Arrival of splinter Mormon group in West Texas makes locals wary

[Judi Lynn]

Arrival of splinter Mormon group in West Texas makes locals wary

By Michael Graczyk
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:18 p.m. March 17, 2005

ELDORADO, Texas – With the legal heat rising against its leader in Arizona and Utah, a splinter group of polygamous Mormons is hurriedly building a new community in sparsely populated West Texas.

But the arrival of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – marked by a temple tower rising out of the rocky terrain and prickly pear cactus – has been about as welcome among locals as a new species of rattlesnake.

"I think there's reason to be apprehensive, but they've done nothing to warrant any kind of great fear," Schleicher County Judge Johnny Griffin said. "But it's the unknown. ... It's the secrecy that bothers most people."

The congregation, known as FLDS and led by reclusive prophet Warren Jeffs, is one of several groups that split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the mainline faith renounced polygamy in 1890.

The FLDS began migrating 77 years ago to a remote area along the Utah-Arizona state line, where its members live in almost complete seclusion in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. Members are not allowed newspapers, radio, TV or the Internet – and are forbidden to speak with outsiders.
(snip/...)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20050317-1318-wst-polygamistsect.html

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They don't read, they don't know what the *bleep's* going on, you'd think Texas Republicans would be WILD to see them moving to Texas.
Free votes! Don't have to cheat!

[rockedthevoteinMA]

1. I don't think people who participate in polygamy can vote, can

they?

[atreides1]

3. Only if they've been convicted of a crime

As far as I know none of these people have even been arrested here in Arizona or in Utah. So once they meet the residency requirements,
participating in the voting process should be no big deal.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

4. Thank you. n/t

[Verve]

2. Hey,if religious fanatics are going to congregate,lets get them intoTexas

The loyal bushwackers can deal with them.

[RetroLounge]

5. Might be some charred land for sale in Waco

RL

[Anakin Skywalker]

6. This Fundamentalism Should Make

Texas even redder! Hah hah! I guess the Protestant fundies can't stand being one-upped by other types of fundies, eh? :)

[sportndandy]

7. Read Under The Banner of Heaven by Krakauer

for an in depth look at the FLDS and fundamendalist mormons in general.

This is an issue that shouldn't be ignored. The LDS church is systematically moving to become the dominant voice in america, and they WILL succeed in the next 50 years. The spread like wildfire, and they vote as a block.

[SpiralHawk]

9. The LDS will have to contend with the BushCo-Moonies

Because the Apocalypse ain't on till the fat Moon sings.

[porkrind]

12. They think like a block too. Whatever their leadership tells them.

Dissention is not tolerated.

[Verve]

13. I agree with you that they are a powerful group in some parts of the

country. As a group they're very proper, hard working and have good manners. It's hard not to like most of them as individuals. Yet, their religion is extremely chauvinistic and very self righteous. They even have ceremonies where they have their teenagers baptize a roster of dead people that weren't Mormon. (They want to give dead people the opportunity to save themselves and become Mormon in the afterlife.)

It's really quite a bizarre, interesting, secretive religion. My ancestors including my grandparents were and are Mormon. My grandmother's stories of our relatives are fun to hear. My great great grandfather was a polygamist. She's told me the story of his wedding night with two wives. (Very politely of course, saying they shared the same bed and how odd and cramped that must of been.) She also showed me a an old fashioned picture of him in jail for polygamy. He was even wearing an old fashioned black and white striped jail costume.

For me, my parents and siblings the Mormon religion is too extreme. Therefore, in many ways it's just like the evangelical churches. Because of this extremism, I don't think any one of these fringe groups will ever dominant.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

16. That book scared the sh*t outta me. I was coming out of a brief

stint of attending a fundie church, (VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE) and it helped me see how easy it is to be brainwashed. :scared:

Orrin Hatch, and Mitt Romney are both morans..oops I mean mormons.

[stepnw1f]

8. Religious Intolerance and War Here

These types will eventually eat there own. From one fanatical religious group to the other, there will be more and more intolerance.

[AuntiBush]

10. Maybe they can practice for their Armageddon!

And have their own little Jihad. Is Texas the center of Purgatory, by any mere chance?

Maybe they'll do us all a favor, y'a all know!

[Zan_of_Texas]

11. Okay. Aside from any other stuff....

do you think polygamy should be illegal?

In practice, it works out as pretty patriarchal, and some of the men have too many wives and children to support.

But, in theory, should marriage be only between two people?

Should people be put in jail if they want to live otherwise?

Or, just denied the legal benefits of extra legal spouses?

[porkrind]

15. It's really about child abuse.

Who cares what consenting adults do, including polygamy, as long as they pay their taxes and don't cheat welfare. (Which mormon polygamists don't pay and do cheat, BTW.) The real issue here is the rampant child abuse, forced marriage, child rape, and molestation that goes along with it. Escapees from mormon polygamy consistenly tell the same tales.

It's a sick situation that Utah politicians don't have the guts to solve. Also, the mormon church, which is very powerful in Utah, doesn't want the bad publicity that cleaning up this mess would bring, so they allow it to go on. The crimes against these children are on the hands of the old men in charge of the mormon church.

[Verve]

17. I think the problem with some of these polygamists is that they are

taking children and pre teens as their brides. Now that is absolutely wrong and sick. I also think polygamy makes it hard for a woman to be treated as a person and not property, so no I don't think it should ever be legal.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zan_of_Texas]

18. Well.

I believe the "norm" in mainstream American is that 1 of 3 females and 1 of 9 males are abused.

Plus, some of the crazy non-Mormons believe in the Apocalypse, and apparently don't mind if it comes sooner rather than later.

I'm against child abuse, and child marriage.

But, in theory, I don't care if some group wants to establish a community where relationships are openly multiple rather than serially multiple or covertly multiple.