Life in the real world (The evils of polygamy)

The Washington Times ^ | 04/25/2008 | Pete Vere

[JRochelle]

The raid this month on a polygamist sect's Texas ranch left more than 400 children from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in state custody.

Under any circumstances, children have trouble adjusting to a world in which their parents suddenly are gone. But in this case, these children likely will be put in an outside world that they have been raised to see as evil.

To better understand their plight, The Washington Times spoke with three former members of the FLDS as well as Rowenna Erickson, a founding member of Tapestry Against Polygamy (Polygamy.org).

The Utah-based organization supports children and vulnerable adults seeking to leave the polygamous lifestyle.

"Polygamy is one big male excuse" for sex, Mrs. Erickson told The Times, using graphic language.

She grew up in the Latter-day Church of Christ, a polygamous Mormon sect also known as the Kingston family. At age 20, she became the second wife of her older sister's husband; the couple bore eight children together.

"My children and I lived in dire poverty in a two-and-a-half bedroom house," Mrs. Erickson said.

Her husband lived separately from the family, and she was prohibited from disclosing their true relationship to others — including to the couple's own children — so as not to raise the suspicion of the civil authorities.

[Politicalmom]

Oh, now it isn’t “interviews”, it’s “hearings”. Let’s just change the argument mid-stream. You didn’t even KNOW about the interviews, or you were lying. Which is it?

I am not going to condemn every Texas state LEO and CPS because you think they are minions of evil. I think the state is doing a crackerjack job in a very difficult situation. And I don’t often say that about such a situation.

You love your straw men, don’t you?

The law says the children can be taken if sexual abuse is suspected in the household.

According to testimony, the underage pregnancies/mothers were present in every living area.

You’re just going to keep ignoring that someone called your bluff and posted all the documents for all the legal proceedings of which you claimed to be unaware.

What a dishonest way of arguing your point of view.

[pepsionice]

To be honest...on my top 500 things yet to do in life...is NOT to visit a lesbian bar. Can we just get video-tape some shots inside a lesbian while there....and just let it stand at that level?

[najida]

I see the same thing, and other states can learn from Texas’ successes and mistakes. So yeah, public scrutiny is now ramped up....this is no longer just funny people dressing funny but revealed to be layers of different crimes hiding behind ‘religion’.

Other states will be cracking down also I believe, as evidence arrises.

[greyfoxx39]

You keep referring to warrants, yet refuse to provide a single link to them.

ROTFL...the LINK you posted in post 83, gives us the useful information here: "Unable to open template error file "/www/docs/archives/rware/plus/.error.html". No such file or directory. In template file: /www/docs/archives/rware/plus/cqcgi.tpt Line: 6"

Here is a link to the Search and Arrest Warrant which has been posted numerous times. However, I'm confident that your agenda will allow you to discount this.

Smoking Gun

BTW, Smoking Gun is a useful site to have in your favorites list.

[Enosh]

"... visit a lesbian bar. Can we just get video-tape some shots..."

[ansel12]

Hey, we resemble that remark

[GovernmentShrinker]

Not all FLDS members practice polygamy. Some are single, some have regular nuclear families

You clearly don't know even the basics about this church's beliefs. It is an absolutely cardinal principle that no one can reach the Celestial Kingdom (highest level of Heaven) unless during this life you are a man who has at least 3 wives, or a woman married to a man who is getting into the Celestial Kingdom. No ifs and or buts. Every single member of the church is practicing polygamy or eagerly aspiring to. Obviously when a man has just married his first wife, they technically aren't living in a polygamous family, but they are both determined to change that, since their chance to spend eternity in the Celestial Kingdom is absolutely dependent on practicing polygamy. Unlike the Utah-Arizona FLDS and British Columbia communities, where there are some lapsed and dissident members still living in the same area, this YFZ compound was stocked with Warren Jeffs' handpicked members, chosen for their absolute obedience and loyalty to him. There is nobody there who is not either already practicing polygamy or aspiring to do so very soon.

[greyfoxx39]

The YFZ round-up is important though, especially in its psychological effect on the Utah-Arizona members and remaining Jeffs loyalists in British Columbia. YFZ was supposed to be the pinnacle of the church’s work on earth — the wonderful Zion that all members yearned to move to and were overjoyed to see their children shipped off to. The most obedient, loyal, and hard-working members were rewarded with relocation to YFZ. Now those exemplary members who followed Jeffs orders to the tee and got the big reward of moving to Zion are in the hands of Satan’s agents. What to aspire to now?

How the mighty are fallen....

[White Bear]

From the tone of your reply I get the impression that you have interpreted my comment as somehow being supportive of the polygamous lifestyle. Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. My comment was meant to express the concern that historically when too broad of a prosecution takes place or when the authorities are overzealous in trying to prosecute perpetrators that their actions can cause the whole case to be thrown out. This a very emotional topic and is it is abhorant that these innocent children have been subjected to such abuse. I hope that those responsible are brought to justice and do not escape on a technicality.

[White Bear]

I agree with you that the “perps” have set this up to guarantee their anomnity. All the more reason to make sure that due process is followed. Think how horrible it would be if the authorities were able to identify the “perps” only to have to let them go and be forced to return the children to them because it could be shown those rights have been violated.