The Role of the Apostates in the Twelve Tribes conflict in Germany Cover Image

The Role of the Apostates in the Twelve Tribes conflict in Germany
The Role of the Apostates in the Twelve Tribes conflict in Germany

Author(s): Zdeněk Vojtíšek
Subject(s): Theology and Religion
Published by: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Nakladatelství Karolinum
Keywords: Twelve Tribes movement; New Religious Movements; religious community; apostasy; raid; “captivity narratives”; “atrocity tales”

Summary/Abstract: The testimonies of the apostates and their captivity narratives and atrocity tales often have a great impact on the conflict between new religious movements and general society. The reason behind this is both the great persuasive power that those narratives wield, which stems from personal experience, and the negative bias of the public that seldom questions their truthfulness and accuracy. One of the examples of apostates’ narratives largely contributing to a violent solution of a conflict with a New Religious Movement, is the case of the Twelve Tribes. The article describes the role of the apostates that led to a raid on a German community of this movement in 2013 and pursues parallels with the raid on a community of the same movement in 1984 in Vermont. The text also briefly mentions other violent conflicts in new religious movements at large.

  • Issue Year: 1/2017
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 1-18
  • Page Count: 1
  • Language: English