Our news in Phoenix has been dominated by the guilty verdict against Warren Jeffs, the leader of the fundamentalist LDS sect that believes men should have multiple wives in order to get to heaven. How this works, demographically, is apparently still God's mystery. Since about half of humankind is born male, numbers alone would dictate that this is a religion destined for trouble. Only a few select males get wives at all, and the closer a guy is to the prophet, the better his chances of being selected.
Naturally the women have no say in this. Their lot in life is to submit to the husband selected for them by the prophet. No whining, ladies!
The case arose when a former member of the sect was able to get charges brought against Jeffs for ordering her to marry her 19 year old cousin when she was 14. She resisted with the few resources available to her, mainly pleading with Jeffs to withdraw his demand. He insisted and the "marriage" was consummated, much against the girl's will.
She escaped from the group, and her testimony allowed Jeffs to be arrested and tried for "rape as an accomplice". He was convicted this week and faces sentencing soon.
In all the news about the case, though, nothing is written about charges against the "husband". Surely if Jeffs was an accomplice to rape, then the act to which he was an accomplice was rape. Why hasn't the husband been so charged?
There is so much about the handling of this bunch of loonies that I just don't understand. Arizona authorities dithered for years before bringing up this charge, even though welfare fraud, tax fraud and numerous other kinds of fraud were rampant. The sect collected millions in school funds, even though the school was shut down and all the children were home schooled. The money was spent on things like a private airplane for the sect leaders and large farm machinery.
While the Arizona attorney general's office dithered publicly about the situation, the sect leaders were hauling all the loot purchased with school funds to a new headquarters somewhere in Texas. It will be interesting to see whether other charges are brought against other FLDSers, or whether the AG just waits for all this attention to die down and the whole sect has moved to Texas.
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Comments: 14
To answer this question: Surely if Jeffs was an accomplice to rape, then the act to which he was an accomplice was rape. Why hasn't the husband been so charged?
Because this boy was brainwashed from birth (child abuse, in my opinion) with religious indoctrination, I am conflicted. I think it would be dangerous to separate this criminal from others and forgive the crime because of the religious indoctrination, but I think we should take the child abuse into consideration. I think he should be tried and found guilty of rape, and deprogrammed before he is returned to society.
I think religion should be like driving and drinking - not introduced until adulthood and adults who enable children to partake before they have reached adulthood should be charged with abuse.
I don't see how they were "married". She was 14 years old. Some old guy insisting that she belongs to her 1st cousin doesn't sound like marriage to me.
Anyway many states recognize rape of a wife by a husband as the crime that it is.
I agree. But if these kids were raised by a community that told them this is how things are done, with the added protection of "this is how our GOD wants us to do things", does that make a difference? Legally, I say no. Ethically, I'm not sure they are as responsible for their actions.
I agree with you. There is often such a distinction between ethics and the law.
Fletcher:
I heard that too. I still wonder why it took so long to bring those charges. Also, do the parents of the girl, who consented to this "marriage" bear any guilt, legal or ethical?
It talks about Jeffs and his father...I think it was Rulon...who founded FLDS...and some other other looney members. I wrote an articla about them for Gather a couple years ago. Especially the two who murdered their brother's wife because God told them to do it. They are still in jail, and I guess we should thank Heaven for that.
Thanks for your comments on this topic. You raise a point that hasn't been given much discussion: the interface between religious rights and human rights.
These people are not living in an African country, with millinea of history. They are living in America where forcing 14 year old girls to marry & have sex against their will is not a cultural choice, it's a crime.
It's kind of the same with polygymy (is that spelled right?). Most of us do not accept it and think it is wrong - but.... In some cultures and religions, it is accepted and considered an asset. That happens in America as well.....
"Would we think differently though if our culture accepted and valued cultural differences?"
Of course we would. We need go no further than the stupid, xenophobic calls for making English the official US language to see that.
However, just because a culture accepts some practice doesn't mean that we SHOULD accept it. Human & animal sacrifice are only the most egregious examples; there are many others, including female genitalia mutilation; forcible marriage; that Indian abomination, suttee; and on and on