Doomsday faith groups

Part 3 of 3 parts
2015 to now: The House of Yahweh^®
faith group located in Abilene, TX:

This topic is continued from the previous essay

2015-AUG-01: A family successfully fled from the House of Yahweh:

Micahyah Hawkins -- previously named Michael Sherwood -- took his new name when he, his wife, and family joined the House of Yahweh. All members are expected to change their last name to "Hawkins" to match that of their leader Yisrayl Hawkins.

On AUG-01, Member Amy Hawkins, 39, abandoned her husband, took their four children, and fled from the House of Yahweh. They stayed with Amy's mother-in-law, Claudia Owen. in South Carolina, who found out for the first time that she had four grandchildren -- three girls and one boy.

Amy said:

"My husband had said this is the place, this is where the truth is. It’s not like any other religion. It was great at first, everything was brand new (and) it’s a new place — you believe it’s the place." ₁

After she left, her husband filed for divorce and sought custody of their children. In court, she testified that her husband prevented their children from attending school. Having only a sixth-grade education herself, she was unable to teach her own children. She said that, over time, the rules limiting members' behavior became more stricter. She said that their daughters, then aged 14, 10 and 4, would be forced to marry older men in the group later in their lives.

The father, Micahyah Hawkins, testified that it was his wife who prevented their children from going to school. He denied that their daughters would be required to marry older men.

Amy described the annual feast celebrated by the membership at the compound. She said:

"... every year it's the same thing. They say it's going to be nuclear war every year. And every year you're petrified going, 'OK, we're all going to die.' My children have lived in fear for the last 15 years. They've been petrified thinking they're going to die every single feast. ... The first week I left I was afraid I was going to get struck by lightning just because. And when I ate at a restaurant for the first time in 15 years I thought I was going to die. .. .[Aliciyah,] My daughter is not able to socialize. She's not able to deal with the world. She's not able to deal with people. She's not able to talk properly.

Claudia Owen said that she asks the children if they want to return to the compound:

"... they do not want to go back because [now] they've seen what it's like to have a life to live. They're getting a peek at normal."

ABC News 4 interviewed an anonymous elder at the compound. He said:

"This court case really has nothing to do with the House of Yahweh. This is a disagreement between this man and this woman and both of them are in disagreement with the House of Yahweh. It really has nothing to do with us."

On 2016-AUG-24, Amy Hawkins was granted temporary custody of their four children by a Texas court. ₂

Sponsored link

Books about to the House of Yahweh:

• James Arthur, "The House of Yahweh EXPOSED," CreateSpace, (2011), Available in paperback and Kindle formats. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
  
  
• Kay Hawkins, "The House of Yahweh My Side of the Story," AuthorHouse (2012). Available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle formats. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store Kay Hawkins was a member from the time of founding of the House of Yahweh, and was married to Elder and Overseer Yisrayl Hawkins. She was divorced and excommunicated in 1994. Selected parts of this book are available on Google Books at: https://books.google.ca/
  
  
• Yisrayl Hawkins, "The Book of Yahweh, The Holy Scriptures, Tenth Edition," Kindle Version, 11,901 pages! (2012). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

Sponsored link:

Books written by Yisrayl Hawkins:

He has written a number of books and articles about Biblical prophecy. In 1983, he correctly predicted that the Middle East Peace Accord would be signed in 1993. He has written a book "Can We Avoid The Next Holocaust?" about massively disruptive events in the immediate future. Other books include:

• The Book of Yahweh: The Holy Scriptures.
  
  
• Devil Worship: The Shocking Facts.
  
  
• The Sabbath: Every Question Answered.
  
  
• The Mark of The Beast--Volumes 1 & 2.
  
  
• Unveiling Satan: Her True Identity Revealed.
  
  
• The Two Witnesses.
  
  
• Did Yahshua Messiah Pre-exist?
  
  
• Deceptions Concerning Yahweh's Calendar of Events.
  
  
• The Lost Faith Of The Apostles And Prophets: History and Prophecy.

Copies can be ordered from their Shop at: http://yahweh.com/

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. Travis Gettys, "Woman fights to keep children away from husband and his restrictive House of Yahweh religious sect," Raw Story, 2015-SEP-17, at: http://www.rawstory.com/
2. " 'I'm awake' - Mother wins fight to keep children in South Carolina after leaving religious group," ABC 4 News, 2015-AUG-24, at: http://abcnews4.com/

Copyright 2016 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally posted: 2016-FEB-03
Latest update: 2016-FEB-05
Author: B.A. Robinson 

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