I grew up in Warsaw, MO and I spent many weekends visiting the Community. Not once did they preach to me about their beliefs, try to convince me to join them, or judge me for my very different lifestyle. I was welcomed there any day, invited or not, to eat, dance, sing, and be merry with them. I was allowed as a 16 year old girl to stay the weekend in their humble home, sharing in their daily activities and watching a beautiful reenactment from a book in the Bible. I am not Christian, nor do I associate with any religion. They loved and cared for me anyway. I knew many members of the Community throughout my high school years, and I still keep in touch with one who left them. He has never had anything bad to say about them, and left on his own free will. I do not understand how anyone could associate this peaceful group of people to being a "dangerous cult". Until you have spent time with them, spoken to them, eaten meals with them, enjoyed their hospitality and appreciated their hard work and kind demeanor... I would advise you not judge them.

Amen JoyfulProgress. If you are looking for perfection in the 12 Tribes, you won't find it. They are simply a group of faulty people who are striving to love God with all their hearts. We are all faulty, none of us are perfect. No one besides our Creator. It's a beautiful thing. I'll admit, I was looking for perfection when I joined the community. And I am so glad I didn't find it, because I have learned that nothing with God is ever black and white. He leaves so much room for grace. What I found was a beautiful place where people truly love each other enough to do something about it. And months later, even after I have "escaped the cult and been away from the brainwashing" (haha), I still love them and have nothing but the utmost respect for them.

The Marsha Spriggs story does not replace my love for the individuals in the Community or the Community as a whole. All it tells me is, is that Marsha and Yadutan and all of the people there are just that: people. Real people. Sometimes people make mistakes, big and small. Sometimes people break up relationships over others, or their own, mistakes or inabilities, sometimes they work through it, sometimes they forget and move on and sometimes they make up years later. Anyway you slice it, it's OK. Live and let live and allow each other not only the grace to make mistakes but the grace to heal from them and be happy, too. We ALL deserve that. Eventually we learn that to be happy we have to forgive and forget (that's when our REAL life and happiness will begin), and that can ONLY be done in your own heart, on an individual basis. I know that's what has worked for me and I am all that much happier and healthier for it. In or out of the community,

Marsha Spriggs extramarital affair part 4 hide it in order to continue their charade. I have had a lot to do with many people joining or remaining in the tribes. I feel for conscience sake, they are all deserving of the truth and deserve to know ALL the information that I now have and also to know why Yadutan and his wife had to leave. This is just a very brief version of a much deeper and more involved story. Please everyone know that Yadutan and his wife Emunah loved and gave their lives to the building of the community, as did my wife and I, but I can not stand by while my friends unwittingly go on trusting their lives, believing that they are building on something solid. My faith has been undermined by the reality of what the twelve tribes has really become! I did not easily come to these decisions. It has been very painful for everyone involved and I know for a fact that Yadutan has no joy in having to live with this. BUT NEVER THE LESS IT IS THE TRUTH. People can try and contact him if they need to know or verify anything. There are those who will say this is a lie from people who listen to liars, but there pages and pages and pages of emails and letters concerning this matter. There are those who won’t care anyways and will continue on in the community. This letter isn’t for those people. This letter is for the people who still care about the truth. For those who have been on the edge, and even for those who haven’t. It’s a wake up call to our friends in the Twelve Tribes.

Marsha Spriggs extramarital affair part 3 serious nature? Should Hur know about how Ha-emeq was judged for 14 YEARS of deceit after seeing his boys judged for sins far less serious. The list could go on for quite some time. Should all those cooks meetings be disregarded because Ha-emeq was “in the flesh” when she taught and led them? THE IMPLICATIONS ARE FAR REACHING! Think about it…. And what about Yoneq’s response? How many times I have sat and waited to hear from Yoneq concerning our Father’s judgment for someone, whether they should be sent away from the body or not. And this was only after several kahals and fact finding meetings. All the while, those who committed the sins are being held in custody. He was asked time and again to be discreet and just forgive and “have wisdom and conceal the matter.” Scriptures were sent to him encouraging him to keep the matter to himself. Yadutan was unable to obtain a good conscience this way and all his experience in the tribes was now in doubt for him and his wife. Even his own position seemed fraudulent to him as he felt “bought” so to speak. He insisted more men be brought in and so Yoneq agreed and told Nahaliel and Nun. After expressing their grave concern with the seriousness of the matter, investigating, and finding the whole story to be exactly true as Yadutan had described in lurid detail, they both began a letter writing campaign to get Yadutan to just “move on” in the tribes. Yadutan was increasingly distressed by these “elders” inability to grasp the gravity of this hypocrisy. He wrote to them about “the emperors new clothes”, and the MEN BEHIND THE EMPEROR and the foundations of the community (teachings, tribes, minchahs) being formed all by those who were living a lie while harshly judging others for their lack of purity. He does not feel innocent of all this himself, but when he tried to do the right thing, he saw that it wasn’t really in the hearts of the leaders to deal fairly with the truth but to

Ha-emeq's extramarital affair part 2 Yadutan is not “blaming” Ha-emeq as being the only guilty one for what occurred, but he was terribly confused and upset in his conscience about what they had fallen into. He encouraged her to stop on several occasions but she did not want to, and so they continued in their weakness. THIS CONTINUED FOR A YEAR OR SO until Yoneq and Ha-emeq left Brazil. At this point Yadutan was able to clear his head and wrote Ha-emeq telling her that they must confess and repent and get forgiven no matter the cost. He told her she must expose it to Yoneq or he would have to do it! Ha-emeq wrote back saying it was ok, all was forgiven. Yadutan continued under the impression Ha-emeq had exposed herself. Years later, it is uncovered that Ha-emeq had NEVER TOLD THE TRUTH. She has continued on in her role judging and mentoring, representing God on the earth, and whatever else you might describe her role to be, with a very very bad conscience the whole time. When Yadutan began to see that the tribes were “falling apart” on so many levels, he began to consider the problems, why they never get fixed and the hypocrisy that had risen to the sky. He called for a meeting with Yoneq. He confessed to his own wife what had happened before they had met, and they went to Hiddenite to have the big meeting. When he got there he was met with what he felt was an attempt to sweep it all under the rug. Yoneq said that he had just recently learned about the whole matter. He questioned them both concerning what had happened and then he forgave them both, and he told them that our Father forgave them! That’s it! Yadutan wondered why there was no body meeting, discipline, nothing! How could a husband judge his own wife like this with no counsel? Others had been sent away for years , forced to marry, or worse, over less! Should Yacob and Qetsiayah know about this, after suffering over what their daughters went through for committing sins of a far less

14 or so years ago …. Yadutan was approached somewhat aggressively by Ha-emeq when he was a very young disciple in the church. Ha-emeq made sexual advances towards him. He was in a very uncomfortable position, being “hit on” by the leaders wife. This was happening during the time when the morning and evening sacrifices were being established and taught about on daily basis. For those of you who remember or have heard those teachings since then, you can appreciate the enormity of what went on between Yadutan and Ha-emeq. There were times when she would grab him by the belt loop or hold his hand while they were walking. There were times when they were traveling on their bus that she would slip her hands under his bed covers and hold his hand at night. One night she approached him from behind on the beach and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Eventually he gave in to the temptation and BECAME INVOLVED IN A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HA-EMEQ.. No, they did not have intercourse, or oral sex, but they did everything else. They would passionately kiss, they would be stripped down to their underwear, lying on top of one another. They would masturbate one another. They would go to the newly established gatherings unclean, minutes after being together. She would hold his hand during breaking of bread. They would have had intercourse but at one point or another one of them would stop the other. I understand that this is not pleasant or even dignified to have to read these things, but I don’t know any other way of getting my point across. I have sat in many meetings judging people for doing much less than what these two people participated in. I have seen families torn apart because of judgments that have come from Yoneq over youth who have held hands or kissed. I have heard and taught on the utter wickedness of going to breaking of bread and minchot over and over again with unconfessed sin much less serious in nature than what I speak of today.

sorry the end got cut off. forgiveness.True Forgiveness and Salvation!I am ashamed for what I have done and long to come back to the only place I know that strives to be a enemy free territory and were Gods people live and love under His protection. I know this will shock many, but I know where my heart is and I need to get back to it. The Holy Nation of the Preists of the New Isreal is not without flaws or problems but I do not need to accentuate them or add to them.There still remains the restoration of all things and the Spirit of Eliyah. The Father has turned His heart once more in my direction and my heart is now turning back to Him, even though I deserve nothing.I beg for His Mercy!!! You wont be hearing from me again, anywhere on the net, email or the discussion groups. Even if I am not allowed back to the fold I am warding off computers for good. I encourage all who have heard the Truth to listen to your hearts and re-evaluate your decision to return to your own vomit... You know who you are and your Abba loves you and misses you. DONT BELIEVE THE LIES!!! Good Bye...David Pike, Once known as Daveed Yathed

An interesting post from Nabashalam on factnet. Shortly before he was denied restoration to the TT. Posted on Sunday, December 26, 2004 - 9:58 pm: Edit Post Delete Post Print Post Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) To the Only Ones... This is not a joke. I am completely and utterly serious when I say that I have turned my back on the Messiah and once again I find myself lost and in the world. I allowed my flesh to rule over me and let the evil one draw me away from the fold with accusations and lies. To sooth my guilty conscience I slandered the only people who truly serve God and not theirselves. I have searched everywhere for a purpose and a place to belong and dont fit in anywhere now that I have heard the truth spoken by the only people who have the authority to speak Gods word. I have been filled with the lies of men who claim they know the truth about the Twelve Tribes when they themselves are pawns of the evil one and do not realise it. All the truths I heard in the Twelve Tribes keep coming back whenever I read the paper or here men speak of things they have no idea what their talking about and see how completely they are decieved by the spirit of this age. I fell because I strayed from the covering of my Abba and looked elsewhere for excuses to not suffer with Messiah and have my cake and eat it too. Be carefull how you listen I was told. I found some literature in a cafe I was working at and snatched it up for fear a younger brother might read it and fall and low and behold, I was not strong enough to fight the confusion and enticement that lurked within its pages. I also unlawfully peroused the internet looking for loopholes in salvation and was handed them on a silver platter, just like Johns head. I know I have been a officer and tactician for the enemy and deserve execution but I am begging for mercy and forgiveness.True Forgiveness and Salvation!I am ashamed for what I have done and long to come back to the only place I know that striv

Megan, I have people like your Mom contact me all the time asking for help with there children who are about to dismantle and destroy their lives because of groups like this one. Throw away all they have worked for to "serve God". Don't you think there are others "serving God" outside of thei group? That's not what the TT will teach you. They tell you all others outside of "The Body" are actually serving a demon called "Jesus Christ"! Is that who you served before you met them? I don't think so!!! Read these two checklists and see how the Tribes score... http://www.culthelp.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1197&Itemid=5 http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm and like I said...there are many nice "home churches" that start out good but turn into the same thing as the Tribes did in Chattanooga. So take the time to educate yourself and then if you wish, return to them! I do not tell anyone to join them or not to... Who am I to tell someone what to do? I just try and help others to make an INFORMED decision. That is all...