Twelve Tribes mother admited bashing her child, receives her court sentence

Source: Augsburger Allgemeine

January 26, 2016

Von Jan Kandzora

Translated from the German

When members of the Twelve Tribes stood in court, they failed to defend themselves of the newspaper allegations.  Even so, a 53 year old mother conceded that she thrashed her child.  RTL Reporter Wolfram Kuhnigk secretly recorded video of baptized Twelve Tribes adults bruising and smacking their kids and a former Twelve Tribes member also testified in court that the community buffets their children.  This undoubtedly proves the newspaper allegations.  In regards to the specific charges, the community members have always remained silent or denied them.

The Twelve Tribes mother confessed to thumping her son two years ago twice on the buttocks and thus violated the law.  The community does not accept that they are a cult and this prompted the mother to talk about her life in the group.  She says the communal group trusts in a “good and just God.”  She also believes the children feel safe.  The mother says it raises its children and chastises them according to the Bible.  The mother said she did not know that corporal punishment was contrary to German law since the year 2000.  The police and the employees of the Youth Welfare Office took all the Twelve Tribes children into custody in September of 2013.  While in court, the Twelve Tribes mother received from Judge Gerhard Schumann a reduced penalty of six months suspended sentence for grievous bodily harm.

Bible-based cult Twelve Tribes

The Twelve Tribes are a Bible-based cult which was founded in 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

In addition, the 53 year old mother must perform 120 hours of community service or pay 1000 euros.  The judge dropped the charge of abuse of protection, however.  In 2013 the baptized adults thumped and beat with rods the Twelve Tribes children which inflicted serious pain and psychological impairment.