Posted on 05/02/2008 6:55:44 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Ross LeBaron, Jr's three sons broke away from the polygamist lifestyle and claim that their father is impregnating their sister and claim to have the DNA evidence to prove it.
Ross LeBaron, Jr is a wealthy Utah man and three of his sons, David Uri LeBaron, Elend LeBaron and Alaric LeBaron (He is an Air Force doctor in Afghanistan so his comments were made via the phone), all tell a disturbing tale of their fathers belief that "incest is going to bring back the line of Jesus Christ."
According to David, one of his sisters has bore four children and his other sister has bore one. All three sons had saliva tests done and had the DNA compared to two of their sisters' young children.
David says, "Both of them, from our understanding, show that the father of those children were male members of the family", he continues, "We've done DNA testing. We know what's going on, and we're here to find a way to put an end to it."
The three sons say Ross LeBaron is a polygamist and may have spiritually married his own daughter, their sister. They're convinced he impregnated her four times because of a fundamentalist belief called the "pure seed doctrine." They're going public because they're worried that Utah incest law may prevent anyone involved from being prosecuted.
The brothers are worried for their younger sister, who is 15 years old, and believe that when she turns 18, she will also be used to breed incestuously.
"The concept that he has superior genetics, superior intelligence, if you will, due to his direct lineage of Jesus Christ," David said.
When Ross LeBaron, Jr. was interviewed by Mike Watkiss of Phoenix station KTVK and asked if impregnated his daughters, he denied it and when questioned further he tried to turn the cameras off.
It is reported that off-camera, he said that if he did impregnate his daughter, it was because his wife performed artificial insemination.
The sons do not believe that but think that the laws must be changed to make incestuous pregnancy illegal, regardless of how it was achieved.
Another son Wayne, who still follows in his father's footsteps told reporters, "Whether we choose to engage in that is a private matter, but I personally believe that the combination of out-marrying for genetic diversity and inter-marrying to fix beneficial traits can be beneficial for the right individuals"
David said, "Through either that union or another inbreeding union, that they would create the future Savior, so to speak." He says the family believes it would create something like a reincarnation of the Savior.Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett tells reporters that there is an active investigation going on but it may take another couple of months, therefore he could not provide any more details.
Utah law states (page 6 of PDF file) that it is a third-degree felony to have sexual intercourse with someone who is an ancestor, descendant, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece. Marriages between first cousins are prohibited unless the couple is 55 and sterile or over the age of 65.
This is not the first time the LaBaron family has been in the news. Laurie (LaBaron) Allen told her story in a film called "Banking on Heaven", where she described, in detail, her experiences with Ross LaBaron as well as being kidnapped and growing up in a polygamist compound.
Laurie Allen was born into the infamous and violent LeBaron polygamous sect. Her uncle Ervil LeBaron killed 28 people, and became known as the Mormon Manson. Her cousin Jacqueline Tarsa LeBaron is on the FBI's Most Wanted list.
She has been interviewed on The Early Show, ABC, Geraldo, Larry King Live and many others and portions of her story have been shown on Montel Williams, Oprah, and countless other shows.
You can read more about the LaBaron family at Wikipedia.
You can find out more about Consanguinity aka inbreeding and birth defects at Health Central.com.
An example of the defects that are caused by inbreeding within polygamist families was reported in 2005 by the Phoenix News Times.
The LeBaron family, led by Alma Dayer LeBaron, had been involved with Mormon fundamentalist leader Joseph White Musser since 1936. In 1944, the LeBarons were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for teaching and practicing plural marriage. For the next 11 years, the LeBarons associated themselves with Rulon C. Allred's Apostolic United Brethren in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.On 21 September 1955, Joel LeBaron and his brothers Ross and Floren visited Salt Lake City, Utah, and there organized the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, with Joel being ordained President of the Church, with Floren as first counselor in the First Presidency and Ross as head patriarch. Shortly thereafter, Joel reported being visited by nineteen former prophets, including Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Joseph Smith, Jr. Joel LeBaron claimed his priesthood line of authority from his father Alma, who had been ordained by Alma's grandfather Benjamin F. Johnson, who had received the priesthood from Joseph Smith. LeBaron invited Allred and his followers to join their new organization, but their invitation was rejected.
In early 1956, the LeBaron brothers returned to Chihuahua. Their father Alma and brother Ervil became the fourth and fifth members of the new church; their mother Maude also eventually joined. Several months later, Ervil LeBaron published a pamphlet entitled Priesthood Expounded, which became a foundational text for the church.
Gee remember the good old days when the only time you heard about these creeps was when they were murdering each other ? Maybe that could have been a clue .
Zane Grey had them pegged way back when.
As Forrest’s mother used to tell him: “Stupid is as stupid does.”
There goes lunch.
I never think of Jesus as a prophet, but as the Son of God (and as God as well). I thought a prophet spoke for God, but was not God. Do many Christians consider Jesus a prophet?
susie
Johnson was one of Joseph Smith's brothers-in-law. Johnson said that Smith told him that polygamy was the only way in which prostitution could be eliminated.
We have some FReeper folks who still defend polygamy...who have married into the Johnson family line: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2003594/posts
From post #268: My husband is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin Johnson and his whole biography is online. When Joseph Smith asked him for permission to marry his sister, Benjamin told him that if he ever learned that Joseph had deceived him on the principle, then he would kill him. Benjamin went on to have many wives and dozens of children. I dont feel any shame about our past, and how I reconcile it was that the whole history of humanity contains ample evidence that poligamy was and is practiced by good god fearing people, sometimes happily and sometimes not .as I said, it is not about sex, it is about taking care of women and children.
Well some folks contend that polygamy had "nothing to do with sexual debauchery," why did Benjamin F. Johnson recall that Joseph Smith taught him that plural marriage was the only means by which prostitution could be eliminated. (B. Carmon Hardy, A Solemn Covenant, p. 16)
So--not from a personal perspective necessarily (between couples) but from a Joseph Smith policy perspective--Johnson's remembrance shows that a true purpose of plurality (not the only one) was in effect to have an "in-house" prostitute. How base is that for 19th LDS to have embraced that vantage point? Hardy cited other LDS who thought that mass polygamy would "eliminate sexual wickedness" and LDS general authority/legislator, William Gibson, who after-the-fact claimed to have voted against the Manifesto, called it "the best antidote to sexual sin." (A Solemn Covenant, p. 145, citing William Gibson, who was quoted in "Polygamous Issues," DN, March 28, 1896.)
"The need for prostitution...was seized on by Mormons as evidence that monogamy was manifestly an incorrect system of marriage...From the 1850s until the end of the century, Mormon writers and speakers struck at what they considered their detractors' hypocrisy for criticizing Mormon marriage when, as the First Presidency affirmed in 1886, adultery and prostitution were the consequences of the monogamic arrangement.... (A Solemn Covenant, p. 89, citing "An Epistle of the First Presidency..." March 1886, Messages 3:68...Hardy cites in the same footnote about 8 other sources from Heber C. Kimball to Brigham Young to John Taylor to George Q. Cannon to apostle Erasmus Snow).
So there ya go! The embracing of polygamy naturally led to an elitist position where polygamists looked down upon, frowned upon, and even openly dismissed or criticized "monogamy!" When you have an LDS "prophet" in 1886 claiming that adultery and prostitution were the consequences of monogamy, that's a major, major problem!!!
Talking about presenting a "base" (low) position of monogamy! Hardy devotes a full chapter to how LDS regarded polygamy as sexually superior--not for erotic or orgy reasons--but for what they regarded was the "opposite"--associating prostitution and the resulting ill-health with monogamy, etc.
I had to laugh when I read that, it’s basically the, “I didn’t do it, but if I did I did it like this” defense...
susie
Well there you have it. Must be legit then. I mean it's not as good as having a visit from an angel named Moron, or having 13 witnesses to gold tablets, even if 12 did recan't and leave your church. But it's right up there.
Where are all those people who defended these nutjobs in earlier posts?
Horrible things happen when you start using both Deliverance and The Da Vinci Code as scripture.
One of my favorite books ever.
Banjos and Bibles,
never a good mix ;)
Mike Watkiss, the reporter mentioned, has been reporting on this issue for many years. You might be able to find something if you do a google on “The Polygamist Diaries”.
Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy that God would raise up a prophet like unto him. This is mentioned by Peter’s first recorded sermon in the book of Acts Chapter 2.
So Jesus is considered a prophet by the New Testament. But he was more than a prophet, he was the Son of God which means God manifest in the flesh.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Don't forget, for all kinds of source links and info, check out the FLDS Daily Thread.
Seems weird to link him in as just another prophet. If He came down and spoke to me, I don’t think that would be how I would phrase it...
susie
Red Riders of the Purple Sage? I went thru a ‘western’ phase many years ago. I enjoyed Zane Grey.
There are hundreds of names for Jesus in the New and Old Testaments.
Such as
1) The Lamb of God
2) Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls
3) Counselor
4) Mighty God
5) Everlasting Father
6) Prince of Peace
7) Alpha and Omega
8) The Rock that followed them in the desert.
9) Lilly of the Valley
10) High Priest after the order of Melchisedek.
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