Twelve Tribes Communities - Beliefs and Practices

Beliefs and Practices

The Twelve Tribes' beliefs resemble those of Christian fundamentalism and Messianic Judaism; however the group believes that all denominations are fallen, and so refuse to align themselves with any denomination or movement. They do not identify as Christians, believing that Christianity is the whore of Babylon and the antichrist. They believe that in order for the messiah to return, the Church needs to be restored to its original form seen in the Acts 2:38–42 and Acts 4:32–37. This restoration is not merely the restoration of the 1st century church, but of a new Israel consisting of Twelve Tribes in twelve geographic regions. Part of this restoration is the return to observing the sabbath, maintaining Mosaic law including dietary law, and Jewish feasts. This interpretation of the prophesied restoration of Israel, combined with the perceived immorality in the world leads the group to believe the end times have arrived, though no date has been set.

One noted aspect of the group is their insistence of using the pseudo-Hebrew name "Yahshua", opposed to the Jesus or even the more common Hebrew transliterated form Yeshua. As the name "Yahshua" represents the nature of Jesus, similarly they bestow Hebrew names upon members that are meant to reflect the personality of the individual.

The group rejects the traditional Christian duality of heaven and hell; instead believe in what they term the Three Eternal Destinies. They believe that after the Fall of Man every person is given a conscience; and that after dying every person goes to a state of being called death regardless of faith. Upon the second coming, believers will be brought back for the thousand years to reign with "Yahshua" before the last judgment. At the end of this thousand years, all the nonbelievers will be judged according to their deeds and be put into two groups: the righteous, filthy/unjust. The filthy and the unjust will be sent to the Lake of Fire while the righteous will go to heaven with the Twelve Tribes.

The leadership within is a structure is a series of Councils on the local, regional, and a global Apostolic Council; the group is also overseen within these councils by a fluid number of teachers, deacons, deaconesses, elders and apostles. Gene Spriggs is highly regarded as the first to open up his home to brothers and sisters, but is not regarded as a spiritual figurehead.

The Spriggs travel between the communities offering advice and inspiration but try to foster local autonomy. The group operates as a 501 (d) – a "for-profit organizations with a religious purpose and a common treasury" the community pays taxes on property and income and do not vote in elections.

Courtship within the Community involves a "waiting period" in the which the man asks the permission of the father to date his daughter. The couple then receives counseling while spending time together. The couple is only betrothed if the entire community approves of it; the couple is then permitted to hold hands. Weddings are dramatized preenactments of what the group believes will happen at the end of time when "Yahshua"returns to earth for his bride. Children have been noted to play a central role in the group's eschatological beliefs, as future generations of the group are to be the "pure and spotless bride" of Revelation. Most children within the group are born through a home birth with a midwife, though a hospital may sometimes be used. Children are homeschooled, by both parents and others within the group. Their curriculum includes learning to read, arithmetic, writing, history, religion and dance. Commercial toys are used sparingly, along with blocks, puzzles, and sewing kits. Within the group teenagers may take on apprenticeships in the group's cottage industries to be taught trades complementing their education. The group utilizes corporal punishment with a wet reed, balloon stick across the child's bottom or palm.

Spriggs has a number of more obscure teachings on issues such as food and air conditioning. In particular he warns against the consumption of cheese because "you can't get a good Jew to eat it" and "it constipates you".