Why I Defended the FLDS

Call me crazy. Call me weird. But I'm an FLDS defender.

That's right. After the raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch on April 3, 2008, I followed the story of Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. During online discussions, I voiced my disapproval about how the raid was carried out. I also defended the women and children who lived on the YFZ Ranch.

Why? I'm the daughter of a WWII veteran. From the time I was a young girl, my parents taught me that it is morally wrong to mistreat a religious, racial or ethnic group. My parents were disgusted by the way that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis mistreated Jews, Gypsies, gays, the mentally ill, the disabled, etc. during WWII. Their generation worked together to stop Hitler and end the Holocaust. My parents, who were of German descent, said that Hitler had brought shame to Germany. Dad was quick to point out that Adolf Hitler was not a German -- he was an Austrian. My parents also taught me that we must work together to prevent genocide in the future.

I'm not advocating polygamy -- I'm advocating tolerance!

I'm following my parents' good example by speaking up for Mormon Fundamentalists, the Roma (Gypsies), and other oppressed minorities. It's wrong to discriminate against people because of their religion or traditional lifestyle. We should be embracing diversity, not promoting hatred or intolerance.

The United Nations considers transferring children from one group (i.e. Mormon Fundamentalist) to another group (i.e. Baptist) to be a form of genocide. Genocide is against the rules of the Geneva Convention. Genocide is against international law. How can we teach other countries that genocide is morally wrong if we allow it to take place within our own boundaries?

I also believe that women should help women. I don't believe that a woman should lose custody of her children because of her religion. Yes, I know that the LDS church and the FLDS sect are two separate and distinct churches. Yes, I know that the FLDS is a Mormon Fundamentalist sect that still practices polygamy. Yes, I know that many people believe that polygamy is harmful to women and children. However, if an adult woman wants to be a plural wife for religious purposes, I feel that is her personal, private business. I don't feel compelled to "rescue" her. Our government should butt out.

If a person wants to leave the FLDS sect, I certainly wouldn't try to stop him/her. I'm acquainted with several former members of the FLDS sect. I like them. They are good people. But I don't think our government should force people to leave a religion, a church, or a sect against their will. I don't have an issue with people leaving the FLDS, but I think they should do so on their own volition. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion to all Americans.

Finally, I think it is wrong to say that "Everyone who belongs to a certain religious, racial, or ethnic group is a ________." (Fill in the blank with derogatory word of your choice.) That's stereotyping. I was taught in junior high that stereotyping is wrong. People are individuals. I believe that there are good and bad in every race, religion and ethnic group. If you're lumping people into groups and saying that everyone who belongs to a certain group is "a bad person," maybe the problem isn't them. Maybe it's you.

Lifting the Ban

When I started this blog, I decided to avoid discussing religion and politics because those subjects often lead to arguments. Mormon Fundamentalism, Mormon polygamy, the FLDS, and the anti-polygamy movement are so controversial that discussions about them tend to bring out the worst in people. My decision to avoid these topics was influenced by a lawsuit between Gregory Prickett (who may use the screen name "TexasBluesMan") and Hugh McBryde, Bill Medvecky, Scott Ledbetter and others. I was not part of the lawsuit. I don't want to go into the details or take sides. I'll simply say that the lawsuit stemmed from an online argument about the FLDS that got out of hand.

Yes, I am Mormon. I don't claim to be a good Mormon, but I'm Mormon. I don't want to argue with anybody. I don't want anyone's feelings to get hurt. I don't want to "out" anyone either. I won't try to convince you to change your religion if you don't try to convince me to change mine.

I have friends who are LDS, ex LDS, FLDS, and/or ex FLDS. I like them all. Some of my friends are Protestants; others are Catholic. I daresay that some of my friends are Atheists. My favorite co-worker is a gay Asian-American who was raised in the Roman Catholic Church. If I like you, I like you. Your skin color, ethnic origin, religion or sexual preference aren't important to me. I want everyone to feel welcome and safe here.

That being said, I have found that deliberately avoiding one issue is rather stifling.

So I'm lifting the ban. We can talk about Mormon Fundamentalism, polygamy, the FLDS and the anti-polygamy movement, provided that we behave as mature, responsible adults. No fighting. No arguing. No lawsuits.

One more thing. There are different types of Mormons. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The LDS Church and the FLDS sect are two separate and distinct churches. The LDS Church abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890 and excommunicates anyone who practices or advocates polygamy.

A Mormon Baptism

On January 14, 2012, my nine year old granddaughter, Alyson, was baptized. She is my first grandchild to become a Mormon. Now four generations of my family have belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Some of you may not have attended a Mormon baptism before. I've decided to post some photos so that you can see the ceremony. The photo below shows our family waiting in the church's lobby for the ceremony to begin.

Before her baptism, Alyson took lessons about the church from two LDS missionaries, Elder Lopez and Elder Bailey. Mormons believe that children should be at least eight years old to be baptized. That way, the child is old enough to decide for himself/herself if he/she wants to follow Jesus Christ.

My parents and I joined the LDS church circa 1975. Typically, Mormon men baptize their own children. Since my father was baptized the same day I was, my family was baptized by LDS missionaries. I was a single mother when my daughters, Kristina and Kandice, were eight years old. Since I did not have a husband to baptize my little girls, they were baptized by LDS missionaries. Alyson's mother, Kristina, is also a single mother. We decided to keep the family tradition and have Alyson baptized by a missionary. Alyson was baptized by Elder Avery Bailey of Castle Rock, Colorado.

Mormons believe in baptism by immersion. The entire body must be immersed in the water. The missionary gently guides the new member backward into the water until the new member's body is submerged. During my baptism many years ago, my foot rose until my toes peaked out of the water. Church officials said I had to be re-baptized, so the missionary guided me back into the water. My foot rose to the surface again. I had to be baptized three times before my body was completely immersed. I've always thought that this happened because I have a rebellious spirit. LOL.

Fortunately, this did not happen with Alyson. She only had to be immersed once because her spirit is so sweet. She said the water in the baptismal font was warm. After her baptism, Alyson's spirit was the cleanest she will ever be.

When a person joins the LDS Church, he or she wears a white jumpsuit for the baptism ceremony. The man baptizing the new member also wears a white jumpsuit. White symbolizes purity; the jumpsuit encourages modesty. Only men can baptize new members because men hold the priesthood. Women do not. Men and women have different roles in the LDS Church.

After Alyson's baptism, several church members joined our family for a small celebration. We prayed and sang hymns.