Source of article: The Epoch Times.com

Source of FBI records: FBI.gov

FBI records on Twelve Tribes in PDF file you can view and download: FBI files Twelve Tribes Part 01 of 01

June 28, 2019 Updated: June 30, 2019

The FBI released redacted documents this week on the cult community known as the “Twelve Tribes,” revealing numerous allegations against the group, including child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, ritual abuse, and forced labor.

The 61-page document—released by the bureau’s Vault library on June 25—included separate complaints detailing the alleged crimes, mostly against children. The cult has communes all over the United States, including Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida, California, Tennessee, and more.

In 2013, a preliminary investigation was conducted by the FBI, based on a complaint the bureau received from the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina that children were being “sexually exploited” at a Twelve Tribes compound in the town of Hiddenite. The case was closed the same year.

Twelve Tribes has communes around the world, with the Hiddenite location being one of its training centers.

Documents showed that drugs were used at the commune and placed into “ritual” bread—usually LSD and hallucinogenic plants, as well as heroin and meth. There were also ritual ceremonies once a month that involved the bread being broken and gang rapes.

Punishment within the cult involved being beaten with a rod and having the wife or children of the accused being sexually assaulted by other cult members. The sheriff’s office had been aware of the Hiddenite location since 2006 and that much of the land in the area was owned by the cult, since families who joined had to turn over their property.

Members of the Hiddenite compound also allegedly were forced to go to a location and work all night and day for “three straight days,” in what was known as a “push” that involved three or six members. Those working were allowed to drink coffee that may have had something added to it to keep them awake.

In a prior complaint included in the released documents, a name that was redacted had contacted the public access line to report child sexual abuse in a Twelve Tribes commune located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The person had said children were threatened not to tell the police or anyone else about the beatings or sexual abuse, and that the cult ran a restaurant in the area.

Yet another document, one from 2010, detailed how a former member was allegedly sexually and physically abused by cult members as a child but had repressed the memories. In 2009, the former member had seen a psychologist, who reported the abuse to local authorities, and had also contacted national leaders of the cult to inform them of her abuse. The former member also attended personal meetings with the cult leaders.

After a meeting on a date that was redacted, the former member was killed in a car crash that “was not accidental” and was allegedly “orchestrated” by cult members to prevent the woman from “propagating the claims of abuse.”

In the Twelve Tribe cult, members were also “allowed to punish any child belonging to the community.” The FBI document detailed how members would take their children to be “wooped,” meaning beaten, if they smiled at another child during a gathering, or if they were “horsing” around.

“Bigger children have missed ‘gathering’ for a couple of days at a time because they were beaten so badly and left in a condition where they could not attend,” the documents said, based on an interview with an FBI agent.

One former member said that they were once “locked in a cellar, beaten, and deprived of food.”

The release of the FBI documents came days after Keith Raniere, the former leader of purported self-help organization NXIVM was found guilty on all charges at a Brooklyn federal court on June 19.

NXIVM Collapse

A federal jury, made up of eight men and four women, deliberated for less than five hours before finding Raniere guilty of all 7 criminal counts including sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, and racketeering.

Raniere listened attentively but showed no visible reaction as he learned the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25.

The accusations against Raniere center around a secret society within the group—which he allegedly created in 2015—named DOS, an acronym for the Latin “dominus obsequious sororium,” loosely translated as “master of the slave women.”

Prosecutors say Raniere was the “highest master” of DOS and forced other members—all women—to have sex with him. Many of the DOS members were branded with a cauterizing pen while naked and being filmed.

Days ago, during closing arguments in the high-profile trial, assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza alluded to the prosecution’s May 7 opening statements, telling the jury that Raniere was chiefly after “sex, money, power.”

Penza brought up the testimony of former NXIVM members, including one identified by prosecutors as “Daniela,” who had spoken about being locked up in a room for nearly two years after Raniere found out she had kissed another man. Another member, identified as Sylvie, testified about being forced into a sex act with the leader. Another, a senior board member, detailed Raniere’s manipulation and fraud.

The verdict comes after a 7-week long trial. Raniere could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Follow Bowen on Twitter: @BowenXiao3

To go to Part 1 and Part 2 of this very special podcast on the Twelve Tribes and their founder Elbert Eugene Spriggs click on the image above and it will take you straight to the audio and start listening. To go to the page of the producers, click link above titled Source. Podcast available on Apple podcast, Stitcher, Google Play and TuneIn. Please leave a review on their site. Thank you for watching.

“About Cults

Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them? Every Tuesday, Greg and Vanessa (co-hosts of the podcast Serial Killers) explore the history and psychology behind the most notorious cults. Cults is part of the Parcast Network and is a Cutler Media production.”

“Elbert Eugene Spriggs Jr. felt he could never live up to his strict Christian father’s expectations. After three failed marriages and numerous jobs, Spriggs had a revelation that his duty was to bring people to God – but to do that he wanted to establish a new church…one where he would make the rules.”

Richard Hollerman

Somehow most of us go through life, following the religion of our parents, and give little thought about why that religion even exists. When did it begin? Where did it begin? Why did it begin? How did it begin? What caused the religion to begin years ago? Who was responsible for the particular church or denomination?

The result is that the Mormon is taught his Mormonism from his Mormon parents, and he remains a Mormon until the day he dies. He just assumes that the Mormons (“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”) are right. All that he hears and reads convinces him that there is abundant evidence that Joseph Smith knew what he was doing and the this man is to be trusted for one’s relationship to the church—and for one’s eternal life!

The same is true for the Watchtower Witness, the Catholic, the Lutheran, the Methodist, and the Presbyterian. Obviously, it is true for those religions that are not even related to any form of Christendom—such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, or Buddhism. Everyone doesn’t question his religion but gives ultimate confidence in someone—whether it be the (so-called) Pope, or Muhammad, or Buddha, or Baha’u’llah (Baha’i).

The logical (and theological) thinker will look at this situation and realize that this is not at all the way we arrive at truth! What are the chances that the Mormon just happened to be born into a Mormon family and that this is the religion of which God approves? There are about 15 million Mormons worldwide, and 7.4 billion people in the world. Thus, about one in 500 people in the world are Mormons. There is a one in 500 chance that a person would have been born into the “right” faith if Mormonism were true. But dare we ask: Is it really true?

What we say of this religion is true of all of the others. It just isn’t rational to think that we just happened to be born into the “true” religion, without personal examination of that religion. If you see the point that I’m making, don’t you think it is obligatory of you to study and examine your religion in light of the objective standard of the Word of God? Only in this way can you be protected from false reasoning, ecclesiological tradition, and religious charlatans.

Human Religious Leaders

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only foundation of the faith of which God approves. Scripture says, “No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Jesus Himself said, “I will build My church [or assembly]” (Matthew 16:18). Paul says that we are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets; Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20). Jesus said that He is truth personified (John 14:6) and God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). If our religion isn’t based on the infallible Lord of glory, the Savior of the World, and the infallible revelation of Scripture, we should rethink the wisdom of staying in our particular religion or church!

Have you considered the danger of following a human leader, teacher, or founder and assuming that he or she is the source of all truth, the key to secret knowledge, the dispenser of saving faith, and the guide to spiritual life? There is no indication in the written Word of God that the Lord would begin His church, body, denomination, or movement through an earthly leader! Yet repeatedly we learn of a human teacher or fallible overseer who claims to be God’s mouthpiece on the earth in our day! Isn’t this the height of foolishness? Isn’t it utterly precarious?

The Lord Jesus warned His followers: “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:13-14). Although this may be a reference to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, the principle applies to our own day. If God didn’t “plant” the church, sect, community, or movement, then it will be uprooted! If the leader is spiritually “blind” about one or more major areas of truth, his leadership will lead many others into a spiritual pit!

Spiritual Leaders and Founders

Since this is true, we need to ask ourselves about the spiritual founder of the religions and churches around us. Who were they and why is it that they hold the ultimate source of what is right and wrong?

Joseph Smith (1805-1844) wrote the Book of Mormon, claiming that God had revealed Golden Plates to him at the hill called Cumorah, hear Manchester, New York. This New York self-proclaimed prophet says that God had singled him out, among all people on earth, to translate these esoteric plates (that no one can see and have not been preserved) and reveal the truth of God to the world in the early nineteenth century. Today, some 15 million people follow the teachings of Smith and claim that he was the unique dispenser of God’s will in the latter days. Yet, as we examine the Mormon teachings, we find that they are polytheistic since they claim that God had many “baby” gods and good Mormons will become gods themselves, with their own domains in the universe! Dozens of false teachings have been promulgated under Smith’s banner!

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) made a diligent search of the Scriptures and wrote Studies in the Scriptures. Originally being influenced deeply by Adventist teachings, Russell went on his own and gathered a following himself. He not only spoke extensively, but also wrote at length about various Biblical topics, especially prophetic themes taken from Daniel and Revelation. Today there are over eight million Witnesses in the world who earnestly visit door-to-door with the intention of setting up Bible studies and leading unsuspecting people into their human religious system, even though many of their doctrines deviation from the plain teachings of the Word of God. Has it never occurred to the devoted Witness that Russell’s system is filled with error and outright heresy?

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) is known as the originator of a mind-science group called “The Church of Christ, Scientist’ (which has been revealed as neither the Church of Christ nor is it Scientific!), in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the author of the esoteric book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875, 1883). Eddy denies major portions of the Word of God, including the nature of God, the nature of Jesus Christ, the nature of the Holy Spirit, the nature of humanity, the inspiration of the Bible, the atoning death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and much more! Only about 85,000 members continue to exist in the world. Don’t these members ever doubt that Eddy was a prophetess of God who rejected nearly everything that Christendom has taught for two millennia?

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Ellen G. White (1827-1915) began as a disciple of William Miller who predicted the return of Christ in 1843. When Jesus did not return that year, he again predicted Jesus’ return in October of 1844. When the Lord didn’t return at that time, Miller gave up in despair, but Ellen Harmon (who married James White) was able to redeem the movement, claiming that the Lord had entered the “Heavenly Sanctuary” at that time. She also emphasized the fourth commandment as she sought to promote Sabbath-keeping. This latter day “prophetess” became the virtual head or leader of the moment until her death in 1915. Today there are about 19 million members around the world, especially since the church is known for their missionary zeal as well as their “health message.”

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) began as a minister in the Church of God (Seventh-day) in Oregon, and went on to begin a radio program and ministry called the “Radio Church of God.” Eventually Armstrong moved to California and named his church the “Worldwide Church of God” in 1968. In 1947 Ambassador College in Pasadena, California was begun. Armstrong emphasized Old Covenant regulations and imposed part of the Law of Moses on his growing number of followers (e.g., Holy Days, the Sabbath, food laws). This founder and leader emphasized British Israelism (Anglo Israelism), in which he taught that the United States and Britain descended from Ephraim and Manasseh of the Northern Tribes of Israel. Armstrong wrote Mystery of the Ages in 1985 and promoted the idea that his followers would become “God” (or be part of the God Family). One statement sums up what his followers thought of him: “Worldwide Church of God (WCG) members believed that Herbert W. Armstrong was Christ’s apostle in the 20th century. Armstrong taught that God only works through ‘one man at a time’ and that he was God’s selected representative on earth for his time” (Wikipedia).

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) was a talented and flamboyant preacher, teacher, and leader who began the “International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.” In some respects, McPherson’s church was similar to other Pentecostal Churches, but she was the undisputed head, leader, and motivator of the denomination. People found her somewhat questionable in her lifestyle and morality. Today, some eight million followers are found around the world.

Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012) was rejected by the Presbyterian Church in Korea and launched out on his own. He taught that Jesus didn’t finish his work, and this work was given to Moon to accomplish. His unique message and principles are described in his book, The Divine Principle. Much deception is found in the group and they have various front organizations that hide their identity. Generally they are officially called the “Unification Church” (the “Moonies”).

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Victor Paul Wierwille began “The Way International,” an organization that today has groups in some 30 countries. The headquarters is located in New Knoxville, Ohio. Wierwille rejected Christ’s deity and eternality. Today the group is headed by Rosalie F. Rivenbark along with two other members.

Witness Lee (1905-1997) was born in China and became part of the ministry led by Watchman Nee. Later he immigrated to the United States and formed Local Churches in various large cities (especially in the United States and Taiwan). He began Living Stream Ministry and emphasized personal subjective experience. When I visited a Local Church in this city years ago, they expressed their disfavor of Biblical “doctrine” and their emphasis on inner life. Witness Lee was the undisputed leader and all he spoke was accepted as God’s truth.

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

David “Moses” Berg (1919-1994) founded the “Children of God” group in 1968. They began as part of the Jesus Movement but began to follow Berg and his writings (Mo Letters) as inspired of God. Eventually they began an evangelistic outreach called “Flirty Fishing” in which their members practiced a form of religious prostitution. Many branches were formed overseas, some of which are to be found today.

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Elbert Eugene Spriggs founded the “Twelve Tribes” religious movement, based on the Law of Moses. This leader claimed to have a vision that led to the formation of about 30 communities scattered around the world as well as in the United States (especially New England). I visited their Island Pond (Vermont) community a couple decades ago.

Jim Jones was a liberal pastor of the Disciples of Christ but eventually began a group called the “Peoples Temple” in California. This leader had paranoid tendencies and began to think the government and others were beginning to persecute this small cult. Some claimed that he began to proclaim himself to be divine and rejected the Scriptures. Jone moved his people to Guyana in South America and eventually, in 1977, convinced the community of over 900 members to commit suicide by drinking poison.

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

David Koresh (1959-1993) was a radical Pentecostal preacher in Waco who took radical views and proclaimed himself God’s special agent. He began to stockpile munitions in their well-fortified compound. Eventually, the compound and most of those inside went up in flames in 1993.

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

Chuck Smith (1927-2013) founded the Calvary Chapel movement in 1965 in Costa Mesa, California. Originally propelled by the budding Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, eventually Calvary Chapels spread around the world. Breaking away from the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (of Aimee Semple McPhereson) in 1968, Smith launched out on his own. He promoted the idea that Jesus would return in 1981, but when He did not reappear, many left the movement. Today there are about 1,500 chapels in the world, led by a 21-member “leadership council” (since the death of Smith). Although Smith never claimed direct inspiration (as in the case of some of the other leaders we have examined), he was the undisputed head of the movement until his death.

If we were to search earlier church history, we would see certain other religious leaders:

• Martin Luther began what we know as the Lutheran Church, composed of many different Lutheran denominations.
• John Calvin might be seen as the originator of various Reformed denominations.
• John Wesley is the undisputed founder of the Methodist Church, consisting of the liberal United Methodist Church and many other more conservative denominations.

Who Are You Following?

It is one thing to notice various religious leaders who are responsible for beginning a number of well-known denominations as well as non-traditional groups generally called “cults” (although they would deny this). The question we should be asking ourselves is whether it is safe or right to follow any human being! Is it wise and good to heed the teachings, directives or theology of important, even charismatic, leaders who gather a following and instill trust in people?

Sadly, most or even all of these human leaders were deceived in various ways. They may have been able to see certain truths but they were mistaken on other important doctrines. Many of these doctrines were heretical or plainly false teachings. In other words, many of the ones we have briefly examined were clearly false teachers or false prophets!

Earlier we noticed that Jesus said of the Pharisees, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14). This means that if a “blind” false teacher seeks to lead people into his or her false teaching, all of those affected will fall into a doctrinal “pit”!

We might also notice that various of these leaders and teachers were women! These feminist women were active before the modern “feminist” movement arose! Think of Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy. Think of Ellen G. White. Think of Aimee Semple McPherson. Think of the many women preachers, teachers, and leaders in our own day! It is almost as though they either never read or simply denied plain scriptures like Paul’s words: “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:11-12).

Would any of these women teachers and leaders obey these solemn words? Do they “receive instruction” or do they boldly “give instruction”? Do they “teach or exercise authority over a man”? Do they “remain quiet”? No, these brazen feminist women proceed to do what the Holy Spirit says not to do! Scripture says that “women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says” (1 Corinthians 14:34). It is plainly wrong “for a woman to speak in church” (v. 35). But such women as McPherson, Eddy, and White boldly speak publicly and exercise authority over men.

The Word of God says, “Keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them” (Romans 16:17). What about the men and women who began the church movements we noticed earlier? Did they teach anything “contrary to the teaching” of Scripture? Did people “turn away from them”? Do we turn away from them? The Scriptures go on to say, “Such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (v. 18). Did their “smooth and flattering speech” propel them into leadership and cause multitudes to follow them and their authoritative teachings?

Are You Following a Human Leader–or the Divine Son of God?

This is a serious matter and all sincere men and women who value their own soul and that of their family must beware of the spiritual dangers that are to be found in such teachers. We must refuse to be sucked into their movements and taken in by their theology. Remember, your spiritual welfare is at stake!

Information from “Handbook of Denominations in the United States” as well as Wikipedia. See also “Fast Facts on False Teachings” by Ron Carlson and Ed Decker, “Christianity, Cults and Religions” by Carden, “What’s the Big Deal about Other Religions” by John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs, “Understanding Non-Christian Religions” by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, “The Illustrated Guide to World Religions” by Dean Halverson, and “World Religions” by Rick Billingsley.

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It’s hard to imagine that a convicted child rapist would be allowed to lead a church from prison, but that’s exactly what’s going on with Warren Jeffs….

…Brower said he was able to confirm similar reports of “seed bearers” through his own sources. “It’s ritualistic procreation,” Brower said, “performed on a ritualistic bed-slash-altar.” As part of this new system, Warren Jeffs has withheld any relationships between husbands and wives, Brower said. Any touching between spouses outside rituals like these, even a simple handshake, can now be considered adultery in the church….

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

go to:FULL ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE BUZZ FEED NEWS ON 28 AUGUST 2015

go to: TRAILER OF FILM PRODUCED BY JAIME PRATER: “NO PLACE TO CALL HOME”released in February 2014

Bringing down one of America’s happiest christian cult

Photo of Jamie with large caption: “THEY ARE NOT GOING TO SHUT ME UP WITH MONEY”

Usually, Jaime Prater felt excited on the first day of school. He’d get up early, put on the outfit he’d laid out the night before — he liked bow ties and sweater-vests — and hurry down the hall with the other kids in his building. But this morning in September 1989 felt different. This morning he was starting the eighth grade, and he felt something closer to dread.

For as long as he could remember, Prater had lived here among the Jesus People, about two blocks from the “L” train in Uptown Chicago. At first he had loved it, but things had changed since he turned 10. Lately he would lie awake at night, his window open to the muggy summer air, listening to the rattle of the train, and dream of escape.

Or he’d try to imagine the commune’s early years, back when they caravanned across the Midwest in an old school bus, the word “Jesus” painted in big, loopy letters on the side, winning souls for Christ. He loved hearing the stories from that time: the mass baptisms in the woods, the early members tracting at O’Hare among the Hare Krishnas, everyone strumming their guitars and singing early Christian rock back on the bus, enraptured with the glow of the Holy Spirit.

By the time Prater was born, the Jesus People had stopped touring and had transformed a dilapidated apartment building on Chicago’s North Side into the Friendly Towers, where all 400 of them lived in communal bliss, sharing meals, clothes, and pretty much everything else. They were God’s forever family, just like the Bible taught.

Friendly Towers in Chicago

Prater’s dad had an Afro back then, and his mom spoke of Jesus, peace, and love to whoever would listen; they had been legit hippies, Prater liked to think. But now they were different, stooped and beaten down by middle age, resigned to their middling status in the commune’s rigid hierarchy: His mom taught in the Jesus People school, and his dad worked as a mechanic. Prater hoped for some other kind of job when he grew up — maybe helping with the Cornerstone Festival — but that wasn’t up to him. The nine-person leadership council, half of them blood-related, decided everything — even whom he’d marry.

He wanted to believe the council spoke for God, but already he had his doubts. He’d heard dark and ugly rumors about their founder, a bearded Messiah-like figure, and he’d heard stories that horrified him about the Farm, a remote and secluded resort in the Missouri woods. But he knew better than to ask about any of that.

And yet, for as much as he tried to keep his troubles to himself, something was amiss. For weeks, he’d caught his parents whispering about him. He figured it had something to do with the day one of the men in the commune touched him. Prater had tried to forget that moment, the feeling of terror that washed over him, the searing shame when it was over, but he couldn’t move past it. Since then, he had been acting out in strange ways, desires he couldn’t control aroused inside him. Eventually he told the council, and now he wished he’d never said anything at all.

go to:FULL ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE BUZZ FEED NEWS ON 28 AUGUST 2015

go to: TRAILER OF FILM PRODUCED BY JAIME PRATER: “NO PLACE TO CALL HOME”

Following are links to other articles about Jamie Prater and his film and about JPUSA

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slowchurch/2014/03/01/jpusa-a-tragic-history-of-sexual-abuse/

http://culteducation.com/group/1264-jesus-people-usa/10737-jesus-people-usa-visitor-comments.html

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-02-27/news/chi-abuse-allegations-aimed-at-jesus-people-20140227_1_commune-alleged-abuse-legal-action

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140226/uptown/jesus-people-usa-hid-child-sexual-abuse-lawsuit-documentary-claim

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/february/dozens-of-children-abused-at-evangelical-jpusa-jesus-people.html

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Children of God had a base in Nerang, Queensland.
Twelve Tribes

Twelve Tribes founder Eugene Spriggs.
Founded in Tennessee in 1972 by former carnival showman Eugene Spriggs.
Twelve Tribes denounces Christianity as the “whore of Babylon”.
They forbid tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, condoms, contraceptive pills, TV, media and internet (but has a website).
Child rearing is strict. Children who break rules are hit with a plastic stick and are not meant to cry. There is constant adult supervision (called “covering”), no whistling and no make-believe.
At their commune in Picton in Sydney’s southwest, talking among children was banned unless an adult was present, says a former disciple who, in the sect’s eyes, had sinned by surfing, smoking marijuana and playing drums in a band.
Twelve Tribes has had or rented properties at various coastal and inland NSW sites.

A scene from 1999 US documentary on Twelve Tribes Mission shows the presenter with a plastic rod used to beat children.
Mangrove Ashram, Central Coast
Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard late last year of multiple allegations made against Swami Akhandananda Saraswati, leader of a yoga ashram (like a Hinduism retreat) on the NSW Central Coast.
The inquiry’s opening day heard that 11 children had been abused while living at the ashram in the 1970s and 80s; nine former child residents were due to give evidence.
Akhandananda told victims that having sex with him was “for their own spiritual growth”, the inquiry heard, and abuses had often taken place in the company of Shishy, a follower who had begun a sexual relationship aged 16 with Akhandananda after he moved from India in 1974.
The swami beat children with a wooden stick and threaten them with death or exile if they told of the abuse, the inquiry heard.

The site of the Mangrove Yoga Ashram. on the NSW Central Coast. Picture: Facebook

Members of the Mangrove Ashram which was a focus of the Royal Commission into child sex abuse.
Order of St Charbel
A commune based near Nowra run by William Kamm, who was paroled last year after he had spent nearly a decade in jail over charges relating to sexual assaults on two 15-year-old girls.
Kamm, also known as Little Pebble, claimed to have 84 mystical wives with whom he would spawn a new human race after the world was burnt by a fireball.
He claims links with the Catholic Church, which does not recognise the Order of St Charbel, and says that church’s obligatory celibacy for celebrants does not apply to him, even when he becomes Pope.
Kamm insisted that Pope John Paul I would make him sole successor to the papacy; when John Paul I died in 2005, Kamm issued a press statement saying “heaven clearly changed its plans”.

Order of St Charbel leader William (Little Pebble) Kamm outside the Supreme Court in 1993.
 
Property of the Tyaak branch of The Order Of St Charbel.

Leader William Kamm (2nd from L) with followers at Order of St Charbel’s sect headquarters in Nowra. NSW.
Jesus People USA

Daniel Landy-Ariel was prominent in the sect in Australia.
Began in Chicago in 1972 and became largest group to survive after the “Jesus movement”, which had roots in 1960s counterculture, receded in the 1980s but lived on in places including Cairns, Sydney and near Parkes.
Its Australian chapter was dominated by millionaire property owner Daniel Landy-Ariel, who admits to having two wives and promotes an orthodox Christian lifestyle in which followers speak the ancient language of Aramaic.
The group came to light largely when convicted murderer Luke Hunter managed to live within the sect.
Former follower of nine years, “Jeremiah”, told The Weekend Australian he saw a chair smacked over a girl’s back amid “some of the worst violence” which helped keep women as “subhumans”.
Mr Landy-Ariel acquires possessions of those who join, saying the practice is out of respect for his 41-day water-only fast in 1996.
He has also said he does not condone or authorise violence.

Daniel Landy-Ariel (centre) and Jesus People at their commune in Queensland in the mid-1980s.
Scott Williams
A self-styled pastor who as a teacher in Ballarat in the mid-70s, attracted attention for trying to indoctrinate high school students.
He moved with his wife to Germany, where he began recruiting young men at a military school, allegedly having them engage in mass naked massage sessions, after which he would select one to “surrender and submit to the Lord’s training” by spending the night with him.
His church, Christian Assemblies International, allegedly gave only about five per cent of a $20 million fund to charities, the rest going to maintenance of properties owned by Williams.
ABC’s Four Corners ran extensive expose last year after a four-year investigation, alleging Williams used a warped brand of evangelical Pentecostalism to mask a homosexual sex ring while using members’ donations for himself: Link here

 Followers of The Assembly have spoken out about their time in the sect.

Source: Alternet.org-September 2014

Vyckie Garrison was once a minor celebrity in the Quiverfull Movement, made famous by TV’s Duggar family. As a devout, Bible-believing Christian and the mother of seven homeschooled children, Garrison spent 16 years, with her husband, publishing a newspaper for families on a similar path. Today, via a website calledNo Longer Quivering, she publishes resources for women leaving the movement. Recently she  addressed American Atheistsabout her experience. This article is an abridged version of her remarks.

Whenever I talk about my escape from the Quiverfull movement, Christians immediately dismiss my experience by saying, “Your problem was not with Jesus or Christianity. Your problem was that you were following an extreme, legalistic cult. Let me tell you about my personal relationship with Jesus.” It can be extremely frustrating. I was in a close, personal relationship with Jesus for over 25 years. But rather than telling you about the beginning of my relationship with this man, I am going to spare you the long story and skip straight to the break up.

The end of my life as a “Bride of Christ” came after a visit to Bright Horizons, which is the local domestic violence shelter in my hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska. I went there for help in filing a restraining order against my husband, whose emotional and mental abuse against me and my children had escalated to the point that I was in the midst of a complete mental and physical breakdown. He had taken 6 of our 7 children to a town three hours from our home and was preventing me from having any contact with them unless I agreed to his terms for our “reconciliation.”

At the women’s shelter, I was given a form to complete … I wrote three pages describing the situation in our home, and after reading what I had written, the crisis volunteer said to me, “The judge will not grant you a protection order unless you actually accuse your husband of abuse.”

I told her that I didn’t really think my husband was “technically” abusive, and in fact, I had no doubt that he truly loved me and the kids. He always put us first … he basically centered his entire life around us! We were a good Christian family. The Bible commands husbands to “love your wives as Christ loved the church.” That’s the sort of godly man I was married to: a true patriarch who ruled his home according to God’s principles for marriage and family.

We had studied the Bible carefully, and knew so much about “Biblical Family Values,” that we felt qualified to teach others via our “Pro-life, Pro-family” Christian newspaper, The Nebraska Family Times. In 2003, we were named “Nebraska Family of the Year” by the Nebraska Family Council … and this was in recognition of our work to help get DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) passed in Nebraska. That’s not something that I’m at all proud of these days, but at the time, being named “Family of the Year” was enough to convince me that we were on the right track so far as marriage and family goes. I had become somewhat of a leader in what is now called “the Quiverfull movement” – Christian fundamentalist families who are dedicated to actually living out the biblical model for marriage and family in their daily lives.

Probably the most recognizable and influential Quiverfull family in America is reality TV’s Duggar Family of “Way Too Many and Counting” fame. But unlike fundamentalist Mormons who tend to congregate in just a few places in Utah, Arizona, Texas, etc., you will find Quiverfull families in nearly all types of churches in every community. This is because Quiverfull is not a denomination, with a creed to sign and a church to join. And it’s not technically a cult in the strict sense of having one central leader … instead, Quiverfull is a mindset (a very powerful head trip) in which each family becomes a cult unto itself with Daddy enshrined as the supreme Patriarch.

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Based on a literalist interpretation of Psalm 127, Quiverfull families eschew all forms of birth control. They have a high regard for the patriarchal family structure found in the Old Testament which emphasizes hierarchy, authority, and strict gender roles for men, women, boys, and girls.

The reason you can find Quiverfull families in nearly every type of Christian congregation is because Quiverfull beliefs are not actually a radical departure from traditional Christian teachings regarding marriage and family. It is my contention that Quiverfull IS regular Christianity writ large … lived out to its logical conclusion.

As Quiverull believers, my husband and I proudly embraced the ideal of biblical headship and submission. We believed, as the Bible teaches, that it is the man who is ultimately responsible for the spiritual well-being of his wife and children, and who must one day stand before his Maker and give an account. My husband understood this, and he took it very seriously … which is why he tried SO hard to be a loving, godly patriarch.

“So,” the woman at the domestic violence shelter asked me, “if he’s such a great, loving husband and father, what are you doing here? Why do you need a protection order?”

I tried to explain that, for some reason, despite how hard we were both trying to live according to Christian principles, our home had become an oppressive, miserable place in which none of us were happy, and it felt like we were all losing our minds. The problem was, everything I knew about relationships had been so completely redefined by Christian teachings that I did not have the language to name the abuse.

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So I went to therapy. One of the first things Deb, my counselor, showed me was a “Power and Control Wheel” which is a tool for helping abuse victims identify ways in which they are being manipulated, exploited, mistreated and enslaved.

As Deb went over each aspect of the Power & Control wheel, I began to realize that, yes, of course, all of these elements were present in my marriage … it’s just that we had different names for these things … we had chapter and verse to teach us that power and control is actually good and godly. We called it “Agape Love” – it’s the kind of love which God has for His creation …this was the relationship we were supposed to use as our model between husband and wife.

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For instance: the signs of emotional abuse include put downs, shaming, and guilt-tripping. Well, this is something my husband would never do … there really was no need since I was already fully aware of my inherently sinful nature, my “desperately wicked heart,” … He didn’t need to remind me that even my very best efforts were like filthy rags in comparison to God’s holiness.

Plus, I knew that as a woman, I was particularly susceptible to deception by Satan. How many times, when we were discussing an important decision, had my husband said to me, “What you are suggesting SOUNDS reasonable, but how do I know that Satan isn’t using you to deceive me?”

Well, according to the Bible, it was very likely that Satan WAS using me “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through child-bearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. (1 Timothy 2:14-15… As a good Christian woman, the last thing I wanted was to be accused of having a “Jezebel Spirit”!! Jezebel is the bossy, bold and dominating woman, who ‘wears the pants’ in the family, and in the Bible account, things ended badly for her: “’Throw her down’Jehu said. So they threw her down and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.” (2 Kings 9:33)

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Intimidation creates fear … but how can fear be a bad thing when, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom?” Was I afraid of my husband? Not in a physical sense, but I was always hesitant to contradict or “disrespect” him because God had placed him in authority over me, and God-given authorities can be considered “umbrellas of protection.”

Patriarchy is God’s umbrella of protection. By honoring and submitting to their husbands, wives receive the privileges of their spiritual protection. If a wife resists her husband’s instructions, she forfeits her place under his protection – not just for herself, but for also for her children.

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My husband didn’t intentionally isolate me and the children … it just kind of happened as a logical progression of our decision to live radically for Jesus. First, I dropped out of college and quit my job in order to be a “keeper at home” as the Bible commands. Then we cut out all meaningful associations with unbelievers, and most of our extended family who didn’t share our dedication to righteous living.

We taught our kids at home to protect them from the evil influence of godless humanism which we believed was the religion taught in the “government schools.” We eventually got to the point where we were so “biblical” that we felt the local Independent Fundamental Baptist church in our town was too liberal, too compromising … so we began homechurching with a couple of “like-minded” families who also were leaving their family planning up to God and homeschooling their many children.

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Minimizing, denying, and blaming … this one was obvious to me, because IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY, whatever suffering or adversity I might encounter as a result of our commitment to live according to biblical principles were merely “light and momentary afflictions.” Sure there were times when submitting to my husband’s decisions was a hassle, and yes, the pregnancies nearly killed me every time, BUT … who was I to complain, considering everything that Jesus had done for me? If I thought “almost” dying was bad, just imagine how horrible it was for Jesus, who actually died!! Motherhood was my mission field. Missionaries often risk their lives in order to spread the Gospel. And just like the missionaries, if I died in childbirth, in Heaven, I would wear a Martyr’s Crown.

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“Using children” didn’t really ring true to me. Everyone knows “Jesus love the little children” and the whole reason we were knocking ourselves out to follow the biblical model for marriage and family was in order to create a safe, loving home for our children, so no … I told Deb, “Using children? I don’t think that one really applies.”

… oh, except the part where using any form of birth control was tantamount to playing God, so I was kept perpetually pregnant or nursing, or both for more than 11 years. That verse in Psalm 127 says, “Blessed is the MAN who has his quiver full of them” … and it goes on to say,” he shall not be ashamed, but will speak with the enemies in the gates.” We were taught that in Bible times, the city gate was the place where male leaders made decisions regarding local government.

So this was about political domination. The whole point of having a quiver full of babies is to … out-populate the “enemy,” … that would be all of you; and to shoot those many arrows “straight into the heart of the enemy.” And by that, we meant that our children would grow up to be leaders in all the major institutions of our society. This was our plan for taking back America for God. So the children were like arrows (which is the ammunition) in God’s holy war. So, yeah … “using children” … definitely put a great big checkmark by that one.

Oh … and for those who are curious, but too polite to ask what it is like for these Quiverfull wives who are breeding like rabbits, I have a little story for you. A guy bunny meets a lady bunny in the field, and he says to her, “This won’t take long, did it?” (My kids hate it when I tell that joke. They say that it’s TMI.)

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I wouldn’t say that my husband used male privilege to control and dominate me and the kids. Male privilege was his rightful position. As Paul says in the book of 1 Corinthians, “For man did not come from woman, but woman from man. And man was not created for woman, but woman for man.

Biblical marriage is supposed to be a living portrait of the relationship between Jesus and the church, the “Bride of Christ.” Jesus has all power, all authority which is given to him by HIS Father (the same way power and authority are given by God to earthly fathers).

… So even though I’d heard that “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” I couldn’t believe that God-ordained authority could be abused because “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for a friend.” Jesus had that perfect love … He was a “servant-leader” …. and husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the Church, right?

We believed that while men were “privileged” with greater authority, they also were burdened with ultimate responsibility … so a woman’s absolute dependence was really more of a hardship for the man than for the ones over whom he held God-ordained dominion.

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Economic abuse? Well sure, money was always tight, but hey, finances were no picnic for my husband either, and besides, we had these promises …

My God will supply all my needs,” and “I have never seen a righteous man forsaken or his children begging for bread” … It was really just a matter of trust, plus careful money management.

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God always provided for us financially … like the time He led me to deliver my 5th baby at home with just a midwife …. never mind that homebirth was insanely risky considering the health issues which led to my first four babies being delivered by c-section … the baby and I both survived … and we saved a ton of money.

What could possibly make more sense than God’s financial plan?

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Coercion and threats … “No,” I told Deb, “he never threatened me.” I *willinging* went along with all the harsh demands of the Quiverfull lifestyle, and in many instances, I was the one who pushed patriarchy and headship ON HIM. Why would I do that?

Because I believed our family had an ENEMY who was determined to steal, kill, and destroy our souls, and the souls of our children, for all eternity! Our only protection from spiritual disaster, was within that one little secret spot of safety which Corrie ten Boom called, “The Hiding Place.” “The Hiding Place” isn’t any physical location … instead, it is a very specific, very narrow position … directly in the center of God’s will. There, and only there, we could safely trust in God’s protection.

He never had to raise his voice to keep me and the children in our place. And when he did raise his voice, well that was “speaking the truth in love.” When he constantly criticized and complained about all the ways in which the children and I failed to live up to God’s perfect standards, he was “hating the sin, but loving the sinner.” He didn’t have to brandish a weapon in order to control our every action, indeed even our thoughts and feelings. All he had to do was fulfill his God-appointed role of Patriarch; to love us as Christ loves the church.

After going through all the points on the Power and Control wheel, I was ready to admit that, yes, I was in an abusive relationship. I told my counselor, “I want out!”

Deb said me, “You have to protect yourself and your children! You need to divorce this man!”

She was talking about my husband, and I was thinking, “Well, yeah … him, too.”

I did file for divorce and rescue myself and my kids from the tyranny of patriarchy. But for me, the primary break up was with Jesus. You see, being in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is a set up for dysfunctional game-playing and crazy-making head trips. According to Christianity, Jesus subjected himself to torture and death, so that we could have the “free gift” of eternal life … and by “free,” he means, it’s only going to cost you everything you have and everything you are.

When the very definition of perfect love is sacrificing your children and martyring yourself, there is no place for emotionally healthy concepts like boundaries, consent, equality, and mutuality. I could not say that my husband’s patriarchal behavior was abusive so long as I was committed to a relationship with “The Big Guy” who exemplifies the abusive bully, and who commands his followers to imitate His very warped and twisted idea of “love.”

I started a blog, No Longer Quivering, as a way to process my Quiverfull life and try to understand how I’d come to embrace such a fanatical lifestyle. The response was surprisingly phenomenal and over time, NLQ has grown to into something like a movement of women escaping and healing from spiritual abuse. There are now dozens of former fundamentalist women (and a few men) who are sharing their stories, and many of the kids who were raised in these homes have started their own blogs, including Libby Anne, who runs the amazing, Love, Joy, Feminism site on Patheos. Getting out is extremely hard. Leaving an abusive relationship is challenge enough, and when you have half a dozen or more kids, no marketable job skills … BUT, Quiverfull women are already used to doing the impossible, so when it comes to rescuing themselves and their children, “extremely hard” feels like a relief!

[Editor’s note: Vyckie doesn’t say so, but in contrast to publishing resources for Quiverfull families, publishing for women in recovery doesn’t pay. Some of the women at No Longer Quivering recently launched a fundraiser to keep Vyckie from losing her house.]

Some Quiverfull kids are making the break, too. Growing up in a Quiverfull home means being raised by a narcissistic father and having a mother with a huge martyr complex. The kids are treated as property to be hoarded. They are isolated, coerced and manipulated, abused and deprived socially and educationally. As surrogate moms, the older daughters bear the brunt of the work: cleaning, cooking … even homeschooling and disciplining their younger siblings when the Quiverfull mothers become too worn down and burned out from perpetual pregnancy and trying to keep up with this unsustainable lifestyle.

When they finally encounter the “real world,” these kids are pissed. They feel ripped off … and rightfully so. The backlash is awesome to witness as they’ve channeled their anger into activism and begun to fight back with their own websites such as Homeschoolers Anonymous and Homeschooling’s Invisible Children. All of these sites are linked at No Longer Quivering and I encourage you to check them out.

Note: Credit for the originalPower and Control Wheelgoes toDomestic Abuse Intervention Programsin Duluth, MN.

Vyckie Garrison is a former adherent of the Quiverfull movement. She tells her story at her blog, “No Longer Quivering,” and has created the Spiritual Abuse Survivior Blog Network.

We speak with ex Scientology members as they blow the lid on one of the most famous cults of all time!

‘Exposed: Ireland’s Secret Cults’ airs Tonight Monday 26th September, 2011 at 9pm on TV3

‘Exposed: Ireland’s Secret Cults!’ takes a close look at a number of cults operating right here in Ireland.

The first of these cults is Christiana Gallagher’s House of Prayer in Achill Co. Mayo. We go undercover to examine the source of her seemingly lavish life style and look at the credibility of some of her “God given” predictions about the future of the world, as well as those running ‘The House of Prayer’ in her name.

Also exposed in the documentary is perhaps the most famous cult of all, ‘Scientology’! We look at their methods of extracting money from new recruits and how they manage to keep members loyal to the cult. We also speak to ex members who have worked within ‘Scientology’ itself and find out what attracts the likes of Tom Cruise to join such a cult!

Finally, we expose perhaps the most mysterious of them all the ‘Palmarians’. ‘Palmarians’ originate in Spain but attract a large number of followers here in Ireland! We look at the cult’s wealth and very strict rule set that can separate children from their parents.