THE MORMON CURTAIN
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FUNDAMENTALIST LDS
Total Articles:
17
The Fundamentalist LDS group that splintered off from main-stream Mormonism in 1890.
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All This Exposure On Polygamy And The Fundamentalist LDS Just Shows The World What Real, Pure Mormonism Is
Thursday, May 11, 2006, at 09:18 AM
Original Author(s): Mormon Inc.
Topic: FUNDAMENTALIST LDS -Link To MC Article- | ↑ | I watched a program on the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints on CNN last night. Basically these people took the old Mormonism taught by Brigham Young and kept it undiluted.
The children were forced to kill animals so they would be used to having blood on their hands. Definitely inspired by Brigham's Blood Atonement doctrine.
The church leaders used guilt, fear, and the religion to control it's members through brainwashing and mind control.
The leader of the cult like Joseph Smith would constantly move around place to place and had different settlements set up. Joseph Smith ping pinged between New York, Ohio, Missouri.
Joseph Smith was chased by the law wanted for various crimes.
If it weren't for Joseph Smith, there would be no polygamy in the US, at least in large Mormon settlements.
Colorado City and it's sister settlement in Texas, is a view back in time to Brigham Young's Utah. Where the police were subservient to the theocracy dictator and those who wanted out were hunted down with Porter Rockwell's Gestapo.
Nothing has changed and it's one of the biggest news stories of late. I love it. The world is being showed the real Mormonism and nothing Hinckley's Public Relations Corporate Church does can steer public opinion away from the polygamous disaster that was created right from pure Mormon Doctrine. Mormonism will always be a polygamous cult to its dying day.
| According to this;
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news....
West Texas editorial, LDS Inc doesn't recognize the FLDS church.
Maybe that's why LDS Inc. is so quick to dismiss any association with them and refer to them as "those people who practice polygamy." and not as "fundamentalist LDS" or FLDS.
Sort of like Bill Clinton refering to Monica Lewinsky as "that woman" when he claimed not to have sex with her.
I think the Morg relies upon the old, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." approach to PR. Or, IOW, the ostrich approach, if you ignore it long enough, maybe it will go away.
They're hoping that eventually, they can just maintain the status quo, and as long as nobody points out what a crock of shit it is to maintain DandC 132, then they can just go along their merry way pretending like they've got nothing to do with "those people who practice polygamy" even though they maintain the belief in the practice in the next life and still practice polygamy today by sealing widowers to multiple wives in the temple, but not vice versa.
| The Article Said "Warren Steed Jeffs" But It Could Be "Joseph Smith" Or "Brigham Young"
Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006, at 08:07 AM
Original Author(s): Searcher68
Topic: FUNDAMENTALIST LDS -Link To MC Article- | ↑ | At http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14569632/ the headline was “ Fugitive sect leader arrested near Las Vegas - Polygamist Warren Steed Jeffs was on FBI's most wanted list.”
But as I read, it seemed to me that the article could be about Joseph Smith or Brigham Young in places. See if you agree.
“
faces sexual misconduct charges for allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and older men”. Isn't that the story of the Mormon leadership in the second half of the 19th century? Sure seems to me that JS and BY started the whole mess. Am I wrong?
“
his
father, Rulon Jeffs
had 65 children by several women. He is said to have at least 40 wives and nearly 60 children.” Now, how many children did Young have, by how many wives?
“
Jeffs was found with $54,000 in cash, numerous gift cards worth an additional $10,000
”. So, Jeffs has a lot more money than his followers. Sure reminds me of Young. Again, am I wrong?
“Jeffs was indicted
of arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and a married man
”. Fannie was how old when Smith married her? Fourteen?
“The FLDS Church split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the mainstream Mormon Church disavowed plural marriage more than 100 years ago.” The Mormon Church has NEVER disavowed plural marriage. They just don’t practice it today.
“Jeffs has been called a religious zealot and dangerous extremist by those familiar with his church.” Have you ever read what Young wanted to do with some of those who disagreed him? Jeffs and Young do not sound all that different.
JS and BY started all of this and the Mormon Church has never said that they were wrong to practice polygamy. The Mormon Church has never said that it was/is wrong, only that Mormons shouldn’t practice it now.
Is there really that much difference between Jeffs and the 19th century Mormon leadership? I would sure like someone from the Mormon Church to answer this one.
| I just read the official church press release in relation to the Warren Jeffs debacle in the news. In its purpose to set the record straight, I actually think the press release is misleading and inaccurate.
Here is the link: http://lds.org/newsroom/showrelease/0...
First of all, a few quotes from the official statement:
"Some may debate what the definition of a Mormon is, but terms like “Mormon Tabernacle Choir,” “Mormon Temple” and “Mormon missionaries” are universally understood to refer to the 12-million member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quite simply, calling Warren Jeffs a Mormon is misleading and confusing to the vast majority of audiences who rightfully associate the term “Mormon” with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
"The term "Mormon" is a nickname commonly applied to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no such thing as a "Mormon fundamentalist," nor are there “Mormon sects." A correct term to describe these polygamist groups is "polygamist sects." The inclusion of the word "Mormon" is misleading and inaccurate."
In my opinion, the term "Mormon" can and should be applied when referring to any group or person that meets the following criteria:
- Anyone that follows the early doctrines of the church, including those that were taught by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young;
- Anyone that believes the Book of Mormon to be the word of God translated by Joseph Smith;
- Anyone who believes they have the priesthood of God as it was restored to Joseph Smith;
- Anyone that believes the Doctrine and Covenants, and Peal of Great Price; and
- Anyone who meets the above four requirements and still prefers to be considered a Mormon
The only reason in my opinion, that the LDS Church is referred to as "Mormons" is because they meet the above five criteria AND because they have a large marketing budget to spend on branding efforts.
The release specifically says "the term "Mormon" is a nickname commonly applied to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" and "...the definition of a Mormon is...universally understood to refer to the 12-million member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." This is obviously NOT the case, otherwise they wouldn't continually have to deal with this issue. These church statements are both misleading and inaccurrate.
I strongly disagree with the church's press release. Simply because the LDS Church chooses to refer to temples, missionaries and a choir as "Mormon" does not justify their sole use of the term.
Polygamists are Mormon. There is no debate. What they are not are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And based on what I've seen in the news lately, the reporters have made that distinction correctly while also correctly labeling polygamists as members of a Mormon Sect, as Fundamentalist Mormons, or simply as Mormons.
The fact of the matter is that all polygamists are Mormon but not all Mormons are polygamists. The church can say otherwise all they want, but after more than a century doing so, it is obvious that no one other than themselves is listening.
| Pretty funny letter to the editor in today's Arizona Republic:
Editor:
Regarding the arrest late Monday of polygamist Warren Jeffs:
Please, please understand that this man has absolutely nothing to do with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is not a Mormon.
The sect for which he is a so-called prophet is a group that blatantly disregards and defies the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which admonish us to live within the laws of our land.
Latter-day Saints in good standing do not practice polygamy. If it is found that a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practices any such thing it would surely mean the end of their membership in the church.
Please, please stop referring to this horrible man as a Mormon. He may be many things, but a "Mormon" he is not.
Kelli Fitzgerald, Buckeye
Sister Fitzgerald apparently does not realize that:
1. Although the practice has been temporarily suspended, plural marriage is an eternal principle that remains in LDS theology and canon; and
2. Express LDS policy allows a living man to engage in a limited form of polygamy even to this day (i.e., a widower or civilly divorced man may marry a 2nd wife for "time and eternity" in the temple, but a widow or civilly divorced woman cannot). Three current apostles have engaged in this limited form of polygamy (after the death of their first wives): Tom Perry, Dallin Oaks and Russell Nelson.
The LDS and FLDS have more in common than this sweet sister seems to realize (or willing to admit).
| Why There Haven't Been More Prosecutions Of Utah Polygamists: Not Enough Faithful Utah Prosecutors
Friday, Apr 11, 2008, at 08:24 AM
Original Author(s): Steve Benson
Topic: FUNDAMENTALIST LDS -Link To MC Article- | ↑ | With Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff reportedly now seizing credit for the Texas raid on Warren Jeff's polygamous compound, questions are naturally raised about why (if Utah was supposedly such a good example to Texas when it came to going after polygamists) did it take Utah law enforcement authorities so long to actually start rounding up and prosecuting its still largely untouched boatloads of abusive, law-defying multi-wifers?
As Shurtleff critic Holly Mullen recently wrote in a scathing article, "Lone Star Justice: Why Isn't Utah as Bold as Texas about Polygamy?":
"Utah was never so bold [as Texas, which recently raided Jeffs' cattle yard concubined compound near Eldorado and, in the process, rescued over 400 children].
"When we [Utahns] had our chance to clean up a similar mess over decades, our blessed state wimped out. Legal authorities have fussed and fretted for more than a half-century, since the infamous 1953 raid on Arizona’s Short Creek, where 160 children were rounded up and kept in state custody for two years.
"It’s been Utah’s policy--forged in the past eight years, primarily by Attorney General Mark Shurtleff--to work slowly and practically with FLDS communities and in prosecuting men who groom little girls to be their sex partners and take them as underage wives. . . .
"For . . . many . . . , polygamy remains just another element of Utah’s wacky religious back-story–like inexplicable liquor laws and closing off public access to Main Street. And that means that as time passes, polygamy and the outgrowth of child abuse come to be seen as silly cultural icons worthy of only an eye roll. . . .
"At least Texas [has taken] a stand and turned an ear toward a population that should matter most but seldom does: children. Their fathers can scream all day about their rights; at least they have a voice.
"Utah should be such a busybody."
http://www.slweekly.com/index.cfm?do=...
From my own experience with the mindset of defenders of Utah's foot-dragging on polygamous-preached and -practiced child and wife abuse, the rationalizations can be as disturbing as they are stunning.
I had my own run-in with excuses offered up in behalf of derelict Utah state law enforcement authorities a few years ago, as Utah was about to host the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Allow me to set the scene:
In the run-up to the Salt Lake City-hosted Games, polygamist child rapist, wife abuser, deadbeat dad and welfare cheat Tom Green suddenly discovered himself to be the very publicly prosecuted target of then-Juab (Utah) County Attorney David Leavitt (brother of Utah's then-governor Michael Leavitt).
After much media hooplah, Green was convicted in 2001 of raping his child bride/first wife Linda Kunz, when she was 13 years old. Green (who claimed four other wives and 33 children) was also found guilty of bigamy and welfare fraud--the latter for criminal non-support related to his failure to provide for his many vulnerable underage offspring.
Green was sentenced to five years to life (the lightest sentence the judge could hand down) and was released on parole after serving only six years behind bars.
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/05/1...
http://www.utcourts.gov/opinions/supo...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/07/poly...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/0...
Prior to Green's prosecution, there had not been a single significant Utah law enforcement crackdown on polygamy for some 50 years--despite the fact the polygamy has been expressly prohibited by the Utah state constitution for some 112 years--and despite the additional fact that there are upwards of an estimated 50,000 practicing polygamists in Utah.
http://www.ruralwomyn.net/polygamy.ht...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/0...
In light of the Green conviction and its attendant focus on Utah's not-so-secret ugly undercurrent of polygamy, I drew a cartoon showing the state's bobsled team barreling down the run with a Brigham Young-looking character at the controls, whip in hand, with the sled crammed full of bonneted women and children.
A sign next to the run declared, "Welcome to Utah: No cigarettes, no booze but all the wives you can choose."
A couple of Utah Olympic officials were standing off to the side surveying the scene, with one noting to the other that if they wanted to improve Utah's image, they'd have to do something about their bobsled team.
Awhile later, I happened to be in Utah, where I spent an evening visiting with a personal friend of Jacalyn Leavitt, the wife of Utah's then-governor Michael Leavitt.
This person told me that Jacalyn Leavitt had seen the cartoon and was quite upset with it, on the grounds that she thought it unfairly suggested there had been political considerations involved in the decision to make an example of Green through the olympian, albeit pre-Olympic, prosecutorial efforts of the governor's sincere crime-fighting sibling.
This person further informed me that the governor's wife wanted to speak with me in order to make her case in this regard. (We never did speak, even though I indicated at the time that I would be happy to hear from her).
This personal friend of Utah's First Lady also denied, as well, that there had been any political motivation behind David Leavitt's decision to go after Green as the world (clearly non-coincidentally, I thought), was turning its all-seeing international eye on Utah and its hosting of the Winter Games.
I asked why (if, in fact, political considerations had not played a role in this sudden spring into action by Utah lawmen against Green) had there been no meaningful investigation and prosecution of Utah polygamists in the last half-a-century?
The straight-faced response was that until David Leavitt came along, there was no county attorney in Utah righteous or courageous enough to prosecute polygamists--meaning, therefore and of course, that the state's hands were tied.
Really, now.
If, in fact, David Leavitt was such a righteous man, then why did the Mormon God reward him for his successful efforts against the evils of Tom Green's criminal multiple wifery by allowing Leavitt to subsequently be defeated for re-election a mere three months after winning Green's conviction?
Leavitt later hinted that his election loss was due the to pro-polygamist devotions of the local populace:
"A small town prosecutor has a little bit of a shelf life," Leavitt said. "Quite frankly, I'd prosecute Tom Green again if I had the same decisions to make and I knew that prosecution would cost me my job."
http://www.davidleavitt2008.com/newsr...
Let me get this straight:
The Mormon Jesus chose--and then guided--a brave and rare individual in the person of Utah County Attorney David Leavitt to throw political caution to the wind and, instead, wage a bold, pure, courageous, brave, clean, reverent and ultimately successful fight against a notorious child-raping Utah polygamist.
Then, as a reward for such daring devotion to duty, this same Jehovah sat back and allowed Leavitt to lose his re-election bid, thereby denying this Latter-day Lone Ranger the opportunity to continue his heroic one-man crusade against the evils of plural marriage?
Hmmmmm.
Something tells me that the Mormon Jesus and his devoted Utah Saints aren't hell-bent against polygamy after all.
| See http://www.sltrib.com/Opinion/ci_8923...
My comment was as follows:
Michael Nielsen is always worth listening to carefully in my view and I am glad that he has chosen to publicly weigh in on the connection between Mormonism and FLDS polygamy. His analysis sets FLDS polygamy in its Mormon context and gently (that is one of his many strengths) reminds the Mormon faithful of their polygamous roots, polygamous afterlife, and the way in which both influence contemporary Mormon reality in many respects. I think his public relations advice is excellent, and will be surprised if something like that does not already hold sway within the Mormon leadership cadre. Those folks receive some of the best corporate communications advice on the planet, and much of that is drawn from Dr. Nielsen’s area of speciality social psychology.
To cut to the chase in that regard, suppressing and ignoring the evidence is only an effective public relations strategy until a lot of people find the evidence and start talking about it. Then, coming clean, and apologizing, is by far the most effective strategy for most purposes. If this is not done, the public’s trust is lost. Once lost, trust is hard to regain. This applies to a wide range of Mormon issues.
Our perspective largely controls the conclusions we reach. The perspective implicit in Dr. Nielsen’s analysis is that of a social psychologist who is accustomed to thinking in terms of social groups (like the Mormon Church) as organisms that evolve in order to adapt to their environments. Interestingly, most of us have an easy time seeing how these forces shape other groups, but cannot do so when it comes to our own. I suggest that this is the case with many posters who are critical of Dr. Nielsen’s article. Their belief in the reality of a particular type of God, His communication to J. Smith and other Mormon leaders, and a particular kind of life after death (involving polygamy) cause them to miss Dr. Nielsen’s point.
Dr. Nielsen pointed out some rough edges on the evolving Mormon organism. Does it make sense for Mormons to have completely rejected polygamy as a lifestyle while still clinging to it as an eternal belief, and at the same time attempting to become a mainstream, evangelical Christian sect? He says “no”, and I agree. This is a prime candidate for Mormon prophetic revelation, but is more likely to be dealt with as was the Adam-God doctrine, the importance of blood oaths in the temple ceremony, the idea that man can become like God (G. Hinckley assured us that that Mormon leaders don’t teach that, to the great surprise of the few faithful Mormons who have heard about his statement in this regard) and countless other Mormon beliefs that fell out of step with the times. That is, Mormon leaders will stop talking about polygamy. It will be excised from teachers’ manuals. It will be put into the “mysteries” category, and hence discussion of it in all circumstances will be discouraged. Therefore, polygamy’s influence within Mormonism will decline. This is, of course, precisely what has already happened, while polygamy as a doctrine remains on the books and hence occasionally makes life difficult for those increasingly few Mormons who take their religion seriously enough to learn its theology and attempt to live by it. The fact that Mormons are discouraged from using anything other than scripture and the lesson manual to prepare lessons, and limited resources to prepare talks, makes it less likely that future Mormons will be troubled by these old ideas. Nonetheless, in this and many other ways, the most diligent Mormons are often those who suffer most.
Anyone who suggests that Mormon beliefs in general don’t change, and that this one can’t, are unfamiliar with both Mormon doctrine and history. The “line upon line”, continuing revelation concept was designed to allow Mormonism to evolve (and J. Smith to get off the hook when his frequent and often extemporaneous revelations proved wrong), though the human desire for certainty makes it tricky for Mormon leaders to use this part of Mormon theology. Hence, the pattern tends to be that current Mormon prophets cannot be questioned, and they (and only they) occasionally confirm that something that was once believed to be a prophetic statement was in error after it appears incontrovertibly inaccurate, and has in any event been long dead as a practical matter as a result of having been suppressed and ignored in the manner described above. But of course, the fact that a prophet has been proven wrong does not mean that anything else the prophet said should be questioned. That is, prophets are prophets unless proven wrong, and only in that specific instance will it be accepted that they were not speaking as prophets. Everything else they said that is believed to be prophetic still is. As long as that belief is accepted, there is no way to question Mormon prophetic authority no matter how often they are shown to have been speaking in error. Heads I win; tails you lose. Mormons, of course, would roll their eyes at the idea that the founding prophets of the JWs, Seventh Day Adventists or Muslims could be considered prophets on this obviously non-prophetic basis.
One of the many examples from Mormon history that can be used to illustrate the ephemeral nature of eternal Mormon truth is this: What are the chances that a faithful Mormon in 1880 would have believed that the Mormon Church would abandon polygamy? At that time, polygamy was Mormonism’s defining characteristic. The prophets continually trumpeted its eternal, immutable nature both before and after the First Manifesto in 1890. This mainstream Mormon prophetic position is what gave rise to the FLDS and other Mormon fundamentalist groups, and the disregard for man’s law in favour of God’s law is what has the FLDS in trouble now. Contrary to what one poster indicated, it is not reasonable to say that the trouble in Texas is a child molestation issue instead of a polygamy issue. It is a child molestation issue that is caused by religious belief that polygamy is sanctioned by God, including polygamy with girls deemed underage by US law.
The difference between mainstream Mormonism and the FLDS is one of degree, not kind. Again, contrary to other posters, mainstream Mormonism bows to man’s law and hence God's eternal truth is not the dictator of belief or behavior (unless perhaps you believe that God caused the US government to contradict God so that Mormonism would change ...). When US law required that polygamy be abandoned or the Mormons leave the US, the Mormons abandoned polygamy, including polygamy with underage girls. The FLDS refused to do so. And now in Canada (and probably the US), it is probable that polygamy between consenting adults is legal as a result of the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. Man's law, after all, does change. If polygamy is an eternal law, why is it not practised wherever legally permitted, at a minimum? Or was the US law-propelled Mormon abandonment of polygamy a bizarre developmental step part of God’s deeply mysterious way of bringing mainstream Mormonism to its current position? What does God have to say about all that, President Monson?
Which brings us to another interesting question what would mainstream Mormonism be today had the Mormon prophets not had polygamy wrested from their tenacious grasp? This tells us something important about the nature of Mormon prophesy, and how seriously any of it should be taken.
If mainstream Mormonism were still polygamous, it is extremely probably that it would be a shadow of its current self, and a lot like the FLDS a cloistered group proud of its unwillingness to play ball with secular society and its resulting backwardness. Were not the early Christians a rag tag lot until embraced by the powerful of their day, after apostasy?
Contemporary Mormonism was created by the US government forcing the Mormon prophets to finally abandon polygamy after decades of actively resisting this; promising that it would never happen; lying about what they doing in that regard under oath and in countless public forums; etc. This chapter of Mormon history on its own makes crystal clear the need for the Mormon belief that God works in mysterious ways.
I’m not as polite or nice as Michael Nielsen. My call to the Mormon leadership is that they come clean about polygamy and a whole lot else, including their penchant for deception from J. Smith forward. I am grateful that the Internet and other communications media are calling Mormonism to account, along with many other authoritarian organizations that prospered largely as a result of their ability to avoid accountability.
Accurate information is like sunlight it stops most kinds of rot while encouraging growth.
| I am watching with anticipation as the children and women are rescued from the polygamist compound. Utah should be able to start conducting raids on Hilldale and the many compounds around Salt Lake City using the alarming evidence found by Texas authorities.
I am a woman.
In my reliegeous sect I was brutally beaten, abused, starved, worked underage and used as a housemaid for my entire childhood. I dressed in rags while my father wore 300 dollar wool suits and fine shirts with his initials hand embroidered on the cuffs.
I begged church authorties to at least put an end to the beatings on numerous occasions. They told me to pray and read my scriptures. They spoke to my father. The frequency of abuse escalated and the beatings intensified.
I worked up the courage to call the police. When they came to my home, they knew my father who was powerful, they were of the same reliegous persuasion. They did nothing. They charged me with a crime. I was charged with being a run away and locked up with other child criminals for weeks. I met another one there in my same situation. His father was a man of local prestige and he had been beating the life out of this kid. Nothing happened. They sent him back home.
In my religeous sect I was forced into marriage at age 17 for living impurely. I had little choice.
I was owned by my husband and punished physically by him. When I was naughty my car was disabled and the phones were taken away. I was forbidden to leave the house.
The beatings got worse and then he began raping me. It started simply enough and before I knew it I was no longer able to sleep for fear he would attack and rape or sodomize me. I complained to church authorities.
" A man cannot rape his wife, he can do with her what he wants."
I endured this for years. I had to get out. I was afraid my husband would kill me or my children. Do you think I got help? NO. I called the police when he broke into the home on several occasions and physically assaulted me.
I left the church and refused to attend. Our families were up in arms and blamed me for my husbands apostacy. His mother refers to me as a "Jezebel."
My husband had my father on his cell phone in seconds. My father told the police not to do anything. They didn't take any action.
I had a nervous breakdown. I had no support. No friends. No family. I didn't have any history of having a job. I couldn't get one. We were running out of food and local officials said I had cars in my name so I was disqualified for food stamps.
Then my father helped take my children away and has fought on the side of my husband so I can never see them again.
My father wrote me a letter telling me to return to the church or lose my entire family. (children included.) I didn't. I have fought for years to retain even minimal contact with my children. The legal system is a nightmare.I cannot find legal assistance. Legal Aide has refused numerous times to take my case. No child support or spousal support was EVER paid. The court orders were NEVER enforced and instead reserved for trial. Because of all of those calls to police never resulted in my husband being charged with anything.
Are you horrified at the nightmare in my community? How can perpetrators tell the police what to do?
You should be horrified. This all happened in Sandy Utah. I filed for divorce two years ago. MY FAMILY AND THE POLICE WERE NOT POLYGAMOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS, BUT MORMONS!!
Mormon/ Latter Day Saint women live this horrible life and we have no way to escape. When we leave our husbands and the church that has been complacent in the abuse we lose our children, we lose everything!
My father was a local church authority, teaches at the police academy and IS a local judge.
This is why Utah authorities have done nothing. They claim their religeon is different, but it is not. It is all based upon control and a man owning his women or woman and children.
We are "Modern" women? We should be able to support ourselves and our children and there is help for those who cant. THAT IS A LIE!
WE HAVE NO VOICE IN THIS STATE. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US!!
| On the news tonight one person mentioned Warren Jeff's FLDS empire would implode if it no longer could treat women and children like it's property. It was mentioned that women and children were the cash that keeps the whole thing going. The worthy priesthood holders must have at least three wives to get into the Celestial Kingdom. If you check the teachings of Brigham Young, polygamy was Celestial marriage.
One former FLDS wive said the FLDS church is a master at controlling the mother child relationship. She said FLDS fathers spank infants until they cry and they hold their faces under a water tap and repeat until the child is so exhausted it can't continue. This is in FLDS terms is called "breaking a child". The father and the church rule by fear and intimidation. The priesthood holders want the Celestial Kingdom but the church has to assign you a wife. Marriage falls under the power of the church and young post puberty girls are forced into these marriages.
The young boys are used as slave labor in the many FLDS construction companies and the ones who don't fit in are tossed out at 18 and the ones who meet the church's criteria are given young wives and become the futrure leaders of the cult.
So what does this have to do with the LDS church? For one thing the LDS church uses temple marriage as it's backbone. The polygamy is gone in actual physical practice but is still practiced in temple sealings.
In my own experience as a LDS church member I had to keep a temple recommend not because I wanted one but it would make me look bad if I couldn't go to family and friends temple weddings. The LDS Church still has a heavy influence in family weddings. You better marry another LDS member in the temple and your relatives better have temple recommends or someone is going to look bad and maybe even be a third world citizen in their Mormon social group. The temple recommend is how the church gets it's members over 18 to jump through all it's hoops and pay lots of money to the church. You better also make sure you make your kids jump through the hoops to or the bishop or Stake President might not give you a recommend out of being a poor Mormon parent. This is how the LDS keep their members on a short leash.
So the FLDS and LDS still use the old doctrine of temple marriage to keep their churchs running. The only difference is how and the level the church exploits the family unit. Thomas S. Monson isn't going to take your daughter away from you when she's 13 and use her to reward some older loyal priesthood holder. But he will pester you to bless, baptize, bring her to the church indoctrination meetings (primary, young women, church, seminary). If all goes well she will be married off to a returned missionary and pop some kids out before she's 25.
The reward for the returned missionary is lot's of brainwashed girls ready to wed the horny lot.
The only difference between the FLDS and LDS is the amount of freedom the members are allowed. They both use the temple as their backbone.
| I've just read my first article about the first court hearing today re the FLDS custody cases.
I am shocked to read that the state does not, apparently, have actual evidence of rampant child abuse (which is NOT what the authorities have claimed and not what you would expect from the actions they have taken).
I am distressed at the apparent total debacle in the courtroom.
I am surprised at the new name for the FLDS used in the article: "Renegade Mormon Splinter Group" and thinking that it's the other way around. FLDS are not the renegades but rather the LDS! They are the ones who veered off Polygamy Path (supposedly) whereas FLDS just carried on upholding the JS/BY way.
I'm guessing the Mormon Church *really* dislikes this issue being all over the news and especially the inevitable mention of that word _Mormon_. CNN interviewers have not shied away from asking FLDS if they consider/ed themselves Mormon and at least the ex-FLDS members have said a decided yes to that.
As to the article's characterization of the courtroom scene today as "farce", I am sadly disappointed. I was actually going to say how impressive it was that the lawyers were volunteering and working pro bono. I thought that could be reason enough to put a moratorium on lawyer jokes for at least a week. But as the article describes, having 350 lawyers on one long series of connected cases is far worse than having too many cooks in the kitchen, too many captains at the helm and too many prophets in one church.
I am shocked at my own naivete that I thought they might actually be organized and efficient and come up with some definitive decisions today. Doesn't seem like it will be quick. I know it's a nightmare situation in many ways but I thought that the basic premise of some of the essential elements could be examined and then dispositions processed quickly (i.e., the status of the kids and where they are going).
I was counting on the state having unimpeachable evidence to back up its actions. I am so hoping that this didn't escalate to this level because some of the officials involved just didn't know much about the FLDS. As I have said, they have allowed this to go on for years. There surely would have to be a good reason to finally address it in such a full scale way.
As I mentioned in some of the earlier threads when this thing first broke - you really need to get your ducks in a row so you don't take such strong action and then get to court and end up not being able to prove the case or being judged to have acted precipitously, etc. Once you launch a "rescue" effort and then have to put all the pieces back by court order, say, it is doubly difficult to get law enforcement to try again and even harder to get people inside to cooperate.
For many years, "activists" have been trying to get the RCMP to investigate abuse allegations in Bountiful BC, an FLDS compound in Canada. Too often, there are no witnesses, the alleged "victim" will not give evidence and no case is brought or it cannot be proven. Each time it is harder to get authorities to try again. The activists (women who are ex-members of Bountiful and others who have an interest in protecting the children) are slowly being able to establish some kind of a useful relationship with the leader, Winston Blackmore, in terms of getting him to be more open to the surrounding community, to acknowledge that abuse is wrong and must not be allowed to occur, to ensure the kids are being educated according to provincial/national standards (this was not happening before), to allow phones and computers inside the compound, to give media interviews and to cooperate with health and education officials who want to ensure that standards are maintained.
That's why I usually advocate for the low key approach. I have seen that it generally gets the best results. (Disclaimer: if there is abuse occurring, that must be stopped and the child protected right away - no negotiations or delays, of course).
I am so hoping the Eldorado situation is not going to come down to a clash of cultures, freedom of religion, difference of opinion kind of thing. At that point, the main issues are not addressed, there could be a further widening of the gulf between FLDS and the rest of society (not good for the kids) and it could put other areas off from trying to root out alleged polygamy abuses. As much as we may dislike the culture and beliefs, that is not, of course, a reason to break apart an entire community. The only valid reason for such extreme actions by the state would surely be that they had unassailable proof to accompany the allegations, that will hold up in court, that will justify the course they took. Otherwise, it's not a good precedent for any other group and, hate FLDS/LDS if you will, but that alone is not justification. I don't think that any rational person is saying that freedom of religion is absolutely sacrosanct but it certainly is one of the main pieces of this that authorities must reconcile. Wecan hate what they teach but does it give us the right to remove their kids? If there is no abuse or they cannot prove abuse, much as I hate to see the kids subjected to such a walled off life, what alternative is there but to send them all back home?
Meanwhile, back at the courthouse, I sure hope they can find a way to streamline things a bit so they can make at least interim decisions quickly, for everybody's sake. Yeah, the moms may dress two centuries behind the times and could use a good hairstylist but still they have hearts and the kids may be better off outside, in our view, but still they miss their families. A Solomon is definitely what is needed.
Here's the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080417/a...
| Hot To Trot! Trend-Setting Fundies In Their Undies: (F)LDS On The Cutting Edge Of Fashion
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008, at 08:10 AM
Original Author(s): Steve Benson
Topic: FUNDAMENTALIST LDS -Link To MC Article- | ↑ | "There they are, three in a row, trembling through a Today show chat in matching pioneer-style dresses, or talking softly on CNN with hair poufed to the heavens: no makeup, no jewelry, not an ankle or bare elbow in sight, setting curious tongues afire across the country.
"Already, fashion bloggers are waxing snarky about 'polygamy pastels,' wondering whether Marc Jacobs might be inspired for his next collection. Radio talkies are twittering about the long underwear worn beneath the billowing dresses, which the women sew from a master pattern. . . .":
http://www.azcentral.com/style/fashio...
Commenting on the above article, a newspaper reader observed the following in a letter to the editor, headlined, "FLDS, Islam seem to agree on women":
"Regarding [the story on ] "Fundamental fashion" . . .
"I read with amazement your article about fashion among the women in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
"Who would have guessed that Warren Jeffs was also a fashion designer? If he'd have taken it one step further and added a head covering, he could have ordered burkas.
"It seems like the FLDS and conservative Islam both share the same opinion of women."
- Paul McAfee, Tempe
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepub...
| My observations.
It's a prison compound. It's run like a state prison anywhere in the US.
Nobody can leave, they are locked in, they have practically no contact with the outside world, they have assigned work duties, they wear uniforms. The children have an outside play area but cannot leave the compound.
It appears that the women stay in the large houses most of the time.
Initially the men told the local sheriff that they were building a "hunting reserve." They eventually admitted it was the FLDS church.
Where are the men? The women never mention them.
Where do the men live on the compound? What are the assigned duties for impregnating the women? Do they have a menstruation chart for each woman? They are to produce one child a year.
Who are the midwives? Who is the doctor?How many children and women die in childbirth?
Watching the video, listening to the interviews and news reports it became clear that the women and children are living in a prison inside the gates of the FLDS YFZ Ranch Compound in Eldorado, Texas.
News reports indicated that the women were never seen in the streets. They were not allowed out of the gated compound.
Apparently the men are doing the shopping for food and supplies, material for clothing, stockings, and other items in their uniforms, in the local community. They apparently make their own regulation underwear. I think I saw part of the collar on one of the woman, slightly above the collar of her dress.
I noticed that the women had certain tasks that they were probably assigned. The older white haired women appeared to have kitchen-cooking-baking duties as well as mending duties. In the tour video, one was working with loaves of bread on a large table.
The other women must be assigned to the laundry, kitchen help, cleaning, doing the other women's hair styles, ironing, sewing the dresses, (which appeared to be interchangeable). I noticed a small area where many dresses were hanging. It appears that there are two styles of dresses. One is more plain than the others.
They dress the young children in many layers just like the women wear.
I also noticed that the bedrooms appeared to have beds for three children and one separate bed that was made-up nicer -- appeared to be for an adult.
In one bedroom I think I saw an open laptop computer on the desk.
They all ate their meals in the same dining room also.
Shoes were kept outside in a cupboard.
The women were in stocking feet inside the house in the video.
They engage in all kinds of illegal acts: polygamy is illegal, "breaking babies" certainly must be a criminal act, convincing young girls they want to be the polygamous wife of a man much older than she is, impregnating girls.
The women are out of another era.
I have the sense we are just seeing the tip of the ice berg.
| Survivor Of (F)LDS Sex Abuse Exposes In Print The Undeniable Ties Between The LDS And (F)LDS Cults
Monday, May 19, 2008, at 07:41 AM
Original Author(s): Steve Benson
Topic: FUNDAMENTALIST LDS -Link To MC Article- | ↑ | TRY AS THE LDS MIGHT, THE LDS/(F)LDS CONNECTION JUST CAN’T BE BROKEN
Rocked by the growing ripple effect of the (f)LDS sex abuse polygamy scandal, the LDS Church is engaged in a frantic (but losing) attempt at public relations damage control--as it vainly struggles to distance itself from the its (f)LDS doctrinal cousins.
It is a pathetic and preposterous effort that is as unconvincing as it is disingenuous.
Leading this latter-day duck-deny-and-deceive effort to hoodwink the public has been LDS apostle Quentin L. Cook. As part of the effort at Mormon media management, Cook is now being featured on the official LDS website where he is seen cooking up a dishonest video statement in which he declares with a straight face the absolute absence of any LDS-(f)LDS connection whatsoever:
http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsro...
If you believe that, I’ve got some gold plates in Palmyra to sell ya.
If that isn’t bad enough, gawd almighty, the LDS Church has even posted Cook’s asinine assertions on youtube:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uUtjsdt...
Moreover, according to an article in the LDS Church-owned “Deseret Morning News,” Cook insists that "it is very confusing to the public when some media use 'Mormon’ to describe the FLDS group that is currently under investigation for possible incidents of child sexual abuse." . . .
"Perpetuating the confusion ‘is of great concern to the members of the church' . . ."
The article further quotes Cook’s clucking misdirects:
"’It's of great concern to the [LDS] church because our members don't engage in polygamous conduct. . . . Most of these polygamous sects are very small . . . and (the confusion between the two) is not helped when people put 'Mormon' in the title’ of news stories about the Texas sect.” . . .
LDS Church officials, the article continues, “have emphasized that Latter-day Saints ‘do not live in isolated compounds, arrange marriages, dress in old-fashioned clothing or wear unusual hairstyles,’ like FLDS members do.”
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,...
Of course they don’t. The LDS just happen to share fundamental doctrinal teachings with their (f)LDS kissin’ cousins on such matters as, oh, prophets, priesthood, polygamy and post-Earth millennial glory.
Unfortunately for Cook and other cooked-goose myth peddlers for the LDS Church, the LDS and (f)LDS are solidly joined at the hip, both historically and doctrinally.
RIDING TO REALITY'S RESCUE: A FORMER (F)LDS MEMBER DISMEMBERS LDS DOCTRINAL DENIALS
Underscoring this highly inconvenient and embarrassing fact is a former (f)LDS cult member, Elissa Wall, who has recently released a book recounting the personal hell she experienced first-hand in her cult’s bosom-buddy relative--the LDS Church.
Wall’s memoir, entitled "Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs" (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008), details her life in, and eventual escape from, the polygamous cult run by its prophet/teacher/tyrant and marriage arranger Warren Jeffs.
Jeffs, of course, is now behind bars, convicted of being an accomplice to rape in setting up plural marriages for his groping male followers to underage girls. As one of Jeff’s child victims, Wall was forced at age 14 to marry her 19-year-old first cousin. Thankfully, however, in a case of justice eventually realized, she became a pivotal witness who provided key court testimony that led to Jeffs’ being found guilty as charged.
In her book, Wall makes it starkly clear that as a member of the (f)LDS cult she was subjected to doctrines, teachings and practices which followed the original line of LDS cult founder Joseph Smith and other LDS leaders.
LDS CULT AND (F)LDS CULTS BOTH CLAIM TO BE LED BY REVELATIONS OF THE SAME MORMON PROPHETS OF GOD
--LDS Belief in Mormon Prophet Revelation–
According to the “Encyclopedia of Mormonism: The History, Scripture, Doctrine, and Procedure of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992), “[a] belief in prophets and their message lies at the heart of LDS doctrine. . . . Latter-day Saints . . . . believe that Joseph Smith and all subsequent Presidents of the [LDS] Church were and are prophets and representatives of God” (“Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” vol. 3, under the heading “Prophet,” p. 1164).
Indeed, LDS Church prophet Joseph Smith declared himself to be God’s prophet/mouthpiece:
“If any person should ask if I were a prophet, I should not deny it, as that would give me the lie for, according to John, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy . . . .“ Smith taught that the “rock” of “revelation” would serve as the foundation upon which Jesus declared “I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.””
Smith also preached that the “Presidency are over the Church and “revelations of the mind and will of God to the Church, are to come through the Presidency. This is the order of heaven, and the power and privilege of this priesthood” (Joseph Smith, quoted in “Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith: Taken from His Sermons and Writings as They Are Found in the Documentary History and Other Publications of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Joseph Fielding Smith, ed. [Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1976], under the headings “What Constitutes a Prophet?, p. 269; “The Kingdom and Its Fruits,” p. 272; and “How and By Whom Revelation Comes,” p. 111).
--(f)LDS Belief in Mormon Prophet Revelation--
In her book, Wall writes how, as a child, she was taught and how she thus regarded “revelations" from the leader of the (f)LDS cult to its members. Like her LDS cookie cutter counterparts, she accepted them as having been "delivered through our prophet, who was the Lord's mouthpiece on earth. As a faithful follower, I'd embraced this principle and believed in it wholeheartedly . . .” (“Stolen Innocence,” in the chapter “A New Mother,” p.1).
Wall explains the connection between the (f)LDS and LDS church in terms of the two cults' shared doctrinal history and practice on the subject of prophets by recounting the teachings of (f)LDS prophet Warren Jeffs that she received as a youngster under his tutelage. As a grade schooler living in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sugar House, Wall attended a special private school known as Alta Academy, which had been converted by the (f)LDS into a learning center designed to keep the secret lives of its members hidden from the public.
The principal of the school was Warren Jeffs. Wall writes of the Mormon Church-originated doctrine which she and other pupils were taught at his hands:
"In addition to being our principal, Warren also taught a number of our classes. One of them was a class in priesthood history, which occurred every day and was considered the most important lesson in school. Uncle Warren would teach us everything about our religion's history, starting from biblical lessons to the Book of Mormon and gong through the life of Joseph Smith as well as the more recent developments in the FLDS. Uncle Warren would always use priesthood-approved scriptures to teach the lesson, and then he would explain them using his own words.
"Part of the curriculum for older girls was to study 'In Light and Truth,' an FLDS publication. The book was a collection of condensed sermons and teachings by Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Uncle Rulon [Jeffs], and many others" (“Stolen Innocence,” pp. 8, 51).
For a personally-guided walk through and recollection of her sorrowful memories at the now-closed and soon-to-be- torn down Alta Academy, see Wall's description of what went on at the school at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elissa-...
LDS AND (F)LDS CULTS BOTH CLAIM TO POSSESS THE SAME MORMON MALE PRIESTHOOD OF GOD
--LDS Belief in the Absolute Salvational Power of Mormon Male Priesthood–
LDS prophet Joseph Smith said:
“I advise all to go on to perfection. . . . A man can do nothing for himself unless God direct him in the right way; and the Priesthood is for that purpose.”
Smith further declared that Mormon male-manufactured and held priesthood reflected the essence of God, serving as “an everlasting principle, [which has] existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam’s authority.”
Smith went on to explain how, under LDS doctrine, priesthood equals God:
“Those holding the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood are kings and priests of the Most High God, holding the keys of power and blessings. In fact, [the Melchezidek] Priesthood is a perfect law of theocracy, and stands as God to give laws to the people, administering endless lives to the sons and daughters of Adam” (“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” under the headings “President Joseph Smith’s Address--Defense of His Prophetic Calling--Resurrection of the Dead--Fulness of Ordinances Necessary Both for the Living and Dead,” p. 364; and “Three Grand Orders,” p. 322 ).
Emphasizing the ultimate male domination of women through the invocation LDS priesthood authority, the “Encyclopedia of Mormonism” declares:
“Women [in LDS temple ordinances] may act in priesthood power when called, set apart, and authorized by those who hold the keys; however, women officiators [in the temple] are not ordained to the priesthood or to any office in the priesthood to do this work” (“Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” vol. 3, under the heading “Priesthood,” p. 1137).
--(f)LDS Belief in the Absolute Salvational Power of Mormon Male Priesthood--
Wall explains (f)LDS cult priesthood doctrine in words and concepts taken straight out of standard LDS doctrinal teachings:
". . . [T]o 'hold the priesthood' is to hold the power and authority of God, delegated to man. To hold priesthood, a man must prove his worthiness by showing his absolute devotion to the work of God through strict obedience to the key holder of the priesthood, the prophet. The prophet is the president of the priesthood. In the FLDS, it is believed that God (or the priesthood) is funneled through the prophet to the elders of the church.
"Lines of priesthood authority are patriarchal and strictly observed. In this system, all women and children basically belong to the priesthood--not just to their husband or father. In reality, they are possessions of the priesthood and the prophet, and revelations from God determine their ultimate fate. When the prophet decides to award a wife to a priesthood man, it is viewed as a transfer of a possession to the man. . . . From my earliest memories, I was taught that I should never do anything to go against the prophet and priesthood. Doing so would ultimately be going against God himself. . . .
"The fear of displeasing God and failing our religious responsibilities is so great that it pushes most members to do anything for the priesthood. For many women, this means they must sacrifice their own desires, needs, and feelings to conform to those of their husband and their religious beliefs. The FLDS believes that women cannot gain entrance to the highest of the three levels of heaven on their own . . . “ (“Stolen Innocence,” in the chapter “A New Mother,” pp. 17-19).
LDS AND (F)LDS CULTS BOTH REGARD POLYGAMY AS MORMON REVELATION FROM GOD
--LDS Belief in the Mormon Doctrine of Polygamy--
On the matter of polygamy, Mormon founder Joseph Smith recorded:
“ . . . [A]ccording to the law [on ‘the doctrine of plurality of wives’], I hold the keys of this power in the last days; for there is never but one on earth at a time on whom the power and its keys are conferred; and I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, unless the Lord directs otherwise.” {“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” under the heading “Instructions Respecting the Plurality of Wives,” p. 324)
Ultimately, according to Arza Evans in “The Keystone of Mormonism” (St. George, Utah: Keystone Books, Inc., 2003), Smith not only imposed polygamy on others, he claimed that God imposed it on him:
“. . . [A]lthough Smith claimed that the Lord gave man his free agency, Smith also claimed that God forced him into polygamy against his will. When approaching Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner about becoming one of his wives, Smith told her: ‘An angel of God came to me three times between the years 1834 and 1842 and said that I was to obey that principle or he would slay me.’
“Benjamin Johnson explained why he gave his sister, Almira, to become a polygamous wife to Smith: ‘I know that Joseph was commanded to take more wives and he waited until an angel with a drawn sword stood before him and declared that if he longer delayed fulfilling that command, he would kill him. . . [T]he prophet again came to my house and occupied the same room and bed with my sister Almira that the month previous he had occupied with the daughter of the late Bishop Partridge as his wife.’
“In Smith’s infamous revelation on polygamy, [currently] canonized by the LDS Church in section 132 of its ‘Doctrine and Covenants,’ God threatens to destroy any woman who does not accept polygamy and refused to give her husband other wives: ‘And again verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife . . . and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood as pertaining to these things, then she shall administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the lord your God . . . .’”
Evans explains how polygamy stills stands as official–and officially lied about--LDS doctrine:
“In 1843, Smith recorded a revelation that had apparently been dreamed up much earlier. This would soon cause serious trouble for Smith and his followers. Now canonized as section 132 of ‘The Doctrine and Covenants,’ this revelation establishing polygamy is still considered sacred scripture by Latter-day Saints, today. *Thus, polygamy is still an official aspect of Mormonism.*
“Smith’s revelation on polygamy opened floodgates of lies and hypocrisy. Hundreds of honest women and honorable men were forced to become liars by circumstances created by Smith, Young and other Church leaders.
“In the first place, polygamy was a violation of section 121 of the Illinois State law of 1833. This law provided for a $500 fine and one year in prison for each violation. Smith had to swear his new wives and also his friends and their plural wives to oaths of secrecy in order to stay out of prison.
“Noted [LDS] Church historian, B.H. Roberts, admitted that secret marriages were performed by early {LDS] leaders and that this practice resulted in duplicity and hypocrisy: ‘This enforced secrecy which a reasonable prudence demanded gave rise t apparent contradictions between public utterances of leading brethren in the [LDS] Church and their having a plurality of wives.’
“The official [LDS] Church policy of lying about polygamy, called ‘reasonable prudence’ by B. H. Roberts, nevertheless proves that Apostle John A. Widstoe was lying when he said, ‘The [LDS] Church ever operates in the full light. There is no secrecy about its doctrine or work.’ . . .
“Finally, in a General Conference in Salt Lake City in 1852, after more than ten years of denial, an official announcement of polygamy was made by Apostle Orson Pratt under the direction of {LDS} Church President Brigham Young. Brigham said that was time to ‘let the cat out of the bag.’
“Soon after this happened, two of Joseph Smith’s sons and a few others who refused to follow Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers in their migration west, came to Salt Lake City to claim their right to lead the {LDS] Church. Part of their program was an effort to convince the Saints that it was not Joseph Smith but rather Brigham Young who instigated the practice of polygamy.
“In order to protect his position, Brigham countered by producing the sworn affidavits of 20 women who said they the had been married to Joseph Smith and lived with him as husband and wife. . . .
“Things that Smith had declared ‘apostate lies and slander’ only a few years earlier, now became the sworn testimony of 20 women! How can [LDS} Church members rationalize all of this deception and duplicity? . . . .
“Most of the Mormon pioneers believed the public statements made by their leaders and sustained them against the ‘lies’ of apostates and traitors. . . . Sadly, most of the Mormon pioneers were following a trail of lies. . . .
“”Finally, in 1890, under extreme pressure from the United States government, President Wilford Woodruff, the fourth president of the LDS Church, issued the ‘Manifesto,’ which seemed to discontinue the practice of polygamy. But this document only perpetuated the legacy of lies [which it contained] . . .
“[Contrary to what Woodruff claimed], [LDS] Church records prove that . . . [p]olygamy *was* being taught and plural marriages *were* being performed in the Utah Territory during the period of time specified. Elders were *not* reprimanded for teaching this doctrine. The Endowment House was *not* torn down because an unauthorized plural marriage was performed there. It was torn down because the Salt Lake Temple was almost complete, thus making the Endowment House obsolete. . . .
“Plural marriages continued to be performed long after Woodruff’s Manifesto. President Joseph F. Smith found it necessary to issue a second Manifesto in 1904. This applied not only to {LDS] Church members within the United States but also to the Saints in Canada, Mexico and other countries as well. The next year, two apostles, John W. Taylor and M.F. Cowley, resigned their apostleships rather than stop performing plural marriages.” (“The Keystone of Mormonism,” in the chapters “A Legacy of Deception” and “A Lust for Power,” pp. 138-39, 144-49, 184-85, original emphasis).
Crushed under a roaring avalanche of damning evidence uprooting LDS Church teachings and support of polygamy, the “Encyclopedia of Mormonism” has been forced to admit that “[u}nder the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began to practice plural marriage, also referred to as ‘celestial marriage.’ This was viewed as a divine commandment to ‘raise up seed unto’ God (Jacob 2:30). The revelation of God concerning eternal marriage is DandC 132.”
The “Encyclopedia of Mormonism” goes on to offer an unimpressively tepid and rancid rationalizing confession that “[p]lural marriage was the nineteenth-century LDS practice of a man marrying more than one wife . . . [that was] popularly known as polygamy . . . Although polygamy had been practiced for much of history in many parts of the world, to do so in ‘enlightened’ American in the nineteenth century was viewed by most as incomprehensible and unacceptable, making it the [LDS] Church’s most controversial and least understood practice. Though the principle was lived for a relatively brief period, it had profound impact on LDS self-definition, helping to establish the Latter-day Saints as a ‘people apart.’ . . .
“Rumors of plural marriage among the members of the [LDS] Church in the 1830s and 1840s led to persecution, and the public announcement [under LDS president Brigham Young] of the practice after August 29, 1852, in Utah gave enemies a potent weapon to fan public hostility against the [LDS] Church. Although Latter-day Saints believed that their religiously-based practice of plural marriage was protected by the U.S. Constitution, opponents used it to delay Utah statehood until 1896. . . . .
“In 1843, one year before his death, the Prophet Joseph Smith dictated a lengthy revelation on the doctrine of marriage for eternity [i.e., polygamy] (DandC 132 . . . ). This revelation also taught that under certain conditions a man might be authorized to have more than one wife. Though the revelation was first committed to writing on July 12, 1843, considerable evidence suggests that the principle of plural marriage was revealed to Joseph Smith more than a decade before in connection with his study of the Bible . . . Passages indicating that revered patriarchs and prophets of old were polygamists raised questions that prompted the Prophet to inquire of the Lord about marriage in general and about plurality of wives in particular. He then learned that when the Lord commanded it, as he had with the patriarchs anciently, a man could have more than one living wife at a time and not be condemned for adultery. He also understood that the [LDS] Church would one day be required to live the law (DandC 132:1-4, 28-40). .. .
“Joseph Smith realized that the introduction of plural marriage would inevitably invite severe criticism. . . . Still, he felt obligated to move ahead. ‘The object with me is to obey and teach others to obey God in just what he tells us to do,’ he taught several months before his death. ‘It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular. I will always maintain a true principle even if I stand alone in it.’ (‘Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,’ under the heading “To Gain Salvation the Laws of God Must Be Obeyed,” p. 332).
“Although certain that God would require it of him and of the [LDS] Church, Joseph Smith would not have introduced it when he did except for the conviction that God required it then. Several close confidants later said that he proceeded with plural marriage in Nauvoo only after both internal struggles and divine warning. . . .
“[They] agreed that Joseph Smith proceeded in Nauvoo only after an angel declared that he must or his calling would be given to another . . . . After this, Joseph Smith told Brigham Young that he was determined to press ahead though it would cost him his life, for ‘it is the work of God, and he has revealed this principle, and it is not my business to control or dictate it’ (Brigham Young Discourse, Oct. 8, 1866, [LDS] Church Archives). . . .
“Once the Saints left Nauvoo, plural marriage was openly practiced. . . .
“With the Saints firmly established in the Great Basin, Brigham Young announced the practice publicly and published the revelation on eternal marriage. Under his direction, on Sunday, August 29, 1852, Elder Orson Pratt publicly discussed and defended the practice of plural marriage in the [LDS] Church. After examining biblical precedents (Abraham, Jacob, David, and others), Elder Pratt argued that the [LDS] Church, as heir of the keys required anciently for plural marriages to be sanctioned by God, was required to perform such marriages as part of the Restoration. He offered reasons for the practice and discussed several possible benefits (see 'Journal of Discourses' 1:53-66), a precedent followed later by others. Bush such discussions were after the fact and not the justification. Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage because they believed God commanded them to do so.
“Generally, plural marriage involved only two wives and seldom more than three; larger families like those of Brigham Young or Heber C. Kimball were exceptions. . . .
“Public opposition to polygamy led to . . . law[s] against the practice . . . [that became] increasingly punitive. . . . [T]he Supreme Court sustained the legislation . . . leading to a harsh and effective federal anti-polygamy campaign known by the Latter-day Saints as ‘the Raid.’ . . . . Following a vision showing him that continuing plural marriage endangered the temples and the mission of the [LDS] Church, not just statehood, President Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto in October 1890, announcing an official end to new plural marriages and facilitating an eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict. . . .
“Since [the early 1900s], it has been uniform [LDS] Church policy to excommunicate any member either practicing or openly advocating the practice of polygamy. Those who do so today, principally members of fundamentalist groups, do so outside the [LDS} Church.” (“Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” vol. 3, under the headings “Polygamy,” p. 1109; and “Plural Marriage,” pp. 1091-95)
--(f)LDS Belief in the Mormon Doctrine of Polygamy--
Wall, in her book, highlights the undeniable doctrinal link between the LDS and (f)LDS cults’ belief in polygamy, noting that "the only life I had ever known [was] as a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a group that broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--more popularly known as the LDS Mormon Church--so that they could continue to practice plural marriage."
Walls explains how the tenaciously-held concept of (f)LDS polygamy sprung directly from the original tenaciously-held teachings, doctrines and practice of the LDS Church:
""The idea of having more than one wife had become an integral part of the Mormon religion after Joseph Smith found it in 1830, but the Mormon Church officially abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890, in part, so that Utah could gain statehood.
“Still, some of its members continued to practice in secret at the risk of being excommunicated. By 1935, some of the men who'd been expelled from the Mormon Church formed their own breakaway sect, first known as 'The Work' and decades later as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They viewed plural marriage as a central tenet--and the only way to attain eternal salvation.
"Members of the FLDS believe they are following the true Mormon religion as it was first envisioned by Joseph Smith. One of its central teachings is the idea of celestial marriage, in which a man must have a minimum of three wives to gain admittance to the highest of the three levels of heaven. That [my] Dad was getting a third wife meant that he had begun to secure a place in the Celestial Kingdom for himself and his family." {“Stolen Innocence,” in the chapter “A New Mother,” pp. 7-9)
LDS AND (F)LDS CULTS BOTH BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE GOD’S CHOSEN MORMON PEOPLE, AS WILL BE DECREED ONCE AND FOR ALL BY JESUS CHRIST ON FINAL JUDGMENT DAY
--LDS Belief That They Are God’s Chosen People, That They Will Live in Millennial Peace Under God’s Earthly Rule and That Non-LDS Will Not Achieve Heaven’s Highest Kingdom–
According to the “Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” the Millennium will be ushered in at Jesus’ Second Coming, at which time a thousand-year period will commence “when peace and righteousness will prevail under the direct providence of God and his Messiah. . . .
“Righteous mortal men and women who die after the beginning of the Millennium ‘shall not sleep . . . in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of any eye’ (DandC101:31) . . . . The devil will have no ‘power to tempt any man,’ being bound because of the righteousness of the earth’s inhabitants, and children will grow up without sin (1 Ne. 22:26; DandC 43:30-31; 45:58; 101: 28-31). However, those who are wicked will not be resurrected or returned to the earth until after the millennium of righteousness (DandC 76:81, 85).” (“Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” vol. 2, under the heading “Millennium,” p. 907).
At the end of the Millennium, according to official LDS doctrine, all hell will break loose, as cited in canonized LDS scripture by LDS apostle Bruce R. McConkie:
“When the thousand years are ended Satan shall be loosed, men again shall begin to deny their God, and rebellion shall well up in the hearts of many. For a little season the devil will be free to gather together his armies, even the hosts of hell, and then the final battle will be fought in which Satan (who is Perdition) together with all his sons shall be cast out forever (DandC 29:22-29, 43:31, 88:110-15; Rev. 20:7-10; 2 Ne. 9:16). Then will come the end of the earth as it is now constituted, for it will attain its final destiny as a celestial sphere, and the meek shall inherit it forever (DandC 88:16-20).” (Bruce R. McConkie, “Mormon Doctrine” [Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1966], under the heading “Millennium,” p. 501)
According to the “Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” the final Judgment Day will serve a divinely-mandated “purpose [in judg[ing] every person, to provide a separation of the faithful from the wicked, and to make available the promised blessings of eternal reward to God’s faithful children. Jesus Christ is the judge. . . .
“The [LDS] Plan of Salvation teaches . . . [that a] final judgment will take place following the reuniting of body and spirit in the Resurrection . . . . By that time, every person will have been given an opportunity to receive an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ (i.e., LDS doctrine]. . . .
“[According to LDS gospel law laid out in the ‘Doctrine and Covenants’], [a]t the [final] Judgment, each person will be required to give an accounting of the use of his or her moral agency during mortality (DandC 101:78). The final judgment is the final point of eternal accountability for all voluntary actions, words, thoughts, desires, and works of the individual. . . .
“Every person born to mortality will be brought to a final judgment (Mormon. 3:18-20). No mortal act, no matter how righteous or wicked, will provide exemptions from this judgment. . . .
“As a result of this final judgment, the wicked will be eternally separated from the righteous (DandC 76, Alma 41:5).” (“Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” vol. 2, under the heading “Judgment Day, Final,” p. 774)
Moreover, the “Encyclopedia of Mormonism” declares that only righteous members of the LDS faith will achieve the Mormon God’s celestial reward:
“Celestial glory comes to those ‘who received the testimony of Jesus, and believe on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial [into the LDS Church] . . . and who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.’ (DandC 76:51-53). Within the celestial glory are three levels, and to obtain the highest requires a [LDS] temple marriage or sealing.
“Inhabitants of the highest celestial degree [i.e. only members of the LDS Church who have been temple married] inherit ‘thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers,’ and dwell with God and Jesus Christ forever” (DandC 76:54-70, 132:19-20).” (“Encyclopedia of Mormonism,” vol. 1, under the heading “Celestial Kingdom,” p. 260)
LDS apostle McConkie, citing canonized LDS scripture, warns that Judgment Day will see the destruction of the wicked, with only righteous members of the LDS faith gaining entrance into the highest degree of heaven–the LDS Celestial Kingdom:
“Whenever the judgments of God are poured out upon men, it is a day of judgment, a day of vengeance, a day when in a very realistic sense the books have been opened, the condemned persons found wanting, and a just punishment meted out to them. . . .
“Christ’s Second Coming will be a day of judgment for all those then living and for the righteous dead (and in a sense for the wicked dead also). . . .
“’I will come near to you to judgment,’ the Lord says, speaking of his Second Coming, ‘and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal. 3:5).
“That is the day when every person then living shall find answers to the queries, ‘Who shall abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appearerth?’ In that day ‘he shall sit as a refiner and purifier’ (Mal. 3:2-3), ‘all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly’ (Mal. 4:1), shall be burned as stubble. ‘And every corruptible thing . . . that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed.’ (DandC 101:24). . . .
“Those who are living a telestial law will be swept off the earth at the Second Coming (DandC 101:24; Mal 34). Those who come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, who are ‘are Christ’s, the first fruits,’ will have celestial bodies and go to a celestial kingdom.”
According the LDS Church’s own scriptures, only members of the LDS faith will survive this purge and enter the Celestial Kingdom. Citing Mormon scripture, McConkie writes:
“’An inheritance in this glorious kingdom is gained by complete obedience to [LDS] gospel or celestial law (DandC 88:16-32). By entering the gate of repentance and baptism [into the LDS Church], candidates find themselves on the strait and narrow path leading to the Celestial Kingdom. By devotion and faithfulness [to the LDS gospel], by enduring to the end in righteous and obedience [to LDS doctrine], it is then possible to merit a celestial reward (2 Ne. 31:17-21).
“No unclean things can enter this kingdom, and the Plan of Salvation is the system whereby men are washed and cleanse3d, whereby they are ‘sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost’ [only by worthy members of the LDS Church], and thus enabled to stand spotless before the Lord (3 Ne. 27:19-21). ‘The sanctified’ are ‘them in the celestial world’ (DandC 88:2)
“’In the celestial glory, there are three heavens or degrees,’ and in the same sense that baptism [into the LDS Church] starts a person out toward an entrance into the celestial world, so celestial marriage [i.e., polygamy] puts a couple on the path leading to an exaltation in the highest heaven of that world (DandC 131:1-4; 132)” ( “Mormon Doctrine,” under the heading “Celestial Kingdom, “pp. 116-17; and “Judgment Day,” pp. 401-04).
--(f)LDS Belief That They Are God’s Chosen People, That They Will Live in Millennial Peace Under God’s Earthly Rule and that the Non-(f)LDS Will Not Achieve Heaven’s Highest Rewards--
Wall writes concerning the {f}LDS condemnation of the wicked come Judgment Day–presented to (f)LDS cult members in ways that clearly mirror basic LDS cult doctrine:
""We were God's chosen people--and when Judgment Day came, we would be the only ones allowed into heaven. Judgment Day was known to the FLDS people as the day the destruction of the Lord would sweep across the earth, bringing fire, storms, and death in its wake. The wicked would all be destroyed and when it seemed like none would survive, the Lord would lift the worthiest people--us--off the earth while the devastation passed beneath us. Then we would be set back down and would build Zion, a place without sadness or pain. We would reside there with God and enjoy a thousand years of peace" ("Stolen Innocence," in the chapter "A New Mother," p. 8).
CONCLUSION: DESPITE INCESSANT EFFORTS AT MORMON MISDIRECTS, THE LDS AND (F)LDS REMAIN FOREVER JOINED AT THE HIP
One skeptic of the LDS claim that the (f)LDS aren’t doctrinally, historically or faithfully related to their Mormon counterparts puts the issue in clear perspective:
“The plural marriages that the LDS church is denouncing is part of their foundation and was doctrine from the founding ‘prophet’ Joseph Smith. . . .
“Saying FLDS are not Mormon is like saying Catholics who practice birth control are not Catholic. It’s the core belief system that bonds people together in matters of faith and as we all know, not all practicing Mormons adhere to every precept of their faith. Does failure for the common Mormon to adhere to every area of their faith make them non-Mormon?
“FLDS faithful may have been removed from [LDS] Church records, but to say they no way have anything in common with LDS faithful is not truly accurate. I’m not confused, Elder Cook . . . . and I don’t think people outside the [LDS] Church are as ‘confused’ as you want them to think they are.”
http://endtimesdeception.com/?p=375
| The only FLDS fathers coming forward for DNA testing and court hearings are the ones in monogamous marriages who didn’t get an underage girl pregnant. The men in either monogamous or polygamous relationships who have had children with underage girls can’t be found. They’ve obviously skipped town and are hiding out somewhere. Of course we knew they’d do that.
Here’s what I’ve been able to glean from available sources so far concerning some of those underage girls:
-Pamela Jessop gave birth to a baby boy (Jonathan) on April 29, 2008 while in custody. She is 18 years old and also has a 21 month old son (Matthew, born Aug. 11, 2006). Using the date for her birthday which she provided (Dec. 9, 1989) it’s been determined that she was only 15 years old when her first child was conceived. The whereabouts of her 22 year old husband, Jackson Merril Jessop, is unknown. He would have been 20 at the time of conception.
Pamela was recently granted the right to remain with her children who are in state custody.
More on this situation - An affadavit states that:
''Pamela Jeffs aka Pamela Jessop is not currently married to any man. Accordingly, Pamela has named Jackson Jessop to be alleged father of the newborn baby boy as well as her other child, Matthew Jeffs. The whereabouts of Jackson Jessop are unknown to the department and do not have any locating information on him. Until the paternity of the newborn infant is established, citation by publication through posting on the unknown father will also be required.''
Hmmm. The Bishop’s Record lists her as being Jackson’s wife. So maybe just a spiritual wife, not a legal one? Perhaps they tried to skirt the law about underage marriage and just did the spiritual marriage thing in the temple. Then the slime ball would think it’s his right to have sex with his underage spiritual girl-wife.
He obviously also thinks it’s OK to abandon her and his 2 children to avoid prosecution.
-Merilyn Barrow, age 18, didn’t identify the father of her 1½ year old son (Robert), but CPS think’s it’s Allan Keate, who can’t be found. Allan Keate is 55 years old and has 6 wives listed on the Bishop’s Record. Merilyn and her baby are listed with him on the Bishop’s Record. Robert was born on Dec. 30, 2006, a week before she turned 17 (her birthdate is Jan. 7, 1990), so she was 16 when he was conceived.
No wonder Allan Keate can’t be found. He’s not legally married to her, and as a 53 year old man he was having sex with a 16 year old girl.
The coward has abandoned 14 underage children and their 6 mothers to save his own hide.
BTW, Merilyn has only an 8th-9th grade education. Cheated out of an education in order to start producing babies with a man 37 years old than her.
-Sarah Keate Steed Jessop, age 31, has six children (ages 7 months to 10 years) with her husband, David Jessop age 32. She has a marriage certificate and birth certificates for the children. During the court hearing for their children, he wasn’t in the courtroom. Why? Because he also has a 20 year old wife who has a 3 year old child. Priscilla Zitting Jessop (birthdate Feb. 14, 1988) was only 16 years old when her child was conceived (Bishop’s Record indicates she was 19 and her child was 2, as of Mar. 25, 2007).
Men who are 28 when they have sex with a 16 year old girl who is not their legal wife go to jail. But not David if he can help it. He’s skipped town, abandoning his wives and 7 children.
I’m sure more stories like this will come to light as these court hearings proceed. If you know of any situations like this that I’ve missed, please post them. These abusive cowards need to be exposed for what they truly are.
| A half-page above-the-fold picture of Carolyn Jessop accompanies today's newspaper article about "water torture of babies", described by Carolyn at the ongoing polygamy trial in Vancouver, B.C.
I know we've discussed this before (most notably when Carolyn Jessop was in the US news at the time Warren Jeffs was imprisoned). It's startling to see it in local news at a trial, yet welcome too, as the more the information gets out there the more things may change for the better.
From the article:
"Water torture of babies is one way some members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints instil fear of authority, a former member testified Wednesday.
"It's quite common," Carolyn Blackmore Jessop said. She was a witness for the B.C. government in the constitutional reference case to determine whether Canada's polygamy law is valid.
"They spank the baby and when it cries, they hold the baby face up under the tap with running water. When they stop crying, they spank it again and the cycle is repeated until they are exhausted."
"It's typically done by fathers and it's called "breaking in."
"Jessop talked about the practice during her testimony in B.C. Supreme Court.
"Her assertions about water torture were not challenged by FLDS lawyer Robert Wickett during cross-examination.
"Outside the courthouse, Jessop said water torture is common enough that there doesn't seem to be any shame attached to the practice.
"In court, Jessop said water torture was one of the reasons that she gave for gaining sole custody of her children after she left the [FLDS] group in 2003. She said her ex-husband, Merril Jessop, used it on "a lot" of his 54 children, including her own.
"Merril was very abusive," she said.
"Abuse is one reason Jessop left the FLDS... As long as she stayed, Jessop felt powerless to protect her children from physical abuse because of the over-arching requirement of unquestioning obedience.
"Polygamy is not pretty to look at. It is nice that it is tucked away in a dark corner where nobody has to see its realities because it's creepy," she told Chief Justice Robert Bauman, adding that her biggest concern is that polygamy and all of its consequent abuses are ignored by the courts and law enforcement.
"Jessop favours decriminalization, but only if it means that abuses will be investigated and prosecuted, including what she calls the "educational neglect" that results in most FLDS children -- at least in the United States -- growing up illiterate, unaware of their rights as citizens and unable to function in the outside world.
"Jessop is the granddaughter of Harold Blackmore, who founded the community of Bountiful, B.C. Her mother's family have been polygamists since Joseph Smith had his revelation about plural marriage."
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/They...
Carolyn's statement that "polygamy and all of its consequent abuses are ignored by the courts and law enforcement" is the focus of my interest and involvement with the issue.
She favours decriminalization "but only if it means that abuses will be investigated and prosecuted, including what she calls the "educational neglect"..."
That is also my hope and goal, that abuse in these closed communities is acknowledged, investigated, prosecuted and prevented.
Carolyn is granddaughter to Harold Blackmore, who founded Bountiful, B.C., as the article states. Blackmore was "husband" to Debbie Palmer, the Canadian anti-polygamy activist I've mentioned here before. She "married" him when she was 15. He was 57 (iirc) at the time.
I love how this reporter often inserts the line "since Joseph Smith had his revelation about polygamy" in her articles. The media may be constrained by the Mormon Church's insistence that reporters include a proviso in every article or news piece to distance the mainstream Mormon Church from the FLDS ("there is no connection between them", etc) but some of them find a way to tie in Joseph Smith. The Mormon leaders can't deny a connection to Joseph Smith, you wouldn't think.
Note how the water torture is used as a means to instill "fear of authority", according to Carolyn. It's so pervasive, she said, that there isn't even any stigma attached to it, meaning that women don't try and protect their children from it.
In the article, one part that I didn't quote says that Carolyn was "terrified" of her husband and Warren Jeffs. This goes a long way to explain why the women submit, a phenomenon that many outside (and especially assertive women) cannot easily understand.
Despite her fear, Carolyn left the FLDS, largely to try and protect her children. I have heard her state that with many of the FLDS women "there is no mother bear there", meaning they have lost the instinct to protect their children. I have heard and read about some of the abuse perpetrated on children, even the tiniest, and on women. It is horrific to discover that many of the women are the abusers. One ex-plural wife I have spoken to described experiencing constant physical and emotional abuse from an early age, much of it from her stepmother. I cannot visualize a group of adults, especially women, being physically present during such incidents and accepting it as the norm, but they do. And reading of widespread sexual abuse of pre-school girls, that leaves obvious evidence (eg: bleeding, bladder infections, pain) is also horrifying. How can such an environment be allowed to exist for generations?
This is the type of systemic harm existing in FLDS polygamous communes that I hope the judge hears about and takes into consideration. Maybe this time the authorities can convincingly investigate such allegations, prosecute the offenders, and improve life for the children, even if they must stay in the compounds. I fervently hope the abuse can be addressed and stopped and that the children receive the education that will widen their horizons and open up choices for them as they come of age.
| Warning: Graphic - News Reports On Contents Of LDS Fundamentalist Warren Jeffs' Sex Audiotapes With Underage Girls
Monday, Aug 8, 2011, at 07:04 AM
Original Author(s): Steve Benson
Topic: FUNDAMENTALIST LDS -Link To MC Article- | ↑ | WARNING: GRAPHIC--News Reports on Contents of LDS Fundamentalist Warren Jeffs' Sex Audiotapes with Underage Girls
*Sounds of a Little Girl Crying As She Is Told to Take Off Her Clothes, Then Asked How It Feels and Told to Ignore the Pain
"Prosecutors in the Warren Jeffs sexual assault case presented their last piece of evidence in his trial Wednesday - a chilling recording of him having sex with a 12-year-old girl who he claims was his 'spiritual wife.'
"The polygamist cult leader's voice can be clearly heard on the shocking recording, ordering the little girl to 'take your clothes off,' as she is heard crying.
"Jeffs is then heard asking the child: 'How do you feel, doesn't it feel good?" . . .
"The 55-year-old continues to coach the girl throughout the ordeal, advising her to 'just don't think about the pain.' . . .
*A Little Girl Tied Down and Raped as Others Watch
"There were reportedly other people present in the room during the 'marriage consummation' and prosecutors claim that women in the cult were holding the little girl down as Jeffs raped her.
"At one point Jeffs is heard ordering 'the rest of you back away,' and the horrific fact that they likely tied-up the little girl during her assault was made apparent.
"There were other sounds on the tape that suggest that the two were having sex.
"The graphic recording shocked jurors, one of whom dabbed her eyes with a tissue while the audio was played.
"At another juncture Jeffs orders the girl "to feel his presence . . .the spirit of God,' on the recording."
("Warren Jeffs Raping 12-Year-Old 'Spiritual Wife' -- Caught On Tape," at: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives...)
*Heavy Breathing as Jeffs' Other "Celestial Wives" Bear Witness--and as Listening Jurors Wipe Away Tears
"The prosecution’s most damning evidence against Jeffs is an audio recording of Jeffs allegedly having sex with the child. That recording was played in court yesterday. On it, Jeffs can be heard saying the child’s full name, leaving no doubt as to who is in the room with him. As the tape was played, jurors also heard heavy breathing and talking, including Jeffs asking, 'Does it feel good?' and a child’s voice responding 'Yes, thank you.' The prosecution also claims that three of Jeffs other so-called 'celestial wives' were present when the recording was made. The recording ended with Jeffs saying, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,' and the child repeating, 'Amen.'
"While listening to the tape, several jurors held their heads in their hands, some covered their mouths. One woman could be seen wiping away her tears with tissue. The state rested its case after playing the explosive audio."
("Warren Jeffs Rests His Case," CNN, 4 August 2011, at: http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011/0...)
*Description by Court Observers of Jeffs' Vulnerable 12-Year-Old Victim
For a wrenching description of the 12-year-old child "bride"--depicted by court watchers as a "Pippy Longstocking" and "a meek little girl" (together with a CNN reporter's description of Jeffs' theological beliefs as the "Mormon religion")--see:
("Jurors Hear Jeffs' Alleged Sex with Girl" [click on upper left CNN screen for video], at: http://www.examiner.com/cults-in-nati...)
*Wedding" Photo of Jeffs Deep-Kissing His Child "Bride"
For a "wedding" photo showing Jeffs face-planting a kiss on his child "bride," see below (which also contains this explicit description of Jeffs' taped sex session):
"One reporter who was in the courtroom and listened to the audio portion of the sex tape firsthand stated, 'It was some of the most disturbing evidence I have ever heard or seen in a courtroom in 25 years.' The audio portion of the tape contained Warren Jeffs having sex with the 12-year-old victim and his voice was heard stating, 'Take your clothes off. Do it right now. Each one who touches me and assists each other will have my holy gift. Just don`t think about the pain; you`re going to heaven.'"
("Warren Jeffs Convicted of Child Sexual Assault, Sex Tape Played for Jury," by Charisse Van Horn, at: http://www.examiner.com/cults-in-nati...)
--More Graphic Descriptions of Jeffs' Audio Sex Tape
For CNN's Anderson Cooper'a interview with local reporter who heard Jeffs' audio sex-prep tape when it was played to the jury (and who graphically describes it contents) see:
("Jurors Hear Warren Jeffs' Sex Tape [CNN 8-03-2011]," at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lBF1N...)
For a "jaw-dropping" news account of Jeffs' sex audiotape, read what follows this introduction:
"'Instructions to young wives include showering before going near him and maintaining armpit and pubic hair
"'Pictures show head of Mormon sect with young redhead he is accused of raping
"'Court hears him explain how he likes to be pleased sexually
"'He told his young wives they were "honorable vessels" and journalised about how they were 'willing to obey':
"Mr. Jeffs, the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is accused of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 12 and 15, he took as brides in 'spiritual marriages.'
"He objected as the tape was prepared, and his frustrations continued as it was played, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"The 90-minute segment details how the young brides should become 'so natural as clothed as unclothed' and always shower before getting near him.
"Mr. Jeffs is also heard instructing the woman on how to maintain their pubic hair, and a woman is heard showing the other wives how to properly shave their armpits.
"He says on the tape: 'No one sits around, everyone assists each other.'
"This came after a doctor and forensic analyst testified the 55-year-old Jeffs was the father of a 15-year-old's child."
("Court Hears Tape of Warren Jeffs Instructing Young Wives on Group Sex, Being nude and Grooming Body Hair," in "Daily Mail," 6 August 2011, at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...
*Sounds of a Little Girl Crying As She Is Told to Take Off Her Clothes, Then Asked How It Feels and Told to Ignore the Pain
"Prosecutors in the Warren Jeffs sexual assault case presented their last piece of evidence in his trial Wednesdaya chilling recording of him having sex with a 12-year-old girl who he claims was his 'spiritual wife.'
"The polygamist cult leader's voice can be clearly heard on the shocking recording, ordering the little girl to 'take your clothes off,' as she is heard crying.
"Jeffs is then heard asking the child: 'How do you feel, doesn't it feel good?" . . .
"The 55-year-old continues to coach the girl throughout the ordeal, advising her to 'just don't think about the pain.' . . .
*A Little Girl Tied Down and Raped as Others Watch
"There were reportedly other people present in the room during the 'marriage consummation' and prosecutors claim that women in the cult were holding the little girl down as Jeffs raped her.
"At one point Jeffs is heard ordering 'the rest of you back away,' and the horrific fact that they likely tied-up the little girl during her assault was made apparent.
"There were other sounds on the tape that suggest that the two were having sex.
"The graphic recording shocked jurors, one of whom dabbed her eyes with a tissue while the audio was played.
"At another juncture Jeffs orders the girl "to feel his presence . . . the spirit of God,' on the recording."
("Warren Jeffs Raping 12-Year-Old 'Spiritual Wife'--Caught On Tape," at: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives...)
*Heavy Breathing as Jeffs' Other "Celestial Wives" Bear Witness--and as Listening Jurors Wipe Away Tears
"The prosecution’s most damning evidence against Jeffs is an audio recording of Jeffs allegedly having sex with the child. That recording was played in court . . . . On it, Jeffs can be heard saying the child’s full name, leaving no doubt as to who is in the room with him. As the tape was played, jurors also heard heavy breathing and talking, including Jeffs asking, 'Does it feel good?' and a child’s voice responding 'Yes, thank you.'
"The prosecution also claims that three of Jeffs other so-called 'celestial wives' were present when the recording was made. The recording ended with Jeffs saying, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,' and the child repeating, 'Amen.'
"While listening to the tape, several jurors held their heads in their hands, some covered their mouths. One woman could be seen wiping away her tears with tissue. The state rested its case after playing the explosive audio."
("Warren Jeffs Rests His Case," CNN, 4 August 2011, at: http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011/0...)
*Description by Court Observers of Jeffs' Vulnerable 12-Year-Old Victim
For a wrenching description of the 12-year-old child "bride"--depicted by court watchers as a "Pippy Longstocking" and "a meek little girl" (together with a CNN reporter's description of Jeffs' theological beliefs as the "Mormon religion")--see:
("Jurors Hear Jeffs' Alleged Sex with Girl" [click on upper left CNN screen for video], at: http://www.examiner.com/cults-in-nati...)
*Wedding" Photo of Jeffs Deep-Kissing His Child "Bride"
For a "wedding" photo showing Jeffs face-planting a kiss on his child "bride," see below (which also contains this explicit description of Jeffs' taped sex session):
"One reporter who was in the courtroom and listened to the audio portion of the sex tape firsthand stated, 'It was some of the most disturbing evidence I have ever heard or seen in a courtroom in 25 years.' The audio portion of the tape contained Warren Jeffs having sex with the 12-year-old victim and his voice was heard stating, 'Take your clothes off. Do it right now. Each one who touches me and assists each other will have my holy gift. Just don`t think about the pain; you`re going to heaven.'"
("Warren Jeffs Convicted of Child Sexual Assault, Sex Tape Played for Jury," by Charisse Van Horn, at: http://www.examiner.com/cults-in-nati...)
--More Graphic Descriptions of Jeffs' Audio Sex Tape
For CNN's Anderson Cooper's interview with a local reporter who heard Jeffs' audio sex-prep tape when it was played to the jury (and who graphically describes it contents) see:
("Jurors Hear Warren Jeffs' Sex Tape [CNN 8-03-2011]," at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lBF1N...)
For a "jaw-dropping" news account of Jeffs' sex audiotape, read what this introduction and the account that follows:
"'Instructions to young wives include showering before going near him and maintaining armpit and pubic hair
"'Pictures show head of Mormon sect with young redhead he is accused of raping
"'Court hears him explain how he likes to be pleased sexually
"'He told his young wives they were "honorable vessels" and journalised about how they were 'willing to obey':
"Mr. Jeffs, the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is accused of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 12 and 15, he took as brides in 'spiritual marriages.'
"He objected as the tape was prepared, and his frustrations continued as it was played, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"The 90-minute segment details how the young brides should become 'so natural as clothed as unclothed' and always shower before getting near him.
"Mr. Jeffs is also heard instructing the woman on how to maintain their pubic hair, and a woman is heard showing the other wives how to properly shave their armpits.
"He says on the tape: 'No one sits around, everyone assists each other.'
"This came after a doctor and forensic analyst testified the 55-year-old Jeffs was the father of a 15-year-old's child."
("Court Hears Tape of Warren Jeffs Instructing Young Wives on Group Sex, Being Nude and Grooming Body Hair," in "Daily Mail," 6 August 2011, at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...
| A new reality show about Warren Jeffs and the FLDS called Breaking the Faith premiered last evening on TLC. Short video excerpts are available here
The similarities between FLDS and Utah/Southern Idaho LDS Mormonism, as evident from the show, were jarring - especially for my wife.
In watching the young FLDS work through their issues of faith and doubt, singing the same hymns, expressing the same unfounded belief in Church leaders and the preeminence of the Priesthood, my NOM wife was visibly uncomfortable. Nonetheless, out of morbid fascination, I suppose, she didn't want to change channels.
To me, it was like watching people who had taken the train lose their lives in a horrendous train wreck while being thankful that you had decided to drive instead and had escaped with slight injuries from a car accident.
The scene in which an apostate son confronts his two obese but faithful sisters, and hears their silly explanations as why they stay in the Church and their warnings to him that he is going to hell, or the scene in which he goes to see his mother who tells him that his family is now "none of his business" since he left the Church, could have just as well have taken place in Orem, or Pleasant Grove, or Preston.
This reality show provides an excellent example of the argumentum ad absurdum case against true Mormon religion and culture.
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