Posted on 08/11/2011 5:15:06 AM PDT by Colofornian
Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Mormon church that practises polygamy, is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was given the maximum sentence for taking girls as young as 12 to be his brides.
SNIP
...a Texas jury took just 40 minutes to hand him the toughest sentence open to them life in prison for aggravated sexual assault and 20 years in prison for sexual assault of a child...
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The polygamist Mormons, under Jeffs's leadership, refused to renounce plural marriages and now have about 10,000 followers. The jury heard that Jeffs personally had about 78 wives, including 12 who he married at 16 and 12 who he married at 15 or younger.
Jurors were played audio tapes which the prosecution alleged recorded Jeffs giving sexual instructions to several underage wives. One tape was said to have captured the sounds of Jeffs having sex inside the temple at the church's Yearning for Zion Ranch...
The court was also presented with DNA evidence that showed Jeffs fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl.
The jury heard that Jeffs was an overweening presence within his church.
When fathers resisted handing over their daughters, Jeffs would expel them he ejected 60 church members and broke up 300 families.
As the carrot to the stick, he encouraged fathers to give away their teenage daughters by offering them their own young brides.
SNIP
In the course of his defence, Jeffs said polygamy was a "pure, natural way of life" and one of "God's laws". He pointed out that it was a central element of Mormonism in the early days of the church, which was founded by Joseph Smith in New York state in the 1820s.
Smith himself is thought to have had at least 30 wives.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Sick! Absolutely sick!!! Had Smith lived another 17 years like Warren Jeffs, he, too, would have likely had 78 wives!
From the article: When fathers resisted handing over their daughters, Jeffs would expel them he ejected 60 church members and broke up 300 families. As the carrot to the stick, he encouraged fathers to give away their teenage daughters by offering them their own young brides.
More utter sickness!!!!
‘Life Plus Twenty’
I pity his cellmate on that last twenty.
I don’t think he will last that long. One thing prisoners don’t put up with is child molesters.
I am so glad Texas stood up for children. Now what about the rest if the cult out there on that ranch?
Great tag line.
Polygamy - That’s the rotten ‘fruit’ of Mormonism, right there. I doesn’t fall far from the tree - the root of which (Joseph Smith) is pure evil.
Praise to the Man......indeed!
So what happens to all the wives? Are they married until the nut dies in prison? Can they get a divorce in this cult?
So what happens to all the wives? Are they married until the nut dies in prison? Can they get a divorce in this cult?
- - - - - -
There is no ‘divorce’ but there is ‘reassignment’ usually determined by the prophet or husband. Women don’t really have any say.
As long as Jeffs is in charge (which I don’t think will be that long), his wives will remain his wives. However, as soon as someone takes over for Jeffs or Jeffs is killed (they will say martyred), then his wives will be reassigned with the new prophet having first choice then the other upper leaders.
Women are cattle in these groups, little more.
There have been some articles stating that Jeffs will maintain control, but I don’t see for how long, there are too many clamoring for his power. I also would not be surprised if some of his brothers (who want power) arranged for him to be killed in prison just to make the power grab easier.
Thanks, Gov. Perry for going after these perverts.
Nuke the site from orbit. Its the only way to be sure.
Sick! Absolutely sick!!! Had Smith lived another 17 years like Warren Jeffs, he, too, would have likely had 78 wives!
LDS historian Todd Compton documents 33 Joseph Smith wives (in addition to his only legal spouse, Emma).
Fawn Brodie argues that the self-proclaimed prophet had 56 plural wives and presents her evidence in an appendix to her excellent historical biography of Joseph. She strongly intimated there were many more, but refused to reveal any information she had gleaned from confidential Mormon archives whose access was gained by virtue of her relationship with LDS Church President David McKay (her uncle).
Other biographers assert the number exceeds 80 - most in the neighborhood of 84-86 - with some claiming a total as high as 180.
While it is true that Smith was a serial adulterer, there were many more women who asserted they were "sealed" to the man than he was physically capable of servicing. There were also claimants whom historians can prove never met the man. Thus almost all historians agree that the higher marriage totals include a lot of "wishful thinking." Others point out that sleeping with Smith doesn't necessarily mean that they were "married" to him and thus qualified to spend time and all eternity in his celestial harem.
The bottom line is that we will never know the true extend of Joseph's wickedness, but by any standard, it is appalling and disgraceful.
Ahhh--so a short sentence, then.
He can still practice polygamy in prison..........I’m sure he’ll have a bunch of husbands.
It shouldn't surprise anyone when a religious charlatan like Mohammad or Joseph Smith follows this pattern. But what still surprises me, is that so many people --- men and women ---- become willing followers.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Matthew 19:5
and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
Matthew 19:6
So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Mark 10:8
and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Ephesians 5:31
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
One man and one wife. God ordained from the beginning.
I acknowledge that this is not a Christian thought - but he ought to be tortured daily with electrical shocks to his privates for the rest of his life......
But then, God will have a judgment far worse than that for him in the next life......if he doesn’t repent.....
Not defending this perv, but does the Guardian use the same headline when an “honor killing” occurs?
Agreed!
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