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John R. Llewellyn: FAQ on Polygamy
Author of Murder of a Prophet, The Dark Side of
Utah Polygamy, A Teenager's Tears, When Parents Convert to
Polygamy
1. Why write about polygamy?
2. Should the practice of polygamy be
decriminalized?
3. Is the practice of polygamy inherently
evil?
4. What does the future hold for
polygamy?
5. Should Tom Green, the most visual,
affable and prolific of Utah's
polygamists have been criminally prosecuted?
6. Can Utah polygamy survive without
religion?
7. What is there about Mormon
fundamentalism that makes it so powerful?
8. What can government do to check the
tide of polygamy?
9. Is there a higher rate of child
molestation among polygamists than with
society in general?
1. Why write about polygamy?
The
Mormon polygamist lifestyle is a bonafide culture and in the
subculture are all the components of a compelling story --
conflict, drama, intrigue, tragedy, the bizarre, crime, sex,
hate, love, murder. It's a subject I have studied, exposed, and
for twenty years lived. It is a mysterious way of life unique to
Utah and the Mormon faith, found no other place on earth. In the
year 2002 people from all over the world will come to Utah to
witness the Winter Olympic Games. While they are here some will
want to know more about the strange practice of polygamy. I have
portrayed the practice at its worst and as it really is, a
demanding, rigorous lifestyle where few converts like myself
ever
last. Of the loyal advocates who do last -- the pro-polygamists
-
those who believe the doctrines and obey their prophet's edicts
-- they have honey-coated their literature, portraying the
polygamist lifestyle as it ought to be lived and is sometimes
lived by an inordinate few.
2. Should the practice of polygamy be
decriminalized?
There
is a political movement underway, headed by pro-polygamists and
libertarians, hoping to eventually persuade the Utah State
Legislature to decriminalize the practice of plural marriage.
This ad hoc movement plans to use the 2002 Olympic Games to
promote their cause. Should polygamy in Utah be decriminalized?
YES, if engaged in by consenting adults. In my
opinion it is
hypocritical to tolerate or condone homosexuality between
consenting adults and not polygamy. By accepting homosexuality,
society is accepting the love-making practices of homosexuals --
buggery, fellatio, sodomy, mutual masturbation. If this type of
behavior is not outrageous, why should the normal heterosexual
habits of polygamists be outrageous? In a society where $10
billion is spent annually on pornography, where mistresses are
common-place, and extra-marital
affairs are even more common, it seems ridiculous by today's
liberal standards that adult-consenting polygamy should be made
a crime.
NO, unless polygamy can be "de-Mormonized." It
is the feigned
priesthood authority that is the primary source of abuse among
Mormon fundamentalists. The Mormon concept of polygamy elevates
one man above all the rest and subjugates the woman. The prophet
is the greatest of all, a religious despot who controls the
giving and taking of wives. Mormon fundamentalists believe that
"plural marriage" is a commandment of God, that once the
"principle" is revealed, those who refuse to live it, will be
damned. They argue that plural marriage is the only conduit to a
celestial exaltation and in their pious rhetoric attempt to
abrogate any erotic connotation to the practice of plural
marriage. They say polygamy [celestial marriage] is for
procreation, the raising up of a righteous seed, the making of a
progeny superior to those born under monogamy -- and that lust
-- has nothing to do with it. The despot, the prophet, seer and
revelator, the one who claims to be the only man on earth with
the authority to speak for God, offers celestial exaltation and
the license to take plural wives in exchange for ten percent of
the man's gross income. However, if the man is found to be out
of harmony with the prophet, his plural wife is taken away and
given to another. In essence, the woman is married to the
prophet's priesthood, not her husband. It is an extremely
lucrative wife-selling business, in fact, a million dollar
business. If you take away the pious rhetoric, Utah polygamy
among the organized groups is the
merchandising of willing women.
3. Is the practice of polygamy
inherently evil?
Approximately 90% of Utah's active Mormon fundamentalists are
members of one of four major organized polygamist groups. Of
these, probably 80% belong to the two largest cults, The
Fundamentalist Church and Apostolic United Brethren. At the head
of these organized groups is a prophet who is a virtual demigod,
or surrogate god. He controls the spiritual, sexual, temporal,
social and financial well-being of the group. As long as the
laity are in harmony with the surrogate god, their marriages and
salvation are secure. Organized polygamist groups are
cultic in every respect. Hate and paranoia are used to unify and
isolate true believers. Members believe they are part of the
great cause and that their prophet has access to the one and
only truth. They submit to repetitive rituals resulting in blind
obedience and subservience to a central authority. Conformity is
reinforced by inculcating the illusion that they are superior
over all other faiths. The true believers' rewards are
god-sanctioned sex with multiple wives and vain promises that in
the next life they will be kings, priests and rulers of men,
literal Gods of their own multiple worlds, one for each wife.
Polygamous cults pretend to preserve free agency, but in reality
they are institutions that destroy, or conspire to deprive man
of his free agency by making the laity totally dependent upon
the prophet and his priesthood. In that context, the Mormon
polygamist cults are evil. Many apostates, like myself, become
iconoclastic muckrakers. It is my opinion that any man,
institution or doctrine that claims proprietorship
over God should be subject to intense scrutiny, and if found
wanting, their secret and sacred machinations should be exposed.
4. What does the future hold for
polygamy?
The
future of Mormon polygamy looks bright. And why shouldn't it? In
1953, Arizona State raided the border town of Short Creek with
the intent of eradicating polygamy once and for all. It was a
complete failure. Since then polygamy has thrived, grown and
organized unmolested. There are currently four United States,
theocratic controlled, incorporated, polygamist communities in
Arizona, Utah, Montana, and one in British Colombia. The
priesthood leaders of these communities have mayors and
policemen that manipulate the law of the land to enforce
priesthood edicts. Mormon fundamentalism is a subculture
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a subculture
as bonafide as any culture, with its own literature, heros,
customs, communities and laws. Its roots are deep and solid.
Anthropologists who have studied polygamy in Utah all agree that
it is an established culture, here to stay. Contemporary
polygamist leaders know that it is economically impossible to
prosecute the tens of thousands of polygamists in and around
Utah. They know that in time the current crusade in Utah against
polygamy will wear itself out and the status quo will return.
Then it will be business as usual.
5. Should Tom Green, the most
visual, affable and prolific of Utah's
polygamists have been criminally prosecuted?
Tom Green is an extraordinary, enigmatic individual, very
bright, charismatic, bold, knowledgeable and of course,
controversial. He is a zealot believer in the sacredness of
plural marriage and claims patriarchal priesthood authority to
take plural wives. But as smart as Tom is, he let his
infatuation with the media and runaway libido overpower common
sense. At this writing, New Years Day 2002, Tom is sitting
in a cell at the Utah State Prison. He didn't have to go to
prison. He could be enjoying the Xmas season at his Snake Valley
desert home, a cluster of beat-up house trailers he calls,
Greenhaven, being pampered by his bevy of child brides. But
Tom's ministry, if you can call it that, meant placing his young
wives on display and flaunting his lifestyle before television
cameras. Against the advise of friends and family, Tom Green,
ostentatiously, attracted attention to himself. Members of the
media, with the apparent design to more sensationalize the Tom
Green story, went to law enforcement and asked them why they
were not enforcing the bigamy statutes. The media, whether
intentional or not, orchestrated a collision. David Leavitt,
Juab County Attorney, said that while watching television in his
front room, he witnessed Tom Green confess on television to a
third degree felony. Tom and his family were residents of Juab
County. Consequently, he looked into the history of Tom Green
and found that he was not only a suspected bigamist but a
regular welfare recipient, and that there was "probably cause"
to believe that in 1986, Tom Green committed child rape. The
child rape, aggravated by Tom's apparent fetish for child brides
[thirteen, fourteen and fifteen
year old girls] induced Mr. Leavitt to prosecute. Tom was
convicted of four counts of bigamy and criminal non support, all
third degree felonies. In August 2001, Judge Guy Burningham
sentenced him to the Utah State Prison, the sentences to run
concurrently. Now Tom is wading through the muck, dragging his
wives and friends behind him, hoping to beat the child rape
charge on a technicality. He claims the statute of limitations
is in effect and that he was in "Wyoming," no-a, "Idaho," no-a
"Arizona," no-a, finally making up is mind, he really meant,
"Old Mexico" where it was not illegal to impregnate a thirteen
year old. Tom claims that his friend, brother-in-law and adopted
son, Jay Slaugh, reported to the Uinta County Sheriff's Office
that Tom had married a thirteen year old girl. But no one can
find a report. However, unless David Leavitt can show beyond a
reasonable doubt that the report by Slaugh, or any other report,
was not made, Tom is home free. Judge Guy Burmingham is expected
to rule on Tom's motion to dismiss in Janurary, 2002.
The
prosecution and conviction of Tom Green for bigamy brought to
Utah media from around the world. The Salt Lake Tribune rated
Tom's bigamy conviction the fourth most important story of 2001,
the church owned Deseret News rated it sixth. Should Tom be
prosecuted for something that happened fifteen years ago,
especially when the victim of the rape is still happily married
to Tom? Pro-polygamists say no. But taking Tom's erotic
propensity towards pubescent girls into account, what assurance
does society have that Tom will not continue to pursue pubescent
girls? Court records indicate that Tom was investigated in 1989,
1990 and 1995, relevant to inappropriate conduct with young
girls, but that did not discourage him from marrying Cari and
Hanna Bjorkman. Nor did that discourage him of attempting to
take two other pubescent girls as wives. I think the question
can be answered with another question, can Tom be trusted around
thirteen and fourteen year old girls?
6. Can Utah polygamy
survive without religion?
No! -- because religion is the cohesive medium
between the man and the women. Religion more than any other
factor cements the relationship. If Utah polygamy were de-Mormonized,
the institution of polygamy in Utah would shatter and fall to
pieces, except for the few who place family and love above
religion. In the polygamist subculture, love, family and
security are by-products of the relationship. Religious
authority takes precedence over all other aspects of the
relationship. This is why polygamist prophets like Owen A.
Allred, Rulon Jeffs and James Harmston feel they have the right
to give and take wives with impunity, and why their gullible
adherents go along with it. The marriage ceremony should say,
"do you take the priesthood in this marriage as your master and
mediator, to honor and obey through time and all eternity?"
Because in essence, the woman marries the priesthood. Few plural
marriages are consummated and stabilized by true love. If the
couple is lucky, affection comes later. The mood and affection
of the woman is contingent upon the husband's conformity to the
priesthood, and many women, especially in the Allred Group, use
that weapon to their advantage. Because love is not a factor in
the marriage, it is easy for a woman to go from one man to
another, which happens often. Religion is the transcending
medium that removes the taboos making polygamy a sin. People
living the Mormon brand of polygamy are in general decent,
law-abiding people. They would not practice polygamy without the
alleged commandment from God and the prophet to take
responsibility. Religion is a powerful persuader. Nourished by
the promise of a future exaltation, it is religion that
persuades women to overcome jealousy and resign themselves to a
life of loneliness, obscurity and poverty. Disciples of polygamy
are conditioned to believe that opposition (persecution,
poverty, discrimination, etc.) is a normal consequence of living
Mormon fundamentalism.
7. What is there about Mormon
fundamentalism that makes it so powerful?
Utah
polygamists believe that Mormon fundamentalism is the ultimate
virtue and ultimate enlightenment, and that all power resides
with the priesthood. This belief is so deeply entrenched in
fundamentalist thinking that they have little tolerance for
opposing thought, even with their own flesh and blood. Leaders
in the Allred Group have stood behind the pulpit and condemned
their daughters to hell for choosing the LDS Church over their
priesthood. Polygamist priesthood leaders claim they are
infallible, and that when the brethren speak, the thinking has
been done. Pious, audacious statements of that tripe are
designed to separate the true believers from the doubters, thus
unifying the group. Religion is a powerful tool and Mormon
fundamentalism offers the partisan more rewards than most
religions by controlling the satisfaction of certain hedonistic
propensities which society in general finds aberrant..
Example: Lying, cheating and stealing are permissible if it
protects or enhances the priesthood. Because the priesthood is
the only power that can sanctify marriages, it is permissible to
seduce the wife of another man. A man holding a greater
priesthood can claim the wife of one holding a lesser
priesthood. In other words, a man acting in the capacity of
priesthood cannot commit adultery. If the priesthood holder has
his "Calling & Election Made Sure," he cannot sin. Control over
man's celestial exaltation is the priesthood's ultimate power.
Next comes the life or death of perceived enemies. Priesthood
leaders routinely pantomime the spiritual assassination of
enemies. Jim Harmston, the inventor of the True & Living Church,
is the most innovative in the pretended art of "spiritual
assassination." The practitioners of voodoo jab pins into
surrogate dolls, Jim and the other prophets curse their enemies
with prayers. Jim's favorite targets are apostates and the
leaders of the LDS Church. In Jim's pantomimes, he turns his
enemy into unorganized matter and then rockets them into outer
space.
A few
self-proclaimed prophets like Ervil LeBaron go beyond the
spiritual and actually murder their enemies. The murder ritual
is justified by the doctrine of Blood Atonement practiced by
members of the early church. Blood Atonement is the shedding of
an enemy's blood to save him from eternal damnation. Blood
Atonement is still a viable doctrine in many fundamentalist
groups. Fundamentalist priesthood fosters intolerance of
minority groups and nonbelievers. This intolerance is a result
of the illusion of superiority. Many Mormon fundamentalists are
sympathetic with the doctrines of white supremacists and have
established political ties. Derogatory remarks towards Jews and
Blacks are common place among Mormon fundamentalists. All of the
above can be found in tons of books defending Mormon
fundamentalism. In summery, the lifestyle is adventurous,
unifying, pursues a great cause, lays claim to great wisdom and
eternal knowledge, and promises many rewards in the next life,
and the only reward in this life is permission to have sex with
many women. The prophet takes upon himself the responsibility
for the polygamist relationship, thereby freeing the disciple of
a bad conscience. Obedience is the key to a successful
polygamist relationship, obedience to the prophet and his
priesthood.
Converts come from the frustrated ranks of the LDS Church. As
long as there is an LDS Church, there will be Mormon
polygamists.
8. What can government do to
check the tide of polygamy?
Good
question?
In this country a person can worship a yellow dog or believe
that in the next life he will be a pharaoh in Babylon. In
America one has the right to be different, even wrong. There is
no law to prevent men and women from donating money to a
religious leader. We can live in a commune, participate in
bizarre rituals and do other stupid things as long as we don't
violate the laws of the land. So where do you draw the line? It
is not even unlawful for a man to teach his daughter that when
she reaches puberty she must become a plural wife or go to hell.
It is equally lawful to not believe, for example, that Mormonism
is a fraud and not the ultimate enlightenment. Many apostates,
unencumbered by doctrines that subjugate the believer, feel that
they have outgrown Mormonism and that free thinking is the
greater enlightenment. It is not so much the living of polygamy
that is malicious, but the doctrines taught by polygamists that
are designed to rob men of their free agency. For example, women
are taught that it is the husband who resurrects the wife. Some
husbands use that absurd doctrine to manipulate and control
their wives. But how do we disprove it when it is suppose to
take place in the next life, if there is a next life? If we
should imprison men for teaching what we believe to be false
doctrine, then where do we stop? Do we imprison Catholics
because we know best? Do we punish children with tattoos and
brass rings in their
noses? Do we imprison homosexuals because it offends our
morality? Should we make suicide a capital crime? The most
tragic result of Mormon fundamentalist polygamy is the
brainwashing of young girls, inculcating upon their
impressionable minds the belief that God wants them to become
subservient plural wives, and that their salvation depends upon
it. Somehow, society must find a constitutional way of providing
these young girls with an alternative view so that they can
exercise their free agency. In the twin cities of Colorado City,
Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, children are given the choice of
obedience to priesthood or eternal damnation, which is no choice
at all.
Colorado City, Arizona; Hilsdale, Utah; The Town of Rocky Ridge,
Utah, and Pinesdale, Montana -- all incorporated, priesthood
owned, polygamist cities -- have Sunday schools in which
theocratic, polygamist doctrines are taught to hundreds of
girls. The theocratic controlled kingdom of god taught by the
Mormon fundamentalists is nothing more than another form of
totalitarianism. All power is vested in God's vicar, who is the
prophet [mouth piece of God], seer [one who sees the future] and
revelator [the prophet who knows God's will regarding the
inhabitants of this world.] Thank goodness in this country, a
person is able to enjoy freedom from religion, as well as
freedom of religion. So what is the solution? What can
government do? Or better still, what is government doing, or not
doing? At a Statewide Association of Prosecutors meeting in June
2001, Juab County Attorney David Leavitt and Utah Attorney
General Mark Shurtleff proposed that the state handle all
polygamy prosecutions. David Leavitt stated that his experience
in the bigamy prosecution of Tom Green taught him that the State
is the proper place to pursue polygamy complaints. Although the
State has concurrent jurisdiction, Mark Shurtleff said he wanted
the combined support of all 29 county attorneys. A committee of
county prosecutors was expected to "craft guidelines." This is
an excellent idea, but here it is January 2002 and we haven't
heard anymore about it. Why? Has Mr. Shurtleff lost interest, or
is the proposition in limbo because of lack of support from
concerned citizens? The proposition is logical. Polygamists are
scattered throughout the state and are often mobile. A central
intelligence source monitoring suspected illegal activities,
especially civil rights violations, makes sense. The Utah State
Legislature and Attorney General's Office have already taken a
step in that direction with the employment of Ron Barton, who
has been dubbed the Polygamy Czar. And by the way, Mr.
Barton, is concentrating on child abuse cases and doing an
excellent job. One way child's rights activists and
anti-polygamist activists can make a difference is by letting
their respective county attorneys and Mr. Shurtleff know they
support his proposal. The bigamy statute should be amended so
that prosecutors won't have to petition a judge to declare a
plural wife a legal wife as happened in the Tom Green
prosecution. Under the present statute, the defendant must be
legally married to one wife while cohabiting with another wife.
Tom Green married, divorced, married and divorced hoping to
circumvent
the bigamy statute. The FLDS priesthood yanked their children
out of public school so they wouldn't be exposed to the
independent example of apostates. These children are allegedly
being taught at home. The State has the duty to see that these
children are being adequately educated. There are priesthood
owned and managed businesses on polygamist owned incorporated
cities where it is suspected that child labor laws are
being violated. In 2001 Senate Bill 146 was passed making it a
felony for parents or pastors to condone or solemnize unlawful
marriages of minors. The performance of any polygamist marriage
is now a crime - misdemeanor for adults, felony for minors. But
how is government going about enforcing that law?
9. Is there a higher rate of
child molestation among polygamists than with society in general?
It
would take the unmitigated commitment of all the polygamist
groups cooperating with trained analysts to accurately answer
that question. All one can do is offer an educated opinion.
Half of my twenty three year career as a Salt Lake County Deputy
Sheriff was spent as a detective investigating sex crimes. I
wrote a sex crimes manual, taught at the Utah State Police
Academy and gave sex crime seminars throughout the State of
Utah. I participated in a child abuse seminar at the BYU and was
invited to speak to classes at the University of Utah and Weber
State College. I have accumulated over 180 credit hours at the
University of Utah and Weber State College with emphasis on
sociology, psychology and police science. I have interviewed
hundreds of sex crime victims and hundreds of sex crime
suspects. I know what motivates the sex offender and how
he thinks. For twenty years I was a polygamist and associated
with the Allred group, the second largest group in Utah with an
estimated 7000 members. It is my opinion, yes, there is a
greater frequency rate of child molest among polygamists than in
society in general. My opinion is based on my experience and
observations as a polygamist, research into all of the
polygamist groups, and the many interviews I have conducted with
apostates from these groups. In the last ten years, Owen A.
Allred has excommunicated three of his apostolic councilors for
allegedly molesting their own children. An apostolic councilor
is equivalent to the ancient apostles of Jesus Christ like
Matthew, Mark and Luke. The latest to be excommunicated is
Gustavo Galindo Palacios who was arrested in November of 2001 on
four counts of first degree felony rape of a child and three
first-degree felony counts of sodomy upon a child. Scuttlebutt
in the Allred Group asserts that the Allred priesthood covered
up the pedophiliac act of these three men until their
lasciviousness leaked out and they were forced to excommunicate.
Apostate women from all of these groups, especially the FLDS
headquartered at Colorado City, have revealed horrid tales of
having been molested as children. Every polygamist group has
dozens of tales about child molest and other sexual misconduct.
On
her wedding night, a young plural bride from a prominent
polygamist family began to perform fellation [blow job] on the
groom. The shocked groom asked her what she was doing. She said
she thought that is what was expected of her. When asked where
she learned such behavior, she said her brothers. In the case of
the young bride, she had about fifteen brothers and
sisters, the same father but different mothers. They were
brought up together, insulated from the rest of society. When
the sexual hormones kicked in at puberty, they experimented with
each other. Sexual intercourse was taboo, but nobody said
anything about fellatio. Another prominent polygamist family has
several incidents of homosexuality among the male siblings. It
is rumored that when the father learned of the homosexual
behavior he called upon his priesthood brethren to council and
cure his sons. Priesthood leaders are automatically experts in
all things. Pedophiles have a tendency to gravitate to those
areas where they are apt to be the least detected and where they
come in contact with children. The pedophile is characterized as
having strong feelings of inadequacy. Children do not detect
these feelings of inadequacy. Among children, the pedophile
feels strong and potent. In some instants the pedophile, while a
child, experienced a super satisfying sexual encounter. As a
molester he may be attempting to relive that sexual experience.
The most dangerous pedophiles are the psychopaths, those who
adopt a super god-ego, power over life and death. As with all
sex offenders, fantasy plays an important part in their
behavior.
Religion provides habitat for the pedophile. Active church
attendance suggests the pedophile can be trusted. He hides
behind his patriarchal authority and uses priesthood to his
advantage. There are many youth programs like the boy scouts.
Missionaries, like soldiers and sailors in the military, are
thrust into a homosexual environment at a time when their
libidos are the most active. At least for the soldiers and
sailors there is a heterosexual outlet, the prostitutes who
frequent military bases.
The problem of sexual abuse within religious institutions is
compounded by the tendency of the clergy to cover up and cure
the offender by prayer. In the fundamentalist groups, the
emphasis on polygamy seems to act on some men as a destroyer of
sexual inhibitions as in the case of Tom Green. Old men marry
young girls. Men marry half sisters, nieces and step daughters,
mothers and daughters. The pedophile is most apt to prey on
members of his own family where he exercises control. In ninety
percent of the cases, the perpetrator is well known to the
victim and in a position of trust and/or authority.
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