Polygamy

Polygamy. Do you know what that means? Many aren't aware of this illegal act that is going on in the United States today. Over 60,000 polygamists are currently living in Arizona, Utah and Texas. Not only are they living an illegal lifestyle but many women and children are confined to their compounds and ranches. I chose to do my Capstone on Shedding the Light on Polygamy. Many do not realize what this entails and what the FLDS sect (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) do. They consider themselves a religious group and base their lives around becoming closer to God. In order to be close to God they need to follow a polygamous life, meaning one man having multiple wives. I became very passionate against polygamy last April when I heard of the Texas raid that took hundreds of children from their home and snatched them away from their parents. The Child Protection Services were suspicious of abuse going on behind a compound in Eldorado, TX when they received a phone call by a young girl named 'Sarah' claiming she had been abused. I became intrigued and curious as to what was happening to make such a commotion. I soon began to read countless articles regarding the raid which then lead me to delve deeper into the FLDS.
Right before this raid a powerful leader within the sect Warren Jeffs was found guilty for being an accomplice to rape of an underage girl, as well as trying to have her marry one of her cousins. As if that isn't sick enough, his powerful leadership is still being followed even though he is behind bars. Many of his followers still listens to the messages he passes through prison to other memebers within the sect and thinks he is still 'godly'. yuck.
To shed some positive news on this dark subject I would have to mention a woman who I admire, I stumbled upon an autobiography written her. She is former polygamist, Carolyn Jessop. She lived a polygamous lifestyle for over 35 years. She was forced to marry a man she did not know and had eight of his children. She realized over her thirty-five years of living this life that she needed out. She needed to 'escape', which later became the title of her autobiography. She did in fact escape with all her children once she realized this religion was in fact cult-like and abusive. She was mentally and verbally abused by her husband and suffered things unimaginable. She took a risk and it went in her favor, she risked not only her life but the life of her children. If she would have been caught, she would have suffered serious consequences. It was a blessing that no other wives, living with her, or children caught her leaving in the middle of the night.
She is a courageous woman who I admire tremendously and actually had the honor to have an e-mail interview with her. Having her answer some questions I had asked regarding polygamy really opened my eyes to how real this cult is. It is so secretive that many do not even know how many people are practicing. I hope that others realize that it is something that has been going on for over 100 years and will continue to keep growing unless people keep prying and asking questions.