Got some new fanart for you. Before I get into the video, I wanted to mention that I just had my 29th birthday on July 20th. I got a lot of birthday wishes and artwork. But, growing up, I never celebrated my birthday. Usually, that means I'd throw everything I had into celebrating it. But something in me just doesn't care about it as much as I know a lot of other people do. However, I got disfellowshipped around that time, too. That's the day I walked away from Jehovah's Witnesses when I was 18. I lost my family that day. I lost my mother--probably forever. But I broke the chains they kept around me. I broke out of the lies and deception. That's reason enough to celebrate for me. So, now, on my birthday, I don't just celebrate my birth. I celebrate the day I finally I got free. The day I became my own person, and not this fake personality The Watchtower Society molded me into. Okay, onto the video. So, I was precariously perusing the internet in preparation for a particular proposition, and I came across a list of peculiar people of a particular persuasion. (I found a list of cults on the internet.) And it had a couple that I'd never heard of before, so I decided to take a look at them. This one is called Twelve Tribes. It was actually legitimately hard to research. Usually, what I do is I start with Wikipedia as a jumping-off point for references. Then, I find reputable websites and compare what they're saying to get as accurate information as possible But this Wikipedia page was obviously written by an active member It had very few reliable references, and it put a positive spin on everything. Outright lied in some places. So, let's take a look at this cult and see if we can get an idea of what they're all about. Let's get into it. So, what is the Twelve Tribes cult? Usually, I'd go through their history, but honestly, right now, all I feel comfortable mentioning about it is that it started in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1972. It's possible to get a reasonably accurate history of this group, but it isn't easy. So, to start, let's talk about their leadership. Then, we'll talk about their beliefs and practises. Finally, I'll give you a few fun facts. The cult was started by Eugene Spriggs, who was a former high school guidance counselor. Now he's called Yoneq by the members of the group. All members are given a Hebrew name when they join. Make note of that. Remember, in the BITE Model, changing people's names is one massive red flag. If your religion wants to call you something else other than your full name, then you should be extremely suspicious. Even calling you "Brother This" or "Sister That" is changing your identity. Anyway, Spriggs is super secretive, so it's really hard to gather information about him. But the fact that he was a high school guidance counselor is kind of f***ing concerning. Imagine your guidance counselor starting a cult... Anyways, the guy started the group saying that there would be no leaders and everybody was a priest, but since then, he's turned into a prophet. He claims he has a direct pipeline to God, and his teachings are transcribed in Intertribal News, the group's newsletter. Some teachings are withheld until members are deemed "worthy" of hearing them. One of the teachings was that submission to whites is the only condition by which blacks will be saved, and that Martin Luther King, Jr was filled with all manner of evil. The church has since said that they are not, in fact, racist, though, because they have a black friend. Or, more accurately, black members throughout their tribes, so we can rest assured they aren't racist. Spriggs also teaches that Jews are guilty of the blood of Christ, which has led to some serious antisemitism from from members, though that's disputed by the church. I've noticed that people take one of three positions on Jews: either they think they murdered Jesus so they're evil, or they believe that they're God's chosen people and they worship them as a result. Or, they view them as normal people, just like anybody else. As I do. Nobody is any better or worse than anybody else, but claims about them being better or worse than other people genuinely does a lot of harm. I would love to shatter the idea that they're particularly different, but I know that's a lot easier said than done. Anyways, let's talk about one more thing before we move on to their core beliefs: The Yellow Deli. The cult members run a number of delis called The Yellow Deli. You have to have given up everything you own in support of the cause, and devoted yourself completely to work in these delis. Remember, these people live on communes normally. These delis are in the outside world. You have to have proven yourself to work at one of these. They're pretty much conversion camps: invite somebody out for free food to talk about Jesus. Once they arrive, they feel obligated to take the next step because they feel like they owe you. It's all part of the scam. The delis are the first line of conversion. And supposedly, they're really good, cheap, and open 24 hours. Check them out on Google Maps. I'd be willing to bet there are some near you. BUT BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL! Just don't forget the fact that they're a front for a cult. Now let's talk about their beliefs and practises. Pretty similar to the Amish in many ways: they wear beards, they don't believe in cutting hair, they don't watch TV, no drinking alcohol, no smoking, the usual. Common rules you find among oppressive cults. As I've mentioned before, the Amish came from a branch of Christianity called Anabaptists, and Anabaptists branched off from Catholicism around the same time Protestants branched off in the 1500s. But actually, this group is not linked to Anabaptists in any way. As I said, they started in 1972, branched off from Protestantism. They're really similar to Messianic Jews. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically somebody who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, but they don't think he undid anything from the Old Testament. So they believe he died for people's sins, but they think they still can't eat shellfish, and they can't put too literal seeds in the same literal hole, and they can't wear polyester, the whole nine yards. All 613 commandments from the Old Testament. Oh, you thought the first ten were special? No. There were 613 of them, and people were expected to follow them just the same as any others. So, anyways, they kind of consider themselves similar to that: Messianic Jews. Their main goal is to remake the Twelve Tribes of Israel and usher in the return of Yeshua, AKA Jesus. Since Js don't actually exist in the language in which the Bible was written, it's kind of illogical to think that Jesus was actually the guy's name (if there was such a person in the first place, which I doubt). In fact, the letter J wasn't even invented until the 1600s, so it's pretty recent. The actual name listed in the Bible, people suspect, was pronounced something like "Yeshua". It's hard to tell exactly how it was supposed to be pronounced for a number of reasons, but we'll go with that. They say he'll return "like a king coming for his bride when she is fully prepared for him". What is it with these groups and being obsessed with f***ing Jesus? I don't understand! They also say Jesus will only return once the tribe has produced "144,000 perfect male children, so pure that fire comes out of their mouths". Okay. I have questions. Many of them. Is the ability to breathe fire a measurement of purity? Why didn't God create us to do that in the first place if we were supposed to be able to do that all along? This doesn't make any sense! And notice the reference to the 144,000 Most of you'll know that number from Jehovah's Witnesses, who say 144,000 people will go to heaven. The reason that 144,000 is a significant number to Christian extremist groups like this is because of what's said in Revelations chapter 7. Remember, the whole book was written as though the writer was on an acid trip. So, let's just take a quick glance at what he says. Here are the first few verses of Revelations 7: "And then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. From the Tribe of Judah, 12,000 were sealed. From the Tribe of Reuben, 12,000. From the Tribe of Gad, 12,000. From the Tribe of Asher, 12,000. From the Tribe of Naftali, 12,000. From the Tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 From the Tribe of Simeon, 12,000 From the Tribe of Levi, 12,000. From the Tribe of Issachar, 12,000. From the Tribe of Zebulon, 12,000. From the Tribe of Joseph, 12,000. From the Tribe of Benjamin, 12,000. After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." Now, let's dissect those verses. Jehovah's Witnesses use those verses to claim 144,000 people will go to heaven and the rest will live on a paradise earth. The verses that talk about the 12,000 from the tribes of Gad, Asher, Judah, and so on is what they use to say 144,000 people will go to heaven. Just to have a little background on this, according to the Bible (about which I am inherently sceptical), Abraham had some kids, one of which was named Isaac, and Isaac had two kids, Jacob and Esau. Then, Jacob had twelve sons, which eventually became the nation of Israel. Each family had a different responsibility. Don't quote me on this, but from my understanding, the tribe of Levi, or the Levites, ran things like the treasury for the nation. They also carried the Ark of the Covenant around. Remember, this is straight from the Bible, and thus, isn't inherently trustworthy as historical fact. Anyways, the other families from those twelve kids each had different responsibilities in the nation, except Judah :(, the first tribe listed. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is something Jehovah's Witnesses like to quote a lot, it's disputed whether the name Judah was originally one of the tribes, or the territory it occupied. And since it's more convenient for Jehovah's Witnesses to believe it wasn't a tribe, that is, of course, what they believe. Since they don't believe that one of their tribes listed was a literal tribe, they think the 144,000 people listed in the Revelations verse are figurative and could come from anywhere, meaning they don't have to be Jewish to get into heaven. Of course, they're making all this stuff up on the spot, but I thought it was an interesting little bit of information about them and how they came to their conclusions. Okay, sorry for that sidetrack. Moving on. Here's another interesting fun fact about the group: As a result of their bizarre beliefs about Jesus only returning after they can produce 144,000 children who can breathe fire from their mouths, children have a very strict code laid out in the 267-page child training manual and monthly child training sessions. If children play pretend, they must be beaten. They've entered the unseen realm, which is literally another world, and are being possessed by Satan. Hide-and-seek is unacceptable. Children have to be "covered" at all times, AKA supervised by an adult. Children can't have toys. They also can't have books that anthropomorphise nature, like a smiling sun or a talking donkey or something. They can't speak to each other unless directly supervised and allowed by the adult "covering" them. This can only lead to foolishness, according to their founder. Children must not cry while being beaten. They should stand perfectly still, head bent forward, and receive their punishment quietly. Talk about a good way to f*** somebody up. How can anybody justify this s*** to themselves? Children may be beaten by an adult in the commune either on the hands or the bottom. A long plastic or wooden rod is used at most communes, and can usually be found above every doorframe. I don't understand how people can possibly think this is a good, healthy way to treat children. It makes me sick. The problem is that they don't care if it's healthy for the children or not. They care about producing their 144,000 fire-breathing males. This is what extremism does. Here's something else about their rules: wives must submit to their husbands, and marriages are arranged by the elders. AND you should have a minimum of seven children. Of course, birth control is forbidden, so you probably have no option but to have seven or more kids. Remember, they're on a commune. It isn't as simple as going to the store to pick some up. Mainstream medical care is discouraged, and, in some tribes, is outright forbidden. Here's a quote from a Sydney Morning Herald interview of ex-members: "Community life is strictly regimented. Members rise at 6 AM, except on Saturday, the Sabbath, when they rise at 7 AM, woken by a blast of the shofar, or ram's horn. This is a morning gathering, or 'minchah', at 7 AM, which includes prayers and singing, followed by work, either in the farmhouse, kitchen, or fields." So, their movements are very closely controlled. Now, let's talk about a few fun facts. There is a documentary made on the Twelve Tribes group that exposes their child abuse practises in a German commune. There was even video evidence, but the members still denied the accusations. That's gaslighting at its prime. Education is strictly monitored. Kids are homeschooled as often as possible, and the lessons are carefully selected. Obviously. Unfortunately and sadly, the required curriculum in the US is lacking. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed those fun facts at the end. That's all I've got for you. Follow me on Discord, Patreon, Facebook, and all social media. Check out my science channel and my podcast, and check out the secret link of the day. All links are in the description. Thanks for watching, guys!
