CLYDE, Texas, May 13, 2008
House Of Yahweh: A Darker Sect Than FLDS
Deadly Polygamist Cult Has Been Under Investigation For Years, Leaders Charged With Bigamy, Sex Abuse, Fraud
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Yisrayl Hawkins (center) was born Buffalo Bill Hawkins but legally changed his name. He founded the House of Yahweh in 1980 — three years after the former Abilene police officer was fired for having beer in his patrol car. Now, 73, he is charged with performing polygamous weddings and forcing about 40 children — some as young as 11 — to work jobs at his 44-acre compound. (AP Photo)
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A sign for the House of Yahweh in a rural area near Clyde, Texas, Feb. 20, 2008. The leader of the sect, Yisrayl Hawkins, was charged in February with performing polygamous weddings and forcing about 40 children - some as young as 11 - to work jobs at his 44-acre compound. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam) (AP PHOTO)
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In this aerial photo from Feb. 12, 2008, shows the House of Yahweh compound. The complex is located in a rural area between Clyde, and Eula, Texas, in Callahan County, about 170 miles west of Dallas. The group's leader, Yisrayl Hawkins, is now charged with performing polygamous weddings and forcing children as young as 11 to work at his 44-acre compound. (AP Photo/Abilene Reporter-News/Nellie Doneva) (AP PHOTO)
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The women are covered in long skirts and long-sleeve shirts. Many of the children have different mothers and share the same father.
But this isn't the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' ranch, which authorities raided last month in Eldorado after receiving reports that underage girls were being forced to marry much older men.
This is the House of Yahweh: a different, even darker sect that the state has been investigating for years. Authorities in February charged the group's 73-year-old leader with performing polygamous weddings and forcing about 40 children - some as young as 11 - to work jobs at his 44-acre compound.
"If a bunch of adults want to get together and follow some con man and throw their lives away, that's their right in this country," said Callahan County District Attorney Shane Deel. "But to me, when you do that to children and they don't have a chance, that's where the biggest concern is."
If convicted on the most serious charges, Yisrayl Hawkins faces up to 20 years in prison.
Another sect leader, Yedidiyah Hawkins, goes to court this summer on charges of sexually abusing a teenager, bigamy and welfare fraud.
Questions have also been raised about at least two deaths within the sect.
A 7-year-old died in 2003 after her mother and another member performed home surgery on her infected leg. Both women were convicted of injury to a child.
And in 2006, a woman bled to death after giving birth because she was prevented from going to the hospital, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by her husband.
Although members deny they practice polygamy, former members say Yisrayl Hawkins has at least two dozen wives - and state records show he fathered two babies last year with women ages 19 and 22.
Yisrayl Hawkins, who has pleaded not guilty in his criminal case, told The Associated Press that he and his church are misunderstood and persecuted because of their religious beliefs.
"We have nothing to hide," said the bearded, white-haired Hawkins, who declined to address specific allegations against him and his sect.
The House of Yahweh compound, about 120 miles northeast of the FLDS ranch, has wind generators, a cafeteria, a food-processing plant and dozens of tractor-trailer rigs holding canned goods. It also has a few stores carrying homemade toiletries and clothing.
Unlike the FLDS members who stay on the 1,700-acre ranch, most House of Yahweh followers live in mobile homes surrounding the sect's compound, which is occupied only by a few caretakers. Other members own homes nearby or live in trailer parks owned by Hawkins in Abilene.
"Anyone can come here and can leave at any time," Hawkins said.
After the April 3 raid on the FLDS ranch, Child Protective Services took more than 460 children into custody.
Child-welfare officials said they cannot comment on possible investigations of House of Yahweh members unless youngsters have been removed. Only one such case has occurred: Four children living in Yedidiyah Hawkins' home are now in foster care.
Yisrayl Hawkins was born Buffalo Bill Hawkins but legally changed his name. He founded the House of Yahweh in 1980 - three years after the former Abilene police officer was fired for having beer in his patrol car. The group moved to rural Clyde several years later so they would have room to celebrate weeklong Old Testament feasts.
Hawkins began preaching polygamy in the early 1990s, saying women had to accept it or leave and forfeit heaven, several former members said.
"It's definitely a cult that follows mind-control techniques," said Miryam Martin, a House of Yahweh member from 1986 to 2000. "So many people's lives have been destroyed by what's been going on over there."
But Tanah Hawkins, a member for 20 years, said its Scripture-based beliefs offer something missing in mainstream churches. She blames disgruntled former members for the criminal investigations.
"When people leave the House of Yahweh, they go out and feed the rumors and add more lies," she said. "But I actually pray for them."
The sect claims to have hundreds of members scattered worldwide. One group in Kenya gained international attention in 2006 by building nuclear fallout shelters, believing Hawkins' apocalyptic prophecy.
Former members describe Hawkins as a zealot whose teachings are a blend of Old Testament directives on diet and cleanliness, New Testament beliefs in Jesus, and Hawkins' own prophecies rooted in the Book of Revelation.
Hundreds of his followers have legally changed their last names to Hawkins - including Yedidiyah and Tanah. Many have taken biblical first names that - like their leader's - include the letter "y."
Some former members also say Hawkins' followers tithe nearly a third of their incomes to the church. Many purchase the church's organically grown food, herbal drinks and dairy products, believing similar items available elsewhere are "unclean."
Public records show Yisrayl Hawkins owns at least $2.1 million in land, housing and mobile homes.
Nowhere is his influence more apparent than in the sect's 1,200-seat warehouse-like sanctuary, where a dozen poster-size pictures of Hawkins adorn the front wall.
Worshippers must first remove their shoes, and feet and hands are then sprayed with disinfectant before they come in. Men and women are seated on separate sides of an 8-foot wall dividing the sanctuary. Women wear long clothing and veils for modesty, and everyone wears gloves for cleanliness.
Some authorities fear Hawkins will lead his group to a tragic end like David Koresh, who the government said urged his Branch Davidian followers to set their compound on fire and kill themselves in 1993, when federal authorities tried to end a 51-day siege. Survivors blame the deaths on federal agents.
Concerned about a similar confrontation, police did not arrest Hawkins until nearly three months after obtaining the warrant - when they spotted him driving through town.
Bail was initially set at $10 million, partly because of a perceived threat in a sermon.
"I'm not asking much out of you - I'm just asking that you be willing to die rather than leave this house," Hawkins told his congregation in November.
A judge later relented, and Hawkins was released on $100,000 bond after testifying that his security guards are unarmed and suicide is counter to the church's teachings.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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guess that some people belive anything that they are told
Please read articles like this with an objective eye and form opinions based on more than what read here. I am very disappointed with this violation of journalistic integrity.
Liberal & gay a$$pokers have got to be the dumbest people on earth because they let the dumbest man on the earth rule over them for eight years!!! He steals the election from Mr."awarded every prize in the world Einstein" Algore in 2000 and then again in 2004 from "Our Man Kerry" the coolest man in the world and god''s gift to liberal women.
Either he''s the dumbest *** in the world and can''t do anything right or he rules yer frickin world liberals. Ahahahahaha what a bunch of sheep. Tell us the bedtime story again about multi, multi millionaire Big Fat Rush Limbaugh is an idiot and Al Franken the poor Jew who cant pay his taxes is the brain of the free world! Ahahahahahahaaaa it''s the funniest stuff to read every day, I can''t breath it''s so funny.
Unquestioned loyalty.
Lies.
Money scams.
Deliberate wars to provide no-bid contracts for the faithful.
And deaths!
They line their pockets with their Blood money.
The blood of 4072 Dead Americans.
Heckuva job, Bush - Liar-in-Chief!
***************
Where do these people who make such stupid comments like this one above come from? This article is talking about a religious cult in Texas, yet another one, and this bonehead is off on bashing liberals.
Please read articles like this with an objective eye and form opinions based on more than what read here. I am very disappointed with this violation of journalistic integrity.
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Posted by wwudiver at 11:22 PM
I have to agree. This article is not well done at all. I have no doubt this group is nuttier than a snickers bar, but the article is poorly written for sensationalism more than anything else.
You don''t have even a neophyte''s understanding of Islam, or the muslim practice. Are you merely spitting out the rhetoric of Coulter? I know you like to deflect direct arguments onto something that pleases you, but really, O''Reilly can''t debate either. Do yourself a favor - go to the library and read a book or two.
Even the prepubescent children, whose parents are members?
This is a typical tactic of such degenerates, to quote a saying that has nothing to do with the reality of their repugnant acts, in order to try to justify their lunacy.
Yo, Mr. Magoo, "Yahweh" is an English bastardized interpretation for the pronouncement of the tetragramaton, the four letters "YHVH", the Hebrew (Jewish) spelling for the name of their god of Abraham.
Before you post such misinformed lunacy, check your facts, you will look less foolish.
You see Magoo, all you have to do is read the article, which has information that;
"Former members describe Hawkins as a zealot whose teachings are a blend of Old Testament directives on diet and cleanliness, New Testament beliefs in Jesus, and Hawkins'' own prophecies rooted in the Book of Revelation."
Now take your anti Islamic idiocy to those who might be tricked by your lies and intentional distortions, because if you post here you will be called on it.
...there are many types to satisfy the tastes of billions of people.
The $64 million question:
Is there not but one cook for all of those items at the buffet?
I would tend to doubt it, Yahwey Ben Yahwey was a "Black" extremist, who was so bitter at the racism of the US that he formed his group to be more than exclusionary towards "Whites".
As his philosophy became more and more violent, there were those who wanted to leave the cult, and at least one, a Mr. Green, was beheaded as a warning to the others, and seeing as how the man in the picture is "White", I highly doubt if there is an affiliation.
As soon as it voices any opposition to the government''s policies, whether foreign of domestic, it will be tagged as "the enemy."
Just see what happened to Rev Wright.
and the White House (of Yahweh) where the president says he is following the will of God after intimate discussions with Him, shows us just about where this 230 year old democracy has arrived.
If we do not reclaim this land under our Constitution and laws but rather allow megalomaniacs like bush interpret their religious fervor into American foreign and domestic policy -
say goodbye to the Republic .... welcome to The United Theocratic States of America
Posted by thoughtful11
since when did the Catholic Church support adultery, sodomy, and abortion? Are you jewish?
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Posted by neoconRcrazy at 08:37 AM
Are you retarded? Any adult who feels the need for *** with minors is a sick pervert. That includes but is not limited to: polygamist sect leaders, catholic priests, and republican congressmen. For years the catholic church has tried to make light of the situation, and sweep as much of it as they could under the carpet. You don''t have to be jewish to see it for what it is.
ask SinginRick, he has a cult near San Antonio!!!
The former Kaufman County District Attorney committed suicide Sunday when police tried to arrest him at his Terrell home on a warrant tied to a child-predator sting.
Murphy police Sgt. Snow Robertson said Louis %u201CBill%u201D Conradt Jr. solicted *** from a decoy posing online as a 13-year-old boy.
Mr. Conradt was the Kaufman County district attorney for more than two decades. He gave up his position in 2002 to run for a seat on the bench. He lost. He is currently Rockwall County%u2019s chief felony assistant district attorney.
Look at how long Utah has boarded these polygs and they never did a thing about it.
once again another Group like Jim Jones followers,
well these are hard cases to judge in a land of religous liberty, I guess the courts and police are having a hard time with this stuff,
the only group we haven`t heard from are the Satanist, that worship Satan and want equal rights,
I suppose they have their own form of a Bible,
we don`t want to confuse Devil worshippers with Wicka,
I actually new a girl who was of the Wicka religion she was suppose to be a good witch,
anyway so you have Buddist, Islamists, Pagans, Christians, Satanist, Aetheist, Agnostics, Physicists, and Alchemist I think I lost count.
so what are the Courts to do ?
each practicing their own beliefs.
sincerely Fuzzy