The top ten frequently asked Twelve Tribes questions
by US ex-member Cheryl
August 2014
Q: Why do all your men wear beards and tie their hair in ponytails?
A: Our men grow beards because we require it of them. Also the Old
Testament book of Ezekiel refers to priests who kept their hair
bound at the back of the neck and who trimmed their hair.
Q: Why do your women dress the way they do?
A: Our women are required to wear baggy Sus pants, skirts and
dresses. We want all of our women to look perpetually pregnant so
that the men will not be attracted to them in a sexual way! We
don’t want our men to suffer with sexual thoughts and fantasies -
thus we dress the women in the baggiest and most ample clothes
our women can sew!
Q: What does a person need to do to visit one of your communities?
A: All visitors are required to attend the morning and evening
gatherings where the teachings of the “Apostle” Elbert Eugene
Spriggs are rehashed. Visitors must passively accept what they
hear in the gatherings. No arguing. Baptized members must obey
these teachings or risk shunning or excommunication. Spriggs
says in his teaching on Reasoning the following:
“The Holy Spirit is only given to the many whose hearts are known
by God. He knows that their heart is to repent, surrender their
head. They know that their head has to go…..” Ransom 3/23/89
“Reasoning is rebellion in its highest form.” Reasoning 12/18/90
Q: Do you have one leader who lives off the labor of everyone else?
A: Yes, his name is Elbert Eugene Spriggs and he claims the titles of
“Apostle”, Netser, the Elijah, Yoneq and the “Anointing.” He is a
narcissistic cult leader! Community members work 16-18 hours a
day or more so Spriggs can devote his time to writing new
teachings and traveling the world with a pocket full of credit cards.
In an interview with reporter Mary Richardson, former high ranking
Twelve Tribes member James Howell said the following about
Elbert Spriggs:
“Compared to one of the elders whose toes stick out the front of his
boots and the knees out of his pants and his shirt in tatters, Gene
Spriggs is well dressed. Gene Spriggs often wears the latest LL
Bean Polar Fleece shirt and jacket, Hi tech hikers, and banana
republic pants. Later on we learned that Spriggs owned 5 pairs of
Hi tech hikers in his closet. Relatively speaking he lives as a very
rich man.”
In the same interview with Mary Richardson, former high ranking
Twelve Tribes member Michael Painter said the following about
Spriggs:
“I visited the Boston community and looked in Bill Hinchcliffe’s
closet and said to him, ‘what are you doing with these 5 pairs of
expensive $180.00 10 1/2 D New Balance Hi Tech hikers”? You
wear 8 1/2.” Bill responded with “These belong to Yoneq (Gene
Spriggs). He can’t purchase them in France, so he is going to
take them to France. Elbert Eugene Spriggs always wore New
Balance Hi Tech hikers.”
And the reporter Mary Richardson asked a question. Does Elbert
Eugene Spriggs travel freely around the world?
JH – Yes
MP – Yes
JH – Spriggs may write new teachings or members may live in new
places or they may wear their hair different or wear different
clothes but the basic theme will be obedience to him and his
teachings! And finally former Tribes member Michael Painter
sums up Elbert Eugene Spriggs in this manner:
“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This
is my opinion of Spriggs.” Every former member that we have
contact with expresses the same thought about Elbert and his
lust for power and control. The early community began with
honorable intentions as they helped many young people quit
drugs, and fed the hungry and homeless but as Spriggs
garnered more and more power he became blinded. He is
leading all the Tribe’s members into a ditch.”
Q: Are you a cult?
A: Yes. We are a relatively small group (2,500 – 3,000) of people
holding religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as
dangerous, oppressive, false, unorthodox (unchristian), or
extremist. The group members hold in high esteem the leader
(Elbert Spriggs) who supposedly has a special pipeline to God
with no actual accountability giving him/her a special authority
and weightiness in their pronouncements. If group members
refuse to obey the leader then they are rebellious! We isolate
our members from their extended families and the world. They
do not read newspapers, books, go to the library (generally),
listen to the radio, or connect to the Internet. During the morning
and evening gathering the teachings of the “Apostle” Elbert
Eugene Spriggs are rehashed. All baptized community members
are expected to obey the Spriggs teachings or risk shunning or
excommunication. Former high ranking Tribes member James
Howell said the following:
“Their dedication to Spriggs is the prerequisite for remaining in the
group.”
Q: What keeps you together?
A: We use phobia indoctrination making it difficult for members to
leave us. Examples include the following: “If you leave the
community you will become a homosexual.” “If you leave the
safety of the Twelve Tribes a thunder bolt will strike you dead!”
“If you leave you or your family member will have a fatal car
wreck!” The Twelve Tribes also employs mind control on its
members.
Q: Do you follow the Bible, or some other writings?
A: Only Elbert Eugene Spriggs is allowed to give original teaching
and his writings (not the Bible) are the final authority in the
communities. Community members must obey the teachings of
Spriggs or risk shunning or excommunication. “Everything we hear
in the teachings we are required to obey.” (Repentance 4/2/91)
Q: Who is this Gene Spriggs?
A: Elbert Eugene Spriggs is the sole (unchecked) leader of the Twelve
Tribes and claims the titles of “Apostle,” the “prophet Elijah,”
“Netser,” and the “Anointing.” Spriggs claims that God speaks to
him! Elbert claims a “direct pipeline to God” and that he is a
special messenger with a unique revelation. “Yoneq expressed
how there have been several things which our Father has spoken to
him which have kept us on course.” (Letter from Yowceph to
Jonathan and Caleb) And in another teaching Spriggs says, “This is
a word to all true disciples. Our Father revealed to me that we must
observe the Sabbath – the day He made, not Sunday.” (Observing
the Sabbath)
This is what the Apostolic Workers have said about Spriggs!
“We are Yoneq new sprout. We are Yoneq’s most precious
possession. We are the validity of his apostleship. We stand
in his place. We are the new sprout organically related to one
another. We must practice his words!” – Apostolic Workers Meeting
6/13/88
And a former member has said, “Yoneq is the anointing everyone refers to.”
“We must see that it is Yoneq’s spirit holding our community together. If we resist then it is hard to function in community. Resistance makes life miserable. Subtle rebellion disables Yoneq from functioning as an apostle. If we pick apart our leaders it makes it hard to rule. The work will go forward with cooperation. But if you resist authority the work ceases. We must be loyal to Yoneq and his anointing. – Apostolic Workers Meeting 6/13/88
Q: Do you believe that God speaks through everyone or just through
one leader?
A: We follow and obey our “Apostle” Elbert Eugene Spriggs. During
the morning and evening gatherings we love our leader so much
we rehash and talk about his teachings! Obedience to Spriggs is
the prerequisite for remaining in the group according to former
high ranking member James Howell. We all seek to have the
mind of our leader Elbert Spriggs!
