A friend saw people passing out fliers for the Yellow Deli a few weeks back. He heard they were an old '70's cult coming back in Chattanooga after having been run out of town back in the day.

Naturally, I was curious, and I googled them. Here's their side.

Very little that sounds especially sinister - they sound a lot more like the people at the Baptist churches I grew up in than the do the Jim Jones cult, this much is for sure.

It certainly is troublesome that they are vocal about their "Biblical" disciplinary methods, and that this led to investigations of child-abuse. In this part of the country, *everyone* uses "Biblical" disciplinary practices, and it is very rarely a cause for investigation into child abuse - even when it, to my mind, crosses the line into the realm of abuse. So that's scary.

Rick Ross is a "cult researcher", more respectable than most - at least these days. He gives his take here.

Here, they certainly don't sound much like anyone you'd want your kid hooking up with. Still no Heaven's gate, but... well...

But Wiseman’s own son fled Twelve Tribes and later told the Boston Herald “growing up in there…things…just weren’t right."

In 1978 the elders of the group reportedly conceded that their church had an “authoritarian character” reported the Chattanooga Times.

Twelve Tribes has also been frequently criticized for its racist teachings.

Spriggs has taught his followers that “Martin Luther King and others have been inspired by the evil one to have forced equality” (”Unraveling the Races of Man” 1988).

Spriggs once observed, “It is horrible that someone would rise up to abolish slavery. What a wonderful opportunity that blacks could be brought over here to be slaves so that they could be found worthy of the nations” (”Cham and Servitude” 1991).

The group has also been called “anti-Jewish.”

Twelve Tribes teaches that “‘Jews are hostile to all men’ except those in Messiah…they are contrary, antagonistic…opposite…opposing…against…opposed…obstinate…The Jews double fallen nature is inclined to be a reproach…to the Gentiles…”(”Jews” August 1996).

Then there's this:

CultNews has learned that when members leave they most often take virtually nothing, despite whatever gifts they may have given the group and many years of hard work.

Meanwhile Spriggs lives in relative luxury, spending his time at various homes in the United States, France and Brazil, while many of his followers subsist modestly in group housing.

Whenever Twelve Tribes or its “prophet” has been criticized and/or scrutinized by anyone, this has frequently been characterized as “persecution.”

It their recent public postings group members claim that “prejudice” and “fear” led to them being “driven from Chattanooga” and compared that experience to the “Salem Witch Trials.”

Twelve Tribes members also say that Spriggs and his wife Marsha moved to New England much like the “brave Pilgrims…fleeing…for freedom of religion.”

Spriggs followers then blame everything on public officials and accept no meaningful responsibility for the group’s bad behavior

Interesting. I guess I'll have to keep track of them for a while & see what it's really all about.