I'm interested in visting these folks someday, but with the recent revelations about the horrors that go on at Zendik, I'm wondering if I should. Of course, their own website has nothing but wonderful things to say about them, but I'd like to know if anyone here has any first hand experience with them. They seem like good people.
Hey, I am in Oregon, and I was at the park wearing tiedye reading abook, and 2 of their members approached me, and gave me a pamphlet, and told me about their community. It seems real cool. The one thing I don't like...is you are expected to hand all your money over, and I don't like that...because what if I live there and don't like it, I'll need money to move away. They seemed real nice, but when I showed a real interest they did not sit down and talk and tell me alot about it....they handed me a pamphlet and went on to hand more pamphlets out. Sarah
i know of them. they used to have a community in the hamlet below the mountain i lived on. during the winter, i would often have dinner with them on friday nights. they were good hosts. we ate then gathered in a big room for prayer then dancing and talking. someone was always offering me hot tea or cookies or asking me to tell them about my place or sea stories. i liked visiting them. i made it clear that although i admired many of their values, and comunity life, i did not share their beliefs, namely giving yashua (jesus) credit for everything they do, i like to give myself credit. we still talked about religion alot, that is all they do. i was looking for comunity and i loved that aspect of them. but it seems the women there are like second class citizens, they don't have the same rights as the men. when you join them, you give all your possesions to the comunity and you accept yashua as your savior. they are very resourceful as i'm sure their website shows. my advice. if you are strong, they are harmless and could be fun to visit and learn from. if you are lost or weak, that is who they prey on. they will totally preach to you and show you love to get you to stay. they will pay attention to who you are attracted too, and that person will do their best to get you to join. they have a room for training you where you spend weeks being brainwashed when you first join. one more observation. the children seemed extreemly dull and unimaginative. the focus was clearly not on children or growth of each other, but on getting more people to join. i know this sounds awful critical and negative...i guess it is. just wanted to get out my opinion so you are prepared. i do like visiting them once in a while though. feel free to contact me if you want anymore information. good luck
They had a CommonGround Cafe near my school. I spent a lot of time there. One of the waitress girls was the same age as me, and she had been born in the commune. We had long amazing talks about how different our lives were. They closed the cafe (there wasn't alot of *interest* in our area)-- but I kept in touch. When I was 18, a friend and I went on a road trip and visited 3 of their locations (searching for the waitress girl I once knew.) We ended up staying in their Bellows Falls for a few days, and than in one of the Boston houses for a few days. It was an amazing experience, but I will never do it again. I was totally drawn in by their life style. By their handmade clothes. Yummy natural foods. Huge farms. Cafes. Juice shops. Carpentry business. Furniture stores. No TV. dancing every single day. People who laughed easily, who hugged you, who looked into your eyes when they talked to you. BUT. But the order of life is this: Yashua- men- women. When they pray, the men hold their hands to the sky, and the women place their hands on the backs of the men. So Yashua's message can be strained through them. I cannot live someplace where women are second-class. Their religion is the center of their lives. Prayers several times a day. The children are home schooled, and the majority of their learning is religion based. I felt sick one night, and was laying in the bed and an old women came and sat with me. she told me that if I would just stay for one week, she knew I would stay for ever. She was very firm. I got all "oh shit cult terrified" and we left the next day. Staying with them has sparked my interest in communes, I very much want to live in one. But not in a closed minded religious one.
go to the ZENDIC thred there are people who have posted there who have lived there and they can give you some good info!!!
do a google search on twelve tribes... you'll get their site first, but after you'll find site after site of former members claiming molestation and abuse. a huge group of them targeted the youth worker's conference my husband and i attended. one of the guys attacked our friend for wearing a shirt that read "satan is a nerd" according to the 12 tribes member.... satan is an angel that still deserves our respect and love.... but that jesus could never be the son of god... because he was born through a woman.... and due to that, he was tainted and born of filth. thought that was weird considering they were trying to recruit at a christian youth ministers conference LOL
They have a commune in Cambridge NY near where my brother lives. He and I used to drive right by their place alot and they would see my bro and I with our long hair beards and dead sticker covered truck and always waved to us.I used to see them around town and they seemed friendly. My bro and I are Sabbath keeping Christians so we were kinda interested in going to meet them but never got around to it. I think it would have been cool to visit and maybe worship with them but I have little interest in communal living.
I interact with a few in Manitou Springs, where they have Mate Factor cafe (the bagged Mate Factor is theirs, too. good drugs!) From what I can tell, they are an offshoot of Messaianic Judiasm, recruiting mostly Xtians (I have never seen the point of that) The community is VERY communal, no private property beyond a Bible and clothes (I believe I could be wrong) I'd be wary of that. Cult could be too strong, but def worth a watch. The status of women also bothers me. I can be perfectly modest and opinionated too. I'm HERE aren't I?
go to their web site and the sites of former members and read up yerselves. from what i understand, drugs and alcohol are big no nos. along with women speaking their minds....
i have visited a couple of the twelve tribe communitys over the years and i always felt good about visiting for a few days. it was good to see a living example of what people can do when they decide to cooperate and work together. i find that their interpretation of the bible is a bit more than i could handle on a long-term basis and their lifestyle in general is much more conservative and traditional in many ways than i would want to live. they are definately not perfect but they are at least creating something unique and i think that is a good thing. many a weary road-warrior has found a peaceful quiet place to get his head together for a few days ,or as long as you want, as long as your willing to do the physical work that is required to manage a functioning people's farm. and you do not have to notify them in advance you can just show up at their door and they will welcome you like a long lost friend. we need more of that in this world. for many years the 12 tribes bus was on the gratefuldead tour and they where always there when anyone went over the top and needed a hot cup of tea and a bit of peaceful sanctuary from the storm. you can fill out the forms and visit all of the new age spiritual communitys you want but generally speaking the bottom line for most of them is how much money your able to spend or how much free labor you can offer, the true spirit of community is often lacking. i say let the 12 trbies spak for themselves, it does not hurt to visit for a few days and see for yourself. even if you join forever it must be better than a lot of other options. i feel the same way about iskcon, the hare krishna's,as i do about 12 tribes i would'nt want to live it 24/7 but their sunday feasts are always a pleasure to experience.
I used to hang out with them when I lived in Vermont. I got a very positive feeling from them. I also spent some time with the Zendiks. The two are not at all alike except that they both are religious communes. Keep that in mind, the twelve tribes people people do expect you to believe their religion. They are honest and up front about this. You can go hang out with them and eat and dance with them regardless of your beliefs, but to live in their commue you need to believe or at least make a comittment to come around to their way of believing. They all seem to have more genuine personality that I thought possible. Their beliefs are farily traditional and structured (sp?) but they are not at all judgemental and are very happy and kind and friendly. The only negative that I could find is their idea that men are somehow superior to women. They are fairly set in this belief but it really is nothing more than talk. As far I could tell men are women were seen as equal in all practicle ways. They do have traditional gender roles in terms of work, but the work done is valued equally. Please do not make the mistake of equating them with the Zendiks. The Zendiks while nice people individually and somewhat creative, seem very cold, bitter, and devoid of personality and livelyness. They behave like braindead drones of some "great leader" figure which, in the end, is exactly what they are. The twelve tribes folks are good happy joyouis folks, you should go and visit with them. Oh, and about the children. Perhaps this differes from place to place, as they have communes all over the world. The children in the one that I visited were happy, creative, and very outgoing. The were very focused on the happiness and well being of the kids.
12 Tribes are located in Nelson B.C., operating both a house in town and a farm outside of town. My ex-partner and I, along with a third party were invited for supper one evening at the farm. What I recall the most is that when we drove in we were greeted by a man who was obviously a representative of the group. As we sat outside before supper he was explaining some of the details of how the farm was run. What I could see with my own eyes was that there were wymmyn running around doing chores while the men appearred idle. In all appearances, it seems like an idyllic lifestyle. It was a farm life and that can be appealling to a city dweller. There did not appear to be any religious undertones. A prayer was said before meal. The meal was enjoyable, (vegetarian) and the conversation afterwards was enjoyable, as long as, (imo) one didn't dig to deep. However, I found the whole experience too orchestrated, as though they were putting on their best in order to win approval and interest. I really found that if you knew what you were looking for that you could see deceit and misgivings behind the smiles. The only real interesting thing I heard was that when two members are interested in one another that they are monitered by the rest of the community, (something to that effect) ultimately it is your peers who decide whether or not a union is a good idea. I left there simply thinking that a person of easy influence could be easily taken in by the 12 Tribes. The life itself on the farm as a communal effort is high in my books, however, I personally could do without the religion.
the children i met seemed very happy. i love the idea of having children raised as a large family with group parenting, having someone there to support you when the kids are just *too much.* --- the women seemed very bonded in that effort, taking shifts with the kids to give each other breaks. they are against homosexuality. i became close friends with one of the members, and she knew i was gay and still loved me... explained that they don't have a hate for anyone. they just feel those feelings do not need to be Acted on and that people can supress/change. they do not do drugs/booze. but they readily accept people who come from that lifestyle and are ready to change. many of the older members are former acid hippie types.
I liked your post ojo, I think you said a lot of stuff better than I could have. My problem with them is that they come to ouer Harvest festival and our Fox lots and abduct poor people and hard up lot kids who are so stoned out of their minds a free ride to the next show turns into slavery. Those folks you meet in their bus, thats the dudes family. That doesnt represent the community of the twelve tribes. It is orchestrated! Its total bs, how many kidnapping charges and child abuse cases before the feds interact, well they already raided them once. They all have the same haircut, eat the same food, they have to squat while crapping? lol They tried to pull that brainwashing crap on my little brother and i told the leader if he didnt stop talking to him that it would be on like Donkey Kong and I meant it! I aint violent but blood is thicker than water!
They're a cult, for sure. That is: They are a small religious movement, which is hierarchical & conformist, and actively seeks out & converts new members through devious means. They are also (incidentally) sexist, racist, and homophobic.
definately a cult. funny last time i run into them, they were talkin to someother younger roaddog kids who just need a ride (they were travelin 4 deep) and tellin them they were non religious and not christian at all. first time i ever run into them (about 10 years before this) they were all gun ho christian.when you see the bus at a dead lot, heads seem to take turns hangin out around the bus reminding kids that its a cult. i never got on the bus or went to a farm so all my info is 2nd hand, but my advice is to steer clear of them.
i have been to the 12 tribes commune in nelson BC a couple times.............. basically its all been said, very friendly people,very into beleiving in yashua, they very much want people to join the communes...every friday just outside of nelson,the 12 tribes allow people to come over 4 a free evening of free food (really good food seeing as they own a restaurant) dancing (this interesting doe si doe stuff) and talking... they are VERY community orientated, with everyone always doing some work or another bout the place to help the whole,basically its a freeloaders heaven....but if you stay 4 too long they will say to you that you can stay and be a part of the community but you have to accept yashua etc.. i think it is an excellent community to use as a role model 4 making a community, they are extremely efficient, but theyre community revolves around religion, and everyones enameration of it, if only there was a way to get people to give without receiving etc.. without organized religion!
