Fake Hippie mag a front for Christian right

[DeBunk]

I can't remember where I got this thing, but I decided to read it tonight (the title should have alerted me). I must have picked it up at the farmers market and it's been sitting on my coffee table ever since (see cover scan below). It looks like it's genuine, it felt like it's genuine, but it's a fake hippie publication fronting for a Christian right organization.

This is what they are pushing:
http://twelvetribes.org/

You have to sift through a lot of crap, but if you dig, you'll see, these folks are run of the mill Christian fundis with a propaganda method rivaling the GOP.

http://forums.therandirhodesshow.com/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=16290

[BlueJazz]

1. So you're telling us that there positively will not be.....

...a section on the Furry Freak Brothers Cat Shitting in everybody's Earphones?

[DeBunk]

6. No, no freak bros for the fundis

Boy I miss those. I'd like to find some copies now. I have an older sister so I got exposed to all that when I grew up. My brother and I saw the Dead a bunch of times before we hit puberty.

[BlueJazz]

21. I've seen a few of them on Ebay...don't think that ...

..they're very expensive.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

24. I have a bunch of them.

Inherited them from my dad, along with a bunch of booze, vinyls and a billy club he won in a street brawl. My dad was badass, but in the good way.

[RumpusCat]

33. Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: Collected!

There are a few collected coffee-table style FFFB books. I got one for my dad for Christmas last year. I got 'em from Rip Off Press Inc--they've got a website. :D

[Beacho]

31. Hah!

Awesome!

Got to go to the corner record store to pick up some screens dude

[LonelyLRLiberal]

2. Did you check out the "Controversies" page on their website?

Guess what? They've been called a cult, but of course they deny. I am surprised at the locations around the US. Never heard of this bunch.

[Logiola]

4. at my old place i shared a backlane with one of their "cafes"

and i must say, some of the most tasty homemade food and bevvies i have ever had.. they also owned two very large mansions down the road from me (each one was at least 12 000 sq feet. They dress kind of like hutteriets, and from all my experiences with them they were polite but i have no idea what goes on behind the closed doors..

[Rockstone]

5. every reliigion is a cult

cult simply means outside of your own perspective

[LonelyLRLiberal]

15. Cult to me means a religious belief system that is imposed by brainwashing or intimidation.

Didn't look it up in a dictionary, but that is how I see it.

Webster's (10th) includes as the third meaning: "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious."

[DeBunk]

17. Until it outlasts it's founder

Then it becomes a religion.

That's what I was taught in school. Not sure if it's a good def or not.

[Rockstone]

3. I rmember a similar tract acquired at a dead show

it was interesting because it was christianity marketed for deadheads. Talked about the disappointment of coming down, but with Jesus you could stay high all the time.

Was interesting in the context of "Go to Heaven"

Anyway, xtianity is just a religion. are we supposed to be anti xtianity?

[DeBunk]

9. LOL

That's funny. I never saw anything like that when I was going to Dead shows, but I don't doubt it.

[Rockstone]

14. It made for an interesting evening...

we were all like - OMG is the GD some kind of christian conspiracy? It had very nice trippy artwork from inspired members.

[DeBunk]

18. ROFL

Too funny.

But, I did now a few who thought Jerry was the second coming.

[conscious evolution]

22. Saint Jerry

I can personaly attest to a couple of 'miracles'.

[Canuckistanian]

29. I used to be all messed up on drugs

Now, I'm all messed up on the Lord.

[DaveJ]

7. Actually the cover doesn't look genuine to me at first glance

First off calling itself a Freepaper gave it away....

Hippies just look foolish the way they're drawn...

Glorified busts of some clean shaven guy next to Jesus...

The text is belittling of the movement... "never got off the ground" and a caption about how hippies regretted ever even trying... no mention of anything they stood for expect for drugs....

And of course the fact that they are just wasting paper... real hippies use cyberspace.

[DeBunk]

12. Yea, I guess you're right

I had it for a few weeks before I even looked at it. It looked real enough for me to pick it up, but it didn't take long for me to smell a rat.

[DaveJ]

19. Yeah they're not satisfied that love and peace is dead...

...they want to continue stomping on it in its grave.

[DeBunk]

20. So at least we know they don't get a place in heaven

If Jesus ever does come back.

But, I'm jewish so I guess my place in hell was reserved at birth. LOL.

[nemo137]

8. IIRC, it's real

They get together on the national mall every once and a while and camp out. I ran into them when I was there for folklife a while back. I don't think they're actually connected to any of the RR groups we know and loathe.

[Logiola]

10. they would also not be fans of bush,

they are all about the peace and love from what i remember

[Cronus Protagonist]

11. Seems no big deal to me

A nice little offshoot of Christianity. Why dump on them? I don't see them propagating fascism, and their message is quite clear and plain - they worship Jesus as their master. It's not even hidden at all.

What's different in this from say, Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, etc... they're all sects and branches of Christianity? Unless you're against new forms of Christianity, I don't see what bugs you. Is it the fact that they're taking the hippy message of love and goodwill and transforming it into a Christian message of love and goodwill?

Maybe they'll attract a bunch of illiterate dope smoking hippies to their little cult and have a good time talking about Jesus while stoned.... I mean where's the harm in it?

[DeBunk]

16. You didn't read deap enough

What does "multiculturalism" mean? To most people, it's that all cultures are given equal weight, that no one culture is superior to the other, and that all cultures should be equally respected. And that sounds really good, but the fine print reads, "Man isn't built that way, and he can't live up to it. It is totally normal for someone to consider his own culture and the way of life of his people to be better than others."

Consider the rich young Yuppie in his multicultural neighborhood, sitting in his living room ready to enjoy an evening of classical music. Tonight it's Beethoven. From one side of his house comes the throbbing bass of his neighbor's stereo as they gather out back for some reggae. The house shudders to every note, while on the other side of his house the neighbors fire up their barbecue and boom box, laughing raucously over the grating syncopation of something called rap. Fleeing from the violent lyrics, our Yuppie hero, himself a multicultural enthusiast, shuts the windows, grits his idealistic teeth and dons his headphones, trying to convince himself that all music is good.

Let's face it. It is just not reasonable to expect people to live contentedly alongside of others who are culturally and racially different. This is unnatural, and sometimes forces people to go against what they instinctively know in their conscience. They are told, "You can't discriminate."

[upi402]

13. it has metastasized n/t

[gorbal]

23. Here is an interesting site-

http://www.twelvetribes-ex.org/ completely devoted to helping people who have been hurt, by this group.

[atommom]

25. Very disturbing. It has all the hallmarks of a cult.

# Full of unclean birds and spirits, Christianity is "the bloody whore of Revelation. Her ministers are liars. Thieves and draw glory to themselves while destroying the sheep," according to Spriggs' teaching. Instructed regularly, members omit 'the bloody whore' part with new visitors. Community members also believe "Jews and Christians failed to perform God's purpose, so God cut them off, cast them aside and waited 1900 years for a people willing to obey His commands." They try to persuade people into believing that "only they bear good fruit."

# Members cannot enter any Church or Temple "especially on Sundays," because "evil spirits are near".

# Filling their members with fear and dread, the community makes it difficult for devastated members to depart. As they are leaving, defectors may hear "Whoever has the Holy Spirit and leaves the body is turned over to death. You will not live long." In another teaching Spriggs says, "If a person even thinks about returning to Egypt, our Father will provide them an opportunity to return. ..If you go back, you will drown." These damaged people can no longer trust God, themselves or others, and are unable to receive 'help from the world."

# AI Jayne "Ne'eman", one of my shepherds told me candidly, "We make people unable to survive and stand on their own two feet in the world."

[DeBunk]

26. Wow, so I didn't really get it after all

I thought these guys are fundis. They are far worse then that.

[Avalon Sparks]

27. From there website - regarding Diversity

Here's their take on "Multicultural Madness":


Consider the rich young Yuppie in his multicultural neighborhood, sitting in his living room ready to enjoy an evening of classical music. Tonight it's Beethoven. From one side of his house comes the throbbing bass of his neighbor's stereo as they gather out back for some reggae. The house shudders to every note, while on the other side of his house the neighbors fire up their barbecue and boom box, laughing raucously over the grating syncopation of something called rap. Fleeing from the violent lyrics, our Yuppie hero, himself a multicultural enthusiast, shuts the windows, grits his idealistic teeth and dons his headphones, trying to convince himself that all music is good.

Let's face it. It is just not reasonable to expect people to live contentedly alongside of others who are culturally and racially different. This is unnatural, and sometimes forces people to go against what they instinctively know in their conscience. They are told, "You can't discriminate."


What about the white yuppie who cranks his EMO ROCK up after he returns from the bar at 2am - alone again?

This is such a stupid analogy- or whatever they are trying to say.

I've noticed that when people can't make a good arguement for something they often resort to piss poor analogies...... man that's irritating to a analytical person like myself.

[REP]

28. Reggae and Rap - Diversity = Scary Black People To These Freaks

It never occurs to these racist fucks that people of different colors can have similar interests, or that someone who likes classical music might also like reggae and/or rap! And that that classical music lover might be Black or Asian or East Asian Indian or some other Not White person!

[magellan]

30. Another cult preying on society's introverts and the emotionally fragile.

One thing cults have in common is their way of attracting mentally/emotionally weak people by making them feel empowered through divide and conquer. They all share similar rules that emphasize how special you become in their company: we represent the one true religion; if you don't believe as we do you're damned; anyone who tells you different is a liar and is on the wrong side of good vs evil.

Hmm, sound like any administrations we know?

[atommom]

32. They're targeting authoritarian followers, who desperately fear

the uncertainty of life. Sadly, there are always a lot of them ready for the picking.

[zanne]

37. That and easing loneliness.

I knew a young, recently divorced woman with two young kids who was very lonely and desperate for help with childcare, food and rent. A local fundie church provided her with the child care, food and helped with money for her rent. At the same time, she no longer felt alone, because they have the habit of welcoming new people warmly before they start ignoring them. This tactic works very well for them. She turned into a full-blown fundie in a matter of months and wound up marrying a guy who was, in her own words "Way Godly". Ugh.

[atommom]

34. From the "ex" website ... I pity their children.

# Within the community, parents routinely deny their children immunizations and medical care. They don't want doctors to discover the many scars on their children's buttocks. The community hates to spend money on "worldly medical care."

# If the young children engage in imaginary play, pretend, fantasy or imaginary friends, their parents beat them. In one commune, small boys could not push blocks of wood, or make truck noises. Community children possess few if any toys, and cannot play unless an adult "covers" them. In defense of their views, they say, "we want our children to deal with real life, such as learning a trade or helping their mothers in the kitchen." A commune house may own one ball or bicycle, which, the children may play with provided they don't have too much fun. Sadly, the children enjoy little play time, because the adults must continue working "so that the sheep have a home to come to, food to eat and clothes to wear."

# Within the communities, tightly swaddled babies, toddlers and small children are a common sight. Unable to move their arms or legs, the poor children are wrapped in a cloth or blanket like little mummies. They are made helpless and often must sit for long periods, while their mothers work. One member explained, "swaddling helps to break their will without breaking their spirit." I often pitied a frightened little black baby wrapped in this way. She wanted to move but couldn't.

And in the "just plain freaky" department...

Bowel movements and how you have them are critical. During bathroom visits, members squat on small unstable wooden stools. A difficult feat it is! They say "toilets are killing Americans, because as you sit not enough crap comes out. This causes colon cancer."

:wtf:

It really saddens me that there are so many people willing to be sucked into situations like this.

[RumpusCat]

35. These guys were run off from my hometown!

They used to operate a cafe there called the Yellow Deli that my parents LOVED back in the 70s. They were fully aware that a hippie Jesus-freak cult was running the deli and never fell in with them but according to my mom they had good food. Their brick building downtown still has the faded sign painted on it, a big 70s-style hippie flower. Anyway, they were accused of child abuse and basically run out of town. They've tried to return a few times but are encouraged not to (how, I don't know).

My mom still makes a fruit salad she liked at their restaurant and I'll share it with everyone.

The Yellow Deli Cult Salad
Fruit cut into bite-sized pieces--whatever you like, usually oranges, pineapples, apples, grapes, and strawberries

Liberal sprinkles of raisins and sunflower seeds

The dressing (the best part)--take a small container of plain yogurt and mix a few tablespoons of honey into it. Keep adding honey, bit by bit, until the dressing is runny enough to flow.

Drizzle over the assembled fruits and voila! The most delish fruit salad ever.

[SmokingJacket]

36. Actually they're a cult.

They have a branch here in my town. All the women wear floor-length skirts or harem pants, the men all have beards and little ponytails, they live in a big house together, and run a cafe where they dont' get paid for their work.

It's a classic cult in the sense that there's a charismatic leader who lives high on the hog on a private island somewhere, taking the members' renounced worldly goods. And they use high-pressure tactics to keep members in line.

Also, they're racist and beat their kids.

[noonwitch]

38. There is a similar group around Royal Oak, MI

They had a public-access tv show at one point. The women all cover their hair with scarves, and they stand around on street corners, preaching and singing. They home school and the women are always wearing "modest" dresses.

I never understand why women in this society are so willing to subject themselves to such religions, whether it's from a whack-job christian cult or from a whack-job islamic cult. It's their right, I guess, but I feel for their female children-not because of the modest dress thing, but because of the women as "helpmeets" crap.

I'm generally a live and let live person when it comes to that kind of stuff, unless the group in question is breaking the law or stockpiling semi-automatic rifles and fertilizer.

[SmokingJacket]

39. Yeah, I agree.

I disapprove of any group that exploits people's desperation and psychological weakness -- but cults are hardly the only groups that do that!

When they make their kids go to work at age seven and beat them with sticks, that's where my usually generous "live and let live" feeling ends.

As to why women -- and people in general -- subject themselves to oppressive religions and cults... well, I wish I had a lifetime to devote to studying that. I don't think we've so much as scratched the surface of how coercive groups work...