Polygamist faces trial in daughter's beating | Deseret News

A 16-year-old girl wept as she told a judge how her polygamist father took her to a remote family ranch near the Utah-Idaho border and whipped her with a belt because she rebelled against a marriage to his brother.

Twenty-eight times her father, John Daniel Kingston, whipped her, she testified, before she apparently passed out.On Wednesday, 1st District Judge Ben Hadfield ordered Kingston, 43, a prominent member of a Utah polygamist group, to stand trial for the May 24 assault on the girl.

Kingston faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The girl's voice cracked throughout her testimony and she cried openly when Box Elder County Attorney Jon Bunderson asked her to identify the man who hit her. She pointed to Kingston.

Polygamist faces trial in daughter's beating | Deseret News

Sex abuse allegations have rocked the polygamous church of ‘Sister Wives,’ causing rift from Utah to Montana - The Salt Lake Tribune

She had dated a boy her age off and on for years. They discussed getting married. Then, in fall 2014, a dispute erupted in their church — the Apostolic United Brethren, a so-called Mormon fundamentalist group that believes in polygamy.

A daughter and two nieces accused Lynn Thompson, the AUB president, of fondling or molesting them as girls. Some in Pinesdale — a community so small with so few surnames that they call one another by their first names — continued following Lynn, now 77 years old, either because they still believe he was a prophet of God or that the allegations against him weren’t true or they just didn’t want to risk dividing their families.

Sex abuse allegations have rocked the polygamous church of ‘Sister Wives,’ causing rift from Utah to Montana - The Salt Lake Tribune

Mexico police detain US 'sect leader' after triple murder - BBC News

Police raided three houses and two ranches belonging to Orson William Black Jr, 56, who is wanted on charges of child abuse in the US.

Prosecutors say he is also a suspect in the killing of three US citizens in the area in September.

Twenty-six other people living on the properties were also detained.

The arrests come less than two months after 23-year-old Jesse Barlow and brothers Robert and Michael Black, aged 19 and 15 respectively, were shot dead at Rancho El Negro.

It is not clear if they were relatives or followers of Mr Black, or if they had been taken to the property against their will.

Mexico police detain US 'sect leader' after triple murder - BBC News

UPDATED::Jail time for man, woman in B.C. child bride case | CTV News

UPDATE::  Appeal filed in B.C. child-bride case by member of polygamous sect

A British Columbia woman wants her conviction overturned after she was sentenced to seven months in jail for taking a 13-year-old girl to the United States to marry the leader of a polygamous church.

Gail Blackmore has filed an appeal arguing B.C. Supreme Court Justice Paul Pearlman was wrong to find her guilty and imposed a sentence that is unduly harsh and excessive.

Blackmore and her former husband, Brandon Blackmore, were found guilty in February of removing a child from Canada for a sexual purpose.

A British Columbia judge who sentenced a former husband and wife to jail for taking a 13-year-old girl to the United States to marry the leader of their religious sect says he wants to "send a clear message" about the removal of children to the others in the polygamous community of Bountiful, B.C.

Brandon Blackmore, 71, has been sentenced to a year in jail, while his ex-wife, Gail Blackmore, 60, was handed a term of seven months. Both have been ordered to serve 18 months of probation.

Just before Justice Paul Pearlman of the B.C. Supreme Court finished reading his decision, the young woman at the centre of the case asked to address the court.

Jail time for man, woman in B.C. child bride case | CTV News

Tiny Tombstones: Inside the FLDS Graveyard for Babies Born from Incest | Broadly

The lot is unmarked and unremarkable. There is no sign. A scrappy white wooden fence runs the length of it along Canyon Street. It is bordered to the north by a well-maintained lot where there sits a stately red brick home with UEP (United Effort Plan, the church trust which is now controlled by the state of Utah in the aftermath of Jeffs' conviction) spelled out in white brick on its south-facing side. At the lot's northwest corner, a metal gate—the kind you might find on a cattle ranch—hangs open on its hinge. The baby cemetery is a mess of overgrown weeds and dry, cracked dirt, home to hundreds of infant and toddler-size graves, not all of them marked. Many of the souls interred here lived not longer than a day, some just two days, two weeks, or two years. Some feature more expensive-looking gravestones, and include, beyond names and dates, terms of endearment such as: "Sweet baby girl," "Our son," and "Heaven's very special child." Still more, rather cryptically, feature child-size palm and footprints.

There are baby graves year that date back as earlier as the 1950s, potentially even earlier: many are unmarked. The last infant grave marked in this cemetery is dated 2010; Warren issued an edict from prison banning sex in 2011, so few infants have been born since then (the few babies born each year are the product of institutionalized rape by cult-appointed seed bearers). There are also graves lacking any dates whatsoever. Some read simply, "Baby Keate," or "Baby Bateman," or "Baby Cooke," with holes where numeric date tiles might otherwise be placed.

The quick answer for why this polygamous community has buried so many of its children is inbreeding, according to community members. Almost everyone here is some variation of cousin, and, until Warren was locked up and decided to put a hold on all marriages, most men and women were paired together in order to preserve certain esteemed bloodlines. Sisters married the same man in polygamous celestial weddings; brothers from one family married sisters from another (meaning their kids are double cousins). And, because this cult is so tight-knit and averse to strangers, the gene pool is rather limited.

Tiny Tombstones: Inside the FLDS Graveyard for Babies Born from Incest | Broadly

UPDATED::FLDS exiles praise documentary film on prophet's abuses

UPDATE::  The Fundamentalist Mormon Sect That Blends Polygamy, Child Rape and Organized Crime

Jeffs made the FBI’s Most Wanted list in the mid-2000s, spent several years as a fugitive, and was ultimately convicted on two counts of sexual assault against children by a Texas jury in 2011. During Jeffs’ two trials (an earlier conviction in Utah was thrown out), Mormon fundamentalism became an object of cultural fascination, inspiring the HBO series “Big Love.” That has faded, and Jeffs is almost certain to spend the rest of his life in prison. But as filmmaker Amy Berg’s new Showtime documentary “Prophet’s Prey” makes clear, the FLDS empire of rape and misogyny and child labor and relentless ideological and psychological domination appears to go on much as before. Despite his isolation and his precarious mental condition, Jeffs continues to command the devotion and obedience of his 10,000 or so followers from behind bars, like an old-time Mob boss with a direct line to God.
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Along with author and journalist Jon Krakauer (and arguably now Berg, whose documentary features both of them and is based on Brower’s book of the same title), Brower has done more to expose the enormous but almost invisible criminal empire built by Warren Jeffs than anyone in the world. Furthermore, in the larger context of social and religious history, Brower is clearly correct that the disturbing story of the Jeffs family and the FLDS Church reflects issues that go far beyond the contradictions of Mormon theology and the weirdness of the American West.

More on Warren Jeffs, 'Prophet's Prey' and the FLDS:

• New details released about Polygamist sect leader, ‘seed bearers’ 
• Nothing Can Stop Mormon Cult Leader Warren Jeffs
• ‘Prophet’s Prey’: Inside Warren Jeffs’ Polygamist Cult
•  Children of Warren Jeffs accuse him of sexual abuse

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Ben Thomas, a former work manager for Hildale’s Phaze Concrete, watched with some discomfort Friday night as he was projected on the big screen at Springdale’s O.C. Tanner Amphitheater during the DOCUTAH film festival’s premiere showing of “Prophet’s Prey,” a documentary on the local polygamist community.

“I thought it went really well. … It was really well done,” Thomas said prior to being invited onstage at the film’s close for a question and answer panel.

“But it was really hard to watch,” he said. “My brother-in-law runs (Phaze) now – as far as I know. They feel like I threw them under the bus” by deciding to appear in the documentary.

A few hundred people made the trek to the outdoor amphitheater on the doorstep of Zion National Park to see the insiders-on-the-outside accounts of life under Warren Jeffs, the prophet of the film’s name. DOCUTAH officials estimated about 800 more filled Dixie State University’s Cox Auditorium nearly to capacity Saturday for the film festival’s final-day showing.

Among those viewing the film for the first time were a number of the film’s participants, such as Thomas. Thomas’ role included talking about how he monitored the contractor’s large commercial concrete jobs from Seattle to New Mexico and helped funnel money to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the direction of Jeffs’ religious hierarchy.
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Following DOCUTAH, the movie will have its East Coast theatrical premiere in New York City at an event attended by its executive producers, including famous director-actor Ron Howard. Then it will debut on the West Coast in Los Angeles, followed by additional showings in big markets across the country, Brower said.

On Oct. 10, it will premiere on Showtime’s television outlet and completes its bid for consideration among Oscar and Emmy award nominees.

FLDS exiles praise documentary film on prophet's abuses

'Sister Wives' family points to same-sex marriage cases in arguing against Utah polygamy ban | The Salt Lake Tribune

 You know that "slippery slope" the bigots are always talking about?  Well this isn't it,,,

The family of Kody Brown on Wednesday answered Utah's appeal to reinstate a ban on polygamy, and the family's brief is notable for what's there now that wasn't before. 

The Browns' attorney Jonathan Turley wages many of the same arguments that were successful in the lower court. But now Turley also cites recent rulings affirming same-sex marriage. 

That includes the U.S. Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the court upheld the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry, and Kitchen v. Herbert, the case that brought same-sex marriage to Utah. Turley also cites a Supreme Court case that decriminalized all gay sex as sodomy, Lawrence V. Texas. 

"From the rejection of morality legislation in Lawrence to the expansion of the protections of liberty interests in Obergefell, it is clear that states can no longer use criminal codes to coerce or punish those who choose to live in consensual but unpopular unions," Turley wrote in his answer to Utah's appeal.

I will be the first to admit that I struggle with the whole idea of polygamy, I just don't get it.  But I will also admit that my POV is biased in the sense that I can't completely get past the abuses - ie Warren Jeffs. With that in mind though, it boils down to one thing, as noted above, "states can no longer use criminal codes to coerce or punish those who choose to live in consensual but unpopular unions."

What makes this case interesting from a legal standpoint, it has nothing to do with polygamy per se.  The Browns' are not seeking legal recognition for the multiple spouses.  There are no laws concerning age of consent being broken or challenged. And finally, everywhere but Utah, their living arrangement is perfectly legal. This is about whether Brown can live with multiple woman in Utah as he could anywhere else in the country.  Hence the 14th Amendment challenge.

'Sister Wives' family points to same-sex marriage cases in arguing against Utah polygamy ban | The Salt Lake Tribune

Teen says Port St. Lucie couple sexually abused her for 5 years - wptv.com

Sometimes I struggle with the stories I choose to highlight.  For example, my last post concerning Rashida Chowdhury, where motivation for the crime is not so readily apparent - media focus fell not on the plight of Bangladeshi immigrants and their struggle to adjust but her reasoning, "an evil spirit had taken over the boy."  I am guilty of it as well.  Although I try not to be sensationalize I do have an agenda in bringing to light the abuses within "the church" or with religious ideology.  

But, then we have "this" widely reported story, another example of the dangers of associated with the toxic combination of homeschooling and religious extremism.

She told investigators within the first week of living with the Johnson's that the husband and wife told her that to become part of the family she would have to have sex with them. She says she was forced to perform sexual acts on both.

"If she did not, the threat was that she would be turned over to state custody,” said Detective Herrington says.

Investigators say the couple, specifically the husband, used the Bible to justify the abuse. The alleged victim told police that Rob Johnson studied the Old Testament and even held Sunday school at the home for the entire family.

The victim also told investigators the sexual abuse occurred twice a week for more than five years.

True to their religious batshittery, Rob and Marie Johnson held Sunday school classes for their family at their home every week,,,sigh!

Depending on your particular POV, the Bible can be said to have many uses: a moral guide, a guide for inspiration and hope, for some a science book. (Just examples, and no, I don't agree with any of these.)  What it should not be, an excuse for unbalanced individuals.  Ya know, like,,, Josh Duggar who claims that gay people are pedophiles while molesting his own sisters and then claim forgivness because prayer somehow absolves him of all responsibility and wrongdoing.

All to often, the Bible and religion (primarily religions based in Judaeo-Christian dogma) are used to justify everything from out right child abuse (read Reynoso's conclusion), to raping a child multiple times, or worse yet killing; to traffic accidents, to denying civil rights.

Contrary to the claims of he/she/they, are not "my" kind of Christian, the Bible does appear to support the above claim of the Johnson's and many others.  BUT (and it is a huge one from a hermeneutical perspective), although the OT is replete with examples of polygamous relationships (Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon), it is a matter of interpretation as to whether God condones such.  For simplicity sake, let's just say every time a man took more than one wife there were problems.  (Keep in mind that this micro-synopsis, is not taking into consideration Paul's teachings in the NT.  Taken at face value, there appears to be a contradiction.)**  And therein lies the problem, it is a matter of interpretation:

Rob and Marie Johnson reportedly believe in Old Testament law regarding marriage, under which a man can have many wives who are ultimately his property. The girl was ordered to call Jeff “Master” and to submit to his and Marie’s sexual advances whenever they ordered her to.

The Johnsons reportedly preyed on the young girl’s fear of being abandoned by telling her that if she wanted to be part of their family, she had to have sex with them.

Taken a sickening step further, child rape (cf. Deuteronomy 20:10-14, Numbers 31:7-18, Judges 21:10-24) is not only condones child rape rape but demands it.  While many choose to ignore the OT, others like the Johnsons, take advantage of it to do evil in the world.

Teen says Port St. Lucie couple sexually abused her for 5 years - wptv.com

 **If I have the mental energy, I may delve into what the Bible does say concerning polygomy.  Suffice it to say it is not a topic one can approach in a few short paragraphs.

Fred King, Violent Polygamist, Out On Bail

Fred King, Violent Polygamist, Out On Bail (via http://worldcultwatch.org)

Frederick Madison King was released from custody Wednesday on $50,000 bail under terms which include no contact with the alleged victims of sexual and physical assaults and threats at the "cult-like" Chatsworth church he headed. City police and special…

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DIRTY HALOS | Indiegogo

The title of this film was formerly "THE RISE AND FALL OF ZION" but has changed to "DIRTY HALO'S" for simplicity purposes, and to be more specific to the story that evolved after filming.

My name is Amber Dawn Lee and I am the survivor of a cult of evil men and women who were ultimately brought to justice and forced to pay for their crimes. Years later, I go inside the secretive cult that was the founding sect of the one I was raised within. What I discovered was darker than I ever imagined. Did I understand the foundation of fundamentalist groups? Did I know the similarities between the Fundamental Latter Day saints and my own upbringing? Could I direct a crew to film without breaking down and crying myself over my own traumas?

Was anyone going to understand? Could anyone understand? Did I even understand it all?

WARNING: There some disturbing images and conversation in the included video clip,,,some of you may not like what you see!!

DIRTY HALOS | Indiegogo