I have chewed on this since the initial raid and have followed each detail closely.
I’d like to preface this with the fact that I do believe Mormonism to be a false religion. If I were to believe any different than I would not be a true believer in my faith. That said, we have dear Mormon friends, and in general, I love the lifestyle, the importance of family, sanctity of their bodies and commitment the followers of LDS exude. So, essentially; I am not prejudice against this religion. Often I feel that any belief in anything outside of yourself is respectable. Of course this belief does not always apply to Muslims.
The State of Texas has taken it upon themselves to remove children who were being sexually abused. Their definition of sexual abuse in this instance is statutory rape.
Sure, we might all find their lifestyle odd. Many men might would fantasize about having multiple wives to choose from, but when realistically processing this, know that it most likely would be too difficult of a challenge. In the LDS faith one of the goals is to procreate as much as possible. They believe that after death, those who followed the faith, will become themselves a “god” and inherit a planet to rule over. This is the reasoning behind having so many children.
The Mormon Theological Axiom
As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become.
No where in the Old or New Testament is man promised to become a god. There are a vast number of resources available to explain LDS and how it IS NOT MAINSTREAM CHRISTIANITY. My suggestion is this short film called The God Makers.
Still with me? I just want to be clear as possible regarding where I stand on Mormonism.
So we’ve covered the background regarding why they have so many children. If one of the goals of your religion is to pro-create as much as possible, then the logical answer to that is multiple wives. At most a woman should have a child no more than once a year. In order to accomplish this goal within LDS, there needs to be more women (more wives) having children.
They are not a religion that bases their belief of polygamy on satiating sexual desires. It is to pro-create as much as possible in order to reach a higher level in the afterlife. Older men have proven themselves. Proven themselves to be financially stable, mentally and emotionally stable; and the young girls they marry are more likely to be fertile. If you remove any of man’s laws, if you remove any emotions that we might process this with; this arrangement makes more sense than anything else if the goal is simply to pro-create.
Back to Texas. So the State of Texas has decided that these girls are being sexually abused. Federal and State laws prohibit multiple marriages and intercourse with a minor. But this is part of their religion. If America has religious freedom, than these people have been discriminated against by the government.
“But Stacy, what if your religion commands you to kill and sacrifice animals and babies?” That is an entirely different field of play. Don’t leave me a comment stating that.
The government has decided what is best for these children. This is the same government that has decided that it is okay to teach kindergartners that families come in all shapes and sizes. That some families have two mommies, some families have two daddies and that it’s okay. This is the same government that has decided that boys in 6th grade need to know how to use a condom properly, so they demonstrate it in an sex education class. The same government who sets up birth control clinics in high schools and directs young girls (GIRLS) to Planned Parenthood to kill their baby that was CONCEIVED OUT OF WEDLOCK. The same government who tells our children that it’s okay to be homosexual and allows gay/lesbian clubs to meet in public high schools, yet tells the religious kids they cannot have their clubs because it violates the separation of church and state.
Are the girls getting married in the FLDS case too young to get married? Yes, they are. But how many girls are having intercourse before the age of 15 in our society now anyway?
These are a respectable group of people and they raise their children to be polite and thoughtful. These children receive a better education than what the State has to offer. They don’t use drugs, they don’t drink alcohol, they don’t have intercourse out of wedlock. They don’t surf for porn on the Internet, they don’t download violent music with questionable lyrics, they don’t text message at the dinner table and they’re not cutters. Crime is virtually non-existent and STD’s do not run rampant.
Are they odd regarding the age they marry? Perhaps. Many theologians believe that the Virgin Mary was herself about 14 when she married Joseph. For thousands of years girls have been married off young and it is only in the 20th century that the change had been made. How many of you had grandparents, great grandparents that you know the female was 14 or 15 when she married your grandfather? This happens for the perpetuation of the species.
Back to Texas. The State of Texas (all states) has decided what is and isn’t appropriate for our children. They say that the FLDS belief system is warped. In my humble opinion, I believe that State’s belief system is warped.
The logical solution to this is for the state to return the children. Mothers and fathers have had their children kidnapped. Kidnapped by someone who has proven to not have the best of intentions for our nation’s children. They should have negotiated with the elders. They should have said “look, what you’re doing here is against state and federal law. But let’s compromise. You promise not to marry off anyone under the age of 18, and we’ll let you keep your children. We will come in regularly for inspection, and if we find any girl under 18 pregnant, or find out that she’s been sexually active; we will remove her and place her in foster care.”
Now, the State of Texas is dealing with hundreds of children, all at once, needing to be in foster homes. No, they need to be in their homes. These people do no harm to society. They farm their own food, they meet their own needs, they are not a burden on the government and they have virtually no carbon footprint.
Again, do I believe Mormonism to be a true religion? No. I believe most Mormons though do not understand the secret theologies their religion has and the Satanic background and similarities that is it’s foundation.
Give the children back Texas. Give them back. These parents have the right to raise their children as they see fit.
