Monthly Archives: September 2022

Following the death of her father, attractive young Haley Lu Richardson (as Julina) moves with her mother Mary McCormack (as Leann) to a cult-like religious community. Implicitly, "Hillcreek" is a Mormon-type village somewhere in Utah; although not officially recognized by any law-abiding Church, these communities continue to thrive, in secret. Mother and daughter settle comfortably into the polygamist lifestyle, with Ms. McCormack becoming the newest wife for kindly Sam Hennings (as Merril)...

In church, Ms. Richardson's teenage hormones kick into high gear after she sees handsome young Jack Falahee (as Ryder). When they meet, Mr. Falahee sinfully has his shirt unbuttoned. Then, we're off to the races. Richardson and Falahee arrange to meet secretly and kiss. The mutually attracted couple decide to be monogamous, of course, but fanatical leader William Mapother (as Ervil, "The Prophet") has other plans. "Escape from Polygamy" may not be possible...

Damon Hill's story focuses on two of the most often related abuses present in these communities. First, there is the initiation of very young women into sexual relations, usually by a Godly older man. Second, there is the casting off of young men when they reach adulthood. The latter reason isn't explained, but it's obvious: this lifestyle needs an improper ratio of males to females in order to survive, so males must be disposed of...

This movie takes a negative view of the practice, but be aware we are left with some "good" polygamists. There are increasingly implausible occurrences, but they are paced in a way which suspends most disbelief. And, there are some plot developments which will keep the viewer surprised and engaged. You can't be sure how this will end for Richardson and Falahee, the attractive starring duo. The elders get little to do, except for Mr. Mapother. Supporting victims Jake Weary (as Micah) and Presley Henderson (as Esther) are impressive playing a tweaked castaway and pregnant girl.

****** Escape from Polygamy (8/24/13) Rachel Goldenberg ~ Haley Lu Richardson, Jack Falahee, William Mapother, Jake Weary

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Escape from Polygamy (TV Movie 2013) - IMDb

Christians who oppose same-sex marriage will often point to the Bible for support, stating that God intended marriage to be the union of a man and a woman. Critics will reply, But the Bible also supported polygamy. In fact, it was even part of Torah law. What, then, does the Bible say about polygamy?

Lets start with Adam and Eve. They were the Bibles first couple not throuple, but couple. Put another way, God did not create Adam and Eve and Evette. His intent, from the beginning, was to join one man with one woman for life.

Jesus reiterated this in Matthew when answering a question about divorce: Havent you read, he replied, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

So, the two (not the three or the four) become one, joined together by God.

In the same way, when Paul spoke of the union of a husband and wife as a mystical symbol of the union of Jesus with the Church, the imagery again was clear: one husband/Husband and one bride/Church (Ephesians).

That being said, polygamy was a common way of life in biblical times, and it was accepted under the Law of Moses.

This dates all the way back to Genesis, the first reference to a man having multiple wives, and some of the most famous figures in the Bible, including Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, had more than one wife.

Not only so, but the Torah explicitly allowed Israels king more than one wife. He was just forbidden from having too many wives: And he shall not have many wives, lest his heart go astray; nor shall he amass silver and gold to excess. (Deuteronomy)

It is also possible that, in Deuteronomy 25, the Torah required a married man to marry his brothers wife if the brother passed away without having a son, but scholars debate whether this law applied to a man who was already married.

That being said, what is very clear from the Scriptures is that polygamy is a bad practice and in contradiction to Gods ideal for humanity. It was allowed because of prevailing cultural norms and as an accommodation to the needs of procreation, since a couple without children had few or no providers in their old age. And without children, the family line could become extinct.

Thats why Abraham took Hagar as a wife in his old age, thinking that this was the only way for him to have a child, as his wife Sarah was barren.

But, to repeat, without forbidding polygamy by law there is not one verse in the Bible that explicitly prohibits it the Scriptures paint a decidedly negative picture of the practice.

Abrahams wife, Sarah, clashes with Hagar.

Jacob has constant family issues because he has two wives (sisters, in fact, and not by his choosing).

Hannah, the wife of Elkanah and the mother of Samuel, was ridiculed by Elkanahs other wife, Peninnah because of her barrenness before conceiving Samuel.

King David encounters all kinds of familial infighting (including rape and murder) and political intrigues because of his multiple wives.

And King Solomon, Davids son, goes completely off the rails, taking things to an unprecedented extreme: He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. (Kings. Note that in Solomons case, his sin was compounded in that many of his wives were from non-Israelite nations, meaning idol-worshiping nations. Such unions were strictly forbidden by Israelite law).

So, to repeat, while the Bible does not explicitly prohibit polygamy, there is not one single positive example of polygamy in the Old Testament, while every example that is treated at any length is decidedly negative.

This, too, is a scriptural method of teaching morality, by example and not only by legislation.

Continuing into the New Testament, where there are no examples of polygamous unions despite their existence in the Jewish and pagan cultures, none of the apostles had more than one wife (see Corinthians) and, more importantly, church overseers, who were all male, had to be the husband of one wife. (Timothy)

This was of tremendous importance, since the believers in each congregation were called to emulate the example of their leaders (Hebrews) and since it was understood that a man could not ascend to church leadership if he was a polygamist.

So, just as divorce was never Gods ideal but was accommodated under biblical law because of human sin and weakness (as Jesus explained in Matthew), so also polygamy was accommodated.

In distinction, however, from divorce, which is allowed under certain circumstances in the New Testament, polygamy is never expressly permitted in the New Testament, which instead emphasizes Gods plan from the beginning: one man and one woman joined together and becoming one flesh.

Thats why early Church leaders taught against polygamy, although it was not a major focus of their writings. And thats why, with rare exceptions, polygamy was banned in countries that adopted Christian teaching.

In Judaism, while Talmudic rabbis were not themselves polygamous, the first official legal ban on polygamy did not come until around 1,000 AD.

Those looking to the Bible in support of polygamy will not find the support they desire.

Dr. Michael Brown(www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicatedLine of Fire radio program. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries and is the author of 40 books. Connect with him on Facebook,Twitter, orYouTube.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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What The Bible Really Says About Polygamy | The Daily Wire

SALT LAKE CITY, UtahFor now, a Utah judge is stopping the state from firing the entire board at a public school run by the polygamous Kingston group.

In August, the Utah State Charter School Board (SCSB) voted to remove and replace all nine of Vanguard Academys board members.

Attorneys for both the SCSB and Vanguard Academy presented arguments on Wednesday as to whether the states decision should be temporarily reversed.

Judge Laura Scott ultimately ruled the status of Vanguard Academys board should be maintained until another hearing can be held in October to discuss the merits of the case.

The ruling was not made with respect to the schools spending of taxpayer money on family businesses or its religious ties. Judge Scott declined to hear or consider those arguments until October.

Vanguard Academy will remain on probation and is still expected to receive a new director and finance officer on Thursday, as appointed by the SCSB.

How secretive meetings led to the firing of an entire school board with ties to polygamy

Dave Mortensen, an attorney representing Vanguard Academy, attempted to convince the court that there would be irreparable harm to the school if the board is replaced before Octobers hearing.

One of his primary arguments included how parents are threatening to remove their children.

Next week, youll have no students at that school, Mortensen said. The effect will be this school will be out of business by this time next week.

Judge Scott said she was skeptical of that argument, ultimately finding the claims unpersuasive because the alleged harm is self-inflicted.

Instead, she said the basis for her decision was to protect the status of pending litigation.

The Order holds rally to try and save public school run by polygamous sect

As Mortensen argued, a newly-appointed board could theoretically dismiss pending lawsuits if it is installed prior to the October hearing.

An attorney representing the SCSB did not dispute Vanguard Academys argument, declining to speculate on what a newly-appointed board might do.

Both sides will have the opportunity to present evidence and examine witnesses at the October 4, 2022 hearing.

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Judge allows public school with ties to polygamy to keep its board, for now - FOX 13 News Utah

Three years ago this November, nine women and children were murdered in northern Mexico.

It's an area drug smugglers used to ferry illicit product into the United States. Members of a fundamentalist Mormon off-shoot had lived there for decades, they'd become successful farmers.

But even before members of the community were murdered in 2019, the history of that fundamentalist community had been tinged with controversy andstruggles for power had led to dozens of murders. We're not talking about 100 years ago. Some were as recent as the late 1980s.

Author Sally Denton, a descendant of polygamists, investigated the 2019 murders, leading her down a path that, at times, was familiar, but at others, pretty disturbing, and she found the need to explore Mormon history to help uncover what might have led to those murders.

The result is a fascinating and alarming book:The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land. Denton joined State of Nevada host Joe Schoenmann to discuss her book.

It was so grisly, Denton said.

The original reporting showed blond, blue-eyed, American-looking women and children, possible tourists. The story unfolded slowly, revealing them to be members of polygamist off-shoots LeBaron and La Mora, with roots in the area dating back to to 1890s.

Why were these women on the road to begin with? Denton said. The crime itself happened in broad daylight. And there were 100 assassins, which is overkill, to kill three women and children, unarmed, unescorted.

Mexican media portrayed the massacre victims as being caught in the crossfire of cartels, and former President Donald Trump weaponized the incident as a political talking point.

It wasnt a mistake, Denton said, but it wasnt clear why they were targeted.

Having grown up in Vegas and written extensively about organized crime, the first thing you think when there's a hit like that on a family member, it's usually a message that's being sent to the real target, she said. There were a lot of people with motives.

That morning, all three women had premonitions about taking off.

Whatever happened, how it came to be a perfect storm like that, is really what I grappled with.

Denton has polygamist ties, as well, though she was not raised a Mormon. Her father was born a Mormon and her mother was born into polygamy. Though, she doesnt think polygamy is the reason the families were targeted that day.

The LeBaron family was also heavily armed, she said, but after the massacre, they joined a peace movement in Mexico.

As long as there's an insatiable demand for drugs in the United States and an insatiable demand for guns in Mexico, I don't see anything changing, she said.

What about the investigation? Very little happened, she said.

So far, about 50 or 60 people have been arrested and charged with organized crime, but no one has been charged with murder, and no one has been convicted.

In addition to the tragic humanity that was in play, it's a cautionary tale about the level of violence taking place that I think most Americans don't think about, Denton said.

Since the attack, many members of the La Mora community left and joined fundamentalist communities in Utah and Arizona. But the LeBarons hunkered down further, trying to get sovereignty from the Mexican government.

She hopes readers realize its time to "get a handle on the violence" and to look at the role of women in a subjugated society.

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'The Colony' revisits the 2019 cartel murder of 9 women, children in Mexico - KNPR

(photo courtesy Utah State Historical Society/Tribune negative collection) President Heber J. Grant, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, center, walks past the Tabernacle at Temple Square with the other members of the First Presidency, J. Reuben Clark, left, and David O. McKay, right.

By Steve Cuno | Special to The Tribune

| Sep. 9, 2022, 2:00 p.m.

| Updated: Sep. 10, 2022, 8:17 p.m.

Alert Utahns have likely noticed a recent flurry of news involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (with apology, Mormon hereafter) and sex. Perhaps now is a good time to add some socio-historical perspective.

Nearly all religions endorse thou shalt not commit adultery. But some add strict rules, routinely sermonize about sex, intrusively monitor compliance, rail against pornography, and punish transgressors. In the act of admonishing the faithful not to obsess about sex, they seem to obsess about sex.

If you think that sounds like the Mormon religion, lets be fair: it sounds like a good many others, too. The Mormon church earns attention here because The Tribune exists in its backyard, and because sex has a prominent role in the churchs history and practices.

The Mormon Churchs curious sexual history began in 1831, when founder Joseph Smith Jr. was discovered in flagrante delicto with his wifes 14-year-old housekeeper. This was not adultery, Smith claimed, but God-mandated polygamy. Indeed, a popular account holds that a sword-bearing angel compelled Smiths acquiescence. Accounts by some of his wives, however, suggest that the angel tale compelled theirs.

Polygamy would set the stage for Smiths death. In 1844, Smith approached a close associates wife, and the associate responded by publishing a tell-all newspaper. Smith had the newspaper press destroyed, for which he was arrested and jailed. Two days later, an armed mob stormed the jail. Armed with a six-shooter, Smith returned fire but, outnumbered and outgunned, didnt survive.

In 1847, the greater part of the Mormons followed Brigham Young to Utah territory and brought polygamy into the open. Early the following year, Mexico ceded the territory to the United States, which quickly enacted anti-bigamy laws. The church defied the laws into the early 1900s.

Salt Lake Citys prostitution trade, by contrast, drew no such outrage. Since the 1870s, Commercial (now Regent) Street had been home to a thriving red light district. Concern about proximity to other businesses led not to its shuttering but to its relocation. The city council worked with madam Belle London on construction of a stockaded brothel occupying the entire block northwest of 200 South and 500 West.

The Deseret News called the project commendable, questioning only whether it was practicable. The stockade opened in 1908 and operated for three years. Later, many sex workers took apartments on adjacent 200 South, earning the street a reputation it has yet to shake.

In the 1970s, the churchs image underwent a turnaround. The specter of polygamy fading and the stockade largely forgotten, Americans began associating Mormons with wholesomeness and strong families.

Yet the church gives sex much attention. Leaders frequently lecture about porn, masturbation, non-marital sex, same-sex marriage, even sexual thoughts. Chaperones at youth dances turn away girls in sleeveless, too-short or too form-fitting dresses and watch for too-sexy and too-close dancing. Church-owned Brigham Young University enforces strict attire and grooming standards.

For married couples, the church manages to make sex sound about as appealing as paying a parking ticket. (Sexual relations within marriage are not only for the purpose of procreation, but also a means of expressing love and strengthening emotional and spiritual ties between husband and wife. Hot stuff.) Yet the church has progressed since apostle J. Reuben Clark said, The prime purpose of sex desire is to beget children. Sex gratification must be had at that hazard.

Not content to impose rules on members alone, the church successfully urged Utahns to pass an anti-gay marriage amendment in 2004. In 2008, Wikileaks exposed the churchs would-be covert support of like measures in California, Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada and Nebraska.

Most recently, evidence suggests that, like many religions, the Mormon church prioritized protecting its image over justice and healing for sexual assault victims.

The majority of Mormons act admirably and within the bounds of propriety. Yet if some feel overly preoccupied with sex, the church may bear some responsibility. It continually discusses sex; defends a founder who took multiple wives, not all single, not all of age, and some under threat; and now stands accused of coverups.

Geographic areas associated with high-demand religions, notably Utah and the American South, experience high rates of sexual acting out. Suppressing sexual behavior while keeping the topic fresh in followers minds may be one reason that more believers than you might think, including some youd least expect, engage in behaviors in opposition to espoused principles.

Steve Cuno, Portland, is the author of Behind the Mormon Curtain: Selling Sex in Americas Holy City, from which this article was adapted, and the as-told-to author of Joanne Hankss popular memoir, Its Not About the Sex My Ass: Confessions of an Ex-Mormon, Ex-Polygamist, Ex-Wife.

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Like some other religions, LDS Church seems obsessed with sex. - Salt Lake Tribune

A Muslim man who contracted a registry marriage as his first marriage under the Marriage Act and wished to take a second wife for any reason or change his wife must first divorce his first wife. By Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin in Mohammed Vs. Mohammed in Appeal No. KWS/SCA/CV/AP/IL/14/2022.

A Sharia Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin has ruled that when it comes to the administration of the estate of a deceased who had a subsisting marriage under the Act, the Administration of Estate Law of Kwara State would be applied and not the Islamic Personal law.

In the case of Mohammed & Anor v. Mohammed & 5 Ors., APPEAL NO: KWS/SCA/CV/AP/IL/14/2022, the Estate of the deceased, late Major Muhammed Adeniyi, was the subject of litigation. The respondents had filed a case before the Upper Area Court 1, Ilorin, in suit number UAC1/CVF/968/2020 challenging the 1st appellant that the death benefits she received from the Military Pension Board as a next of kin of her late father are to be distributed by Islamic law and that the 2nd and 3rd wives Islamically married by the deceased are entitled in the distribution of the deceased estates.

The 1st wife, upon being aware of the suit, joined and challenged the jurisdiction of the Upper Area Court to entertain the case by her marriage to the deceased under the Marriage Act and that the suit was an abuse of court process by a pending claim at the High Court, Ilorin in suit number KWS/2/2020 between the same parties.

The Upper Area judge dismissed the objection on the ground that since the deceased and the 2nd appellant were not living together at the time of his death, there was an implied separation and that the suit at the Upper Area Court was not an abuse of court process.

Upon being dissatisfied with the ruling, the appellants appealed to the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal for the court to determine whether it is the administration of estate law of Kwara State or Islamic law would apply to the estate of Major Mohammed Adeniyi, who married under the Act or the Islamic law.

The appellants counsel, Omoniyi Odeyemi, submitted that since the deceased married under the Marriage Act and died without making a Will, the Administration of Estate Law of Kwara State should govern his estate, not Islamic law. He further argued that the subsequent marriages are void abinitio.

The respondent counsel, Sarafa Shogo, submitted that the conduct of the deceased by his subsequent marriages according to Islamic law should govern the distribution of the deceased estate and not the administration of estate law.

The Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin, in allowing the appeal, considered the decision of the Supreme Court in Obusez vs Obusez (2007) AllFWLR (PT.374) 227 @ 252, Nebuwa v Nebuwa (2018) LPELR-45097 (CA) and held that:

The estate of late Major Muhammed Adeniyi would ordinarily have been governed by Islamic law if he had not by his own choice contracted a valid and subsisting marriage under the Act with the 2nd appellant. Dissolution of a marriage under the Act cannot be presumed, speculated, or conjectured as erroneously done by the trial court.

The Court also cited S.A.Giwa, the learned author of the book, the status of the registry and Islamic marriage and further held that.

In law, the deceased, by opting for the registry marriage, has changed his factory setting religion of Islam and the only way he could legally unbundle himself and return to the factory setting from the status he willingly put himself, is by legally repudiating the statutory marital relationship he had with the 2nd appellant, through a legal divorce.

The Court also resolved the issue of abuse of court process against the respondent. It held that the suit before the court below is found to be an abuse of court process and has robbed the trial court of the jurisdictional competence to entertain same.

The Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal allowed the appeal. The Court also set aside the ruling delivered by the Upper Area Court 1, Ilorin, on the 14th of February 2022 and struck out suit No. UAC 1/CVF/968/2020.

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Sharia Court Holds That Divorce Is The Only Circumstance In Which A Muslim Man, Who Contracted A Marriage Under The Marriage Act Can Practice Polygamy...