Posted on 04/14/2008 10:23:50 AM PDT by ansel12
The raid on a polygamist compound in Texas could signal the beginning of the end of a lifestyle that has flown under the radar in America, according to an expert on cults.
The Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints, which operates the compound near Eldorado, Texas, along with other communities around the country -- including Colorado City, Ariz. -- fits the classic criteria of a cult, according to Rick Ross.
He says there are about 50,000 polygamists living in North America and Mexico.
``The level of harm done by polygamist groups is horrific, and, in particular, this group (FLDS) has a long history of very seriously damaging children through sexual abuse, neglect and physical abuse."
More than 400 children were taken from the Texas compound after authorities received a phone call from a 16-year-old girl, who said she had been forced to marry an older man and have his child. Arizona authorities received a similar call from a 16-year-old girl in Colorado City, but authorities said they had no power to act on the unverified call.
These children come from a ``world within our world," completely controlled by the church group, according to Ross.``Without television, without newspapers, without all the things that kids grow up with these days. All information, all associations, everything around them controlled by the organization."
The harm done to children by the FLDS church, whose leader Warren Jeffs is jailed on sex charges in Kingman, is amazing, Ross says.
As soon as children reach puberty, Ross says, ``they become so much like a commodity that has literally been passed from one community to another community... The child can be married off, her husband can take her as so much property. She is obliged to obey him and submit to him, even if he's violent, even if he's abusive."
The cult expert says, ``Out of all the groups called cults in North American that I've dealt with, some of the most horrific complaints of sexual and physican abuse have come from these polygamist groups."
He said the children taken from such groups ``are going to need counseling, they're going to need help," adding, ``The youngest children will probably do the best because they've had the least time in the group."
Jeffs' group has been funded for years by taxpayers who didn't know it, Ross says.
``Seventy percent of the people in Colorado City were on food stamps, 40 percent of the women were receiving assistance through a WIC (women's and children ) fund."
The group also got money ``through state funds, through federal funds which were accumulated for infrastructure within their township."
``When they began to basically clamp down on this group for its illegal activities, it had accumulated assets in excess of $200-million dollars," he said. ``So this was a group that grew very rich, very powerful, often through taxpayers' money."
Attorneys general from Arizona and Utah made a significant impact in the last few years when they went after Jeffs, ultimately getting Utah convictims against him for rape by accomplice in arranging marriages of under-aged girls, Ross said. Jeffs now is jailed in Kingman, awaiting trial on similar Arizona charges.
Besides physical and sexual abuse, ``there have also been violations of child labor laws, repeatedly," Ross said. ``Children as young as 12 working in dangerous circumstances with machinery that they have no business operating."
Ross said he's encouraged by the actions of Texas authorities.
``With the law now effectively going after them, their era seems to be coming to an end."
The Death Penalty is the only solution. That is the only way to eridicate it out of society.
I don’t think the problem is which punishment to give.
I think that the problem is the complicated web of protections both real and not real that some criminal activities use by calling themselves a religion.
Texas is a accepting a big challenge by taking on this cult and I thank them for it.
It’s not just the young girls who are victimized. They have to run off large numbers of young boys so the geezers can get their share of the newly pubescent girls. Those boys, of course, have next to no skills how to get along in the outside world.
I am amazed of the stupidity of the crowd here. You guys think that a single raid is going to stop it? Last time this happened it went to court for several years. You think Texas can endure do that? This thing will go to the Supreme court.
Use you brains, the FLDS went to Texas because of that consenting adults ruling for sodomy. My fear is that they are playing rope a dope AND want to get this in court so that it will be legalized or decriminalized just like Texas did with sodomy.
Texas has been setup. The only way to stop it is to increase the punishment to extreme levels and enforce it. You put one of these guys to death and they will stop.
Why are you spamming every thread with this?
Because I want to make my point. You guys are so naive. One sissy raid won’t stop this.
You sound like a Mormon that is angry at Texas for taking these guys on.
You are LDS aren’t you? No wonder you are calling everyone else stupid. LOL
Huh?
Are you delusional or paraniod? Where I am arguing? I mildly happy with the raid and I would be very happy if they could arrest these guys and I would be estatic if they would accidently kill one of them while resisting arrest of course.
Is that anger? You are stupid.
The real threat of polygamy comes not from nut cults but from Islam. Our “leaders” have no problem staging raids on fringe cults but they will think long and hard about doing anything substantive about potential jihadists. And in a PC world Islamic polygamy is quite likely to not just be tolerated but celebrated.
Softie.
“The Death Penalty is the only solution. That is the only way to eridicate it out of society.”
You are not serious...are you?
Yes you are. :-)
Tell me N&L, do you believe D&C section 132 to be a commandment of God?
I am.
Nope.
Experts should report to whoever hired them and leave the rest of us be. If they are testifying in court, then maybe it can get reported. This case is being tried in the MSM which means it is bogus.
Really? So, perhaps Joseph Smith was totally wrong when he gave it as God’s command, and was only speaking with his “lower” brain, if ya know what I mean?
Do you believe Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God?
YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS. THE FLDS WANTS TO TAKE THIS TO COURT TO DECRIMINALIZE POLYGAMY!!! WE CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN, BUT TEXAS FELL INTO THEIR TRAP! WHY DO YOU THINK THE FLDS MAGICALLY HAD OVER 400+ LAWYERS WITH 6 HOURS OF THE RAID!!!!
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