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There’s a group in regional Queensland that claims to have no name. Members meet in each other’s homes on Wednesdays and Sundays. They don’t have any of their beliefs written down, though they do sing hymns from a particular hymn book. A lot of what they follow sounds incredibly similar to a group that also claimed to have no name but was often referred to as the Two by Twos or The Truth. This one doesn’t have pairs of ‘workers’ who travel around and stay with community members, however. That job was left up to its founder, a man named Robert Barlow. If you're a member or former member of Bob Barlow's 'church' who would like to get in touch with Candice Curran, you can email survivingthetruth@outlook.com.au. Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 at Audio-Technica’s Australian store for 10% off and to support the show! Links:Two by Twos / The Truth — sources for previous LTAS episode about the Two by Twos / The Truth available here, October 2020Family history research service — Queensland Government, searched November 2022David’s Rape of Bathsheba and Murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12) — The Theology of Work Project (TOW), accessed November 2022If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Credits:Written and hosted by Sarah SteelMusic by Joe GouldEdited by Matt Brazel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Dec 20221h 10min

Daniella Mestyanek Young was born into the Children of God, as was her mother before her. She left as a teenager and put herself through school and university, then decided to join the military. Her fantastic book Uncultured explores many of the parallels between the cult and the armed forces. The New York Times called it, “A painful and propulsive memoir delivered in the honest tones of a woman who didn’t always think she’d live to tell her story."You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. Thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 at Audio-Technica’s Australian store for 10% off and to support the show!Links:Uncultured — by Daniella Mestyanek Young, Macmillan, 2022Daniella Mestyanek Young — official websiteDaniella's Twitter, Instagram and LinkedInLost In Translation — Daniella's TEDx Tacoma talk, 20 December 2018 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Nov 202259min

Many people around the world would have come across the food produced by the Twelve Tribes through their Common Ground market stalls and bakeries or their Yellow Deli cafes. A post from 2011 on the popular Weekend Notes website says, “The Common Ground Café has had its share of media-related controversy as it is run by a religious community, whose mysteriously stand-offish ways freak some people out. Do not be deterred by that, as no one will try to convert you and the food is truly delicious. If you are curious, just ask them.”It might be worth listening to award-winning journalist Tim Elliott’s new podcast, Inside the Tribe, before you follow this advice.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. Thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 at Audio-Technica’s Australian store for 10% off and to support the show! Links:Inside the Tribe — podcast by Camille Bianchi and Tim Elliott, out Monday 28 November 2022Have a tip or information about Twelve Tribes? You can email ITT at insidethetribepod@gmail.comThe great escape — by Tim Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 April 2007Sect woos recruits among the fairy floss at Easter Show — by Tim Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 March 2008Secrets of the family — by Tim Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 2013Common Ground Café — review by Nekoburro, Weekend Notes, 21 February 2011Farewell to the Father — by Tim Elliott, Picador Australia, 2016 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Nov 202233min

The Logos Foundation was often described as ‘mysterious’ in media coverage, but became a part of the religious right that published full page newspaper advertisements encouraging the electorate to vote on ‘moral’ issues at Queensland state elections in the late 1980s. Its embrace of the Shepherding Movement led many to consider it incredibly cult-like, and certain facets of the religious right today can trace a direct lineage to its teachings. Founder Howard Carter’s hard-line approach to sinful behaviour would prove to be hypocrisy-ridden for almost the entire time his organisation existed.Guest: Esther (not her real name) Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 at Audio-Technica’s Australian store for 10% off and to support the show! Links:The Logos Foundation: The Rise and Fall of Christian Reconstructionism in Australia — by John Harrison, University of Queensland, 2006Sex Scandal Divides The Bible Belt — by Greg Roberts, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 1990The Promised Land — by Melanie Myers, Kill Your Darlings, 12 November 2018The Story — by David P. B. Orton, Lifemessenger, date unknownGod in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination — by PhD thesis by Sam Hey, Griffith University, 2011The Shepherding Movement: Controversy and Charismatic Ecclesiology — by S. David Moore, Bloomsbury Academic, 2003 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Nov 202258min

Anke Richter is an international journalist and author based in NZ. Over time she’s found herself covering more and more cults, to the point where she recently published her first book about the subject: ‘Cult Trip’. Anke is also a member and co-founder of FACT Aotearoa (Fight Against Conspiracy Theories). Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. Thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 at Audio-Technica’s Australian store for 10% off and to support the show! Links:Cult Trip: Inside the World of Coercion and Control — by Anke Richter, HarperCollins, 2022FACT Aotearoa — Fighting Against Conspiracy Theories (New Zealand) official websiteankerichter.net — Anke Richter’s official websiteRabbit Hole Resistance — Facebook groupBert's Labyrinth — by Anke Richter, North & South, September 2015Fire and Fury — documentary by Paula Penfold & Louisa Cleave, Stuff Circuit, August 2022Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism — by Amanda Montell, HarperCollins, 2021Departures — by Anke Richter, New Zealand Geographic, Issue 155, Jan-Feb 2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Nov 20221h 20min

Kathleen Oh is a rare breed: a wellness coach who is cynical about wellness and the coaching industry. She works with clients across integration and psychedelics education. Kathleen is trained in Internal Family Systems (also known as IFS Informed or IFSCA), which is a trauma-informed approach, and comes from a background of trauma herself. Kathleen was once an anti-vaxxer, and her community embraced all kinds of magical thinking and conspiracy theories. Over time, she realised that her own coaching may have involved undue influence, and through the words of a dear friend she recognised that a lot of her perspectives were rooted in white privilege.You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 for 10% off their Australian store, and to support the show. Links:Coach Kathleen Oh — Kathleen’s websiteOh My Heart — Kathleen’s Substack (we spoke about her Psychedelics, Cults and Predators article in particular, from 13 July 2022)The Real Coach Oh — Kathleen’s InstagramPsychedelics, Politics and Predators with Kathleen Oh — Free Your Inner Guru podcast episode, 28 March 2022Cover Story: Power Trip — New York Magazine podcast series from Lily Kay Ross and David Nickles about the psychedelic underground, November 2021Dr Janja Lalich’s websiteTake Back Your Life Recovery — Dr Janja Lalich’s courses that Kathleen mentionedGerette Buglion’s website#igotout — Gerette Buglion and Lisa (anonymous activist)’s movement for cult survivorsLaura Tucker’s website — host of the Free Your Inner Guru podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Nov 20221h 49min

Dr Janja Lalich is a Professor Emerita of Sociology at California State University, Chico. She has written multiple world-renowned books on cultic studies, and is soon to launch the non-profit Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion. Dr Lalich offers resources to help survivors of coercive groups, as well as courses for therapists and social workers to help them understand the issues involved in treatment. She was once a member of a cult herself, and rose to a leadership rank. She has spent her life since using her experiences to educate and assist others. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Use promo code LTAS10 for 10% off their Australian store, and to support the show. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or find resources at janjalalich.com. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Links:Janja Lalich's websiteLalich Center on Cults and CoercionTake Back Your Life Recovery — resources and coursesTake Back Your Life — by Janja Lalich & Madeleine Tobias, Bay Tree Publishing, 2006 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Okt 202253min

When widespread abuse is uncovered at a New Zealand cult, a family must turn to the legal system in an effort to save themselves and their community from the all-powerful leaders. Filmmakers Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady documented the impact of the civil action, and of the cult itself. Their gripping expose on New Zealand’s most infamous and secretive religious group, founded by Australian evangelist Neville Cooper, has quickly become New Zealand’s highest grossing local documentary. It is out in Australian cinemas on 3 November, with festival screenings from 22 October and Q&A sessions with the filmmakers around the country. To find your nearest screening, visit gloriavale.com/screenings. Guests: Noel Smyth & Fergus GradySupport the work of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Aussie listeners can win some Audio-Technica goodies here! If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia. Links:To find your nearest screening of Gloriavale: New Zealand's Secret Cult visit gloriavale.com/screeningsFacebook: facebook.com/GloriavaleDocoInstagram: instagram.com/gloriavalefilmHashtag: #gloriavalefilm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Okt 202240min