| My Story |
| The South Towns woman summed up her frustration in one short sentence:
"I've already lost my daughter." The woman's daughter, who is in her 30's,
is a member of the Community, a town of Hamburg group of about 40 people
who live together, dress in mod |
| Vine Elders Concede Church Has Authoritarian Character |
| Former members and other observers have accused the Vine Community of
taking susceptible young people, isolating them from society, indoctrinating
them into the order, making them. submit to an abusive authority structure,
and making them work up |
| Estee Lauder's latest tangle |
| "Estee Lauder's latest tangle"- Estee Lauder had been using labor from
a personal care products company called Common Sense to work on products
from its Origins line. Common Sense is run by a controversial organization
called Twelve Tribes. |
| Sect Children are Used to Abuse |
| "Sect children are used to abuse"- They start working as young as 2 or
3, and by 13 or 14 are expected to quit home-schooling to work alongside
their parents, making the candles and furniture sold to finance the group
headed by 6-3 year old leader El |
| Redford Catalog Sold Cult's Goods |
| "Redford catalog sold cult's goods"- A catalog company owned by Robert
Redford unwittingly sold products made by a firm that uses unpaid child
laborers all members of a controversial upstate cultto make some of its
products. |
| Cultists Insist Kids 'Are Not Oppressed' |
| "Cultist's kids are not oppressed"- Unapologetic members of the controversial
Twelve Tribes cult called a press conference to defend their lifestyle against
allegations of childlabor abuse and racism, But even while doing so, they
admitted to pushing |
| State Probes Cult in Child-Labor |
| "State probes cult in child-labor scandal"- A bizarre upstate cult that
uses unpaid kid laborers to chum out products- some in Robert Redford's
catalog- is tinder scrutiny by state labor officials following a Post report
on their practices. |
| Twelve Tribes sect denies charges of child labor abuse |
| "State probes cult in child-labor scandal"- A bizarre upstate cult that
uses unpaid kid laborers to chum out products- some in Robert Redford's
catalog- is tinder scrutiny by state labor officials following a Post report
on their practices. |
| Racist sect digs in at rock festivals |
| 'Racist sect digs in at rock festivals"- Christian fundamentalists are
taking advantage of open-air music gatherings to spread anti-Semitic messages. |
| A New Refuge For Walkaways |
| "A new refuge. for walkaways"- A nursing home that sits empty and ramshackle
in farm country about 50 miles south of Boston is slated to open next summer
as the nations first residential home for people who have left or escaped
religious mind-control |
| Scholastic Scope |
| Natasha grew up moving from town to town and house to house with her
parents, living with dozens of other adults and kids who weren't part of
her family. In the community houses, Natasha says, children were beaten
with bamboo sticks and FORBIDDEN to |
| Tribes Member ATTACKED |
| 'Twelve Tribes member attacked"- A 48-year-old Coxsackie man was arrested
and charged with assault after allegedly attacking a member of the Twelve
tribes group with a baseball bat. |
| FBI Arrest Father for Taking His Son |
| "FBI arrests father for taking his son"- A Canadian man suspected of
taking his son from the child's mother and bringing him to a religious community
was arrested by federal agents at one of the group's homes in Santa Cruz. |
| Mother Pleads To Child |
| "Mother pleads to child"- Kris Servante is making an anguished plea to
the daughter she hasn't seen in 10 years. More than a decade ago, Karen
was swept into the Northeast Kingdom Community Church. |
| In good faith? |
| "In good faith"- A controversial religious cult alleged to be involved
in systematic abuse arrived in Winnipeg to set up a chapter. Within weeks,
another 50 or so members are expected to follow, clearing out the small
Nova Scotia community they've li |
| Three cult members wanted in abductions |
| "Three cult members wanted in abductions"- Three members of a controversial
religious cult which moved into Winnipeg are wanted across North America
on child abduction charges. "FBI arrests father for taking his son"- A Canadian
man suspected of tak |
| The Bureau of National Affairs |
| The state seeks to have Eugene Hunt held in contempt for failure to pay
child support. |
| Dawson Goes Missing With Young Son |
| Parents rights activist Edward "Isaac" Dawson is back in conflict with
authorities over his young son. |
| Mom seeks to save kids from cold hands of cult |
| "Mom seeks to save kids from cold hands of cult"- Laurie Marrano, Johnson's
children have been missing for two years- the boys are allegedly being hidden
by an international cult, the Northeast Kingdom Community Church, a cult
[aka "the Community" an |
| The Cult That Scourges Children |
| "The cult that scourges children"- This is a place where reality wobbles
like a table with one short leg. Here, some people say, Walt Disney characters
are evil and the world is satanic. Here in the name of God - children are
often beaten, denied med |
| Cult Defector Helps Bring Another's Child Back Home |
| "Cult defector helps bring another's child back home"- Six year old Spring
Howell was brought back to the U. S, according to Suzanne Cloutier of Orleans.,
an active opponent of the Island Pond cult. She was located by long distance
telephone, living |
| Reative of Member Saw Truth |
| "Relative of member saw truth"- Naomi Kelley spent several weeks as a
member of the Vine Christian Community church. Her sister, Sarah Mosley,
visited her frequently in her efforts to get her to leave the church. Ms.
'Mosley spoke of improper diets, |
| Elder:' We Have No Money |
| "Elder: 'We have no money"'- Gary Gilbreath serves as an elder in the
Vine Christian Community Church. He doesn't rile easily, not even in the
face of a barrage of charges against his church. The closest he comes to
displaying any anger is when he he |
| CHURCH TO SELL YELLOW Delis, OTHER PROPERTIES AND RELOCATE |
| "Church to sell Yellow Delis, other properties and relocate"- The Vine
Christian Community Church, the subject of controversy for its unorthodox
style., is selling almost all of its businesses and properties and |
| TAX QUESTION IS ANSWERED FOR CHURCH |
| "Tax question is answered for Church"- Can a non-profit, tax exempt church
operate a restaurant? That is a question to which leaders of the non-profit,
tax-exempt Vine Christian Community Church have, with the help of some friendly
Chattanooga lawyer |
| COMMUNITY CHURCH GROUP AGAIN DRAWING COMPLAINTS |
| "Community Church group again drawing complaints"- The organization's
name has changed, and so has the location, but the charges being leveled
against former Chattanoogan Gene Spriggs and his following are no different
than those that were. brought a |
| Testimony of Evelyne -Massy |
| Evelyne Massy 40, years old, lived two and a half years at the castle
with her husband and 4 children. |
| Humanity Press |
| No one knows how many minors live in this community. |
| Humanity Press |
| The parents of Raphael (19 months, died in the commune of Angous, Atlantic-Pylrenees)
who live on a farm (Apostolic Order, Tabitha's Place) were investigated
by the prosecutor at Pau. |
| Humanity Press |
| Yesterday morning, the police were released to a local cult "Tabitha's
Place" located in the Pyrenees. This intervention was launched after the
death of a baby on Thursday. |
| Humanity Press |
| Rebaptized "the farm", a few months ago, the commune is established at
Sus since 1993 in the castle. |
| Court Puts 6 in Family at Bonny Oaks |
| The. Yellow Deli a group of sandwich shops whose proceeds support the
Vine Community Christian Church took the six small children of Mrs. Wilma
Castleberry and separated them among their operations in three states, and
made them wash dishes until |
| The Community |
| It's weird how we found out about the New Kingdom Church. When I was
4, my Mom had some film developed- but it was accidentally sent back to
the New Kingdom Church instead. They returned it with some papers about
what they said was the "best comm |
| The Areopagus restaurant.. |
| The Areopagus restaurant
on McCallie Avenue is open to customers 24 hours a day, six days a week.
But on the seventh day, the doors close, and the restaurant becomes the
site of the Vine |
| Friends, Foes Give Opinions of Vine Christian Community |
| When the Vine Christian Community Church was starting out in 1973, the
Christian community of Chattanooga welcomed it with open arms. It was known
as the Light Brigade at the time, and it was operating only one Yellow Deli,
the Brainerd |
| New Chapter in Custody Battle |
| Parent's rights activist Edward "Isaac" Dawson is back in conflict
with authorities over his young son. New Minas RCMP said yesterday Dawson,
of the Myrtle Tree Farm commune in Waterville, has ignored a March 18 court
order gra |
| Mother Rejoices After Abducted Son Is Found In California |
| Judy Seymour says the two years spent searching for her 11 year old son
have been the most painful of her life. "I'm exhausted," the Montreal
woman said yesterday, one day after being reunited with Michael. "I've
spent the |
| Cult Leader Travels The World In Style |
| While his loyal followers toil in shops and factories or work the fields
for the common good of the Twelve Tribes, the controversial cult's leader
Elbert Eugene "Yoneq" Spriggs travels the globe, bedding down
in palatial homes |
| Woman 'Wasted 21 Years Of Life |
| Former hippie Joellen Griffin left her home in the Midwest in 1975 for
a booze and drug addled road trip with friends, but ended up taking a 21
year detour into the bizarre and dangerous world of Elbert Eugene Spriggs
and his Twelve Trib |
| Suffer The Little Children |
| A bizarre bible cult, which advocates beating children before they are
old enough to walk, is recruiting in Queensland. Sources say it plans to
set up at Maleny on the Sunshine Coast. Twelve Tribes mission, also called
Messianic Communit |
| N.Y. Man Helps Teens Flee Group:Effort Similar To 'Underground Railroad' |
| A New York man, distraught over his friend's total immersion in the Twelve
Tribes, has set up an "underground railroad" to help teens flee
the allegedly abusive, mind controlling cult. "When we pick these kids
up, they're |
| The Cult Next Door: Teen Shares Chilling Tale Of Alleged Abuse Inside The Twelve Tribes Sect |
| After years of being abused, forced to work in factories, brainwashed
and denied a normal childhood, Zebulon Wiseman finally found the strength
to run from the "high control cult" he says robbed him of his
identity. |
| Controversy Pervades Yellow Deli Offerings |
| There are six Yellow Delis in the Chattanooga area, and patrons of each
agree that the restaurants offer delicious sandwiches and friendly service.
But the organization whose members operate those restaurants, a group known
as the Vine C |
| The Kingdom At Island Pond |
| Folks in the tiny village of Island Pond (population 1,542), nestled
in rugged mountains near the Canadian border, like to say they live in "God's
country." But lately residents have begun to fear that some of their
neighbors ma |
| Inside View: Vine Community Christian Church |
| Stories about the People's Temple in Guyana have sparked interest in
religious cults and have increased the invitations Melinda Horton receives
to address church groups and civic clubs. |
| Religious Group's Plans, Investment Go Up In Smoke |
| A controversial religious sect has no plans to recruit in Fort Myers,
although members bought the former American Legion Hall before fire gutted
it earlier this month. They don't proselytize, members say. They just want
to live a Scripture- inspire |
| Ex-Member Describes Twelve Tribes |
| "Twelve Tribes," led by Elbert Spriggs, is buying up property in Ithaca,
reports the Cornell Daily. |
| Ex-Member Describes Twelve Tribes |
| He says Twelve Tribes looks like a happy group, but are anything but. |
| Four questions on 'Twelve Tribes' |
| Recently, Ithacans learned that a group calling itself the "Twelve Tribes"
had purchased the former Home Dairy on the Commons and would reopen it as
a coffee and mate' shop... |
| New Refuge for Walkaways |
| Meadow Haven is a quiet retreat for former members of high control groups,
or "cults." The facility developed out of Robert and Judy Pardon's passion
to help some of the people they saw coming out of the groups that they researched
through their work |
| Protect The Abuser - The Twelve Tribes sect defends its own - aiding accused child molesters |
| On a spring morning two years ago, Kimberly Peck saw something |
| On The Seventh Day He Violated Me |
| In 1987 my parents had been in a cult called "the Twelve Tribes"
for two years. My mom gave birth to me without the assistance of any doctors,
anesthetics, nurses, or hospital beds. It is forbidden to go to hospitals
or have a normal... |
| The Food Co-Op and the Hate Group |
| It seems wholesome enough, looking at the loaves of fresh locally baked
organic whole grain bread lined up at the Lexington Food Co-op each one
bearing the homey label of Hamburg's Common Ground Bakery. |
| Rob Sib's Agony |
| The brother and sister charged with a series of bank robberies in Manhattan have a strange and troubled history, The Post has learned. Joe Kirby, 23, and his sister, Shemini, 20, told friends that they spent their formative years being psychologically abused in a cult in the Catskills community of Monticello, where their mother and another brother live. |
| Twelve Tribes Founder Accused Of Racist Views |
| Twelve Tribes Community founder Elbert Spriggs’ controversial interpretation of slavery in the scripture seems to provide ammunition for the anonymous fliers circulating around Asheville that criticize the religious group as racist. |
| Brother and Sister Busted in Bank Heists |
| The family that robs together, gets caught together. A brother – and- sister bank – robbery team was busted yesterday after cops staked out a West Side methadone clinic, where the male half of the team was getting treatment, police said. |
| "Hipster" Bank Robbers are Crooked Siblings |
| A pair of hipster-looking bank bandits – who turned out to be a brother-sister robbery team – were busted yesterday for three heists in Manhattan, source said. |
| Interview with Young Father Who was Caught in Twelve Tribes Cult |
| It’s been said many times before, that one man’s cult is
another man’s truth. Hello, welcome to the “Spirit of Things”
on ABC Radio National. I’m Rachel Kohn. Whatever you believe on the
issue, there’s a raft of groups today that claim to possess the One
True Divine Revelation, or the spiritual cure for whatever ails you. |