Another Reason to Dislike Religion

With all the coverage in the news lately, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to find out what exactly the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is all about.

First, some history. The church split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) in the 1930's after the LDS church renounced polygamy. They consider themselves Mormon, but have no official ties to the LDS church. In 1953, Arizona police and the US National Guard raided a FLDS community in Short Creek, Arizona, and took every member of the community into custody, including children. Some parents never regained custody of their children after the raid. The FLDS church managed to avoid any more major legal troubles up until 1993, when a member was convicted of bigamy and unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year old. In 2006, Warren Jeffs, the prophet (leader) at the time was charged with numerous crimes (including sex with a minor) and was placed on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List after he fled to avoid prosecution. He is currently serving a 10 years to life sentence.

Earlier this month, Texas authorities took over 400 children into custody after receiving reports of abuse at the YFZ Ranch, which is a FLDS compound outside Eldorado, Texas. A custody battle is currently underway.

Now onto some of what these people believe and practice.

1. Their most prominent practice is "plural marriage." The marriages usually aren't legal, only spiritual, to avoid charges of bigamy. They practice the Law of Placing, which means that the prophet assigns a woman to a man based on a revelation from God. Wives can be reassigned if the prophet deems the man has sinned.

2. Members of the church adhere to a strict dress code. Women are not allowed to cut their hair, wear makeup, or wear shorts or pants. They usually wear prairie-style dresses with long sleeves that fall down almost to the ankle. They can't wear the color red. Men wear collared shirts and pants. Both men and women are forbidden from having piercings and tattoos.

3. FLDS members are forbidden from owning property. They live in church-owned housing. The church also owns most of the businesses owned by FLDS members.

4. The FLDS is a highly racist organization. According to Warren Jeffs, "The black race is the people through which the devil has always been able to bring evil unto the earth." Many members also see no problem with the events of 9/11.

5. Unlike the LDS church, members of the FLDS church are allowed to drink coffee, tea, beer, and wine.

6. The FLDS organization is skeptical of modern medical practices. Like Scientologists, they practice silent birthing. Doctors are rarely present for childbirth, and pain medication is avoided. They tend to believe that they can be healed through fasting and prayer.

I could write pages about the screwed up ways of the FLDS church, but it makes me a little sick to my stomach. My only hope is that the children removed from the YFZ compound are able to get the help they need to escape what is essentially a dangerous cult.


Source: Escape, by Carolyn Jessop, a former FLDS member.

I'm Back!

I'm back from Europe, and don't really feel like doing any heavy posting, so I figured I'd share some pictures of the numerous churches and cathedrals I visited on my trip. That's right, I actually went into them (willingly) and didn't burst into flames!

Palma de Mallorca, Spain



Cassis, France



Gassin, France



Grimaud, France



Monaco



Florence, Italy



Amalfi, Italy