living in texas as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (mormon) there are many opportunities to learn and talk about what's going on in the news regarding the FLDS.
first, i'm so irked that not only are they referred to as FLDS they are also called renegade mormons by the press. it leaves everyone wondering how we are all tied in. i have answered many questions regarding this- and i have no problem answering them, but at the same time, i am annoyed. according to wikipedia this group didn't form until around 1935 even though the LDS church formally abandoned polygamy in 1890.
there were several off shoots in those years- each with different names. lucky us (sarcasm in my finest snarky tone) that the FLDS is the group in the news- it's name is the only one close to ours.
onto the news at hand.
many children were taken. i don't think it was wrong for this to happen. i believe that if there is one predator living amongst a group that is living as a family- then all who are vulnerable should be removed. abuse is sick and i am not for taking chances with those too young or innocent to defend themselves.
on the outset, many wondered if the move was appropriate.
since- the facts coming out of this investigation are astounding to me.
the move to test for DNA was brilliant. not only does this help identify which child belongs to which parent (because there were children that didn't know which mom was theirs additionally there were moms lying about it!) it also is living proof of the underage sex that was taking place. they've come to find out that many of the teens either had had babies or were expecting them.
sidenote to BJ: i shudder to think about your concerns over Big Brother being too invasive over allegations that possibly could lead to a single abuse case. ive been for taking the chance on being wrong when it comes to protecting a child- yes, one single child. and in this case- we're now hearing about...
of 400 or so children: 41 with current/past broken bones or fractures. i've worked with 60 children this year. 2 of the children were treated for similar problems. 10 percent is outrageous!
of the 400 children, only 1/3 of them are boys. because many find that odd- there are now investigations leading into other sinister goings on. so far the 'lost boys' have been mentioned (again for that reason alone i am for being invasive because that, too, is abuse). a boy has no value in the community. several interviews i have heard talk about boys being used for blood atoning and slave labor. and the latest is that the boys are being sexually abused, too. BIG surprise-NOT. if abuse is accepted within a community- don't expect or fool yourself into believing that girls are the only victims.
abuse is not having boundaries. this is why verbal abuse often escalates into physical and why sexual abuse is not only about girls and women.
in the end- the FLDS brought this outcome upon themselves because they did not protect their own children. this is sad to say- being that so many of the people in this community have been programmed to think differently about society norms.
in other cultures around the world atrocities are 'norms', too. generations of families are living thinking that it's okay to sell children to have money to eat. that it's okay to mutilate or kill in the name of honor. the thing is- as long as one sane person is in their right mind and is able to act in behalf of someone who needs help- even if it is not wanted- it is the right thing to do.
(almost at the end of my rant) the men in that compound have had free reign long enough. if they were just about sharing consenting women and living polygamous lives- fine. honestly, i don't care.
there is a polygamous group that comes to the city center once a week. they disappeared when the news broke- until today. all of the moms and kids returned- the adult male did not.
if they are living otherwise law abiding lives then i'm thinking, 'let them be'. however, should i be given cause to suspect a child is being abused... texas better move out of the way, because i'm going to do whatever i can to help.
4 comments:
Well said. Having just read "Escape" I too am glad that the Texas authorities have moved in. You would find that book very interesting. I feel very sad for the women and children who truly believe in the religion that the men leaders make up as they go. I'm sure that the children will have a very difficult time trying to fit into main stream life.
I completely agree. I feel so sorry for those kids! I also think that you would like the book Escape. It really shows what life is like on the inside. It's unreal!
Impressive and logical viewpoint. I too have been irked by the media coverage. One other aspect is the baptists are full of glee to have another reason to get the mormons--false information runs rampant in those circles. But oh well. Hopefully the children can be helped and the women can smarten up.
Rhonda... this is one issue I seem to have difficulty coming to an opinion on. I really hate abuse, especially this form of abuse that leaves the victims no recourse for help. But I can't help but to think that something about this seems unconstitutional. Something seems amiss in the prosecution. They seemed to be chomping at the bit to get at this religious group, before they even knew for sure that they were doing anything wrong. One call that may not even have come from the compound was all it took to launch a war against the compound. This type of show of force scares me. They had very little real evidence against most of the people in that compound before they removed the kids. THAT scares me... even if they were guilty. It is the process that they followed that scares me. What should they have done? I wish I knew.
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