Life in a Cult

I spent eight days living with the Twelve Tribes Community in Kingston, Ontario. From what I gathered, the cult emerged around forty years ago and its ideology is based on the bible. They do not attend any Church or synagogue, instead believing that God resides in them themselves and so can be worshipped anywhere.

How did I end up there?

I found this place on the website Workaway and, to be perfectly honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into - if I had I probably wouldn’t have gone! It was listed as an organic community farm needing help with gardening and animal chores. It mentioned that they were dedicated to sustainable practices, had a “spiritual way of life” and gathered twice a day to sing, dance and pray. So maybe it was just me being ignorant but I was not prepared for it to be a literal cult!

First impressions

On first meeting everyone was super friendly and fairly “normal”. I could identify members by their clothes but really that was all. The community dresses "modestly" at all times, meaning women wear oversized, high-necked shirts or blouses, with baggy trousers or floor length skirts or dresses. Men wear baggy shirts and loose jeans or long shorts. I adopted these clothes for the most part during the week I spent with the community and found the trousers very comfortable, if a little impractical at times. The shirts, on the other hand, I was glad to leave behind at the end of the week. Women’s hair was kept as long as possible, generally tied in a low ponytail or bun and men’s hair was cut around shoulder length and always swept back in a low ponytail. Facial hair was kept present but relatively short.

I was immediately offered food and iced teas and introduced to all the animals (goats, kids, sheep, lambs, chickens, turkeys, cats and kittens). The animals were very cute and everything I tasted was delicious. I was given a tour of the premises and was most impressed by their swimming pool and the beautifully made furniture in their Deli. I felt optimistic about the week ahead!

During my week with the Twelve Tribes I worked in the garden, helped in the bakery with breads, pies and biscuits, assisted in the kitchen with meal preparation and dealt with laundry to name but a few of my chores. On top of that, I was learning all about a world I never even knew existed. I attended gatherings twice a day and talked endlessly with new people about their values and way of life.

The gatherings

At 7am and 7pm daily (8am and 6pm on Saturdays), the whole community (around twenty people) would gather in the appropriately named "Gathering Room" and begin by going round greeting everyone with a one-armed hug. Standing in a circle, songs would be sung accompanied by guitar, harp, violin, flute, tambourine and occasionally other instruments too. Songs were generally uplifting and energetic and anyone who wished to (and who knew the steps) would go into the middle of the circle to dance. This was easily my favourite part of the gatherings - they were a musically talented group and together produced a wonderful sound with a jovial atmosphere.

Then came my least favourite part: the bible study. People would share what they were thankful for, a new understanding they had come to that day or a biblical lesson they felt everyone could benefit from going over again. In theory, I think this would be ok but the lessons could go on for up to an hour and they tended to be very critical of society outside the tribe. These people really believed that their way was the only acceptable way to live and that was something I struggled to listen to.

The final part of the gathering was prayer. They prayed to their "master" Yahshua the Messiah (Jesus), all standing in a circle with their arms raised above their heads. This bit was fine, pretty similar to prayers I had heard before in churches.

For these gatherings, the women would wear cloth head coverings and all members of the community wore a sort of thick twisted rope, tied like a headband across the temple. I was told that, among other things, this symbolised them preparing to wear crowns as they ruled the world in "the next age".

Things I liked

There were actually many elements of the community's ideology and lifestyle that I appreciated. I liked that they used chopsticks for most meals because they said it helped them to eat slowly, avoid overeating and they are nice and easy to clean and store. I liked the healthy food and drink that I had never thought to try at home - for example nettle tea, "vinnie" (a drink made from apple cider vinegar) and spelt sourdough.

I really valued their efforts to only use things that came from sources they approved of and everything was natural, homemade and rustic. Nowadays so much of the food we eat, the equipment we use and the furniture we sit on, comes from somewhere on the other side of the world, produced using cheap sources of labour with all focus on minimising costs. The community made many things by hand, ate only organic produce (much of which was produced on their own farm or bought from communities in other countries). In their Yellow Deli, all the decor was created by the community members themselves: the wall art, the furniture, the doors, everything. It was a really beautiful place.

Another thing I appreciated about the community was their open hearts and welcoming attitude. As they said themselves, most of the people who have joined the Twelve Tribes are now happier and healthier than they were before. During my stay I was able to hear some of the incredible stories of how people came to join the community. There was one in particular that came across very powerfully to me:

Let's name her Mandy. Mandy joined the community six years ago at the age of nineteen. In high school she was persuaded by a friend to join a Catholic group that gave out meals to the homeless. After helping out twice she decided it wasn't for her. She felt bad about the fact that she could only give the homeless a meal and then send them out to the streets again to carry on living in the same way. One year later she was back at the meals shelter, this time on the receiving end. She spent more than a year on the streets, became addicted to drugs and fell out with her family. One day Mandy was riding an old bike with faulty breaks down the highway in Nelson, BC when she was forced to swerve off the road due to oncoming traffic. This took her down a hill and, because her breaks weren't working, she had no way of stopping. She ended up in the Twelve Tribes Community farm in Nelson where she was welcomed without judgement and she decided she didn't want to leave. Today she one of the kindest people I have met, she is happy and peaceful and she is back on good terms with her family.

Why I wouldn't want to stay

I've already mentioned a couple of things about the community that didn't sit well with me. The fact is, many elements of their ideology are just completely contrary to what we're now being taught. For example, independence is a big no-no and unquestioning obedience is expected. I don't agree that we should be discouraged from proposing new ideas and acting independently. How can progress be made if we always bow down to "delegated authority" without a second thought?

Another belief that clashes with the direction society is taking is the issue of gender. The community firmly believes that men and women were made different and should be treated that way. That means women do the laundry and most of the cooking while men are in charge of farming and construction. It also means includes the belief that a husband has authority over his wife who is expected to obey him without protest. They "disapprove" of homosexuality and transgender identity.

I touched on this earlier but I really didn't agree with the way the community spoke about "outside" society. They believe humans are becoming more and more polluted by Satan and that anything outwith the teachings of the bible is evil. That means pretty much all books and films are out - no violence, no imaginary things, nothing can be shown that reveals any part of a person's torso, no defiance of authority, no swearing or blasphemy, etc.

The community was also very cautious about over working and upsetting their inner peace. Apparently that translates to little high intensity exercise. They walked, played volleyball for an hour or so each week and swam a little in their pool but nothing more.

Finally, I personally felt that they took life too seriously. It was like they weren't really "living". They resided in constant fear of God's judgement, several hours of the day were spent in bible study and worship and, especially from those who were born and raised in the community, there wasn't enough smiling for my liking. For them, personal happiness was not a priority.

Concluding thoughts

Though this way of life wouldn't be for me, I respect these people and what they do. I found them to be a loving and kind-hearted group. If you google the Twelve Tribes Community there have been many unpleasant allegations made about them. I can only go by my own experience, I don't know what went on behind closed, but I did not find the things I read to be true and it seemed like they had the best of intentions. I would encourage others to meet the community and see for themselves before making too harsh a judgement.

May 2019

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