Posted on 12/26/2011 4:04:21 PM PST by Colofornian
Imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has reportedly issued an edict to his followers with a deadline -- renew allegiances to the Fundamentalist LDS Church or be excommunicated.
With a Dec. 31 deadline looming, non-profit groups who help those leaving Utah's polygamous communities say an ongoing exodus from the FLDS Church is turning into a "humanitarian crisis," with people walking away with no place to go.
"You've got new control where you have to give everything," James Barlow told FOX 13. "And I mean everything."
Barlow left the FLDS Church last month after refusing to give his allegiance to Jeffs. Barlow, 19, described being called before Jeffs' brother, Lyle, and asked to confess his sins and be re-baptized into the FLDS Church. Tired of the increasing restrictions on people's lives within the church, Barlow left with the clothes on his back.
"I said 'no' and walked out the door," he said. "To come out here and just fall on my head, just not have anything. Nothing... nobody to give me anything, a roof over my head."
He wound up at a home in the Salt Lake City area where his sister, Ruth, has been staying. She left the FLDS Church in September after deciding she no longer believed in the faith under Jeffs.
"I've really enjoyed the family," Ruth Barlow said in an interview with FOX 13. "They've been really good and really fun to be around. It's different than being with my own family, but it's still the same."
The siblings are being "fostered" by the group Holding Out Help, which works with those in Utah's polygamous communities. Since Jeffs went to prison, the group said it has seen a steady stream of people leaving the FLDS Church.
"They leave with absolutely nothing," said Holding Out Help's Tonia Tewell. "The first thing we try to hit is the basic needs: food, clothing and shelter."
Warren Jeffs is serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for child sex assault related to underage marriages. Since he's been imprisoned, he's released a steady stream of "revelations" he claims are from God to lawmakers across the country. They include demands that he be released or the wrath of the Almighty will destroy the earth. The most recent revelations sent to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff claimed they were a "final warning."
Amongst his followers, Jeffs has reportedly made even more demands. Ex-FLDS members tell FOX 13 he has demanded that children give up toys, and adults sell things like ATVs.
"The demands range from coming up with $5,000 at the end of the month to handing over all the food stamps. I've heard they're no longer allowed to have sexual relations with their wives except to have children," Tewell said.
Tewell said she has heard of as many as 50 people a month leaving the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. Some are going to a rival polygamous leader. Others, mostly young adults, are trying to find their way in the world. Holding Out Help and Utah's Safety Net Committee (a coalition of government agencies, social service agencies and polygamists) are trying to find shelter for everyone.
"We need the entire community here in the Salt Lake Valley to step up," said Tewell. "We cannot do this alone any longer."
The Safety Net Committee and Holding Out Help are setting up sort-of "foster homes" across the state. The Safety Net Committee has been holding open houses in St. George, asking people to be willing to open up their homes for children, teenagers, adults or entire families.
"Would I encourage other people to do it? Absolutely. It's been, I think, a blessing to our family," said Kristi Gower, who is hosting the Barlow siblings.
The Safety Net Committee said it would conduct background checks and has a few terms for families willing to foster those from the polygamous communities. More information can be found at holdingouthelp.org or by contacting the Safety Net Committee through Utah's Family Support Center (www.familysupportcenter.org).
James Barlow said with a New Year's Eve deadline coming, more people will likely be leaving.
"Family means everything to most of us from there," he said. "I know, to everybody I know, it means everything. That's why a lot of people haven't left. But you have to the end of the year and you're excommunicated."
The fairlds.org take on the 1890 Manifesto is fascinating. Basically, FAIR says "hey, there was nothing wrong about all of those polygamous marriages that the LDS Church hid after 1890, because the 1890 Manifesto was really only a personal aspirational statement by WW, not by the Quorum of the Twelve. Nobody with any intelligence then or now ever thought it was binding on anyone, especially the LDS Church, or was actually intended to stop polygamy."
I'm paraphrasing, but it's a very long, dancing-on-the-head-of-a-pin, word-by-word argument. And FAIR doesn't explain why, if it's so clear that the 1890 Manifesto didn't amount to a hill of beans and had nothing to do with ending polygamy, the LDS Church continues to say that the LDS Church ended polygamy in 1890.
Wait a minute. Idaho and Colorado. Close enough? CLOSE ENOUGH??? Will you stop at nothing????
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Both border Utah...
I’m sorry for your situation, but it also doesn’t give you licesne to demand Colo take in refugees with you not knowing his situation. Just sayin’
FWIW, my husband does pro-bono legal counsel for women leaving polygamy.
I didn’t demand anything. I merely asked a question.
You just didn’t like the way I phrased it.
The LDS Church wasn’t heartless enough to cut them all loose in 1904 . . . and they didn’t. They just said they did.
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LOL, I’m suddenly reminded of Rick Perry and Big Sis regarding illegals.
Don’t be “heartless”...bless all who break laws and go forth and replenish the earth while breaking the laws for Big Sis shall set them free.....to live on food stamps....
Your comment had the expectation that Colo wouldn’t put his money where his mouth is.
I had no idea there were so many polygamous LDS/spinoff groups. What on earth happens to the young men? The “extras”?
Why isn’t SLC lds, down there taking these people in. I mean really we hear daily how generous and giving they are. How much money they put out towards charity.
What on earth happens to the young men? The “extras”?
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Google “Lost Boys” and Utah, there are several articles and websites. Basically they are thrown out with nothing and live on the streets.
At least I made an offer.
And BTW. HOW MANY ARE YOU TAKING IN????
SHOW US A COPY OF THE DONATION CHECK.
Otherwise shut your yap.
How about it?
I’ll shut up when you prove it.
Prove what? I already told you my husband works with a ministry to polygamists to do pro-bono work for them.
And I saw no offer at all from you, Fred.
I don’t do checks. And my church is already organizing a team.
Child molestation is still not a laughing matter and your comment was disgusting.
Plural marriage as LDS was never lived in this matter but the anti Mormons take delight in disinformation and falsehoods.
anyone can call their organization just my adding another word to their name they have nothing to do with
original organization.
of course many antis here have said in the past that keeping the Lord’s Commandments were not realistic so why even try...
FLDS has the simular ideas as the antis in keeping the Lord’s Commandments so they each practiced their faith according to the whims of men not according to Heavenly Father plan of Happiness.
The Church of Latter-day Saints.
Oh, scratch that.
The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
There. Fixed it for you.
I see what you mean. The name still doesn't explain that it's a Mormon church that has been re-written by a false prophet who chased after girls as young as fourteen, while married... Helen Mar Kimball was a mere child, but she met his fancy because she was young.
I wonder how she felt when he turned his affection upon her? Did she cry herself to sleep at night?
I bet her mother did. No mother would want their child to marry that man.
At no time was it ever proven that JS sleep with HMK it was for eternity only not time.
Many like to imply that it did there is no record of it and some like to twist words to make it so but still that is also wrong to insinuate!
After the marriage vows HMK was return home with her father matter a fact she was to stay home that night and not attend a social function.
Resty, how many spouses have you had that you did not have sex with???
Your naivete is amusing but really Resty, like the guns, YOUR OWN LDS SOURCES state that polygamy is the same as the FLDS practices it, that women were thought of like livestock, badly treated and that Smith had sex with most if not all of his wives.
Marriage means marriage. It does not mean friendship.
My sister and her husband are childless because of medical reasons. If they want to have children, they would have to adopt.
They are not best friends who platonically kiss each other on the cheek and hold hands at the movies.
They are in a true marriage with a marital bond. Adults know what this means.
Resty is playing games and she’s lying. We know she’s lying. She must lie and cover her ears while saying, “La-la-la-la-la! I can’t hear you!” in order to make herself feel better.
But, I doubt it really works. I think deep down she knows the truth about his relationship with Helen Mar Kimball, otherwise she wouldn’t so vehemently defend her chastity. It wouldn’t matter to her.
If you notice, I didn’t mention the word sex in my post. I only mentioned the word marriage. And that alone set Resty off. This is because she knows that the marriage was a true marriage with a sexual relationship and she can’t defend it.
If you notice, I didn’t mention the word sex in my post.
“I wonder how she felt when he turned his affection upon her? Did she cry herself to sleep at night?
I bet her mother did. No mother would want their child to marry that man.” ~Pan_Yans Wife
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Excuse me you are not the first person to bring up this canard.
I know you can blandly call me a liar and make it personal because I am LDS the RM will not correct you LDS have no standing on FR.
You are just one of many who thinks they have privilege knowledge that the Practicing LDS does not have access too
yet for some reason lack the knowledge to understand what the meaning of words are in the LDS faith.
Eternal meaning Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven
Time and Eternity mean now and for ever aka mortal and immortal.
Just because one does not understand does not give one the right to change it to suit your earthly ways.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts
Matthew 18
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:...
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