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
- Sound Choices Coalition — Support for women and children exiting Mormon-fundamentalist polygamous communities; founded by ex-FLDS members but serves AUB exits too.
- Cherish Families — Support for families and children exiting fundamentalist polygamist groups; Utah and Arizona focus.
- Mormon Stories Podcast (John Dehlin) — Long-running podcast and community for broader LDS and Mormon-fundamentalist exit experiences.
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General high-control-group referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; family-side exit guidance and BITE-model resources.
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
Evidence by BITE axis
- Plural marriage with significant social and family pressure
- Limited civil-law recourse in marriage and child custody disputes
- Doctrinal pressure to enter plural marriage for exaltation
- Plural marriage as essential to exaltation
- Strong community insularity
- Continuing-revelation prophet model
- Council of seven 'Apostolic Patriarchs'
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.
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)
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
| Title | Type | Reliability | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suche im Internet Archive | Government | Primary | — |
| Polygamy group investigates abuse allegations. · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| One Big, Happy Polygamous Family. · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| Owen Allred, 91; Patriarch of One of Utah’s Largest Polygamist Congregations. · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| The Primer: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement and Human Services Agencies who offer Assistance to Fundamentalist Mormon Families. · archive | Government | Primary | — |
| High court won’t hear “Sister Wives” appeal over bigamy law. · archive | Journalism | Secondary | — |
| The Primer: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement and Human Services Agencies Who Offer Assistance to Fundamentalist Mormon Families · archive | Government | Primary | — |
Sources
- Janet Bennion, 'Polygamy in Primetime' (2012) search ↗
- Anne Wilde public commentary search ↗
- Suche im Internet Archive — https://digitallibrary.utah.gov/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=10767 open ↗
- Polygamy group investigates abuse allegations. — https://apnews.com/article/4f93e33185cc4f888dc7c321e26342bb open ↗
- One Big, Happy Polygamous Family. — https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/opinion/21turley.html?scp=1&sq=polygamy%20washington&st=cse open ↗
- Owen Allred, 91; Patriarch of One of Utah’s Largest Polygamist Congregations. — https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-20-me-allred20-story.html open ↗
- The Primer: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement and Human Services Agencies who offer Assistance to Fundamentalist Mormon Families. — http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/cmsdocuments/The_Primer.pdf open ↗
- High court won’t hear “Sister Wives” appeal over bigamy law. — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sister-wives-high-court-wont-hear-appeal-over-bigamy-law/ open ↗
- The Primer: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement and Human Services Agencies Who Offer Assistance to Fundamentalist Mormon Families — http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/08/The_Primer.pdf open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-22Phase 1 Batch A: per-group recovery resources curated. AUB exits often involve looser community boundaries than FLDS; resource set emphasises Sound Choices Coalition, Cherish Families, and broader Mormon Stories community alongside ICSA / Freedom of Mind.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Key terms in this profile
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is Apostolic United Brethren a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). Apostolic United Brethren scores 25 out of 40 — "High Control", at medium confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is Apostolic United Brethren's CLCI score?
Apostolic United Brethren scores 25 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "High" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 7, Information 6, Thought 6, Emotional 6 — plus a signed modifier of +0 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does Apostolic United Brethren score 25 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Plural marriage with significant social and family pressure; Limited civil-law recourse in marriage and child custody disputes; Strong community insularity; Doctrinal pressure to enter plural marriage for exaltation. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +0 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the Apostolic United Brethren rating?
This profile is rated Medium confidence. Medium confidence means the score rests on reputable journalism plus consistent ex-member testimony. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding Apostolic United Brethren?
If you or someone you care about is affected by Apostolic United Brethren, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.