2) The FLDS can site an unbroken chain back to Smith and the early Mormon church that is as compelling as the LDS.
3) the FLDS uses the BOM and I believe the other main works. It isn’t like we are comparing Hinduism and Christianity.
Posted on 05/11/2008 6:58:25 AM PDT by MrEdd
In the days following the raid on the Texas polygamous compound, I took a call from a St. Louis radio host requesting one of our reporters to come on his show to "talk about the situation in Utah." Early in this cordial conversation, I informed him that this newspaper is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that I am a member of this church.
After a few minutes, it became clear that he thought I was somehow affiliated with the FLDS group. I felt like an anthropology specimen. The questions were friendly and good natured, but imbedded in them was the notion that there was really no difference between the LDS Church and the FLDS group, they were simply all Mormons to him.
Given the enormous national and international attention focused on the Texas raid, it has been abundantly clear that while many people understand the difference between the LDS Church and this polygamous group, unfortunately there is still substantial confusion between the two.
Much of this confusion comes from misapplying the name Mormon, as in "fundamentalist Mormon" or "Mormon polygamist." The LDS Church has gone to great lengths to protect the name Mormon (note video of Elder Quentin L. Cook on YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUtjsdtDOkQ). However, much misidentification simply results from the confusion between the terms LDS and FLDS.
Not only are many of the FLDS teachings in conflict with, and repugnant to, the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but, in fact, a person who believes in or practices the teachings of the fundamentalists would be excommunicated from the LDS Church.
While not strictly speaking identity theft, the adoption of FLDS by this group at best is confusing and at worst undermines the credibility of the Latter-day Saints and tarnishes the LDS "brand." Sometimes damage to a brand or a trademark has been called attempted identity theft at the corporate level.
I am not making a narrow legal argument about trademark law issues here. Rather, my discussion is more broadly about brand identification and injury to a brand name.
While the terms LDS and Mormon are not brands in the commercial sense, these terms reflect the identity, reputation and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Church has the right and expectation that the use of these terms will convey certain impressions to those who become aware of them. This is known in the business world as brand equity and in the words of NetMBA.com it "is an intangible asset that depends on associations made by the consumer."
An illustration from the business world might give us some insight. Suppose several engineers at General Electric invented an electric motor and decided that their product was superior to other similar products produced by the company. This group of engineers decides then to break away from General Electric and form a new company called Fundamental General Electric or FGE for short. How would General Electric react to this? Would it feel that its brand equity was being diminished or stolen? Of course they would. And they would be right.
Similarly, this group which claims to be a break-off of the LDS Church is, as noted, utterly different in its beliefs and practices. In an April 19 story in our paper, Brian Hales, a Layton physician and historian, notes, for example, that "brain-washing is a legitimate description of what occurs within the FLDS Church 'because they don't allow any outside information inside and vice versa.' On the other hand, the Salt Lake-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — which many continue to mistakenly associate with the polygamous sect — sends missionaries around the globe preaching a gospel message centered in Jesus Christ, Hales said. The opposite is true of the FLDS Church, which is insular, secretive and has no desire to share a message of salvation with others ... That's their world, and it's the direct opposite of what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young promoted."
The group that became known as the FLDS Church didn't begin until 1929. More significantly this group did not even adopt the name FLDS until nearly a century after the LDS Church abandoned polygamy.
Whatever their motivation, the consequence of this group's adoption of the name FLDS has damaged the LDS Church's identity, brand name and reputation.
Joe Cannon is editor of the Deseret News.
If there is abuse where the parents can be traced to the teen getting pregnant then I would hope the parents be held accountable. Look if there is a call made to CPS or a call is made to an abuse center & they send it to CPS then CPS has to act on it. If your neighbor get mad at you for ANY reason & calls CPS they have to come out. If you don't want to believe that ..fine. But is true. They can't take chances with child abuse etc. My neighbor is a NJ DYFS worker & she spends more time going out on fake calls. If when she gets to the house there is no open abuse but a bag of pot is sitting out or a whacked out parent is the only one home she has to involve the police. Its really that simple & why people don't understand that I don't know. Its been stated over & over. Your pregnant project teen comparison has nothing to do with what is going on in TX. A judge found cause to remove the children so off they took them. It didn't help that the FLDS is well known for what they do. Their pervert leader is in jail & facing more trials.
Now if we take your example of the project teen living in a place where there is a different religion going on & there are many pregnant teens & a leader who is behind these pregnancies I am all for going in there & raiding it also.
What adults do among themselves is one thing but when it comes down to child abuse & underage sex then I glad TX had the guts to say not in our state...
“and there only be one charge of abuse”
I don’t think all the charges have yet to be made. I suspect the DNA tests will result in additional charges.
Apparently, these women have no choice, alive or dead.
And we have yet to see any charges regarding some of the other practices we’ve heard and read about—such as “breaking the baby.”
FLDS.Among other things, in Doctrine & Covenants Section 132, Joseph revealed polygamy as a "new and everlasting covenant." Smith went on to proclaim those who failed to practice polygamy would not be permitted to enter into God's glory.
In 1890, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints buckled under intense pressure from the Federal Government (who had ordered the church shut down and their property seized) and officially outlawed polygamy.
Another major difference lies in the Mormon Temple Ceremony. Although Joseph Smith plagiarized the Masonic Rites when he concocted the Mormon Temple work, he did make several significant changes. Among other things, Smith called Christian Pastors "dimwitted hirelings of Satan," and had initiates chant "Oh Marvelous Lucifer" in Hebrew.
When word of these abominations leaked out, the Utah LDS Church gave in to pressure caused by bad publicity and altered the ritual -- despite Smith's specific instruction the Ceremony was to never change. On the other hand, many of their fundamentalist cousins stubbornly stick to Smith's original revelation.
Re. If that’s true, aren’t the FLDS merely following their prophet and isn’t LDS the real breakaway sect?
In the eyes of many who have studied Mormonism, YES.
Re. What became of the Mormon group that didn’t go to Utah? I believe they were/are called The Reorganized Church of J.C. of Latter Day Saints...?
There have been over 300 breakaway sects. Many of them came before 1847 (when Brigham and the Saints headed west) and did not make the trek to Utah. With roughly 250,000 members, the Reorganized LDS Church is the largest. To their credit, they have never practices polygamy or observed the temple ceremonies. They are headquartered in Independence, Missouri. A few years ago, they changed their name to The Community of Christ.
You are 100% correct, sir!
If they did so by now people would claim they couldn’t have possibly properly investigated so quickly. The fact is the DNA tests and other aspects of the investigation are going to take a little time.
Interesting statement. That logic would make the LDS Church a corporation.
They should take em to court!
The F(lds) have some doctrines and practices that differ substantially from any other "Mormon" group ~ the ban on toys for children leaps to the fore, but they also lead a communal life on a large scale, and do wifeswapping, and child swapping.
I'm pretty sure I'd have recalled that if I read about early Mormons undertaking those practices ~ some specialist can probably point to some isolated individuals doing that in the early days no doubt, but not anything involving 10,000+ people I don't believe.
Ervil LeBaron supposedly murdered the F(lds) founder, an ol' Ervil had some "innovative doctrines" on his pallet, e.g. murdered 39 people that we know of, and felt the F(lds) was a direct competitor with his group.
Let's all agree that the F(lds) folks are most like kooks and moonbats who need to be straightened out. Once that's done they can elect to do what they want.
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