OUR TAKE ON THE TWELVE TRIBES

ABOUT ITHACANS OPPOSED TO

Q: ARE THE TWELVE TRIBES A HATE GROUP?

A: While hate is probably not the primary motivation for

people joining Twelve Tribes and there is no evidence
that the group seeks to do violence to anyone outside the
group, their leader Eugene Spriggs teaches that God
approved of the slavery of African Americans, that
Martin Luther King, Jr. was “evil,” that Jews are born
"cursed," that the “three races of Man” should be
separated and that homosexuals as individuals "are
detestable, not just their sin" and “deserve death.” The
Southern Poverty Law Center characterizes a hate group
as one that has “beliefs or practices that attack or malign
an entire class of people, typically for their immutable
characteristics.” Of course they say that it is obedience to
God's Word and not hate that motivates their beliefs.
Should that provide them immunity from criticism?
Q: ISN'T "CULT" A PEJORITIVE TERM AND
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THEY ARE ONE?
A: Darn right it is a pejoritive term and that's exactly how
we mean it! According to West and Langhorne (1985) "A
cult is a group or movement exhibiting a great or
excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea or
thing and employing unethically manipulative techniques
of persuasion and control (e.g. isolation from former
friends and family, debilitation, use of special methods to
heighten suggestibility and subservience, powerful group
pressures, information management, suspension of
individuality or critical judgment, promotion of total
dependency on the group and fear of [consequences of]
leaving it, etc) designed to advance the goals of the
group's leaders to the actual or possible detriment of
members, their families, or the community." A little
research shows that this description fits the Twelve Tribes
to a "T." A word preferred by some to "cult" is "high
control group." Make up your own mind about what they
are after reading personal accounts of former members
from the links at iottc.blogspot.com.
THE TWELVE TRIBES CULT: WHAT THE
We are Ithacans interested in raising awareness
about the beliefs and practices of those who
TWELVE
belong to the "Twelve Tribes" religious cult
who own and operate the Maté Factor on the TRIBES
Ithaca Commons and live in a group house in
Fall Creek. As citizens committed to civil rights
for all, tolerance for people of diverse cultures
BELIEVE
and faiths, equal rights for women and a liberal
education for our children, we are concerned
about the presence in our community of a group
who promote an ideology antithetical to these
ideals while actively proselytizing and
recruiting new members. The First Amendment
guarantees to us all the right to our views and
speech. While we affirm this right of theirs, we
are conscious of our own right and
responsibility to exercise judgment regarding
which business establishments we patronize.
THE TEACHINGS
IOTTC advocates a boycott by all Ithacans of OF THEIR LEADER,
the Twelve Tribes Mate Factor on the Ithaca
Commons and close scrutiny of this group by EUGENE SPRIGGS,
local authorities to ensure that they are
complying with all New York State and Federal
A.K.A. "YONEQ"
laws.
PROVIDED BY
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
VISIT ITHACANS OPPOSED TO THE
IOTTC.BLOGSPOT.COM TWELVE TRIBES CULT
iottc.blogspot.com