Conflict escalates at polygamist retreat

Conflict escalates at polygamist retreat

news.yahoo.com

ELDORADO, Texas - Sect leaders at a polygamist compound in West Texas refused Saturday to let authorities search a temple for a teenage girl whose report of abuse led to the raid, and authorities said they were preparing "for the worst."
....A search warrant authorized troopers to enter the retreat, run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They are looking for evidence of a marriage between the girl and a 50-year-old man.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is a scary story. It sounds almost like another Waco situation.
Hopefully it doesn't escalate to that point.
What I want to know is how this is allowed to happen. How do we allow this "religion" the ability to carry out their polygamy? I thought that was illegal. Or is it allowed to continue under the name of "religion"?
The sad part is about all of the young girls involved with this crazy sect. Good thing for the mormons that they are not connected with this group anymore.
This is a story that we need to keep an eye on.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thanks for posting this palehorse!

Wow I heard they were there this week but I had no idea they had taken 52 girls out of that place!

It's about time the authorities did something about this compound. It's been on the talk show circuit for years with people that "escaped" and were BEGGING law enforcement to do something.

I figured when they finally caught Warren Jeffs they'd do something but nooo took this long.

Well I hope it doesn't escalate into a Waco type situation, that would be horrible.

reply to post by LateApexer313


Yeah. Pretty sick isn't it? 52 girls. What the hell was going on in there? Ya know, that is one of those questions that I probably really do not want to know the answer too. The fact that this has gotten to this point, as you point out, is utterly disgusting IMO.

I agree that something needs to be done here, separation of church and state not withstanding! While I'm not down with polygamy, as long as it is a real part of the religion I don't think the state should have any say (with exceptions of course). Unfortunately since this splinter group still identifies with the the latter day saints they are protected in that aspect since it's part of the origin of the religion if I'm not mistaken. The reason why I think this group is despicable is the forced marriage, especially of the younger girls. If a woman wants to get married to a man who already has one or more wives that is her choice. But girls? Forcing polygamy on people? You want freedom of religion you need to provide the same freedoms of choice to the people who choose to be part of your religion.

If this escalates into a Waco scenario, it will be because of the "righteous" indignation of the members or leaders of this sect, much like the Branch Davidians. Unfortunately if it does happen the government will be blamed, whether they are at fault or not.

Not again...Hopefully they don't barbecue them all alive like last time. These cult leaders are nut-bags, but nobody deserves to be incinerated alive. Hopefully this doesn't end in mass tragedy again.

reply to post by Apex Predator

While I'm not down with polygamy, as long as it is a real part of the religion I don't think the state should have any say (with exceptions of course).

I also am not down with polygamy. But too believe that no one should have a say in it is something I disagree with you on. Especially when young girls are involved. And how can it be a real part of the religion? What constitutes real? I am all fro freedom of religion, but this is out of control. Religion still has to abide by the law. If I started a religion tomorrow and said I had to sacrifice humans to my God, would you say no one should step in there?
I am just saying the cloak of religion should not be allowed when it comes to something like this.

Well I'll tell you what was going on if you want to know, I saw enough talk shows with girls who had escaped the compound who said....

Girls as young as 11 were forced into marriages to old men...

Various girls were made to have sex with Warren Jeffs and other men high up in the cult... all under 18...

So basically it was open season on girl children...everything from sexual to physical abuse.

Men had total power over the woman...no one was allowed to leave. People who wanted out, child and adult alike were threatened with death, and told that if they left, their relatives remaining in the compound would suffer.

Male children were allowed carte blanche and some of them abused the young girls in the compound as well. this I heard all from girls who wanted to escape so they didn't have to marry 60 year old men, and were sick of being beaten and raped.

There's a woman who escaped herself, left her WHOLE family behind, who's now grown, who started up her own sort of rescue efforts, and would risk her own life driving into the compound trying to talk to the young girls and telling them, if you need to escape, I will be here for you (she gave them certain times I think once a week, where she'd be) and that she would help them with money, finding a home and a job.

All of their education was based on the group's warped bible teachings, and the two girls I saw who escaped and told all of this had to get tutors, they were in their late teens and they had to start off at a 2nd grade level...to learn all the stuff they had missed.

And I saw this YEARS ago, I'm talking at least 4 years ago...it's very sad that it's taken this long for the authorities to do anything.

reply to post by LateApexer313


I had no idea. I thought this was a brand new situation. I never knew this sect had been in the media before. Then again, I do not watch talk shows.
Thanks for the update Apexer.

I DON'T agree with the marriage of underage girls, but whats so wrong about polygamy?....

Look at hugh hefner and his girlfriends...

we all seem not to be alarmed about that...is it wrong because its connected with religion and hugh hefner isn't?

reply to post by Goradd


Big difference between girlfriend and wife!!! You can have all the girlfriends you want, no problem. But you should only have one wife. Marriage is about a couple, not a man and his many women.

reply to post by palehorse23

It does sound Waco-ish, palehorse23, so far; Star!

Too many criminal abuses to children seem to happen behind closed
doors of churches these days. It's right for the authorities to intervene,
just so they're not so heavy-handed. No need for the law to become
criminal, also, in siegeing with tanks! All they have to do, is wait them out.

Hopefully there's no Janet Reno type, leading the charge...

Waco: The Inside Story