Apostolic United Brethren (AUB)
Polygamist sect of Mormon fundamentalists, originally led by the Allred family. Less coercive than the FLDS but maintains plural marriage and significant community control. Some members appeared in the TLC series 'Sister Wives'.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — less coercive than FLDS but practises polygamy and substantial community control.
Profile facts
In context
The AUB, founded by Owen Allred and successors after the 1929 split from the broader fundamentalist Mormon movement, is one of the largest fundamentalist Mormon organisations alongside the FLDS. Members publicly profile (e.g. the Brown family of 'Sister Wives') represent the more open, less coercive end. The CLCI captures the substantial community pressure, polygamous marriage culture, and limited civil-law recourse in family disputes.
Key control doctrines
- Plural marriage as essential to exaltation
- Council of seven 'Apostolic Patriarchs'
- Continuing-revelation prophet model
Recovery resources
- ICSA Helpline — International Cultic Studies Association — questions about high-control groups, referrals to cult-aware therapists, peer support.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation — BITE Model assessments, exit-counselling resources, family education.
- ICSA Cult-Aware Therapist Directory — ICSA-maintained directory of licensed mental-health professionals with specific cult-recovery training.
- Combatting Cult Mind Control — Steven Hassan, 1988 (revised 2018). The foundational BITE Model book; CLCI Hub's core methodology source.
- Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships — Janja Lalich & Madeleine Tobias, 2006. Practical recovery workbook.
- Holding Out HELP — Utah-based organisation supporting people leaving fundamentalist polygamous Mormon communities.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Notable public ex-members
- Various 'Sister Wives' family members who later left
Legal cases & controversies
- Utah polygamy decriminalisation (2020) and ongoing legal status
Lifton's 8 criteria of thought reform
Robert Jay Lifton's 1961 framework, complementary to BITE. Criteria this group exhibits according to the cited sources.
- Demand for PuritySharp world split into pure vs impure; relentless pressure to conform to an absolute standard.
- Milieu ControlRestricting communication and information so the group controls what members see, hear, and discuss.
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 1929Original fundamentalist split from LDS Church
- 1954Allred / LeBaron split forms basis of modern AUB
- 2010TLC 'Sister Wives' raises AUB public profile (Browns later disaffiliate)
Sources
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. The search ↗ link runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.