FLDS
milarso
Posts: 1,280
I'm currently reading the book "Under The Banner Of Heaven" by John Krakauer (same guy who wrote Into the Wild). A former coworker recommended the book to me a few years ago when I lived in southwest Colorado, but just recently took the time to start reading it.
For anyone not familiar with the book, it focuses on the ritualistic murders of a Mormon woman and her child. The murder, a Mormon Fundamentalist, claimed he was instructed by God to kill the pair. While this is the main theme, the rest of the book explores the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. It seems like a very strange/interesting religion. The FLDS still believes in polygamy, and, according to the book, as well as recent media coverage of an incident in Texas this past summer, apparently they marry of their girls pretty young. Sometimes as young as 13 or 14 years old. Just seems pretty odd to me.
I was wondering if anyone else had any insight on the book or the religion as a whole. A lot of the beliefs just seem beyond me, and I'm trying to understand it. Also, are their any Mormons out there that want to weigh in. From what I understand, even though the Fundamentalists consider themselves and offshoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, most Mormons condemn the views of the FLDS as well as polygamy.
For anyone not familiar with the book, it focuses on the ritualistic murders of a Mormon woman and her child. The murder, a Mormon Fundamentalist, claimed he was instructed by God to kill the pair. While this is the main theme, the rest of the book explores the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. It seems like a very strange/interesting religion. The FLDS still believes in polygamy, and, according to the book, as well as recent media coverage of an incident in Texas this past summer, apparently they marry of their girls pretty young. Sometimes as young as 13 or 14 years old. Just seems pretty odd to me.
I was wondering if anyone else had any insight on the book or the religion as a whole. A lot of the beliefs just seem beyond me, and I'm trying to understand it. Also, are their any Mormons out there that want to weigh in. From what I understand, even though the Fundamentalists consider themselves and offshoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, most Mormons condemn the views of the FLDS as well as polygamy.
"The dude abides. I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' her easy for all us sinners."
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Most Mormons I knew don't practice the extreme nature of the FLDS, but the don't seem to mind it either.
When I read the book I was working at an agency that provided foster care for some of the children removed from the compound in west Texas. I wasn't involved in caring for them but all the staff were affected because we saw them everyday and because the media hovered around in droves. It made me want to learn more about the religion.
I found a lot of things about the religion to be very problematic, especially marrying off the girls so young, but also the subservience of women, the dogmatic leadership, kicking out young boys with no skills to fend for themselves. Whenever a religion tells its members to isolate themselves from other people, I feel like something is wrong.