Posted on 04/21/2008 10:23:21 PM PDT by Howdy there
SAN ANGELO, Texas —
In another stage of their public relations campaign to battle stereotypes and speak out against the raid that placed 437 children in state protective custody, the Fundamentalist LDS faithful are speaking out on the Internet.
A pair of Web sites were unveiled Monday in an effort to explain the FLDS beliefs and rally public sympathy behind the polygamous sect.
On captivefldschildren.org, photos and video of the raid were posted showing law enforcement's raid on the YFZ Ranch, Texas child protective services workers rounding up children and putting them on buses, and damage apparently done by law enforcement when they searched the compound.
"This site was created by the FLDS people to help the innocent children that were living at the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas," the site says, including a link to donations to help defray legal costs. Sources at the YFZ Ranch confirmed that the church was behind the creation of the Web sites. Information about who registered the Internet domain names was run through a Canadian company specializing in ensuring the information is kept private.
Pro-polygamy activist Mary Batchelor e-mailed supporters links to the Web sites on Monday. "I don't know if it's real or not but the pictures on there could only have come from those people," Batchelor said. "I'm excited they're doing this, they're really speaking out."
The companion Web site, fldstruth.org, said its goal is to counter the "many lies" circulating around the church. The site promises to provide facts about the church's doctrines, beliefs and teachings. A photo timeline of the FLDS leaders appears to still be under construction.
"And knowing that truth must be the basis of all righteous considerations as pertains to the great redemption work of our Savior in these latter days; we seek to disabuse the minds of the honest in heart, of the deceptions inherent in reports from malicious and evil disposed persons," the site said.
Once known as secretive and cloistered, the FLDS have gone on a public relations offensive since their children were taken earlier this month. They opened the gates of the Yearning For Zion Ranch to the Deseret News before inviting other news media outlets to visit the compound.
FLDS members have also been guests on "Larry King Live," and other TV talk shows denouncing allegations of abuse and pleading for the return of their children.
From a lot of the “inside” video reports shown I am getting the impression that the “village” raises the children by large groups. I wonder how much of a bond the children form with so many adults/older ones taking care of them?
I have no idea.
It is ludicrous that an almighty God doesn't know if you are His or not. But that's Mormonism for you.
Especially don’t keep posting the same thing, without telling the complete truth which I’ve already pointed out to you.
There are 32,000 children in Texas Foster care. The percent of underage pregnancies in FLDS is several times that of foster care.
I’m willing to listen to a different way to enforce the law, if you can tell me what it is.
susie
I tell you what...If you started a religion tomorrow in a mansion...and put 437 kids in it, calling it "Heaven's REAL Gates..." or if you put the same number of kids in a quadriple-wide trailer, & called it "Trailer Trash Temple"...in either of these circumstances, if a girl calls from those locations with a credible report of child abuse, then CPS is going to be on your premises and is likely to at least temporarily remove all 400 + kids from the premises. (CPS offers "equal opportunity protection"--whether it's 1 kid, 5 kids, or 437)
I am glad I am not the only one who says Jeffs drones on & on with that creepy voice! Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Correct. See definition below
EphebophiliaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with pedophilia.
Ephebophilia or Hebephilia has been defined as the primary or exclusive sexual attraction to adolescents.
[1] In everyday English, the term pedophilia, strictly meaning sexual attraction to children, is also colloquially used to refer to attraction to adolescents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMHO, it is a condemnation of humankind that we even have to have definitions for such abominations...
Then kindly explain what exactly it is that the Book of Mormon teaches that you are adamantly opposed to. Is there any specific doctrine taught in that book that you disagree with?
Where did they get their copies of the BOM? Do they use the current version used by the LDS church?
Because if you are a Christian, then it is important to me that you not be led away by false prophets.
Perhaps you are being a false prophet by telling me how I should behave and how I should interpret scripture.
Well, unlike Brigham Young and Joseph Smith, I've never made a claim to be a prophet. And unlike Brigham Young and Joseph Smith, I have never tried to convince people that Adam is our Father and our God and the Only God with whom we have to do, or that when Adam created the world he brought Eve, one of his wives with him, or that "As Man is God once was and as God is Man may become."
If I had taught any such false doctrines, then I think it would be fair for your to determine that I was a false prophet.
How do you get off doing that?
How do your Missionaries get off claiming that the LDS Church is the Only True Church on the face of the Earth?
Did God appoint you to tell me what I should believe?
I have been appointed once to die and after that the judgment. Christ admonished us to preach the gospel and beware of false prophets.
BTW, who appointed Brigham Young to be a Prophet of God?
So they're all lying, right? And you know this how? How are you privy to what's really going on in the compound that you can tell us they're embellishing?
What are your sources?
Oh really? How? How could they have done a better job of it?
We are, too. Which is why it's about time the state stepped in and did something to protect them from the cult practices of shuffling and reassigning families. These kids deserve to be with their biological parents.
You can read it for yourself if you are interested in it.
I want these situations dealt with properly and not crank phone calls and police raids based on crank calls.
You wouldn’t like it if they came to your home on that basis and you weren’t guilty of anything.
That happens to too many people in this country in the case of child abuse allegations made to child protective authorities.
The talk on television is based on leaks and sensationalism, not the facts.
Get real with what really is going on and that’s something we don’t know all about yet.
Besides the fake allegations against innocent people in the “child abuse” department, we also have to figure what we would do if all child sexual abusers were rounded up right now.
A big barbed wire compound since the prisons could hold it in my opinion.
I can see three people myself who is probably guilty of this and still alive today without prosecution.
I am not a victim of these people, but two of them invited me to their homes when I was 11 or 12 years old.
Then there’s the third guy who’s an ex-public official and cop. He has been the butt of talk about being “gay” but in the end this guy walks and still can been seen talking it up with younger men.
He was on trial for something else. A witness started to talk about being in the guy’s home as a teenager and the prosecutor cut him off when the details were to come.
I guess that’s the law but that’s the law and the guy is free and walking.
How do you punish everyone in a perfect world which we don’t have?
Yes, but the court is not giving these children to their parents. They are moving them into private foster care for the most part.
And the fathers who might have been separated from their wives and kids have the same right as you or I do to file for custody. It doesn't take the state stepping in and removing 437 children from their homes.
13% of the child rape cases within the Texas foster care system were victims age 3 or under. http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2008/04/collectivist-child-abuse.html
I am telling the complete truth. The Texas foster care system is rife with sexual abuse of children, violence and even murder.
Comptroller Strayhorn Statement On Foster Care Abuse Friday, June 23, 2006
"If you compare the number of deaths of children in our state's population to the number of deaths in our state's foster care system, a child is four times more likely to die in our state's foster care system.
"Based on Fiscal 2004 data provided by the Health and Human Services Commission, about 100 children received treatment for poisoning from medications; 63 foster children received medical treatment for rape that occurred while in the foster care system; and 142 children gave birth while in the state foster care system.
"As alarming as these cases are, we can only imagine how much worse the Fiscal 2005 data is because Gov. Perry's Health and Human Services Commission has refused to provide the data needed to complete my investigation.
http://www.window.state.tx.us/news/60623statement.html
Why can't you just be honest and say that you don't really know?
Is that so hard?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.