Jun 8, 2020

CultNEWS101 Articles: 6/6-7/2020




Twelve Tribes, Branch Davidians,  Covid-19, Domestic Abuse, Mennonites, Orthodox Jews, Legal, Religious Freedom, Canada, Scientology

"Much of the Twelve Tribes theology is similar to other Christian groups, but they emphasize living in strict accordance with God's will as revealed in the New Testament and the Old. They follow Jewish levitical laws on lifestyle and diet, and celebrate the major Jewish festivals, including Pentecost, or Shavuot, and Passover.

They believe they are gathering together the 12 biblical tribes described in the book of Revelation in preparation for Christ's return

Twelve Tribes members believe that living communally is a requirement for true followers of Christ, who they call by his Hebrew name, Yahshua.

A disciple's life is "a tribal life," says an article in the Freepaper, "families, clans, and tribes, in stark contrast to the suburban loneliness of the world."

When asked about the spiritual status of the vast majority of Christians who don't live communally, Hushai, one of the local group's shepherds, quoted 1 John 5:19: "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."

"We believe very sincere people" are part of the flawed mainstream "religious system," Hushai said. "We hope we can learn to love one another, obey his commandments, and recognize the leaven of unrighteousness that comes in to separate us."

They follow a strict morality that some see as family values on steroids. They favor male leadership, practice corporal punishment on disobedient children, and do not condone homosexuality.

Some practices have brought criticisms about legalism and cultlike practices. A Vice story about the group bore this headline: "The Idyllic Restaurant Chain Owned by a Homophobic, Racist, Child-Beating Cult."

The Southern Poverty Center issued a similar warning, calling the group "a Christian fundamentalist cult" whose "hippie-vibed restaurants and cafes" conceal "a tangle of doctrine" that, among other things, supports slavery and homophobia.

Twelve Tribes communities have frequently been accused of — and occasionally found guilty of — child abuse and labor violations, and have faced penalties for requiring children to perform adult work on Twelve Tribes farms and crafts.

Local members are quick to dismiss these and other allegations, and say such controversies are part of the persecution members face for faithfully following Christ."
"Sometime in late April, a new docuseries popped up in my Netflix suggested list.

Called "Waco," it's about the 1993 siege on the compound of a religious group called the Branch Davidians by various federal and local government agencies. On day 51 of the siege, which included tanks, firearms and a lot of incendiary tear gas, a fire broke out in the compound that killed 76 Branch Davidians, including 25 children. Ever since, it's been hotly debated whether the government or the Branch Davidians' charismatic and controversial leader, David Koresh, is to blame. I was seven-years-old in 1993 and I remember my parents — people who normally might be quick to write off groups like the Branch Davidians as too extreme — being horrified by what happened. The Branch Davidians' religious views may have been extreme by mainstream standards, but did they really deserve to die the way they did? I didn't think so, and that stuck with me (I ended up majoring in religion in college, focusing on cults)."
'We cannot ignore that there are perpetrators within all our faith communities,' says joint statement

"Religious leaders have warned that domestic abuse victims in their communities face the greatest obstacles to getting help, and raised fears that the coronavirus lockdown was causing such violence to soar.

Figures from Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities said they had heard reports of abuse in the home ranging from psychological and physical violence to spiritual abuse during the Covid-19 emergency.

AP: Some Old Order Mennonites feel called to return to church
"For the first time in weeks, kids played in the church cemetery. Nearby, a group of men in their 20s reflected on what it meant to gather again during the pandemic.
"Human health is important," one of them said. "But ultimately, spiritual health is more important."

Their conservative order — one that shuns technology, cars and electricity — never missed Sunday services in more than 100 years, when the deadly 1918 flu pandemic interrupted worship.

Then, a different virus intruded in this world apart.

For nearly two months, the Old Order Stauffer Mennonite Church followed Pennsylvania's stay-at-home order and guidelines that discouraged gatherings in houses of worship. COVID-19 forced the postponement of weddings, funerals and their bi-annual communion, a high point. While some more modern Mennonite orders in Lancaster County held services by video, the Stauffers did not.

But now, it was "time to get back to work," their bishop said. "And more so … in the spiritual sense." It was time to resume worship, he said — though he wondered how many worshippers would come, and he still felt concerns about "offending the public and the government."
News spread fast: first service together in weeks; not mandatory, only for those who felt safe."




"An Alberta-based legal group is threatening a court challenge to fight for the religious rights of Orthodox Jews in Ontario who, because of gathering-size restrictions, have been unable to properly worship during the pandemic.







The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, a conservative legal group, has been extremely active during the COVID-19 crisis, saying it's pushing to maintain Charter rights even during a pandemic. The group has written to the Alberta government expressing concerns over pieces of legislation, has gone to court to fight restrictions on drive-in religious services in Ontario, and is now preparing legal documents concerning the remaining Ontario restrictions on religious gatherings.







"The Ford government has been slow to make reasonable accommodations for faith groups, even where they present little or no public health risk, and even as the province is beginning to open up," said lawyer Lisa Bildy in a statement to the Post.







In Ontario, hundreds of pastors and other religious leaders signed a letter to Premier Doug Ford sent on May 11 asking for changes to the rules for religious groups, pointing out that, "never in 1,500 years of Western history has the Church of Jesus Christ not met for Easter or missed months of worship and ministry — even in times of war or plague far more devastating than COVID-19."







"The inhumanity of abandoning people in their deepest hour of grief or need is gut-wrenching for followers of Christ," the letter says.







Since that letter, there have been some changes: drive-in services are now allowed, for example. But, On May 22, four Toronto rabbis followed up with another letter, addressing the specific ways in which Orthodox Jews are affected by the rules. They say they haven't been helped by the government allowing drive-in services, while in-person gatherings remain capped at five people. (The National Post was unable to reach the four signatories on Friday).







"When violating any Charter freedom, a government must prove that such violations are demonstrably justified. The more we learn about this virus, and the longer these infringements on Canadians' civil liberties go on, the less likely governments will be able to meet that test," wrote Bildy."


 Business Insider: Power Line: Not enough bank for bankruptcy — A $400 billion hole in energy investment — More fuel for fusion
" ... We love a short week, and I spent most of it working on a feature about my hometown — "America's most unusual town," according to Oprah. So that must be true.
It might be. Fairfield, Iowa is home to thousands of disciples of the late Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. People here meditate together daily in large golden domes, eschew wifi and smart meters, and live in unique structures that are said to nourish their occupants."
"In this meander down memory lane, Ed reminisces about his time in the TTC (Technical Training Corps) at Saint Hill, and Jon waxes poetic about the practice of "hard sell."

Where does the moth come in? you'll see.






News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.
Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.
Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)