Let's Talk About Sects

Carolyn Millemon learned about a form of meditation called ‘Ascending’ at a weekend workshop in Western Australia when she was 21. A couple of years later, in North Carolina, she decided to dedicate her life to the teachings. A decade later, some of the behaviours of her own teachers weren’t sitting so well with her.

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:

• MSI and the Ishayas — posts by user ‘scribe’ archived from now defunct FACTNet forum, late 2004 to early 2005
• The Ishaya’s Ascension — by MSI, Sedona Journal, May 1997
• First Thunder: An Adventure of Discovery — by MSI, 1996
• Group Claims TM Movement is a Cult — by Phil McCombs, The Washington Post, 2 July 1987
• Para — by R. Vaughn Abrams, Seven Suns Publications, 1986, The University of Sydney Rare Books & Special Collections listing
• The Society for Ascension — North Carolina Secretary of State listing, accessed March 2023
• The Bright Path Ishayas + Maharishi Krishnananda — Cult Education Institute forum, includes post by user ‘FlatEarthRound’ which shares an email circulated to teachers in 2008, posted 19 July 2020
• the bright path — Cult Education Institute forum posts from 2009
• The Bright Path — official website
• The Lineage — page on The Ishayas’ Ascension website, accessed March 2023

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Matthew Klein’s story is featured on the podcast Inside the Tribe, and Matt sat down with LTAS for a chat about what he learned from his time in the Twelve Tribes, and what he thinks society could be doing about organisations like this.

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 Tim Elliott and Camille Bianchi featuring Matt's story and those of the other people he mentions
• I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin — podcast mentioned by Matt, who will feature on an upcoming episode
• Cult Information and Family Support (CIFS) — Australian volunteer-run support service

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Brisbane Christian Fellowship sounds like a fairly innocuous name for a church. But the BCF and its network of organisations across Australia have been the subject of a Four Corners investigation and a detailed book, speaking with former members who have numerous stories of families being torn apart as a result of their involvement. Author Morag Zwartz wrote that this ‘church’ “is every bit as pernicious and harmful as the Exclusive Brethren.”

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:

• Apostles of Fear: A Church Cult Exposed — by Morag Zwartz, Parenesis Publishing, 2008
• Who Are the Brisbane Christian Fellowship? — by David Holden, Aletheia Publishing, September 2008 (3rd Ed.)
• Open Letter to Melbourne Christian Fellowship (MCF) — blog by Paul ‘Kovaks’, accessed January 2023
• Issues Arising from Four Corners Investigation into Latter Rain Movement — Immanuel Website Article by Brian Rensford, undated
• The God of Broken Hearts — Four Corners, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 23 June 2008
• Streetcar Forum — Support forum for those affected by “the teachings and behaviours of RFI leaders”, accessed January & February 2023
• Melbourne Christian Fellowship – Why I Left It. — by Roger Williams, 27 June 2008
• The Brisbane Christian Fellowship – A Government Sponsored Cult — by Chrys Stevenson, Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear blog, 30 April 2010
• Fired pastor sues church — by Toni Mcrae, The Courier Mail, 27 March 2010

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MOVE Philadelphia made headlines in 1978, when police and MOVE members ended up in a prolonged siege and a gunfire exchange that left a police officer dead. They hit the headlines again in 1985, when a confrontation with the authorities became even more deadly after an explosive device was dropped on their property. The events led many to understand the organisation as a Black liberation group who were the victims of a racist system. The latter is hardly debatable, but credible stories from a multitude of former members portray MOVE as never truly being about Black liberation at all. Instead, they characterise it as a cult.

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!

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:

• What the survivors of MOVE deserve — by Kevin Price, Leaving MOVE blog, 22 October 2021
• Help Maria Start Over After MOVE — GoFundMe fundraiser for Maria Hardy, formerly Maria Africa, to help with general life expenses
• Help June (Pixie) and kids resettle in hiding — GoFundMe fundraiser for June Stokes, formerly Pixie Africa, and her children to help with general life expenses
• The Invention of John Africa — by Kevin Price, Leaving MOVE blog, 15 September 2021
• Move: An American Religion — by Richard Kent Evans, Oxford University Press, 2020
• Who was John Africa? — by Craig R. McCoy, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12 January 1986
• Murder at Ryan's Run — podcast series about MOVE Philadelphia, 2021

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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 [email protected].

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 2020
• Family history research service — Queensland Government, searched November 2022
• David’s Rape of Bathsheba and Murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12) — The Theology of Work Project (TOW), accessed November 2022

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.

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 Steel

Music by Joe Gould

Edited by Matt Brazel

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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, 2022
• Daniella Mestyanek Young — official website
• Daniella's Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
• Lost In Translation — Daniella's TEDx Tacoma talk, 20 December 2018

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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 2022
• Have a tip or information about Twelve Tribes? You can email ITT at [email protected]
• The great escape — by Tim Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 April 2007
• Sect woos recruits among the fairy floss at Easter Show — by Tim Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 March 2008
• Secrets of the family — by Tim Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 2013
• Common Ground Café — review by Nekoburro, Weekend Notes, 21 February 2011
• Farewell to the Father — by Tim Elliott, Picador Australia, 2016

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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, 2006
• Sex Scandal Divides The Bible Belt — by Greg Roberts, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 1990
• The Promised Land — by Melanie Myers, Kill Your Darlings, 12 November 2018
• The Story — by David P. B. Orton, Lifemessenger, date unknown
• God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination — by PhD thesis by Sam Hey, Griffith University, 2011
• The Shepherding Movement: Controversy and Charismatic Ecclesiology — by S. David Moore, Bloomsbury Academic, 2003

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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, 2022
• FACT Aotearoa — Fighting Against Conspiracy Theories (New Zealand) official website
• ankerichter.net — Anke Richter’s official website
• Rabbit Hole Resistance — Facebook group
• Bert's Labyrinth — by Anke Richter, North & South, September 2015
• Fire and Fury — documentary by Paula Penfold & Louisa Cleave, Stuff Circuit, August 2022
• Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism — by Amanda Montell, HarperCollins, 2021
• Departures — by Anke Richter, New Zealand Geographic, Issue 155, Jan-Feb 2019

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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 website
• Oh 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 Instagram
• Psychedelics, Politics and Predators with Kathleen Oh — Free Your Inner Guru podcast episode, 28 March 2022
• Cover Story: Power Trip — New York Magazine podcast series from Lily Kay Ross and David Nickles about the psychedelic underground, November 2021
• Dr Janja Lalich’s website
• Take Back Your Life Recovery — Dr Janja Lalich’s courses that Kathleen mentioned
• Gerette Buglion’s website
• #igotout — Gerette Buglion and Lisa (anonymous activist)’s movement for cult survivors
• Laura Tucker’s website — host of the Free Your Inner Guru podcast

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