Polygamy in the Heart of Texas

April 7, 2005 6:18 PM

Who is Warren Jeffs? A look inside the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, who have built what is believed to be the first polygamist temple in Texas. Led by a doomsaying prophet, the members of the FLDS are taught that wives are expected to be completely submissive, and outside cultural influences are forbidden (links via this post on LiveJournal's exmormon community).
posted by May Kasahara (14 comments total)

For more information on this subject, I recommend "Under the Banner of Heaven".

Just for the record, I am the One Mighty and Strong.
posted by selfnoise at 6:24 PM on April 7, 2005

As somebody who grew up in a small town about 30 minutes from Colorado City/Hildale, I can just say that I am totally not surprised...
posted by AaronRaphael at 6:32 PM on April 7, 2005

IANAL, but I guess there's probably something illegal in forbidding people from reading or owning literature/telephone/radio or some mean of real-time communications ? By opening a channel some could slowly but steadly have FLSD members know that alternative exists and they don't need to be abused..eventually they could be trained to recognized forms of non physical violence.

On a tangent: is FLDS one of those so called Faith Baised initiatives getting funds from Govt ?
posted by elpapacito at 6:59 PM on April 7, 2005

I once knew a man who joined a religious cult that believed women were to be absolutely subservient to men. He was also a member of some startling fetish groups in the area. Very interesting person.
posted by Dean Keaton at 9:14 PM on April 7, 2005

Sooooo . . . how is any of this legal? And are these guys violent?
posted by Anonymous at 10:50 PM on April 7, 2005

Sacred underwear AND complete submission???

What else could you ever want from a woman?
posted by joedharma at 2:17 AM on April 8, 2005

If the end of the world was supposed to have been on April 6th, I didn't notice it. But then, I slept all day.
posted by Orb at 2:41 AM on April 8, 2005

So the world ended. Any follow-up?

(good post, May. I wanna slap these idiots silly for Babyland, and a hundred other things.)
posted by maryh at 3:15 AM on April 8, 2005

I hope they stockpile guns and make vague threats so the government kills them. Seriously.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:09 AM on April 8, 2005

Why isn't the ATF defending the sanctity of marriage?
posted by trondant at 9:32 AM on April 8, 2005

The rapture happened and I missed it?!

pleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyes
posted by deborah at 10:05 AM on April 8, 2005

IIRC, Warren Jeffs was a key figure in the Bountiful, BC, cult settlement. The stories that have come out of there are quite horrible. A lot of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of girls and women.

"Just leave, then!" would be a great response, except that these women are raised from birth to believe that they can not ever leave.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:55 PM on April 8, 2005

The Globe and Mail this weekend has an article about ex-Bountiful, BC, folk. Interesting reading.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:34 AM on April 9, 2005

The rapture happened and I missed it?!

According to the shakers it happened over two hundred years ago.

That's the real reason you hardly ever meet a shaker.

(Okay, not exactly.)
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 12:08 PM on April 9, 2005