Posted on 04/06/2008 5:27:22 AM PDT by SkyPilot
Local and state officials entered the temple of a secretive polygamist sect late Saturday, said lawmen blockading the road to the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado.
The action comes hours after local prosecutors said officials were preparing for the worst because a group of FLDS members were resisting efforts to search the structure.
The Texas Department of Public Safety trooper and Schleicher County sheriff’s deputy confirmed that officials have entered the temple but said they had no word on whether anything occurred in the effort.
The incursion into the temple caps the three-day saga of the state’s Child Protective Services agency removing at least 183 women and children from the YFZ Ranch since Friday afternoon. Eighteen girls have been placed in state custody since a 16-year-old told authorities she was married to a 50-year-old man and had given birth to his child.
Saturday evening, ambulances were brought in, said Allison Palmer, who as first assistant 51st District attorney, would prosecute any felony crimes uncovered as part of the investigation inside the compound.
“In preparing for entry to the temple, law enforcement is preparing for the worst,” Palmer said Saturday evening. They want to have “medical personnel on hand in case this were to go in a way that no one wants.”
Apparently as a result of action Saturday night at the ranch, about 10:15 p.m. Saturday, a Schleicher County school bus unloaded another group of at least a dozen more women and children from the compound.
Although members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, have provided varying degrees of cooperation to the sheriff’s deputies and Texas Rangers searching the compound, all cooperation stopped once authorities tried to search the gleaming white temple that towers over the West Texas scrub, Palmer said.
“There may be those who would oppose (entry) by placing themselves between law enforcement and the place of worship,” Palmer said Saturday afternoon. “If an agreement cannot be reached … law enforcement will have to — as gently and peaceably as possible — make entry into that place.”
Sect members consider the temple, dedicated by then-leader of the sect Warren Jeffs in January 2005 and finished many months later, off-limits to those who are not FLDS members, said Palmer, who prosecutes felony cases in Schleicher County.
Palmer said she didn’t know the size or makeup of the group inside the temple.
The earlier refusal to provide access was even more disconcerting because CPS investigators have yet to identify the 16-year-old girl or her roughly 8-month-old baby among the dozens removed from the compound, Palmer said.
“Anytime someone says, ‘Don’t look here,’” she said, “it makes you concerned that’s exactly where you need to look.”
The girl told authorities in two separate phone calls a day apart that she was married to a 50-year-old man, Dale Barlow, who had fathered her child, Palmer said.
The joint raid included the Texas Rangers, CPS, Schleicher County and Tom Green County sheriff’s deputies and game wardens from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Although CPS and Department of Public Safety officials have described the compound’s residents as cooperative, Palmer disagreed.
“Things have been a little tense, a little volatile,” she said.
Authorities removed 52 children Friday afternoon and 131 women and children overnight Friday. About 40 of the children are boys, said CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner.
No further children have been taken into state custody since Friday, when 18 girls were judged to have been abused or be at imminent risk for abuse. CPS has found foster homes for the girls, Meisner said, and will place them after concluding its investigation.
Meisner declined to comment on the fate of the 119 other children and said authorities were still searching the ranch for others Saturday evening.
“They’re in the process of looking,” she said. “They’re literally about halfway through.”
So now you support polygamy? I thought one of your religious leaders was "divinely" told that it wasn't good anymore. Which is it?
It was never repudiated. The practice was suspended.... temporarily.
It is still taught and it is anticipated that all good Mormons will one day be polygamists (in the afterlife), and if a new revelation is given, then they will pick up where they left off.
LDS Mormons preach polygamy, they just aren't supposed to practice it any more.
This was cut and pasted from Wikipedia's description of critical thinking.
What plural marriage was Abraham involved in?
I recall that Sarah was his wife, Hagar was simply a slave girl who he had sex with to try and fulfill God’s promise to him and SARAH that SHE would bear him the promised son.
I recall that Abraham remarried after Sarah died, but perhaps I’m getting my patriarchs wrong.
So who was Abraham’s other wife/wives?
It’s all quite confusing, perhaps if Joseph Smith had’t “lost” the gold plates, it would be more clear (can you imagine Moses “misplacing” the Ten Commanments).
What has always seemed curious to me is that if there was a tribe of Israelites living in America and if Jesus later came and taught them, where was the evidence of this when Europeans came to America? The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful forces ever and they used all their power to try to destory Christianity, and yet Christianity flourished. If the Indians were Christians, then why did they revert to paganism and why is there not even any historical data that shows any evidence of this? If, as Mormons claim, these Israelites came to America and practiced their religion and later Christianity, then surely archeologists would have found some sort of temples or churches, but this evidence simply doesn’t exist.
Thank you for stating the truth, but those folks who are caught up in a cult like the Mormons and JW are so brainwashed that they believe that they only have the truth.
BINGO. Thanks for the truth here. Unfortunately for the LDS the genie is now out of the bottle and the ugly truth of their own history (which is little different than the FLDS) is seeing the light of day.
This is illustrated by the sheer volume of mainstream LDS defending these child rapists here on Free Republic, and this is just one site! But God is not mocked, and He is exposing this evil cult for what it is.
She copied and pasted it from Wikipedia:
It is fine to use external links and sources of coarse, however, whenever that it done it is appropriate to cite the source and post a copy of the link.
My understanding is that when Plural Marriage was recinded in the late 1800's Lord's mission was complete.
From the documents that the LDS have and understood this ordinance is introduce every time there was a new dispensation on earth or other wised called restoration.
The first 5 books of Moses in the Bible is a recap or digess of all that has taken place on earth from the beganning.
If you recall Moses saw the Lord twice the first time he return with the higher law but the people were so decadent that Moses return to the Lord and received the lesser law.
Plural Marriage is part of the higher law that is a Covenant between man and God and women and God. These Celestial ordinances is preformed in the temple and are for all eternity.
D&C 132 This is something that needs to be studied and ponder in prayer
19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them
—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths
—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
My understanding is that each makes a covenant with the Lord the man to the Lord and the women to the Lord and this is ordinance that welded heaven and earth or is bound.
It is through this portal that the souls of the Lord enter the earth this is why I say it is a beautiful thing because of the caliber souls that come to earth under this Celestial law.
Also the Celestial law was rescinded when in the Lord's time the mission was completed.
The LDS believe we are in the last dispensation so there was no more need for plural Marriage.
What this Fake-LDS rogue organization did was to mock the Scared ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Resty, if plural marriage was the opposite--if it was such a "godly" act--wanna tell us why the LDS Church ex-communicates somebody for practing it? Wanna tell us why the LDS Church does cartwheels to try to avoid being cast in the same light as the polygamous fLDS?
You can also ask the a parallel question, Resty: If adultery was/is such an ungodly act according to me [I guess I'm now the arbiter for morality, eh? Is that because you stopped listening to the Bible long ago?], how could David remain as the book of Acts & other verses tell us--"a man after God's own heart?" + how could David and Bathsheba remain in the "royal" line for King Jesus to come?
The partial answer to that is that Mormons have a skewed view of worthiness. They think that moral worthiness is self-derived. ("Saved by grace AFTER ALL YOU can do.") I mean, Moses was a murderer & THEN God used him to be a deliverer. (To LDS, murder is an unforgivable sin; so how backwards is Moses' story to LDS' concept of "worthiness?")
...how could Abraham still remain a prophet of God, how was Abraham able to receive a Covenant from the Lord for the family of Issac and also received a Covanant for the children of Ishmael. Offering of Isaac and renewal of the covenant and blessings (Gen. 22). (Ishmael Gen. 17.)
Look at the OT consequences of a wife giving another to her husband for purposes of enlarging the family (see Gen. 16:11-12). From that we have Ishmael, father of the families who would become Muslims: "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him..." (Gen. 16:12)
If anything, Abram is an example of God transforming a man even after actions that wind up leaving tremendous long-term consequences for the world-at-large.
While it's true that prior to the act that produced Ishmael, Abram trusted God (Gen. 12:4) & "believed in the Lord" (Gen. 15:6), it appeared that God's patience ran out with Abram after the sleeping with the servant girl incident. [You're not advocating, Resty, that wives offer up their servant girls to their hubbies, are you, as "godly acts?"] God decided it was time for a sit-down, drawn-up covenant time with Abram in Gen. 17. Abram was now 90. He told Abram to "walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1) [This occured post-Hagar sleepovers] So He made a covenant w/Him; ensured that his elderly wife would become pregnant. From that point on, the sinful Abram has been projected to become the patriarch Abraham. The name change (from Abram to Abraham marks a point of conversion, where God begins to transform the man). He becomes an intercessor in Gen. 18.
Beyond all of that, Resty, please tell us where in Gen. 16:3 re: Hagar, or anywhere that Hagar is ever referred to as a wife or anything but a maidservant? Unless you think Sarai is "god," where did God ever instruct Abram to sleep with her? Where in Gen. 25:1 or thereabouts did God instruct Abraham to take another wife as he did with Keturah?
Abraham went in to Hagar by Sarah’s plan to have a child by her. It was not God’s command, and it has brought untold grief to the world. Those who put the stamp of approval on Abraham’s deed to try to justify polygamy are sick to the point of wickedness.
After Sarah died, Abraham took another wife, Keturah, and had six sons by her. Isaac was the chosen firstborn of earth through whom the Holy One would come, however.
In the NT, no one could serve in the office of “bishop” unless he was the husband of one “1” wife.
Certainly no Levite in Israel is recorded in the Bible as having multiple wives. And as the office of the Levitical priesthood served as “firstborn” before YHWH [priests to stand before Him, in ministry and intercession], and as the High Priest served in the ofice of Christ, by the Anointing of the oil which represented Christ’s office of Messiah, when He donned the Holy Garments to serve in that office [[which garments typed the second creation human being flesh of the “Firstborn/High Priest/High King/Federal Head of earth who was to come -Jesus Christ], and because before donning those garments to serve in that office of Christ’s type and shadow, the priest could not come near his own wife for three days [and certainly not while wearing the garments of priesthood of Firstborn], then anyone who teaches that physical sexual union is somehow connected to any priesthood YHWH has ordained by YHWH’s command, is most biblically illiterate [besides being most definitely not speaking for Him].
I find nothing to support this in the Bible. In fact I find right the opposite regarding fornification, and adultery.
Are you sure it wasn't just because they were afraid of criminal prosecution?
From the documents that the LDS have and understood this ordinance is introduce every time there was a new dispensation on earth or other wised called restoration.
So, if one of the Mormon "prophets" was "instructed" that polygamy should start up again you would support that?
If you recall Moses saw the Lord twice the first time he return with the higher law but the people were so decadent that Moses return to the Lord and received the lesser law.
Plural Marriage is part of the higher law that is a Covenant between man and God and women and God.
Is it the Bible that says Moses was given the Law on polygamy at Mount Sinai or is this explained in the missing gold plates?
Yes I am still thankful that the Lord has restored many of the Plain and Precious Truths.
When one protest as much as you do it gives the impression to some that something has not been resolved or peaceful in your life for a long time and your need it to look elsewhere to make it feel better!
After all these years it does not seem to be working for you!:)
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You and others want to have your worldly opinion that is fine.
some wanted to know the different some may not agree with it but they have the ability to comprehend with out also mocking things that are strange to them!
Sometimes we say things, not realizing how it can hurt others.
But I will say it again, you will not win anything by defending polygamy. You were exposed to that as a young person and have an understanding that most Americans just don't share. The very idea is repulsive to most of us who see this thing going on it Texas. I am sure it is repulsive to you too, but there are many people out there who just weren't aware that things like this go on in this country.
Reading some of the comments at the SLTrib is eye opening. There are many who are angered by the removal and the fact that Baptist buses were used. As if that fact should matter.
An LDS freeper posted his feelings about polygamy and how angry he is that his church won't come clean about past polygamy and the church. That was the reaction a lot of us expected. Not all this defense of polygamy. I would say most people see a defense of polygamy, past or present, as defending this bunch of sickos in Texas.
It is "worldly" to be skeptical about a religion that has as its foundation some gold plates that were translated with two stones all of which have since vanished?
some wanted to know the different some may not agree with it but they have the ability to comprehend with out also mocking things that are strange to them!
I fail to see how asking questions based upon your statements can be construed as "mocking" and I am also at a loss as to what you even mean when you talk about comprehension skills.
As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”
Mark 12: 38-40
Sounds like a description of SkyPilot and a few other mainstreamers around here.
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