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Tue 25 Oct, 2005 10:15 am
Residents of the rural West Texas town of Eldorado are concerned by the arrival of a polygamist sect known as the FLDS, or Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members derive their polygamous theology from the teachings of early Mormon leaders, but Mormons abandoned polygamy long ago.
The home base of the FLDS is in the sister cities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. But now, Utah and Arizona authorities are cracking down on the towns, probing allegations of sex crimes against minors, domestic violence, welfare fraud and tax evasion.
Last March, FLDS leaders arrived in Eldorado to purchase 2,000 acres just outside of town. When the FLDS men first came, they pretended to be businessmen and said they were building a hunting retreat for corporate clients. FLDS leaders have since admitted that they are building a new settlement for their religious sect. The sprawling ranch is complete with an imposing white temple that dominates the horizon around Eldorado.
Nobody knows how many people are living there now; the oft-stated estimate of 200 is just a guess.
Eldorado locals were already distrustful of the group after its initial lie about its intentions in settling there. Many are disturbed by the group's secretiveness and disgusted by its practice of polygamy and sexual involvement with young teenage girls. There is also a concern that someday, the FLDS might try to get involved in Eldorado politics, running its own candidates for sheriff and mayor.
But others in Eldorado are conflicted, caught between their morals and powerful West Texas beliefs about civil liberties. Some believe that as long as FLDS members aren't breaking the law, the group should be left alone -- that what they do on their land is their business.
For the record, although I'm from San Francisco, I've lived in Utah for 13 years now, and have never once met a polygamist. I think I saw one once at the airport--a guy with a beard, no wedding ring, a bunch of kids, and his wife had a homemade dress and a bonnet. But he may have been Amish or a Menonite.
Ooh, and I drove through Colorado City and Hilldale once on my way home from Phoenix.
But, again, in case anyone thinks that Utah has a statistically significant number of polygamists, I repeat that I've never seen one.
Do the Amish fly on airplanes? Seems a little too forward for their way of existence, I know they don't use motorized land transportation or have televisions or the such. Is the airplane matter a special request variance for emergency only?
there are an estimated 60,000 polygamists in Utah (5% of the population) A recent (1998) poll by the Salt Lake tribune found that 35% of Utah's population think that polygamists should not be prosecuted. Many of the folks in Utah are descendants of polygamists, and don't care to heap the same type of intolerant abuse on their neighbors that the early Mormon people were subjected to. In addition, the laws that were written against polygamy are basically laws against consensual sensuality, which cannot be prosecuted in today's legal climate.
There are generally three major polygamist ideologies. One is represented by the folks of Colorado City, which takes a very conservative approach, saying that the purpose of intimacy is for procreation only. Another ideology which teaches that intimacy is to be enjoyed, is more typical of the AUB, Apostolic United Brethren. The third iealogy teaches that men and women as individuals are capable of making their own decisions in regards to lifestyle and belief, and that neither the church nor the state should interfere in family matters. These folks are sometimes referred to as Independent Mormon Fundamentalists
I'm not sure if I believe that there are 60,000 polygamists in Utah, and 60,000 is certainly not 5% of the population. The population is closer to 3M, and therefore 60,000 would be 2%.
Now if you were to use "polygamy" in the sociological sense, i.e. to include all the married men who have sex with women other than their one wife, you'd have to include girlfriends, and the polygamy rate in California or elsewhere is far higher than 2%. I'd daresay if you counted all the unmarried polygamists, Utah'd be the lowest state on that scale.
So, now that I've searched, you seem to start all the Mormon discussions, dyslexia. What's the deal with that?
ohh dys, don't get me started on the Mormons.....(shaking head)
So, now that I've searched, you seem to start all the Mormon discussions, dyslexia. What's the deal with that?
I've started 2 discussions re mormons, both essentially the same news story that I read about this morning, topical I would say.
mrcolj wrote: I repeat that I've never seen one.
First of all how would you know? Do they wear special clothing, have horns coming out of their heads, or carry a sign? I would suspect that mostly they look like everyone else.
Secondly, marriage. Are you taking about a legal civil marriage or a church marriage? It is my understanding that Mormon polygynous marriages are church marriages only.
Most of the problem people have with polygamy is that these sects tend to forcibly marry off young girls to older men. Young girls unable to protect themselves and too young to consent. There have been plenty of news/television stories about this.
AliceInWonderland wrote:Most of the problem people have with polygamy is that these sects tend to forcibly marry off young girls to older men. Young girls unable to protect themselves and too young to consent. There have been plenty of news/television stories about this.
Exactly, I have zero interest in what adults want to do with their lives, I think mormons should marry as often with as many as they like. The key is ADULTS. My impression is that mormon "wives" are simply property., bartered, traded and sold. Qualified- I mean this only to the specific mormons engaged in such practices, not mormons in general.
Living in an area with a high Mormon population, I can tell you it's the rare Morman wife who isn't treated like a 2nd class citizen. Girls are expected (tranlate required) to marry as soon as possible and start producing babies. It's frightening how lacking in knowledge and self-confidence these girls can be.
Who knew Wonderland had so many Mormons!?
First off, I'm not Mormon so I don't feel obligated to defend them but my neighborhood is absolutely crawling with Mormons and none of these women are treated like second class citizens by their families or by their communities and I don't get the feeling that they feel that their church treats them that way either.
All that is really neither here nor there in relation to this topic but whenever I see someone painting with such a broad brush I feel compelled to speak out.
That said, the people of Eldorado, Texas might want to look at what happened in Antelope, Oregon. The Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers certainly did have an impact on local politics.
And they were responsible for the only biological terrorist attack on American soil when they tried to make the locals sick by putting salmonella in a salad bar in hopes of inflluencing an election.
Okay, you're right - let me rephrase. I can only speak about the Mormans where I live and the young girls I see every day.
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