Twelve Tribes cafe causes controversy

A controversial cafe is officially open in the Ithaca Commons.

A religious sect known as the Twelve Tribes operates the cafe. Everyone that works there is a member of the Twelve Tribes, a group that believes in communal living and shared incomes.

The past president of the “Cult Awareness Network” and current Director of Education for the “American Family Foundation” says the Twelve Tribes are a cult.

Rumors have been swirling about the group since they settled in Ithaca approximately three years ago.

He says they’ve been setting up cafes across America for about twenty-five years to recruit new members.

Local religious leaders are worried about the impact the cafe will have on the community.

“Clearly stated by the founder is that Martin Luther King is an evil man for inspiring blacks to want an equal position with whites, that’s a statement in one of the papers made by one of their leaders printed in the Boston Herald, and you say I don’t buy that, I have a problem with that and I have a problem with that in my community,” said Steven Felker, Senior Pastor, Christ Chapel.

Members of the Twelve Tribes claim there are no ulterior motives behind the café’s opening.

“We have no intentions of imposing our religious beliefs on anyone that comes in this cafe. This cafe is a place of business, we want it to be something that’s going to add to this town we live here, I live here, I really love this town, I want it to make the Commons a better place,” said Twelve Tribes member Tom Rivera.

Rivera said there are seven families with many children in the Ithaca sect of the Twelve Tribes.

In New York, the Twelve Tribes have also settled in Coxsackie, Hamburg and Albany.

Read Another Article

Polygamy enclaves stonewall officials
French Cabinet adopts bill banning Muslim head scarves in public schools

Related News Articles Topic(s): Twelve Tribes Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Twelve Tribes Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog