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tulsad
 Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 6:28 pm |
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Polygamist - FLDS Book Synapses, Reviews, Discussion
I thought it would be great to list all of the books that we've run across that have been written about the FLDS in one place. Many people have read various books - I for one would love to hear your thoughts!
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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| Myra Manes
Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 6:32 pm |
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Great idea, tulsad........From what I've been reading here and @ CTV, there are quite a few books out there on FLDS......It'll be nice to have all the titles in one thread!  Thanks
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| tulsad
Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 6:36 pm |
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"Inside the World of Warren Jeffs"
Women Who Escaped Tell Their Stories; Author Went Undercover to Interview
February 27 , 2008 by Editor
A new book, Inside the World of Warren Jeffs, by author Dr. Carole A. Western, takes the reader inside Short Creek, two nearby communities in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., where the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) leader ruled until his arrest and conviction in the fall of 2007 as an accomplice in the rape of a 14-year-old girl.
Western details the experiences of several young women enslaved in Short Creek and lets them tell in their own words how they were coerced into virtual servitude and forced into unwanted pregnancies by the “husbands” they were ordered to marry.
In addition, Western explains the power of the “First Wife,” family sleeping arrangements and how polygamists manage to receive support from the U.S. Government under its welfare programs as well as Medicaid.
Western also covers how teenage boys in polygamy sects are forced out of the colony, so as not to create competition for older men.
With Jeffs about to stand trial in Arizona on additional counts, Inside the World of Warren Jeffs is a timely read. The self-proclaimed prophet of the FLDS gained international notoriety in May 2006 when he was placed on the FBI's “Ten Most Wanted” List. Western’s Prologue brings the reader up-to-date on Jeffs, who is currently serving two five year sentences at the Utah State Prison.
An English teacher, Dr. Western moved to Southern Utah a decade ago. Before long she began noticing young girls, 12 to 14 years old, pregnant with husbands in their 60’s. It took seven years, death threats and undercover visits to Short Creek to glean information for her book.
Before attempting her expose, Dr. Western authored 15 other books. She holds a BA in English from Bedford University, an MBA from the University of Utah and a PhD in philosophy and creative writing, from Bedford.
Inside the World of Warren Jeffs is available at www.insidetheworldofwarrenjeffs.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, Waldens and Amazon for a suggested retail price of $16.95.
http://www.evliving.com/books.php?action=fullnews&id=9031
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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| tulsad
Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 6:39 pm |
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Inside the World of Warren Jeffs - TV News Article
Sunday, March 09, 2008
"With Jeffs upcoming, Arizona trial, There's curiosity surrounding the secretive polygamist communities of Hilldale and Colorado City. Author Dr. Western went undercover in the communities, few outsiders have ventured in, for her new book Inside the World of Warren Jeffs.
Western said “These little girls are just chattel. For instance Warren Jeffs got a 12 and a 14 year old for his birthday present.”
Dr.Western said statutory rape is a lifestyle, incest common place. A trip to a St. George Walmart had her mom asking her: You're a writer can't you do something about this? Western said “there was an older man probably 70. My mother said isn’t this cute here’s this grandpa taking his granddaughters out shopping. When they turned around they were all pregnant, and my mother said what is this? I said it’s not their father or grandfather that’s their husband. My mother’s in a wheelchair. I remember her saying can you wheel me out? I feel really sick. “
Western said the average education level for boys is 6th grade, for girls it's optional. They're expected to fulfill other roles. “Every 18 months the women are supposed to have babies. So, you have 6 wives and their all pregnant. You can imagine how many children they’re going to have.”
“There’s a lot of them there father’s barely know their names. They call their daughters princess. They call their boys son because they don’t know their names.”
Western said Warren Jeffs father never designated an heir to become prophet. When his father was on his deathbed, “They were all collected around the bed and Warren wasn’t the next in line to be the prophet, but all of the sudden Warren decides he’s been touched by the mantle. They’re all going he wasn’t even high up in the church.
She said at last count Warren had over 100 wives. She accuses some of the men of battery. Western said in many ways the women and children have a lower quality of life then the men. “They sleep on sleeping bags that their mothers make out of patch work and are stuffed with straw on floors in barracks and the mothers sleep on cots sometimes
6 in a room but the father has a room that’s luxurious. It has carpets, crystal chandeliers. He’s not only considered the father but the god of the next world, ultimate power.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has no official connection to The FLDS Communities of Hilldale and Colorado City. If you’re interested in purchasing the book “Inside the World of Warren Jeffs” it’s available at the Book Cellar in St. George.
http://www.kcsg.com/story.aspx?id=3707
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This is the only article other than the one above that I've found; the rest just paraphrase the first one.
Dr. Western does have a blog where she discusses the book with people. She is a member of LDS. Her perspective is interesting.
http://blog.insidetheworldofwarrenjeffs.com/2008/01/12/inside-the-world-of-warren-jeffs--the-book-2.aspx
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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| tulsad
Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 6:41 pm |
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| Myra Manes wrote: | | Great idea, tulsad........From what I've been reading here and @ CTV, there are quite a few books out there on FLDS......It'll be nice to have all the titles in one thread! Thanks |
Glad you like the idea, Myra - I'm surprised how many books there are. I'm curious to see people's thoughts on them.
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 6:48 pm |
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I haven't read any books on the subject yet. I'd like to find out what's out there and posters opinions on them.
I agree... good idea on the thread.
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Joined: 24 Mar 2006
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Location: Living happily in my "clueless" little world.
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| Tonk
Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 10:20 pm |
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I'm reading Inside the World of Warren Jeffs right now. It just came out. It's pretty good - easy read, kind of a page turner.
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| Tonk
Posted:
Wed May 07, 2008 10:24 pm |
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Book Description
What some of the people have been forced to endure in Colorado City is little different from living in a third world country. TEN-YEAR-OLD Benjamin Bistline moved with his parents to Short Creek (Colorado City), Arizona, in 1945 to join with a group of excommunicated Mormons who believed in honoring the law of polygamy as revealed by the Prophet Joseph Smith and instituted by Brigham Young. Mr. Bistline has compiled A DETAILED HISTORY of the significant events that shaped and sustained this community from the beginning. He tells of the shifts in power, changes in leadership philosophies, persecution from outside forces - and from within. Mr. Bistline's goal in writing this history is to reveal that the original leadership structure of a Council of men holding common and balancing power has slowly descended into a ONE-MAN TYRANNICAL RULE over the people. Bistline has observed: 1) Older men being taught to take CHILD BRIDES before the girls are attracted to boys their own age. 2) BOYS DRIVEN OUT of the community for competing with older men for wives. 3) Plural wives expected to apply for WELFARE as single mothers. 4) Men out of favor are "EVICTED" from their homes with their wives and children reassigned to a more compliant man. 5) Community members AFRAID TO DISOBEY the "Prophet" out of fear for their eternal salvation. RESIDENT HISTORIAN Ben Bistline is recognized as the most credible and knowledgeable source of information about Colorado City. He knows more about the people, their motives, their family connections, their religion, their strengths and their weaknesses than any other pundit. Mr. Bistline is contacted by media and the press from all across the country, and has appeared on CNN and Dateline NBC.
About the Author
Benjamin G. Bistline, the sixth of ten children, was born in Logan, Utah, on April 21, 1935, the son of John Anthony Bistline and Jennie Johnson Bistline. His parents were active members of the Mormon Church but became involved with polygamist families in Millville, Utah, and were excommunicated by LDS Church in 1937.
The family moved to Short Creek, Arizona, in 1945 to join a united order movement, also known as The United Effort Plan. His father soon became discouraged by John Barlow's ineptness in governing his Order, and by 1948 he had repented of his decision to join with Barlows' group at Short Creek. He then decided to rejoin the Mormon Church, but his wife refused to leave, taking a firm stand. Ben’s father died in April of 1949, before rejoining the LDS Church because of their policy of a one year repentance probation period after being excommunicated.
Ben’s mother had always wanted to live polygamy and this gave her the opportunity to do so. She married Richard Jessop as his fifth wife and they moved into his large household of four wives and about thirty children.
Ben lived in this polygamous household for the next three years until the raid on Short Creek in 1953. While living with his stepfather, he became romantically involved with one of the daughters, but the Raid interrupted the courtship. Ben was eighteen and Annie was fifteen. All minor children in the community were declared wards of the state of Arizona, and were transported with their mothers to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1953. They were released and allowed to return to Short Creek in 1955
Annie and Ben were married June 24, 1955, and remained in the society where they parented and raised sixteen children. He was never allowed to marry any other wives, after being deemed unworthy of the privilege by polygamist leaders because of his "rebelliousness." His refused to take what he was told at face value, he refused to join one of the leadership cliques, and he refused to live in blind obedience Thus he was never a polygamist. He and his wife would have accepted plural marriage.
In the early 1980s Ben became discouraged with the polygamists due to their changes in religious doctrine. He now lives on his own property in an area called Cane Beds, about two miles south of Colorado City. He and his wife are still very much involved with the polygamists due to extended family relationships.
Ben and his wife Annie joined the LDS Church in 1992. They believe the same doctrine as the LDS Church in regards to polygamy. They are members of the Kaibab Moccasin Ward where they have served in several church callings. Ben presently serves on the high council of the Kanab, Utah Kaibab stake.
http://www.amazon.com/Polygamists-History-Colorado-City-Arizona/dp/1888106743
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Joined: 25 Jul 2006
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| Myra Manes
Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 7:52 am |
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| tulsad wrote: |
Glad you like the idea, Myra - I'm surprised how many books there are. I'm curious to see people's thoughts on them. |
Me too, and I'd like to read a few after some input from others!
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** Banned **
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| Myra Manes
Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 7:53 am |
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| Tonk wrote: | | I'm reading Inside the World of Warren Jeffs right now. It just came out. It's pretty good - easy read, kind of a page turner. |
Let us know when you're done and what you thought of it..... 
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** Banned **
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Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 9:33 am |
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This book has a good history of the Mormon church and the FLDS in particular. Krakauer also wrote Into Thin Air (about Everest) and Into the Wild (recently made into a movie-about Chris McCandless). I've read most of his books and enjoyed them all. I highly recommend this book.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer:
From Publishers Weekly
Using as a focal point the chilling story of offshoot Mormon fundamentalist brothers Dan and Ron Lafferty, who in 1984 brutally butchered their sister-in-law and 15-month-old niece in the name of a divine revelation, Krakauer explores what he sees as the nature of radical Mormon sects with Svengali-like leaders. Using mostly secondary historical texts and some contemporary primary sources, Krakauer compellingly details the history of the Mormon church from its early 19th-century creation by Joseph Smith (whom Krakauer describes as a convicted con man) to its violent journey from upstate New York to the Midwest and finally Utah, where, after the 1890 renunciation of the church's holy doctrine sanctioning multiple marriages, it transformed itself into one of the world's fastest-growing religions. Through interviews with family members and an unremorseful Dan Lafferty (who is currently serving a life sentence), Krakauer chronologically tracks what led to the double murder, from the brothers' theological misgivings about the Mormon church to starting their own fundamentalist sect that relies on their direct communications with God to guide their actions. According to Dan's chilling step-by-step account, when their new religion led to Ron's divorce and both men's excommunication from the Mormon church, the brothers followed divine revelations and sought to kill, starting with their sister-in-law, those who stood in the way of their new beliefs. Relying on his strong journalistic and storytelling skills, Krakauer peppers the book with an array of disturbing firsthand accounts and news stories (such as the recent kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart) of physical and sexual brutality, which he sees as an outgrowth of some fundamentalists' belief in polygamy and the notion that every male speaks to God and can do God's bidding. While Krakauer demonstrates that most nonfundamentalist Mormons are community oriented, industrious and law-abiding, he poses some striking questions about the closed-minded, closed-door policies of the religion-and many religions in general.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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Location: Mountain Brook, AL
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Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 4:21 pm |
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I just finished this book. I guess it was OK. Not great. I guess the main thing I got from it was that the indoctrination is so pervasive. Jessop is 6th generation FLDS - she REALLY didn't know anything else.
Escape - by Carolyn Jessop (and Laura Palmer)
From Publishers Weekly
Seventeen years after being forced into a polygamous marriage, Jessop escaped from the cultlike Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints with her eight children. She recounts the horrid events that led her to break free from the oppressive world she knew and how she has managed to survive since escaping, despite threats and legal battles with her husband and the Church. Though sometimes her retelling overflows with colorful foreshadowing and commentary on how exceptional she is, the everyday details she reveals about this polygamous society are devastating and tragic. Frasier delivers Jessop's words in a soft voice that develops intriguingly from an innocent and naïve tone into a more assertive and self-confident one that mirrors Jessop's journey. She maintains the same rhythm, but through the inspired words of the text, she really embraces Jessop's persona. The bonus telephone interview with Jessop on the final disc suffers from poor sound quality and, unfortunately, doesn't add any new information.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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Location: Mountain Brook, AL
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Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 4:28 pm |
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Interesting look inside Colorado City. Worth watching.
Banking on Heaven - DVD - Documentary 80 minutes
Amazon Review:
This is an eye opening documentary. It goes into detail of the abuse that women and children go through who are stuck living in the life of polygamy. It includes interviews with escapees, including Carolyn Jessop. It also uncovers a truth that many outsiders are unaware of, "Bleeding the Beast". The men in FLDS believe in robbing American taxpayers because they are considered evil. America spends $300,000,000 a year supporting the polygamist sect in Colorado City AZ. The women are considered unwed, so they receive welfare, food stamps, etc. They are forced to turn the money over to their husbands. The husbands turn the money over to the prophet while their multiple wives and children starve and are deprived of basic necessities. As if the physical and mental abuse that they are forced to endure wasn't enough! This is a must-see DVD. The United States government needs to take a stand and put an end to this horrible way of life!
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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Location: Mountain Brook, AL
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Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 4:33 pm |
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This originally aired on PBS Frontline. Very informative.
The Mormans - DVD Documentary 240 minutes
Product Description
Mormons have always had a strange hold on the American imagination as licentious polygamists and pioneer heroes subversives and super patriots hard workers and possessors of dark secrets. Yet though Mormons have been persecuted more than any other religious group in the nation s history and though Mormonism is one of the fastest growing faiths most Americans know little about the religion. In this revealing provocative AMERICAN EXPERIENCE/FRONTLINE co-production producer Helen Whitney (Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero) digs deep into the Mormon past to understand the church today. As she reveals though the Mormons early story is gaudy extravagant and scandalous it is also inspiring and the basis of their theology. At a crossroads the Mormon Church is now finally confronting its history-what is fact and what is myth?-and reconciling scientific and historical truth with religious doctrine. With unprecedented access to church archives and with the cooperation of church leadership Whitney paints a more complex portrait of Mormonism than ever before a portrait that neither vilifies the church nor extols it and in doing so she reveals that the Mormon story is an American story and that Mormonism is perhaps the most American of religions.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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Location: Mountain Brook, AL
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Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 4:38 pm |
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Fiction but a lot of truth. The more I've read about the Mormons the more I see how much of this is based on fact.
Big Love - TV series - HBO - currently in its third season - the first two are available on DVD
Amazon.com
Big Love, HBO's newest buzzworthy series, recalls Groucho Marx's blithe proposal to two women in Animal Crackers. "Why, that's bigamy," one of the women exclaims. Groucho responds, "Yes, and it's big of me, too." But Bill Henrickson's (Bill Paxton) situation is hardly a laughing matter. Bill is a modern-day polygamist who lives in suburban Salt Lake City with his seven children and three "sister-wives": Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn, never better), the more mature anchor of the household; Nicki (Chloe Sevigny), who spitefully refers to her as "Boss Lady"; and recent addition Margene (charming Ginnifer Goodwin), insecure and childlike. A series that puts a human face on polygamy is brimming with prurient possibilities. Big Love's first two episodes are veritable commercials for Viagra, as Bill struggles to keep up with the demands of his spouses, with whom the sleeping arrangements are strictly scheduled. But once this more sensational aspect of "plural marriage" is dealt with, Big Love moves on to focus on the emotional, spiritual and financial pressures that beset Bill and his families. As the dreamlike opening credit sequence (scored to the Beach Boys' ethereal "God Only Knows") illustrates, Bill is a man on thin ice. He is carrying mortgages on three adjoining homes. A home-improvement store entrepreneur, he has just cut the ribbon on his second store and is planning a third. His wives, not immune to jealousies, vie for dominant position. And then there's Roman (Harry Dean Stanton; and any series that puts this venerable character actor and hipster saint in our homes on a weekly basis deserves our big love), the sinister leader of an outlaw fundamentalist compound, who has an escalating disagreement with Bill over the repayment of his loan that helped Bill build his fledgling empire ("There's man's law," he states ominously, "and there's God's law").
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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Location: Mountain Brook, AL
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Posted:
Thu May 08, 2008 4:43 pm |
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For reference - very helpful:
The Book of Mormon
Book Description
The Book of Mormon is a volume of scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.
The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.
After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni, who added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the hill Cumorah. On September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, the a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.
In due course the plates were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God. The record is now published in many languages as a new and additional witness that Jesus Christ is the Sone of the living God and that all who will come unto him and obey the laws and ordinances of his gospel may be saved.
Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."
In addition to Joseph Smith, the Lord provided for eleven others to see the gold plates for themselves and to be special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon. Their written testimonies are included herewith as "The Testimony of Three Witnesses" and "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses."
We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and the to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5.)
Those who gain this divine witness from the holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2006
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| tulsad
Posted:
Sun May 11, 2008 4:34 am |
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God vs. the Gavel Religion and the Rule of Law
Marci A. Hamilton
Foreword by Edward R. Becker
Hardback (ISBN-13: 9780521853040 | ISBN-10: 0521853044)
Also available in Paperback | eBook format
Published May 2005
God vs. the Gavel challenges the pervasive assumption that all religious conduct deserves constitutional protection. While religious conduct provides many benefits to society, it is not always benign. The thesis of the book is that anyone who harms another person should be governed by the laws that govern everyone else - and truth be told, religion is capable of great harm.
Contents
Part I. Why the Law Must Govern Religious Entities: 1. The problem; 2. Children; 3. Marriage; 4. Religious land use and residential neighborhoods; 5. Schools; 6. The prisons and the military; 7. Discrimination; Part II. The History and Doctrine Behind the Rule that Subjects Religious Entities to Duly Enacted Laws: 8. Boerne v. Flores: the case that fully restored the rule of law for religious entities; 9. The decline of the special treatment of religious entities and the rise of the no-harm rule; 10. The path to the public good.
Reviews
"In this intelligent and forcefully argued book, Hamilton, a self-professed former "Polyanna" when it comes to religion, explores the thorny conflicts between religion and society, detailing how some religious groups and institutions misuse laws intended to protect religious freedoms to justify child abuse, employment discrimination and other ills." Publisher's Weekly
"Hamilton is predominantly compelling in her analysis of case law and writes with verve and well-tempered vehemence for the general reader. This book deserves shelf space at every library." Library Journal
"Professor Hamilton's book dazzles with lucid, original, and humane intelligence. The legal profession, academia and the general public will all enjoy learning from it. Let us hope the U.S. Supreme Court does not deviate again from its present conclusion on religious liberty as Hamilton explains it." Rita Swan, Ph.D., President, Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty
"Marci Hamilton has heroically and truthfully confronted the widespread American myth that all things done in the name of religion are good and deserving of constitutional protections. She has accurately named the harm done in the name of religion and how this harm is protected and enabled by the courts and law enforcement by way of the inaccurate application of the First Amendment. God vs. The Gavel is essential reading for those who insist that religion be true to its fundamental mission and not about victimizing people for the sake of power, privilege or financial gain." Thomas P. Doyle, O.P., J.C.D., C.A.D.C., Canon Lawyer, Advocate for those abused by Clergy
"Marci Hamilton is an original and provocative First Amendment scholar whose views have enriched and enlarged the debate about religious liberty. She saw the potential constitutional problems with laws like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act well before many others did. Her voice simply cannot be ignored." Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law, New York Law School, President of the American Civil Liberties Union
"A terrific discussion of the constitutional issues concerning religion that are so important right now in American society. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Professor Hamilton, one has to admire the clear, careful, and provocative way she approaches these key issues concerning the government and religion." Erwin Chemerinsky, Professor of Constitutional Law, Duke University, School of Law
"God vs. the Gavel will open your eyes, stun your soul, and strengthen your belief that no one, not even priests and ministers, are above the law. If you care about justice for those victimized by religion, you must read this book." Karol Jackowski, author of The Silence We Keep: A Nun's View of the Catholic Priest Scandal
"This is a truly important, if provocative work, which is essential reading for anyone who wishes to delve beneath the surface of the contemporary battle over religion and values." the Honorable Edward R. Becker
"A timely, hard hitting, passionate, yet scholarly inquiry into the clash between religion and the state. Hamilton, whose writing style is engagingly lucid and compelling, raises controversial questions and her powerful answers will enrich our understanding of the issues and provoke debate. No one will or should completely agree with Hamilton but no one concerned about the interface between religion and civil society can responsibly ignore her cogent arguments." Dean David Rudenstine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University
"Hamilton offers a...courageous and thought-provoking work." FindLaw.com
"presents a strong case"
Clarion-Ledger
"Hamilton's strong assertion of order and public good in the face of claims to individual religious freedom is precisely the sort of springboard that can generate useful discussion, both in our classrooms and the public at large." - The Law and Politics Book Review Kevin R. den Dulk
"This book will make you upset and angry, but it merits the widest possible circulation. I wish I had written it." - Edd Doerr
http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521853044
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Reviewed by Edward A. Lottick, M.D.
When the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was passed in 1993, I thought that Congress had gone bananas. As I understand it, that law made freedom of religion almost as absolute as freedom of belief. But I’m happy to report that the federal RFRA is no longer in effect due to a subsequent Supreme Court decision. Marci A. Hamilton, author of God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law, was a central player in that good outcome.
I first encountered Marci Hamilton one day about two years ago when, with time and a computer at my disposal, I put “brainwashing” into a search engine as I looked for information about the recently passed Italian Senate bill on brainwashing. I found more than a dozen articles by cult apologists, all damning the Italians and their bill. Among the clatter was a marked absence of any objective information about the Italian bill. But lo and behold, upon closer scrutiny, I found, amidst this uninformative posturing, an article by Marci Hamilton that advocated for a law against brainwashing.
Professor Hamilton has written many articles for FindLaw, including “The Elizabeth Smart Case: Why We Need Specific Laws Against Brainwashing.” Hamilton’s writings inspired me to include two questions about the desirability of a law against brainwashing in my 2004 survey of psychology professionals and their experience with adverse cults. The overwhelming positive response to those two questions amazed me. This past summer (2005) I read Hamilton’s recently published God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law. My overall impression is that her scholarly presentation of this topic will be of much interest to the cultic-studies community.
Hamilton’s book is as impressive as her biography. She clerked for Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Edward R. Becker of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif.
Professor Hamilton holds the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at the Benjamin N. Cardoza School of Law, Yeshiva University. She has been a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary, the Center of Theological Inquiry, and Emory University School of Law. She is frequently asked to advise Congress and state legislators on the constitutionality of pending legislation and to consult in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. And, of the greatest importance to us all, she represented the City of Boerne, Texas, in a successful challenge to the RFRA the case that resulted in the Court’s landmark decision in Boerne v. Flores, 507 U.S. 521 (1997), which struck down that act.
God vs. the Gavel is an articulate overview of developments regarding religion in First Amendment law. Professor Hamilton documents exactly why our knee-jerk general assumption that religion is automatically a blessing synonymous with the public good is a dangerous and unwarranted assumption. She details a number of instances of harm, and she advocates for the “no-harm principal,” wherein no person or entity can act in ways that harm others without consequence. She demonstrates that this principal was bedrock for the generation of those who framed our Constitution. She argues forcefully that religious believers who demand exemption from a law must shoulder the burden of proving that the conduct they seek to immunize is not harmful to the society and to individuals within that society. Conversely, it is not the responsibility of the opponents of an exemption to prove harm. Overall, Hamilton answers the question of whether the law should govern the conduct of religion, individuals, and institutions with a clear, resounding, and compelling “Yes!”
http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_bookreviews/bkrev_godvthegavel.htm
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Sparkly Tree
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| Arubalover
Posted:
Sun May 11, 2008 3:28 pm |
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I am reading Escape by Carolyn Jessop. While it is a fascinating read, Carolyn got a lot of breaks. If she hadn't had the rich friend to help her out by paying all her expenses, she probably wouldn't have made it on the outside for very long. I am pretty certain that there aren't a lot of polygamist wives who are able to leave and have a benefactor pay all legal fees and living expenses. Carolyn had a walled compound to live on and security personel to follow her around.
It is a good book.
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| SavannahStar
Posted:
Mon May 12, 2008 5:22 am |
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| Arubalover wrote: | I am reading Escape by Carolyn Jessop. While it is a fascinating read, Carolyn got a lot of breaks. If she hadn't had the rich friend to help her out by paying all her expenses, she probably wouldn't have made it on the outside for very long. I am pretty certain that there aren't a lot of polygamist wives who are able to leave and have a benefactor pay all legal fees and living expenses. Carolyn had a walled compound to live on and security personel to follow her around.
It is a good book. |
I read her book early on in the case; some of my comments about it are interspersed in the earlier sections of the forum.
The book was okay.....boring in some places. I've seen her on TV a number of times and not too impressed with her.
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**SuperStar**
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 20784
Location: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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| Tonk
Posted:
Mon May 12, 2008 6:50 am |
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| SavannahStar wrote: |
I read her book early on in the case; some of my comments about it are interspersed in the earlier sections of the forum.
The book was okay.....boring in some places. I've seen her on TV a number of times and not too impressed with her. |
Wow really?
I sort of agree about the book. It did not hold my attention so well, but I am awed by Carolyn Jessop and the circumstances she has overcome. Truly remarkable.
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Location: pray for rain
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| diandra
Posted:
Tue May 13, 2008 1:36 am |
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| atypical wrote: | For reference - very helpful:
The Book of Mormon
Book Description
The Book of Mormon is a volume of scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.
The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.
After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni, who added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the hill Cumorah. On September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, the a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.
In due course the plates were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God. The record is now published in many languages as a new and additional witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that all who will come unto him and obey the laws and ordinances of his gospel may be saved.
Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." |
not one artifact which would back up this account
has ever been discovered: nada/zip/zero
the book of mormon is not used as complement to the bible,
but is used in place of the bible
the mainstream mormon church/LDS denies original doctrine
while the "offshoot"/FLDS lives original doctrine
from an amazon.com review/Under the Banner of Heaven:
Krakauer devotes appropriate attention to the history of mormonism, which is refreshingly less glossy (and concerned with PR) then other mainstream accounts have been. Krakauer, unlike many authors who need the church's assistance with their research, is not afraid to make frequent reference to "No Man Knows My History", D. Michael Quinn, and numerous unflattering historical documents and sources.
Joseph Smith is portrayed as the cunning, charismatic, delusional, egomaniacal charlatan that he was, and his frequent run-ins with the law, the government, supporters, wives (including women that were married to other men) are laid out in brilliant detail.
The historical background of Joseph Smith and the beginnings of Mormonism is detailed, flows well, and dares to include details that most books by LDS authors omit. The historical review covers Joseph Smith's rise to power, his unquestioned spiritual power, and his plans for glory. The reader will learn how 14 year old girls were forced to marry the prophet (or face "spiritual destruction"), and how roving bands of Mormon "avengers" dispatched those who stood in the way of Joseph's kingdom.
The story moves to Brigham Young's reign (after Joseph's assasination and a schism over polygamy), the arrival of the saints in the Salt Lake Valley and the ensuing battle with the US government over polygamy.
The Mountain Meadows massacre is explored with a precision not seen since Juanita Brooks' landmark work on the subject. The Massacre was the premeditated, rehearsed and sanctioned slaughter of an entire emigrant wagon train from Arkansas that was unfortunate enough to pass through Utah. Visits to the site by Federal Investigators revealed a field "strewn with bodies..." and mangled bones of "men, women, children and infants." The massacre was a sort benchmark for the church in Utah; it established that the practice of slaying those who stood in the way of the kingdom would continue in the new Zion (Utah). As the Lafferty murders clearly illustrate, this practice continues to this day.
Krakauer makes the argument that it was polygamy, and the church's love/hate relationship with the practice, that gave birth to the fundamentalist movement and continues to fuel it to this day.
The history of polygamy is laid out right up until the present day, where the focus is turned to the backgrounds of the Lafferty brothers, who brutally murdered a sister-in-law and her infant daughter ...
... For anyone who has left the church, is investigating the church, is LDS or knows someone who is LDS, I strongly recommend this book ...
http://www.amazon.com/Under-Banner-Heaven-Story-Violent/dp/0385509510
an amazon.com review of
No Man Knows My History (The Life of Joseph Smith) by Fawn Brodie:
When Fawn Brodie began her research for this book she was an active, believing Mormon with no ax to grind. She simply wanted to write a book of the history of the Mormon church.
With blessings from the church hierarchy, including all the apostles and prophets, she was given full access to all official church history and records in the church-owned vault at their headquarters in Salt Lake City.
During her research of the church archives she made a shocking discovery: that all Mormonism was based on a lie began by the founder Joseph Smith and his 1st vision which included the Golden Plates, the Book of Mormon, polygamy and so on.
As she was about to publish her book and make public the factual findings and history of her church she was threatened with excommunication from her faith if she followed through with publication of the book.
Upon publication of the book the Mormon church made good on their threat of excommunication and she was dishonorably kicked out of the church and declared persona-non-grata.
Since its publication in the mid 1940's it remains one of the most definitive and accurate accounts of the actual beginnings and history of the Mormon church. Although she is now deceased her book is still used as source material in modern day independent church history publications.
Try to find a copy of a recently deceased Mormon apologist's book (Hugh Nibley), where he unsuccessfully tried to discredit her, and you will have extreme difficulty in locating one.
Her book on the other hand is still widely available even after more than 50 years since it's 1st printing. I think that pretty much says it all.
This was one of the 1st books I read which led to my de-conversion from the Mormon cult dogma. It is high on my list of recommended books documenting the real and factual history of the Mormon Church.
http://www.amazon.com/No-Man-Knows-My-History/dp/0679730540
D. Michael Quinn:
Dennis Michael Quinn (born in 1944) is a historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 1976 to 1988, he was a professor at Brigham Young University, after which he resigned. At the time, his work concerned church involvement with plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto, in which the practice was officially renounced.
In September 1993, according to his biographer Lavina Fielding Anderson, his insubordination directed toward church authorities and his publication of his on-going work resulted in his excommunication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as one of the September Six.
Despite his excommunication and his open acknowledgement of his homosexual orientation, Quinn believes in the Latter Day Saint movement, although he is in disagreement with certain policies and doctrines. He continues to be a widely-cited Mormon historian by researchers and students of Mormonism.
Quinn's research topics, both before and after his excommunication, were in-depth revisions of traditional accounts of Mormon history grounded in primary source material. Three of his most influential books, each of which is the focal point of intense controversy, are Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, and The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power.
In an April 2006 article, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Golden wrote that Quinn has become unhireable because almost all the funding for professorships in Mormon studies comes from Mormon donors. In 2003, Brigham Young University threatened to withdraw funding for a conference it was co-sponsoring at Yale if Quinn were allowed to speak. More recently Arizona State University administrators vetoed the department of religious studies in its recommendation to hire Quinn. ASU faculty believe officials fear alienating ASU’s 3,700 LDS students and offending Ira Fulton, a powerful Mormon donor who, according to Golden, has called Quinn a “nothing person.”
Quinn was recently interviewed in the PBS documentary "The Mormons."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Michael_Quinn
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| tulsad
Posted:
Tue May 13, 2008 2:49 am |
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| Tonk wrote: |
Wow really?
I sort of agree about the book. It did not hold my attention so well, but I am awed by Carolyn Jessop and the circumstances she has overcome. Truly remarkable. |
The woman who co-authored Escape with Carolyn agrees with you, as does Mark Shurtleff, Tonk.
Carolyn Jessop's story is a portrait of courage
May. 11, 2008 12:00 AM
Carolyn Jessop took my breath away.
I've been a reporter, news producer and author for 30 years. I've listened to a lot of stories since I started out as a freelance radio reporter in Saigon in 1972.
But only twice in interviews do I remember trying not to exhale because I knew what I was hearing was that extraordinary.
When I was a senior producer for CNN three years ago, I flew out to Salt Lake City to do a piece on the "Lost Boys" of the FLDS, the hundreds of teenagers who'd been kicked out of the cult and told never to return to their families.
As I was leaving New York, the executive producer of the broadcast I worked for, NewsNight with Aaron Brown, said, "See if you can find some women to talk to who fled polygamy."
Not easy. But I lucked out. Utah's attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, knew about Carolyn Jessop. He said that she had a story to tell and that he'd see if she might be willing to be interviewed. She was. (Later I would learn that when Shurtleff first met with Carolyn to learn more about the FLDS under Warren Jeffs, Shurtleff had scheduled a half-hour meeting but wound up listening for 2½ hours.)
But because my interview with Carolyn came together at the last minute, I had no time to do a pre-interview. I was just grateful I had someone willing to sit down in front of a camera.
Carolyn came to the hotel with Brian, the man in her life. He sat to one side as she began to tell the story of how she escaped.
I listened as she told me how she awakened her eight children in the middle of the night on the pretext that her handicapped son was sick and needed to go to the doctor. She described taking him off his feeding tube and removing him from oxygen.
The other wives heard her up and about and called their husband, Merril Jessop, one of the most powerful men in the FLDS. Carolyn heard herself paged on the intercom. She knew she was down to minutes.
The children were strapped into their car seats. But one daughter was missing.
Carolyn had a split-second decision to make: Does she run back to find Betty and put all her children at risk, or does she take off now?
I could feel her terror in the marrow of my bones. Through my peripheral vision, I could see tears streaming down Brian's face.
How could a woman be so desperate? So unprotected? Why, when she was 18, was she forced to become the fourth wife of a 50 year-old man? How could women and children be systematically abused for years in an extremist cult that has been declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center? Why didn't authorities intervene sooner?
Carolyn wanted to write a book to expose the evil and violence that were perpetrated in the name of religion.
We wrote Escape together, and I can say without any reservations that this is one of the finest, most courageous and heroic women I know.
I think the FLDS is an engine of evil. My hope is that the raid on the Texas compound will be the beginning of its end.
Laura Palmer was an independent producer for ABC's "Nightline" for seven years, reported for ABC and later NBC, was a senior producer for CNN news. She is co-author of "Escape."
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/0511vip-palmer0511.html
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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| tulsad
Posted:
Thu May 15, 2008 3:16 am |
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Stolen Innocence:My Story
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
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Editorial Reviews
In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women.
Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice. Offering a child's perspective on life in the FLDS, Wall discusses her tumultuous youth, explaining how her family's turbulent past intersected with her strong will and identified her as a girl who needed to be controlled through marriage. Detailing how Warren Jeffs's influence over the church twisted its already rigid beliefs in dangerous new directions, Wall portrays the inescapable mind-set and unrelenting pressure that forced her to wed despite her repeated protests that she was too young.
Once she was married, Wall's childhood shattered as she was obligated to follow Jeffs's directives and submit to her husband in "mind, body, and soul." With little money and no knowledge of the outside world, she was trapped and forced to endure the pain and abuse of her loveless relationship, which eventually pushed her to spend nights sleeping in her truck rather than face the tormentor in her bed.
Yet even in those bleak times, she retained a sliver of hope that one day she would find a way out, and one snowy night that came in the form of a rugged stranger named Lamont Barlow. Their chance encounter set in motion a friendship and eventual romance that gave her the strength she needed to break free from her past and sever the chains of the church.
But though she was out of the FLDS, Wall would still have to face Jeffs—this time in court. In Stolen Innocence, she delves into the difficult months on the outside that led her to come forward against him, working with prosecutors on one of the biggest criminal cases in Utah's history, so that other girls still inside the church might be spared her cruel fate.
More than a tale of survival and freedom, Stolen Innocence is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.
About the Author
Elissa Wall is a former member of the FLDS church who was forced into marriage at age fourteen. She left the FLDS at age eighteen and she currently resides with her two children and her husband, Lamont.
Product Details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (May 13, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061628018
ISBN-13: 978-0061628016
http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Innocence-Polygamous-Becoming-Breaking/dp/0061628018
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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| tulsad
Posted:
Thu May 15, 2008 3:21 am |
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Stolen Innocence:My Story
Attorney objects to teen bride's book, tour
May 14, 2008
By JENNIFER DOBNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
SALT LAKE CITY -- A book and promotional tour by the teen bride who helped convict Warren Jeffs could spoil the jury pool in a criminal case against her former husband, his attorney said.
Elissa Wall's book, "Stolen Innocence," was released Tuesday by publisher William Morrow. It chronicles her life, including her time with cousin Allen Steed, whom she describes as having a violent temper and a "calculating and controlling" personality.
Steed is charged with raping Wall during their relationship, which was arranged in 2001 by leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a sect that practices polygamy and arranged marriage.
Wall, who was 14 at the time, said she was forced into sex with Steed, who was 19.
"Ms. Wall needs to specifically understand that her conduct may compromise Mr. Steed's ability to obtain a fair trial and that she may have to make some choices regarding her quest for publicity and her desire to have Mr. Steed prosecuted," defense attorney Jim Bradshaw said last week in a letter to Washington County prosecutors.
Wall, now 21, was the key witness last year in the trial that sent Jeffs to prison for rape as an accomplice. She claimed he refused to release her from the relationship.
Steed, 27, testified for Jeffs and was charged with rape a day after the FLDS leader was convicted in 5th District Court in St. George, 300 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Bradshaw's letter says professional rules of conduct prohibit out-of-court statements by attorneys and others associated with a prosecutor's office if the comments might prejudice a case.
Wall's book and media tour - "a troubling set of events" - will "consistently include a narrative by her in which she recounts her version of the facts of our pending case," Bradshaw said.
He believes authorities have the "ability and indeed the obligation" to control the situation.
"I would ask you to consider what would have been the response if Ms. Wall had written a book and gone on the publicity tour before the Jeffs trial," Bradshaw wrote. "I believe there would have been great outrage about her compromising the integrity of that process."
A telephone message seeking comment from Washington County prosecutors was not immediately returned Wednesday. Wall's attorney, Roger Hoole, was unavailable for comment.
Steed has said he never forced Wall to have sex.
Bradshaw has said the international publicity from the Jeffs trial would hinder the judge's ability to find a fair jury in Steed's case.
A raid on an FLDS ranch in Texas last month further complicates the issue, he said. Texas authorities have placed more than 460 children in state custody pending an investigation of child abuse.
Wall was granted an FLDS divorce from Steed and left the church in 2004 after she became pregnant with another man's child. She is married and has two children.
Steed, still a member of the church, could spend his life in prison if convicted.
Jeffs, 52, remains the prophet of the FLDS church, despite his imprisonment. He is in a Kingman, Ariz., jail, awaiting two trials on accomplice charges of incest and sexual misconduct.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6600ap_ut_teen_bride_steed.html?source=rss
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Sparkly Tree
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
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| just_lurking
Posted:
Thu May 15, 2008 1:07 pm |
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No One Knows My History is an excellent book. I read it years ago.
Another really good one is The Mormon Murders. I would paste the link to it at Amazon but it would blow the margins. Basically some guy keeps unearthing Joseph Smith artifacts and selling them to the Mormon Church. The Church pays high dollar for each one because they would (in theory) back up Joseph Smith's stories. It's a true crime story. Excellent read and the author explains a lot of the workings of the LDS church as he goes along. I picked it up in an airport right before getting on a flight years and years ago. It led me to read other books about the Mormon religion.
One I'm reading now is Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. She grew up in polygamy, left it as a child when her mother left, then made a hard choice to return to it by marriage. She goes into the hardships she faced, living in poverty and all that. Something I found interesting is that the author goes into her sex life (or lack thereof) a bit. Apparently there's a "purity" ?law and neither the man or the woman should enjoy sex. Sex is only for procreation. Also men wear their "garment" - a longjohn kind of outfit even during. Anyways, you would think sex with multiple woman is a huge benefit for the husbands in a polygamous marriage but apparently it isn't if what this author says is right. Here's a link to the author's site. http://www.irenespencerbooks.com/
Just my .000002 cents.
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