Comments on: Children of Polygamy: Broken Bones, Broken Spirits?

By: Marjorie

Marjorie — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:01:07 +0000

Please don't blame the mothers for not defending their children. These women have been subject to continual emotional and psychological abuse which can make it nearly impossible for them to react in a way that most people would consider appropriate or instinctive. Most of these women are not bad or uncaring parents.

We wonder how battered wives stay with (and often defend) their husbands. This is no different. The women and children on the ranch will need a great deal of counseling to overcome what they have been subjected to. I hope they are able to get it. Someone must intervene to break the cycle. If it needs to be the government, so be it.

By: Rai

Rai — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:58:55 +0000

The courage of this woman deserves an award. However the down right disgusting behavior at the hands of these men and the females who also carry out these disgusting acts deserve jail time and really much more.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:28:54 +0000

The 10% statistic for the FLDS children means that on the day the compound was raided, one out of every ten children had an unhealed broken bone. If you included the FLDS children who at some point in their young lives had a broken bone, the percentage would be far higher.

By: James S. Minnesota

James S. Minnesota — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:05:58 +0000

This is why i do not really believe in religion.

By: treasa

treasa — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:15 +0000

i also read this book months ago after i read about it in the dentist's office. it's horrendous. i feel so bad for the children and the brainwashing of those women. i'm very glad carolyn jessop escaped with all 8 of her children, safely.

By: Edward

Edward — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:25:49 +0000

come on! Is this supposed to be something new? You know Texas authorities (and others)have known about this for a long long time. Could it be it's just too much trouble to do anything about it? Special rules and exemptions from laws for religious nuts! Of course the men know they have a good thing going... too good a thing going to give up all that sex.

By: AL

AL — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:22:09 +0000

Where are all the adolescent boys??? CNN reports that the numbers of boys and girls under the age of 12 are about equal, but "there are only 17 boys aged 14 to 17 compared with the 53 girls in that age range." So, an even number of boys and girls are being born there but suddenly, right when they reach adolescence, the number of boys drops to less than HALF the number of girls. What are these people doing with all the boys??? Are they exiling them all or worse? I think CPS needs to get a thorough accounting of births, deaths, and ex-communications to determine exactly what kinds of atrocities are occurring here.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:15:32 +0000

If you think the above account is disturbing, you should read the whole book. I just finished it over the weekend and felt so sick that this goes on, right under our noses. God has blessed Carolyn with the strength to flee abuse and being degraded. Women are equal and should be treated as such!

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:45:44 +0000

Max-

You claim people are parroting what the media is saying. Yes, for some that might be true and I do not pretend to be so ignorant of the past and other cultures that I do not see that under age marriage has been going on since forever. The underlying question is abuse ever right? Even in relation to religion?

There are two Christian parents being put on trail because they prayed instead of taking their daughter to a hospital. Their daughter died. They do not believe in modern medicine, but their daughter's life could have been saved. Should we wait around until one of those children is confirmed dead from a beating? Since the community is mostly OLD men do you ever wonder where the younger boys are? Where are they and their wives? And if you believe they should be able to hide their abuses and crimes behind the first amendment think of this: No other religion in America, that I know of, willfully violates the law like they do. They defied the laws of Texas and should be punished for it. Would you sit by so complacently if the priest of the Catholic Church said abusing little boys was part of their religion and we have the freedom of religion here? I really do not think so.

By: Jane

Jane — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:15:08 +0000

This is just so sad! I've been bothered by all this because for the life of me I can't understand why the authorities sit back and don't arrest these people. They have been committing a known crime for years. If you or I had more than one spouse we would be arrested on the spot. Why do they allow this to go on. That is not the only crime. Sex with a minor is also illegal even if it is not found as "rape", it is still against the law. They simply need to enforce the laws that are already on the books instead of just sitting back and letting it all exist while they close their eyes. Even if the "abuse" is unfounded there are still a couple of laws that can and should throw these people in jail.

They clearly don't have the same God! This isn't a religion its a cult. My God would not stand for the abuse and controling behavior of these men. God is about love, compassion, kindness and respect. None of which these people have or exhibit.

By: El

El — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:23:12 +0000

People look for anything – something – that makes sense in difficult times. For those people who idealize the past, that includes fundamentalist religions. Everything they do, from wearing the pioneer women's clothing to living in communal and isolated places is a way of 'escaping' the modern world....

Clearly from this book the abuses of the modern (and, sadly, old world) still exist...without modern moderators such as teachers, community leaders, etc to protect the rights and needs of children. Someone asked why women stay – they stay because they have no education, few options, and children – some of which have already been told that Mommy is 'bad' becuse she defys Daddy. WIth a megalomaniac like Jeffs leading this group, and indoctrinated members following like sheep, it becomes morally imperative that we as outsiders and other Americans, do what we can to protect those innocent. My thoughs are with anybody involved in this awful case in Texas...maybe eventually the children can recover.

By: Paula

Paula — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:43:25 +0000

How could they do that to a small child?
It's frightening to think that this kind of thing is still happening in the world.
Best wishes to you.

By: tash

tash — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:35:33 +0000

I really do this this cult should be closed down and the poor mothers and children sould be placed back in to society ......... the " husbands " sould be placeced into prision where they belong for rape and childabuse !!!!!!!!

By: meaghan

meaghan — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:13:12 +0000

I recently read this book, and believe it to be true. I applaud Carolyn for leaving and pressing the attorney general in Utah to hear her.
This cult has many issues, abuses in the name of "heavenly father", "bleeding the beast"....criminal seems like a nice word to use.
I agree with Clydene, anyone who has a beating heart should be writing to the attorney general's of Arizona and Utah, demanding that this "city" be investigated. Two years ago, when Jon Quinones went to the city, the police chief showed up and demanded the filming stop and the filming crew had to leave...that was 2 years ago!!! People wake up, write your letters and spend the money on a stamp!
This is appalling, it is not religious persecution...it is our responsiblity to protect religious freedom, but holding those accountable that use religion as a front for crime-on many levels.
Praise be to God that this is being shown for what it is, and now anyone who has a conscience, get writing!!!!
BTW, is it a coincidence that Utah has not investigated this town, or would it reveal more "sealed" marriages in Salt Lake?

By: MD in Seattle

MD in Seattle — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:50:52 +0000

Max, what "hospital statistics" are you quoting when you reference your figures? If you are including things like broken fingers or jammed toes you might come up with this 50%. However, there are some kinds of broken bones that are more suggestive of abuse than others, for example a femur fracture in a baby who can't walk is more suggestive of abuse than a wrist fracture in a teenager. You don't know what the Texas authorities are seeing here, so quit your dumb laughing. All the studies I can find show a bone fracture risk of about 1 % a year in kids under 6 yrs old.
I like how you refer to the rape of teenage girls by authority figures "lifestyle idiosyncracies". You sound like one of these controlling men from the compound! How can you say that rescuing these women and children from a life of slavery is inhumane?

By: noelle

noelle — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:31:59 +0000

So Anderson, why aren't these stories of horrific abuse against babies making the headlines? Anyone who would beat a helpless toddler like this deserves to have their children taken away! and this isn't even as bad as the waterboarding treatment that Carolyn decribed in her book, something we would consider torture if done to adults!!! when I think of my own precious child, it makes me nauseated to think of these things happening to small babies.

And Mike in NYC, a review of your own family's health status doesn't count as science. Also, you don't know what age these kids are, they say "very young", perhaps they are talking about these little babies. And hopefully that's not what's going on in your family.

By: vera

vera — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:48:28 +0000

I can't believe this is happening in America.This sect should be
abolished completely.

By: Diane

Diane — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:29:49 +0000

I don't care what religion you practice or how many wives you have, what happened to that boy was child abuse, illegal in all 50 states. Furthermore, the police aren't acting based upon "statistics" or "hunches". they're acting based upon real accounts of what happens at that ranch, real accounts of OTHER people's rights being violated, which is equally if not more important than the potential violations of the rights of the people discussed in the recent news articles, simply for the fact that the accounts of what has been happening that are being used as evidence are relevant to what has happened to the victim, and the suspected violations are relevant to the abusers. when you commit a crime, regardless of religious belief, your civil rights are no longer absolute.

By: radha

radha — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:20:50 +0000

This is not even a religion. It's a way of life that's an illusion for the children and women. It's a way for those men with authority in the sect to get away with everything. It is disappointing that the government did not intervene sooner.

By: john

john — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:03:33 +0000

the women and childen need to be taken into protective custody and saved from these religiouse beasts of hell. And the men shoud be severly punished with the maximum sentences. Do people really live this way! it is intolerable!