This episode was recorded live at Woodford Folk Festival on 1 January 2024. Many people in the audience would have come across the Twelve Tribes previously at that very festival, as they used to build a big Common Ground cafe by the lake where tens of thousands of festival-goers ate and drank over the years.

Numerous wonderful people have devoted themselves to the communities and the lifestyle of the Twelve Tribes. Thousands of fantastic individuals and families are truly dedicated to a way of life that in certain respects has a lot to offer. Their positive experiences, however, don’t negate the stories of those who have come out with less positive things to say. And it’s important to understand why there have been numerous stories with similar themes of harm that have come out of this group over the decades since they formed.

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.

Links:

• The Restoration of All Things — a history on the Twelve Tribes’ official website, dated 14 January 2021
• Our Child Training Manual — Twelve Tribes text, 2000
• Châm: The Proverbial Lesson to the Whole World — Twelve Tribes teaching, 19 March 2005
• Châm and Servitude — Twelve Tribes teaching, 19 March 1991
• Homosexuals and Lesbians — Twelve Tribes teaching, 3 July 1990
• Lying — Twelve Tribes teaching, 29 November 1998
• Twelve Tribes Teachings — links to teachings not meant for the public, compiled by the Question 12 Tribes blog, 1977-2008
• Taking Moral Responsibility for Your Children (An Introduction to Effective and Defective Parenting) — Twelve Tribes teaching, 8 July 2004
• Children of the Tribes — by Julia Scheeres, Pacific Standard Magazine, 1 September 2015
• “They are evil”: Ex-Twelve Tribes members describe child abuse, control inside religious cult — by Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 3 March 2022

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