:Naiahdot

The level of misinformation about the FLDS and their ways is astounding. I, myself, began with the same picture of these people as is commonly held–an extremist cult who practices a perverted form of the restorationist doctrine of celestial plural marriage wherein young girls are forced into early marriage and pregnancy, kept in poor conditions, mistreated–all to serve the lusts of the ruling body of old men, who oust young boys to keep them from stealing their would-be brides. Sensationally salcious to say the least, and those who spread such an image, such as Carolyn and Flora Jessop or Elissa Wall, undoubtedly sell many more books painting the FLDS that way than they would if the picture were a little truer to life.

(more…)

8 Comments

“Truth is truth, wherever you find it.” That’s one of my stock phrases. The lesser-used second half of it is “whether it’s from the mouth of a sage or the mouth of a babe.” While the wording is not the same, the idea comes from Joseph Smith, himself, and one usually thinks you can’t go too far wrong in following the prophet, but it has recently caused me to receive a little well-intentioned-yet-negative feedback from a couple of friends after I made known my feelings about the recent treatment of the members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints living at YFZ Ranch and my outrage at the utterly unconstitutional way in which their community was invaded by the Texas authorities.

(more…)

6 Comments

Those closest to me have known that my mind has been consumed to a great degree concerning ways of living, particularly the paradoxical requirements of living life as a saint in modern society. Much of my thinking has touched on or been inspired by the lifestyle lived by the members of the FLDS who reside at the YFZ ranch in Texas, brought to public view by their recent, heart-wrenching, constitution-crunching persecution and the veritable mass-kidnapping of their children. Since learning of their plight, I have followed the developments of their case closely. I have haunted their new church-sponsored websites, FLDS Truth: the truth about the FLDS faith, Captive FLDS Chilren, and the blog-like Truth Will Prevail waiting for the next development. Three times now, a name has caught my eye, “Maggie Jessop.”

Maggie is absolutely brilliant.

(more…)

12 Comments