrupted based on faulty thinking, you lose trust. Your word is no good. Many long time TT members have chosen to leave the communities due to this issue of integrity. Is God living among a people who practice outright lying and twisting the truth or selectively disclosing information for the purpose of presenting a false truth?

James Howell, once third in command of the Twelve Tribes and good friend of Eddie Wiseman (Hakam) testified that Eddie has admitted to lying on national TV "for the cause". He explains why Eddie was comfortable and felt justified lying on TV:

The Twelve Tribes Leadership and the entire Edah need to repent of the sin of lying. How can God love and bless a body of people who have lies on their lips. The only justification the TT gives for these lies is they wanted to avoid persecution and or jail sentences. The true apostles did not lie to stay out of jail or avoid persecution. They told the truth and if the truth meant they could be whipped, thrown in jail or even stoned to death, they still told the truth. But the Twelve Tribes hides child abductors, child abusers, child molesters and their leaders lie on public TV and on the internet to millions of people.

If Eddie Wiseman and Jeanne Swantko would have gone on TV and said, “We believe the Wooten children should stay with their father. We know where they are but we will not tell you because we believe it is better to go to jail than to allow these children to be released to their mother.” You could at least respect them for standing for their convictions and telling the truth.

They did not do this, because they do not have the courage to truly be persecuted for their beliefs. Instead, they take the path of cowards and liars and they destroy their testimony to the world. Will God bless this? Is this why their elders, members and children are leaving in droves each year? After 30 years of being the only people on earth who supposedly have the Holy Spirit of God, they still have a meager 2,500 members. If God wanted to build up a kingdom on earth and chose a people to do it and blessed them with his power and Spirit, don’t you think there would be more than 2,500 or 3,000 or 7,000 after 30 years? I can almost hear Yoneq’s answer floating in my head, “It is because the sheep are not following God. It is the sheep’s fault”. Could it possibly be due to a false leader with a false message who does not have the blessing or anointing of God?

Voice

Return to Home Page

Read the rest of this article (click here)