Polygamist Sect Encouraged Fear

Children At Texas Compound Were Told That The Outside World Is Hostile And Immoral

(CBS/AP)  All their lives, the girls in the polygamist sect in the West Texas desert were told that the outside world was hostile and immoral, and that venturing beyond the brilliant white limestone walls of their compound would consign them to eternal damnation.

Now, if the state gets its way, hundreds of the girls could be put in foster homes, in what could be a wrenching cultural adjustment that may require intensive counseling.

"What they are up against is having to deprogram an entire community," said Margaret Cooke, who left the sect with seven of her eight children near the end of 1994. The children "are so naive and they have been sheltered to the point that they don't even trust their own judgment."

Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the state Children's Protective Services, said the agency is working with mental health and other experts to make the children's transition as easy as possible.

Meanwhile, in court papers unsealed Friday, authorities said they found a "cyanide poisoning document" in their search of the compound in the town of Eldorado. But the 80-page list of items seized gave no further explanation.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange said the document consisted of pages torn out of a first-aid book on how to treat cyanide poisoning. But she said she didn't know why the sect would have such information on hand.

Child welfare officials seized more than 400 children, most of them girls, in the raid on the compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, saying the youngsters were in danger of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

The renegade Mormon splinter group requires girls at puberty to enter into polygamous marriages with much older men and produce children, authorities say. The sect also teaches children to fear the outside world, including the very authorities who removed them until a court hearing Thursday that will help determine their future.

"You're taught to fear everyone and everything," said Cooke, herself a 16-year-old bride.

---

Read Hari Sreenivasan's blog post from San Angelo.

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The children and the 139 women who followed them voluntarily out of the compound are being so secretive that child welfare officials are having trouble sorting out who the youngsters' parents are.

The state is now scrambling to find shelter for the women and children, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan.

Most of the children are the offspring of the faith's inner circle - including its now-imprisoned prophet, Warren Jeffs - who were born since construction began on the compound in 2003, or were hand-selected by Jeffs to come to the enclave, which the sect regards as part of Zion on Earth

In 2003 and 2004, Jeffs, the spiritual leader of an estimated 6,000 followers in two adjoining towns along the Utah-Arizona line, plucked children under the age of 6 to bring to Texas without their parents, former sect member Isaac Wyler said.

"Over age 6 they were too contaminated for the world to be of use to God," said Wyler, who still lives in Colorado City, Ariz., and has 39 siblings. "He picked the ones that would be the most obedient, the ones that would be qualified to go to Zion."

Authorities raided the Eldorado ranch April 3 after a girl from the clan made a whispered telephone call for help to a family violence shelter. The 16-year-old, who indicated she was a few weeks' pregnant, said her 50-year-old husband beat and raped her. The girl has not yet been identified among the 416 children and may not even be among them.

In the call, the girl said that sect members warned her that if she ever left, outsiders would hurt her and force her to cut her hair, wear makeup and have sex with many men.

Most of the sect's children have never attended public schools or worn modern clothing. The girls wear long, pioneer-style dresses and keep their long hair pinned up in braids.

In their search of the compound, police uncovered dozens of journals and other documents that contain birth, marriage and other genealogical records. That may help social workers match children with their parents.

According to tax documents, the ranch paid more than $400,000 in taxes in 2006, reports Sreenivasan. In addition to a cement plant and cheese factory, the hundreds of women and children could be another source of income.

The hearing next Thursday will determine whether the state gets full custody of the children or whether they can return to the compound in Eldorado.

[voltaire333]

Too bad Romney didn''t get the nomination. Would have made for a fun general election!

[hungry1968]

Boy-o-Boy!!!

The christians are really getting wackier and wackier all the time!!

Terrifying!!!

[veteran72]

Religion: Keeping Retardds busy for 2000 years...

[fibonacci_]

Religion is by far one of the most destructive things invented by humans - right up there with the nuclear bomb. You idiots will kill us all if you do not stop believing in fairy tales which have absolutely no scientific evidence whatsoever to even suggest the possibility that they might be true.

[hungry1968]

Too bad Romney didn''''t get the nomination. Would have made for a fun general election!

Posted by Voltaire333 at 04:52 PM : Apr 11, 2008





His magic underwear would have protected him.

[yongamerica]

Wasn''t the angel that gave the vision of this church named Moron?

[fibonacci_]

"To hell" with all you religious morons (moronis ;) ) - you will KILL US ALL with your idiotic beliefs. Stop now and realize there is no good reason to believe in what you believe!

[creeper00]

"Local authorities have said it was not until after the raid began that they learned the sect was marrying off underage girls at the compound and had a bed in its soaring limestone temple where the girls were required to immediately consummate their marriages."

Lying ba$tards. They had an informant inside for four years. If that girl hadn''t called an abuse hotline this would still be going on, with the sheriff continuing to turn a blind eye to the cruelty within. That sheriff should be removed from office immediately, not quoted on national news trying to cover up his inaction.

[bdrlnt4rl]

Voltaire333

you idiots should now by now that this group is not the mormons that romney belongs to.

beliefs are so different even ''morons'' can figure that out.

read the new once in a while.

[bdrlnt4rl]

google FlangeSqueal and you will see he has been brainwashed and is an idiot.

that is the truth

[inventagod]

To all religious wack-jobs.

Do not ever tell me what to believe.
Never.

That includes YOU, Mr. Bu$h.

[bdrlnt4rl]

this IS not romneys group

anyone with half a brain knows this

[inventagod]

Kudos to creeper00

Great post.

[rheola-2009]

Polygamist Sect Encouraged Fear


Fear is what all religon works on, how else could they so effectively control the gullible.

[trishab4]

with the sheriff continuing to turn a blind eye to the cruelty within. That sheriff should be removed from office immediately, not quoted on national news trying to cover up his inaction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by creeper00 at 05:35 PM : Apr 11, 2008

-Isn''t that Sheriff an accomplice, by any chance?

[jankebenz]

Religion is by far one of the most destructive things invented by humans - right up there with the nuclear bomb. You idiots will kill us all if you do not stop believing in fairy tales which have absolutely no scientific evidence whatsoever to even suggest the possibility that they might be true.

Posted by fibonacci_ at 04:55 PM : Apr 11, 2008

I could prove you wrong with thousands of pages of evidence and documentation. But I would be wasting my time,since a die hard atheist won''t/can''t see the truth even if they trip over it. The idiots kaiser wilhelm and hitler were responsible for over 100 million deaths and they sure were not christian.

[gkc99]

"The idiots kaiser wilhelm and hitler were responsible for over 100 million deaths and they sure were not christian. "--Posted by jankebenz


Bzzt! Wrong! It''s well documented they were both Christian.

In particular Hitler had all the Christian life cycle ceremonies (baptism, etc.), and referred to the Christian god in his speeches and book.

Too bad Christians can''t take responsibility for other Christians who did bad things.

This kind of denial is a mental deficit typical of many who call themselves Christian.

[gkc99]

"Polygamist Sect Encouraged Fear"


Just like many fundy cults, bornagain endtimers. For example, the Colorado Springs megachurches promote a view like this for non-Mormon protestants.

These are natural constituents of the Bushits and the Republicans.

All thrive on fear.

[hungry1968]

Polygamist Sect Encouraged Fear
Children At Texas Compound Were Told That The Outside World Is Hostile And Immoral





That''s Perfect!!!

Christian churches encourage you to be afraid of their god, or you''ll "be punished", "won''t inherit the kingdom of god", etc, etc.

And then they teach their children that other religions and atheists are hostile and immoral.

EVERY christian should be familiar with this song and dance.

It would be laughable, if it wasn''t so terrifying!

[hungry1968]

this IS not romneys group

anyone with half a brain knows this

Posted by bdrlnt4rl at 05:56 PM : Apr 11, 2008




If they worship a god(s), then they''re part of the problem - NOT the solution.

[down-ndirty]

The idiots kaiser wilhelm and hitler were responsible for over 100 million deaths and they sure were not christian.
Posted by jankebenz at 06:18 PM : Apr 11, 2008
----------------------

Too bad, but you''re wrong.

It''s too easy to blame all the "bad" on atheism. Hitler was Christian and his troops wore "Gott Mitt Uns" (god is with us) on their uniforms. Hitler truely believed he was carrying out God''s will.

[voltaire333]

What!? A religion that uses fear to indoctrinate!? That''s unheard of! It''s outrageous! It''s contemptible! Oh, wait, all religions do that. Never mind.

[down-ndirty]

Wasn''t the angel that gave the vision of this church named Moron?
Posted by yongamerica at 05:04 PM : Apr 11, 2008
--------------------

Yes. It''s actual name was "moroni" which, I believe, is Latin for "moron."

[fake-id-2009]

this IS not romneys group
anyone with half a brain knows this
Posted by bdrlnt4rl at 05:56 PM : Apr 11, 2008
-------------------------------

So, if you know that does it mean you have half a brain?

I''m amazed at the hostility of so-called "religious" people. No wonder there''s so much violence in the world.

[joyous88]

Gee!

This evangelical coven of rapists,

Just like the cathoic priest coven of rapist

and just like our evangelical criminal of a president

all encourage fear, what will the republiCONs think

of next,

four more McBushCain

[fake-id-2009]

Fear is what all religon works on, how else could they so effectively control the gullible.
Posted by rheola at 06:11 PM : Apr 11, 2008
--------------------------

Fear and ignorance; you betcha''. Eighty-seven percent of ignorant people are very religious; the other 13% can''t read.

[voltaire333]

I could prove you wrong with thousands of pages of evidence and documentation. But I would be wasting my time,since a die hard atheist won''''t/can''''t see the truth even if they trip over it. The idiots kaiser wilhelm and hitler were responsible for over 100 million deaths and they sure were not christian.

Posted by jankebenz at 06:18 PM : Apr 11, 2008

jankebenz, Hitler used christianity to commit atrocities. I could show you thousands of pages of evidence to prove how dangerous religion is, but it would do no good. A die-hard christian is immune to evidence and reason.

[toolmangler-2009]

You idiots will kill us all if you do not stop believing in fairy tales which have absolutely no scientific evidence whatsoever to even suggest the possibility that they might be true.
Posted by fibonacci_ at 04:55 PM : Apr 11, 2008



I didn''t call ''you'' an idiot and I won''t. I never met you or talked long enough to have a basis for that ''opinion''. I will refute your statement about fairy tales in this way. You cannot find that which you never looked for properly. I agree that "Organized religion" has caused a great deal of harm in this world, the biggest problem there is people that set about proving something out of skepticisim or denial. If I were a Supreme type being, I would ignore those that didn''t even try t find me before denying me, as it says in Jesus own words "Deny me, and I will deny you to my father". Plain enough spoken.

creation proves evolution to me and evolution proves creation. If people cannot see that, I am sorry for them. They have the same information I do and can come to the same realization I did if they only look in the right place, (their hearts during prayer) BTW, People don''t know how to pray. They keep making plea''s to GOD without doing what he asked first. A true prayer is a talk with GOD in your heart to try and understand his word better. You don''t have one thing that GOD needs but your love, He made all of this so he owns it already, You can share it to the max under the right conditions, but that all depends on you.

[fake-id-2009]

A die-hard christian is immune to evidence and reason.
Posted by Voltaire333 at 07:14 PM : Apr 11, 2008
--------------------------

True. Anyone who believes the earth is no more than 10,000 years old is certainly not willing to accept reasonable evidence of the secular world.

Religious people NEED that supernatural being looking over their shoulder and monitoring their every thought to keep them on the "straight and narrow."

"There is in every village a torch - the teacher; and an extinguisher - the clergyman." ...Victor Hugo

[pastdue1]

The idiots kaiser wilhelm and hitler were responsible for over 100 million deaths and they sure were not christian.
Posted by jankebenz at 06:18 PM : Apr 11, 2008

They believed that they were Christians ~just like many ''believers'' today . It is the ''believers'' who make up their own Christianity and use fear to coerce and force everyone else to obey a specific idea of faith that are the most destructive to others and civilization.
Anyone or anything that uses fear to get their way should be viewed with severe skepticism.

[toolmangler-2009]

Those that enjoy science always see it as the ultimate answer. Using ''science'' they have found thousands of possible reasons for existance. The Mathematically gifted have seen the ''universe'' in an equation. and that is answer enough for them. For me the answer is still unfolding with the realization that GOD has a reason for making us and it wasn''t to have someone to praise his name. he can do that with a thought. So in my mind and heart I ask, "what could GOD need from a species that is so hard to teach? I have pondered this most of my life and once in a while I think I might have a faint glimmer. When ever I come to that point, I always wish I had written it down after it has gone. This time is different. I have this vision of GOD as I have always known him but with a difference. This time I get the impression of a lonely entity with all powers, but that of competition with him/herself, ''competition'' is probably not the word I should use but right now it is all I have. If I were a ''All powerful" I would want to share, ''everything'' for eternity. Being the only one would be a drag (even if I were a 3 in 1 (tripartite) being. ''One'' is a lonely number, like the song says.
(end part 1)

[toolmangler-2009]

(begin part 2)
My puny mind sees the the universe as a petri dish (even that is wrong, but again...) That we have ''self determination'' goes without saying. The ''creator'' has given us free will and the ability to discern right from wrong. he (for lack of a better word) has given his commands for us to follow and time after time has revamped his way of dealing with us. Making us in his image (reasoning, self-aware and innovative) he tried to guide us (the beginning) in his way of doing things, that having not gone the way he hoped, he turned us loose to live or die by our own hands. I see him gently nudging us along and every body resisting (parental guidance) and going our own way. It looks like at more than one time we got too big for our britches and needed reigning in and also at one juncture we almost were eradicated but he stopped short and allowed life to continue because a few had started to resemble the beings he was interested in having around him later on. By no means am I trying to assign a timeline to this exercise in thought because time has no meaning to a (to us) eternal being. Impressions are all I have to work with. The many attempts to form a ''GODs'' people came very short of the goals that had been set. In the latter days a drastic policy was born in the form of a human frame for one portion of this tremendous being, that form was shown as something ''man'' had not created by having been born of a virgin.

[voltaire333]

read the new once in a while.

Posted by bdrlnt4rl at 05:37 PM : Apr 11, 2008

Oh, I''m sorry, I was reading the "old" testament where it says:

"Now kill all the boys and all the women who have slept with a man. Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves." Numbers 31:7-18 NLT

Should we maybe destroy all copies of the Old Testament? This is so confusing. I wish God would quit changing his mind!

[fake-id-2009]

"My feeling as a Christian points me to my Lord and Saviour as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized thes Jews for what the were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God''s truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. ...

Martin Luther described the Jews as a "brood of vipers" and said that "All Jews should be driven from Germany." Adolph Hitler referred to Luther''s words in the above speech in 1922.

So don''t tell me that Christianity and most other religions are not violent.

[feddupp]

For all who believe that "all" religions use "fear" to "control," I beg to differ.
TRUE Christianity (which means FOLLOWING the teachings of Jesus Christ) means love, mercy and kindness, etc.
What "fear" is there in the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, etc. (whose organizations are based on Christian moral principles) as they go about HELPING and providing AID, comfort and counseling to those in NEED?
How sad for you misguided and bigoted (AGAINST true Christian) people! Would to God that you could be struck by the Holy Spirit as Saul/Paul was on the Damascus Road and receive the TRUE revelation of Jesus Christ!

[fake-id-2009]

FOLLOWING the teachings of Jesus Christ) means love, mercy and kindness, etc.
What "fear" is there in the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, etc. (whose organizations are based on Christian moral principles) as they go about HELPING and providing AID, comfort and counseling to those in NEED?
Posted by feddupp at 07:39 PM : Apr 11, 2008
---------------------------

Tell that to Pat Robertson. He condemned a town in PA because they simply voted most of the "religious crackpots" off of the school board.

Citing the good work of the Salvation Army and the Red Cross (this atheist donates to both) has merit but is a weak argument.

In addition to the violence, what I see in religion is far more visible than the good work of those groups cited above. I see wealthy clergymen (and a FEW women) who live in very big, indeed HUGE homes, drive fancy cars, and who would not give you the time of day outside the very fancy church. It''s hardly what Christ had in mind when he was teaching Judaism while walking around in sandles and rags.

[fake-id-2009]

Time for dinner. I''ll leave you with these words from a very famous atheist, Thomas Jefferson:

"The priests of the different religious sects...dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight, and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subdivision of the duperies on which they live."

[jankebenz]

Hitler was a christian??????????? ANYONE who thinks that, is the epitome of a true idiot and denier.

The claim is sometimes made that Hitler was a Christian - a Roman Catholic until the day he died. In fact, Hitler rejected Christianity.

The book Hitler''s Secret Conversations 1941-1944 published by Farrar, Straus and Young, Inc.first edition, 1953, contains definitive proof of Hitler''s real views. The book was published in Britain under the title, _Hitler''s Table Talk 1941-1944, which title was used for the Oxford University Press paperback edition in the United States


All of these are quotes from Adolf Hitler:


Night of 11th-12th July, 1941:


National Socialism and religion cannot exist together.... The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of Christianity. Bolshevism is Christianity''s illegitimate child. Both are inventions of the Jew. The deliberate lie in the matter of religion was introduced into the world by Christianity.... Let it not be said that Christianity brought man the life of the soul, for that evolution was in the natural order of things. (p 6 & 7)

[jankebenz]

"Hitler was a neo-pagan terrorist whose conscience was not informed by Christianity, but by pseudo-scientific racist philosophies. Hitler hated the Catholic Church, made plans to kill the Pope, authorized the murder of thousands of priests and nuns, and did everything he could to suppress the influence of the Church. In 1933, Hitler said, ''It is through the peasantry that we shall really be able to destroy Christianity
answers.org/apologetics/

[jankebenz]

Voltaire!you say you like to pontificate.Big word, but lets look at the meaning

pon7tif7i7cate (pn-tf-kt, -kt)
n.
The office or term of office of a pontiff.
intr.v. (-kt) pon7tif7i7cat7ed, pon7tif7i7cat7ing, pon7tif7i7cates
1. To express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way.

dog7mat7ic (dtg-mtk, dg-)
adj.
1. Relating to, characteristic of, or resulting from dogma.
2. Characterized by an authoritative, arrogant assertion of unproved or unprovable principles

Well! you are a pontificator after all.

[veteran72]

Religion: Keeping Retardds Occupied for 2000 years.

[babooph]

Using fear to promote sick behavior-now why does that ring a bell?

[taoman2]

Brain wash, child molestation, rape and incest in the name of God is shameful and to be condemned. Religious extremists are bundle of the devil themselves

[jankebenz]

Hitler was not a christian,but a form of the antichrist as noted below.

Goerdeler, the former mayor of Leipzig, would have become German chancellor in a democratic government, had one of the 30-odd coup attempts against the fuhrer succeeded.
Goerdeler, funded by Robert Bosch, traveled around the world before World War II trying to warn leaders of Hitler''s intentions. His message was: Hitler wants to destroy three enemies -- first the Jews, then the Christians and ultimately, capitalism.
"Judaism has inflamed his hatred with its doctrine of the one God who affects man''s entire life with his laws and commandments," Goerdeler confided to his Political Testament, which he deposited in New York before war broke out.
"Next, his hatred will turn on the Christian religion. Humility and charity render him rabid ... Hitler puts himself in the place of Christ."
cadre.org/topics/hitler.

[wonderyman-2009]

Why all the talk about Hitler and Nazism?
This is about a sick paedophile "religious" sect in the US - literally farming girls for abuse.
How could this continue for so long without any interference from authorities?
Is home schooling partly to blame?
These girls could never have been isolated from the outside world if they had been enrolled in public schools.

[idnnsg]

"Polygamist Sect Encouraged Fear"

Just what Bush and Cheney do! Fear is the easiest way to control people. Make up an enemy, stir up fear, promise to "protect" the fearful, and they''ll do ANYTHING you ask!

It''s no accident that so many "Christians" support Bush''s eternal bloody warfare. They have been conditioned by their religion to fall for this evil trick.

[jankebenz]

Ignore all the apostles especially the 13th wannabe Saul / Paul (Evangelicals love him). Paul would have been the first cast a stone. He is antithetical to Jesus-s teaching and yet he is quoted often. It goes to show the bible is muddled contradictory mess of script that only a simpleton could find comfort in accepting as the ''''truth''''.

Posted by curse914 at 09:20 PM : Apr 11, 2008

Its incredible that so many people with so little understanding of the bible,will use that ignorance to render their verdict of the book.Nowhere, in any part of the bible, by anyone ,esp.the apostle Paul,will you find contradiction to Jesus''s teachings.Paul in fact fully elaborated on Jesus''s message and gospel and willingly endured suffering ,torture,and even death to uphold his convictions.

[jodiharrison]

This is a Mormon group. And yes Mormons do believe in poligamy. I was one for the majority of my life. We were married(sealed in the temple) for mulitple women to one man, after they were dead. he only reason they don''t practice it now is because it is against the law. I am a Christian now. Mormons are not Christians. The men believe they will be gods and people their own world if they are good enough and will have multiple wives and they will produce the spirit children to inhabit the world. So women get to be eternally pregnant. There is only one GOD. Man cannot be a god and when he thinks he can bad always happens. Christ paid our price and did the work, he loves us women and men as well. Please stop bashing Christians all the time. Most of you who do that have never even read the Bible or know the sacrifices Christians make to help people or the persecution they suffer. Hitler killed Christians and jews and any one who opposed his ruthless insanity. He was a follower of Darwin and Nietzsche. The evolution of the fittest the super race. Nietzsche died in an insane institution and Darwin renounced his evolution theory before he died. But ruthless tyrants have established terror based on these men''s theories. No not Christians, we believe that we are greated in the image of Christ and that we have to love our fellow man.

[jankebenz]

There is not one moral, nor law that has been laid down in the bible that could not have been fashioned in the mind of an Athiest.

Posted by curse914 at 09:12 PM : Apr 11, 2000

Very easy to prove you wrong! Atheists don''t believe in God

exodus20
And God spoke all these words, saying: ''I am the LORD your God%u2026

ONE: ''You shall have no other gods before Me.''


Matthew 22:37
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

[wlmrtpatriot]

Since there is no God to some and no religion to others. That means also that Israel is just another place on the map or ? There is no creator who had a great plan of design or In the beginning there was nothing and it exploded?
The atheists believe in what? nothing-- that is so boring to me since I always have hope.
Why all these holy wars?
If the whole of the Old Testament is a lie, then the New Testament is also. The muslims also believe they have an inheritance in there somewhere. So what''s the big deal? Hitler was a lunatic right?
So sit down everybody the atheists are right, there is nothing to fight for. Tell everybody else that.
I think I finally understand the mind of an atheist. I''m not picking on the atheists, I finally understand their point of view and why they say the things they say. I still have hope there is something more.