Elizabeth Smart Reuninted with Her Mother**picture***

Remember Elizabeth's uncle Tom? The one who put his foot in his mouth on LKL way bac. Here's a comment in today's new:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030314/ts_nm/crime_smart_dc_16

Tom Smart, Elizabeth's uncle, told a small group of reporters, "I think maybe she has been wildly converted to a weird thing." Then he rephrased this comment, saying, "I am tired, I shouldn't be saying that -- the Stockholm syndrome is what I mean."

Sociologically speaking, cults are small, quiet, unknown groups with a leader. Nothing more, nothing less. by redefining cult, the true mean becomes lost.

Thank you for your reply.

It is YOU who have accepted a redefinition of 'cult'. One of the 'tests' that both Roman and Orthodox Christianity subject a newly discovered 'religion' is the 'cultus' [latin, again] test...i.e. syntax and semantacs, or theologically speaking, 'beliefs and rituals'.

By the Way, Kim for the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Ashley Banfield reported last night on MSNBC that her sources in the FBI have told her that Elizabeth Smart was subject to a RITUAL MARRIAGE CEREMONY the very same night she was 'kidnapped', the ritual involving ALL THREE of them.

Knowing as much as I do about Mormon polygamous 'cults', I could describe in graphic detail what Ashley is reffering to, but that much 'education' will have to remain off the Free Republic website, as it could get me banned. Believe me, it gets right down to the "nitty gritty".

He was NOT invited "into their home to do repairs." He came to their home and worked for five hours ON THE ROOF of their home WITH Ed Smart. Smart paid him, and they never saw him again.

Would you invite a homeless person to come to your house for ANY REASON?!! The Smart parents aren't very smart after all. This is 2003 for God's sake. The Bible warns us that conditions will grow worse and worse and that people's hearts will grow worse and worse, too. Any parent who INVITES a stranger OFF THE STREETS to come to their house IS A DANGEROUS FOOL!!! I don't care how many excuses you try to make for what these parents did. They're not much better than the Van Dam's in this regard. Sheeeesh. AND I'M A MORMON!!!!!!!

Saundra, I would not. However, let's be realistic here. There are people who come through your neighborhood every day, doing menial jobs, like meter-reading, lawncare, garbage collection, door-to-door soliciting, construction workers, etc.

Any one of these people, if they are would-be evildoers, could gather all the information he needed to invade your home and attack one of your children exactly as Mitchell did Elizabeth. In fact, this is exactly what happened in the case of Polly Klaas.

I strongly believe it is NOT fair to conclude that the Smarts increased these odds to any degree.

I also think it is patently UNfair to presume we know all the details. I don't know how many times I've seen the comment "they invited vagrants INTO THEIR HOME," when no one knows any such thing.

In the end, what difference does it make? Can you REALLY put any blame on these parents? I cannot.

I'll never forget a few years ago, when my wife and I were young parents with toddlers. I was a college student at the time, and we lived in married students housing at my University, some apartment buildings in the midst of a busy urban campus.

Somehow my wife lost track of our son, who was about three and a half at the time, and he made it out to the edge of a busy street before the manager of the apartment, another young father, caught up with him.

He tore into my wife, calling her "irresponsible" and saying he had to file a report with the campus police department about the incident. She was in tears! She had just made a terrible mistake, turned her attention away for a few seconds, then had to endure a frantic ten minutes or so looking for him. THEN she had to put up with this big ape screaming at her!

Interestingly, about three months later, this very man's wife made a similar mistake and lost their five year old for almost an hour, before she found him in the basement of one of the apartment buildings playing with another little boy in the laundry room.

I think a bit of Christian charity is needed here, far more than second guessing and condemnation of these people.

They have suffered enough.

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