Draft:Untamed Truth

Untamed Truth (UT) is an American religious group located in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered by some to be a cult. The group is led by Tyrelle "Ty" Duran Mustafa (also known as Ty Duran), Tyler Matthew Winter, and Daniel Scott Morris.

UT first achieved widespread notoriety in July 2019 when members of the group confronted gospel musician Kirk Franklin outside the Florida Theatre before his concert, and videos of the incident and the subsequent follow-up meeting went viral.

UT releases videos on multiple YouTube channels. These include its primary Untamed Truth channel (since 2017), as well as secondary channels, such as Untamed Truth Exposed (since 2 February 2024) and UNF Preachers (since 30 March 2024).

Beliefs
Untamed Truth claims to be a Christian religious group. However, it has not published any kind of written statement of faith or beliefs.

UT exclusively uses the King James Version of the Bible in its teaching videos and while street preaching.

UT subscribes to several questionable theories, including a flat-Earth cosmography and the faking of the Apollo moon landings.

Controversies
During the Fall 2019 term at the University of North Florida, Untamed Truth's confrontational preaching style resulted in claims that the group was harassing students, which UT subsequently denied. After multiple student-led counterprotests against UT, both the UNF administration and police department acknowledged UT's right to continue preaching on campus but advised students against "engaging with [UT's] rhetoric, which thereby gives them a platform."

Because of restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, UT did not return to the UNF campus until the Fall 2022 term, resulting in fresh controversy when students raised concerns over their safety as a result of "extreme interactions with [UT], leaving [students] feeling uneasy and—at times—unsafe." The controversy continued through the Spring 2023 term when students formed their own group, "Untamed Love," to protect their classmates from the harassment they claimed to have been receiving from UT. In response to continuing student complaints about UT, the UNF administration created an "Expression on Campus" website, which allows students to "learn about the laws that protect free speech, how to express yourself on campus, and what resources are available for support."

On or around 19 July 2023, UT removed public access to all of its UNF campus preaching videos, among others, on YouTube; shortly thereafter, those videos were also removed from Facebook. When one of UT's leaders, Daniel Morris, was asked directly why the videos were removed, he refused to answer and deleted the question. The removal of the videos in question coincided with the filing of four civil actions in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida between current and former UT members.

Criticism
Untamed Truth has received criticism from former members, relatives of current members, and other self-identified Christians in the Jacksonville area.

Former UT members that have provided testimonies critical of their time in the group include Michael Cotter, Ben Meinrod, and Hunter Johnston.

Allegations of radical exclusivity and forcing members to separate from their families have been leveled against UT. Glen and Kimberly Morris, the parents of Daniel Morris, have provided testimony regarding how UT's beliefs have caused their son to sever all ties with them. Daniel subsequently provided a response disputing his parents' claims.

Several YouTube channels have produced videos critical of both UT's theology and conduct, including Hudson Horne and Question Everything. On 2 February 2024, the Untamed Truth Exposed channel began releasing response videos against UT's critics. Shortly thereafter, the channel Untamed Truth Exposed Exposed was, according to the channel description, created to "shed light regarding the advent of a new YouTube channel known as 'Untamed Truth Exposed' which purports to fairly evaluate claims against Untamed Truth, but actually is sympathetic to Untamed Truth and is possibly even run by Untamed Truth themselves."