About time. I have often wondered how the FLDS gets away with what they do in these towns. It’s unconstitutional, IMO and they’ve gotten away with it scot free for decades.
Towns home to polygamist sect accused of discrimination as Arizona trial begins
Federal government says communities are dominated by Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have functioned as theocracies
Two towns that are home to a polygamous sect went on trial last week in Phoenix, Arizona, in a case that revolves around claims of religious liberty and discrimination – reaching back two centuries to a problem posed by the founders of the US: what kind of wall separates church from state?
A Justice Department (DoJ) lawsuit challenged a religious sect’s way of life in the mountains of Utah and Arizona last week, bringing a group infamous for polygamy before a jury of their peers. The leader of the community, Warren Jeffs, is not himself on trial, as he is already serving a life sentence in Texas, for sexually assaulting children.
Nor is polygamy on trial, though it remains illegal in the state and US.
But both Jeffs and the practice will feature prominently in the lawsuit against two border towns – Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona – and many say the lawsuit could reshape practices of the religious sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). . .
. . . The federal government has accused the towns of operating as a de facto theocracy that discriminates against non-believers, and of violating the US constitution with practices such as denying residents fair access to housing.
Fascinating story Lois! I, being an ex Mormon read a lot about the early days of the Mormon church, that this sect is a split off of. It sounds to me to echo living conditions in Salt Lake City under the control of Brigham Young in the 19th century. Of course you won’t find that out from the church’s official story, but the history as researched by non Mormon historians is very well documented and also very fascinating.
Fascinating story Lois! I, being an ex Mormon read a lot about the early days of the Mormon church, that this sect is a split off of. It sounds to me to echo living conditions in Salt Lake City under the control of Brigham Young in the 19th century. Of course you won't find that out from the church's official story, but the history as researched by non Mormon historians is very well documented and also very fascinating.Yes the history of Mormonism is fascinating--partly because it's hidden. I read a fascinating book about a fraud and murder case in the Mormon church that also told a lot about it's history how the church functions. I'll try to come up with the title. It's several years old. As I'm sure you are aware, the FLDS is a corruption of Mormonism but a completely different organization. Its even more destructive than mainstream Mormonism, IMO. Lois
The book is The Mormon Murders: A True Story of Greed, Forgery, Deceit, and Death, by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
It’s available new on Amazon and used at Abe Books for about $3. You might also find it in your public library.
It’s worth reading. Once you get into it, it’s hard to put down. I recommend it to anyone interested in Mormon history and how the the Mormon church operates today.
Lois