The Twelve Tribes claim they have no leader

 Elbert Eugene Spriggs is the undisputed leader of the Twelve Tribes and claims to be an “Apostle” and “the prophet Elijah.”  Spriggs says of himself, “I must begin by saying that the only authority I have to be called an apostle is my fruit.  Of course authority comes from God, but is recognized by men according to its fruit its practicality.”  (Apostolic Role)  He also says, “This is why Elijah must come to raise up the age old foundation, restore the church to the Israel of YHWH.  The Roman, Greek and Protestant are completely off the foundation (Apostasy, Apostate Israel Today).

2.   Elbert Spriggs also claims a “direct pipeline to God,” and that he is

      a special messenger with a unique revelation!  “Yoneq (Spriggs)

      expressed how there have been several things which our Father

      has spoken to him which have kept us on course.”  (Letter from

      Yoceph 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 were to observe the Sabbath – the day He made, not

      Sunday.”  (Observing the Sabbath)

3.   Only Elbert Spriggs is allowed to give original teaching, and his

      writings are the final authority within the communities.  Elbert

      Eugene Spriggs has no real accountability.

4.   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)  “If an

      elder questioned Spriggs’ teachings he could lose his place of

      authority.  Dissenting elders were also talked about in the

      Apostolic Workers Meetings.”  – Michael Painter (Former Member)

5.   Every person must submit to the elders who are in submission to

      the leader (Spriggs).  Demands absolute obedience

6.   Inhibits critical thinking so that a ‘group think’ mentality

      predominates.  Followers give up the right to make value

      judgments of their own.  (They cannot reason.)  This is an

      example of behavior control.

7.  Community members are intensely controlled in the areas of dress,

     and the regulation of where they live.  “When we are in the Body

     we have no independent action or movement.  AWM 6/12/88

     “When God commands us, if we stop to consider the matter to see

     if there is sufficient reason for us to do it, then we are still living

     according to the flesh.  If the elders say you need to move to ….’

     and you say, ‘what is the reason for that?  I’m doing fine here, etc.,

     no matter how good you may do in the flesh, you cannot go past

     that rebellion.’  Reasoning  11/18/90

 All men must wear their hair in shoulder length ponytails with a long, untrimmed beard.  All women wear long dresses, skirts or “Sus” pants.  Women also have long hair.  Unity within the “church” is heavily stressed, usually to the point where it becomes the chief doctrine.  Unity is considered to be more important than “Doctrine.”

      This also is an example of behavior control.

B.   Food restrictions are also tightly regulated.  This is not only in

      regards to what a member can eat but even his enjoyment of food

      and how fast he eats.  “Lev. 11:46….A LAW NEVER CHANGES

      …. There will always be clean and unclean beast, fish.  The law

      for us is to eat what is EATABLE.  ALL FOOD IS CLEAN.  We

      must distinguish the unclean and the clean – between the animal

      that is food and the animal that is not food.  (Priesthood

      Distinguish Between the clean and Unclean).  “If it is not a need it

      is an act of the flesh – like eating when you don’t need to.  Eating

      for pleasure is greed.  No one who does this will enter the

      kingdom, also no one who eats fast – even when you are alone -

      will enter the kingdom …..  If we eat hurriedly it means we don’t

      know God or our brothers and sisters.’

C.   Emotion control is also practiced within the communities,

       narrowing a person’s emotional responses.  The gray areas

       of life are slowly eliminated, and everything progressively

       becomes black and white.  The manipulation and narrowing of

       emotions occurs in three ways with the regular use of guilt, anger,

       and shame.

8.   The Twelve Tribes Community practices brutal information control.

      Community members are not permitted to read newspapers,

      books, listen to the radio, go to libraries (usually), or connect to the

      Internet.  This causes the individual to become highly dependent

      on the group.

9.   The community claims a special exalted status for itself.  “We are

      the light and the hope of the world.  We are the only ones who can

      reclaim this earth for its Maker.  We are the only ones whose lives

      of love and pure devotion, like a bride for her groom, can bring

      heaven to earth all other attempts to do so are not merely futile,

      they are evil.’

10.  Members are encouraged (strongly) to break ties with family and

       friends and society.  The Community becomes a replacement

       family and society.  Restricts the ability to leave the group through

       the use of phobia indoctrination.  Examples include the following:

       “If you leave the safety of the community, you will have a terrible

       accident and die.”  “If you leave us, you will become a

       homosexual.”  “If you go into the world, lightening will strike you

       dead.”  The community constructs psychological and emotional

       prisons for its members making it difficult for unhappy members to

       leave.  They are literally terrified to leave.