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RELS 225 2009-03-02: FLDSRELS 225 2009-03-02: FLDS

Attendance

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Return Midterm Part B

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

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FLDS HistoryFLDS History

Name: Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

One of largest Mormon denominationsThe largest one practicing plural marriage

Split from main Mormon church 100 years ago because plural marriage was renounced.

Where: Utah, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota, Creston and Bountiful, BC

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Warren JeffsWarren Jeffs

On FBI’s Most Wanted list from May-August 2006

Leader until November 20, 2007Guilty of two counts of accomplice to rape.

10 years to life

Resigned as President of the corporation

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April 2008 RaidApril 2008 Raid

March 30, 2008: Flora Jessop receives a call from a person alleging systematic child abuse on the FLDS Church's Texas compoundFlora passed the tip on to Texas Child Protective ServicesCPS took custody of all 439 children under age 18 from the church's Yearning for Zion RanchApril 3-10: Texas Rangers in control of YFZ Ranch.

Rozita Swinton faced criminal charges from this false report and is believed to have filed similar false reports in the past.

May 29: Texas Supreme Court rules Texas CPS not justified in removing every child from the ranch; orders children to be returned.

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Plural marriage and placement marriagePlural marriage and placement marriage

The FLDS Church teaches the doctrine of plural marriage, which states that a man having multiple wives is ordained by God; the doctrine requires it in order for a man to receive the highest form of salvation. It is generally believed in the church that a man should have a minimum of three wives to fulfill this requirement. Connected with this doctrine is patriarchal doctrine, the belief that wives are required to be subordinate to their husbands.The church currently practices placement marriage, whereby a young woman of marriageable age is assigned a husband by revelation from God to the leader of the church, who is regarded as a prophet. The prophet elects to take and give wives to and from men according to their worthiness. This is also called the law of placing.

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DressDress

Men wear plain clothing, usually a long-sleeved collared shirt and full-length pants. In general, women do not cut their hair short or wear makeup, pants, or any skirt above the knees. Women and girls usually wear monochromatic homemade long-sleeved "prairie dresses," with hems between ankle and mid-calf, along with long stockings or trousers underneath, usually keeping their hair coiffed.Men and women are forbidden to have any tattoos or body piercings.

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Property ownershipProperty ownership

The land and houses occupied by the FLDS Church on the Utah/Arizona border are owned by the United Effort Plan (UEP), which was once a subsidiary organization of the church. The UEP also owns most of the property of the businesses that are controlled by FLDS Church members in that area.The church views this "United Order" as a means of living the traditional Latter Day Saint doctrine of the "Law of Consecration." The Attorney General of Utah filed a lawsuit and seized the holdings of the UEP for the current residents of Colorado City and Hilldale. The Attorney General is seeking to distribute the assets of the UEP to the FLDS Church members and ex-members who contributed to the UEP. In 2005, a court order froze the UEP pending a resolution of the lawsuit.[46] At the time of the court order, the UEP was worth $100 million.

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Home schoolingHome schooling

In 2000, the Colorado City Unified School District had more than 1200 students.

When Jeffs ordered FLDS Church members to pull their children out of public schools, the number declined to around 250.

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LDS vs FLDSLDS vs FLDS

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) has repeatedly emphasized that it is not affiliated with the FLDS Church. If members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints engage in polygamy, they are excommunicated. The FLDS Church believes that the LDS Church has fallen away because it abandoned the fundamental teachings of the early leaders of the Church.

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FLDS/Canada's marriage practices (http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_poly1a.htm)FLDS/Canada's marriage practices (http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_poly1a.htm)

Polygyny presents obvious problems for a religious group or community. Since roughly equal numbers of boy and girl babies are born, it takes extraordinary steps to provide men with multiple wives. Policies have to be developed to control:

The expulsion of the excess males during their teen years; The importing of additional females via human trafficing; A high level of genetic disorders due to inbreeding over many generations within a small, closed group.

in order to maintain a culture in which most men have many wives, it is necessary to persuade or force most male youths to leave the community at a relatively young age.Teenage women with restricted education are then matched up with older men, preferably before they develop an interest in boys their own age. After an unregistered marriage, the new wives often financially support the family by applying for welfare as single mothers. There have been allegations in the U.S. and Canadian media that teenage women have been exported from the U.S. group to supply men in Bountiful with additional brides.

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Marriage Beliefs (http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_poly1a.htm)Marriage Beliefs (http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_poly1a.htm)

Men must have at least three wives and as many children as possible in order to enter the highest level of heaven, and to have the opportunity to evolve into a God.

This belief was first taught by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon movement.A wife can only attain this highest level if invited by her husband. This places incredible pressure on women to conform to their husband's demands. A woman's role is to serve a man and be submissive to his needs. Women who disobey men will have their souls burn in Hell for eternity. Children are usually required to leave school at the age of 13 or 14. Their marriage ceremony consists of the woman placing her hand in the man's hand in what is called "the patriarchal grip." A man is not permitted to have sexual intercourse with one of his wives if she is pregnant. Former Bishop Winston Blackmore of Bountiful claimed that because all the plural marriages, except perhaps for the first one, are celestial, and not legal unions, FLDS men are not legally polygamists; they are only adulterers in the eyes of the state. Adultery is not a criminal act.

He does not seem to be aware of the specific wording of the Law prohibiting polygamy in Canada. According to The Economist, critics say that the schools run by the Canadian branch of the FLDS provide minimal education.

Boys are trained as farm and forest laborers. Girls are trained to be brides and mothers.

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Lifting the Veil of PolygamyLifting the Veil of Polygamy

HomeworkHomework

For Wednesday:“Why Are NRMs So Often Accused of Sexual Deviance”Summarize Comprehending Cults Chapter 6 online.

For Monday:“Why Do Some NRMs Become Violent?”Summarize Comprehending Cults Chapter 7 online