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Category Archives: Polygamy

How I survived depression after my husband took a second wife May Edochie – Daily Post Nigeria

Posted: July 25, 2022 at 2:13 am

The first wife to Yul Edoochie has revealed how she survived depression after her husband publicly took a second wife.

Recall that Edochie caused controversy online after he embraced polygamy, announcing the birth of his son with his second wife.

The actor and his second wife, Judy Austin worked together on several movies which brought their attention to Nigerians.

His decision was widely criticised, however, the actor cum politician insisted that his first wife stillremains number one.

Speaking on Facebook live, May disclosed that her decision to dwell on pieces of her once happy marriage and support from family and friends saved her from being depressed.

She said: I saw some comments saying Im using my situation to cash out but I dont wish this upon my enemies if at all I have any.

Depression is real and there are different stages, for me rather than dwell in depression I decided to pick up pieces of a beautiful world I had that suddenly shattered.

I decided to pick up the pieces and try to move on than dwell in depression. It has not been easy but Im glad I am able to go out and do stuff.

All the things Im able to do is because of the love from my family and you guys. These things have kept me going.

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New book, ‘The Colony,’ takes readers into a realm they never could have imagined – Mesquite Local News

Posted: July 13, 2022 at 8:55 am

By Thomas Mitchell

Author Sally Dentons latest book may have been prompted by the ambush murders on a dirt road in northern Mexico of three female members of a polygamous spin-off sect of the Mormon Church and six of their children, while en route

to the community of Colonia LeBaron, commonly known simply as The Colony, but it is far more than just a true crime book.

Though it begins and ends with vivid accounts of what happened that day in November 2019 and the many scenarios as to why including the likelihood that it was perpetrated by a drug cartel in between The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land delves deeply into the founding of and teachings of the Mormon Church, as well as the violence-riddled branches of that religion established more than a century ago in Mexico. The book is exhaustively researched and thoroughly detailed.

Denton readily acknowledges that the book was irresistible, because, as she writes, As a longtime investigative journalist and author, I have written extensively about organized crime, murdered women, drug cartels, Western history, polygamy, and Mormons. The brazen daylight attack on the controversial LeBaron clan instantly grabbed my attention as a reporter. But as a descendent of Mormon pioneers and polygamists, I had a personal impulse to unravel it.

In fact, two women who play major roles in the settlement of those Mexican outposts were Dentons great-great-grandmother and great-grandmother. The exploits of both are recounted in the book. Additionally, in the 1970s Denton apprenticed with syndicated newspaper columnist Jack Anderson, who she described as the nationally renowned Mormon muckraker, who had broken exclusive accounts of the bloody deeds of some of those Mexican polygamous cults, even labeling one of the polygamist leaders the Mormon Manson.

In describing her purpose for The Colony Denton writes, This book is an exploration of LeBaron the place and the family in an effort to explain the impulses that drove thousands of women over generations, including ancestors of mine to join or remain within a novel American religion based on male supremacy and female servitude. Many did not have a choice in the matter, of course, but many others did, and many embraced their patriarchal world.

The book provides a detailed account of how Mormon leaders Joseph Smith and Brigham Young migrated west to Utah and embraced the devine Principle, the practice of polygamy, and something called blood atonement the killing for a higher purpose, as frequently practiced in true Cain-and-Abel fashion by several LeBarons, literally brother killing brother.

The chapter on the Mountain Meadows Massacre alone is worth the price of admission.

On September 7, 1857, in a meadow in southwestern Utah, a Mormon militia attacked the Fancher Train, Denton writes. After a five-day siege, the Mormons persuaded the emigrants to surrender under a flag of truce and a pledge of safe passage. Then, in the worst butchery of white people by other white people in the entire colonization of America, approximately 140 unarmed men, women and children were murdered.

She goes on to explain how, why and who ordered the attack, as well as how the closely guarded secret plan was unveiled.

Denton later in the book delves into the laws being passed by Congress in the late 1880s banning and penalizing the practice of polygamy, which made the Mormon Churchs fourth Prophet, Wilford Woodruff, who himself had nine wives, realize the church could only survive if the US retreated from its hostility and granted statehood to Utah. Thus, on October 6, 1890, he issued what became known as the Woodruff Manifesto, advising Latter-day Saints to refrain from polygamy. That prompted the LeBarons and others to break from the church.

After recounting the evolving decades of violence and conflict and prospering agricultural endeavors among the polygamist colonists, Denton returns to the present-day hillside massacre case, which many LeBarons and law enforcement agents still see as unresolved despite numerous arrests.

The Colony provides a thoroughly eye-opening exploration of a shocking existence and mindset that few of us could ever have imagined in our worst nightmares.

The book is available in a number of local bookstores, as well as the usual online outlets, such as Amazon and Barnes and Nobel.

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New book, 'The Colony,' takes readers into a realm they never could have imagined - Mesquite Local News

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Challenging the conventional way of loving – Hindustan Times

Posted: at 8:55 am

With traditional relationships redefining meaning in todays age, we are now more open to different types of relationship styles such as polygamy, sologamy, open relationships etc. Taking a leaf from the same scenario, director Faezeh Jalali put together a collection of plays, which challenges the traditional relationships set by the society.

Alis new work, titled Strictly Unconventional, is a set of short quirky plays that explore unconventional relationships such as a gay man and a polyamorous woman who find happiness together, a woman who walks out of a sexless marriage, a couple dealing with mental health issues, an old man who regrets his life choices, and a couple bragging about how perfect they are. The intention was to keep it light-hearted and funny, yet bold and capable of evoking the right emotions in the audiences minds.

When asked how the director feels about the play, Ali says, I havent had the time to think about it because the rehearsals take up so much of my time. But when I try to sleep at night, Im like, Oh my God, how is this happening? How am I doing this? Also, I try to avoid thinking about it too much and let the day come and allow things to happen, when it will.

With a collection of short plays, the actors are challenged to shift narratives and enact different scenarios while also ensuring it is wildly entertaining. Actor Devika Shahani, who enacted two roles a woman struggling with a partner with serious mental health issues and another of a man, shares, I am in two pieces, both very different and with quite a variation. But I find it to be the most exciting part of being an actor, as it gave me a chance to explore the different layers of human beings. Finding the truth of a person in the complexity of their life, that is my journey.

With few roles written for older women that go beyond that of a mother, aunt or mother-in-law in a play, actor Suruchi Aulakh took on the role of an older woman in a loving lesbian relationship, who is going through a manic episode. She says, The role was very well researched, written and offers a lot of scope for an actor to execute and enjoy her craft. Even while rehearsing for it, we would also have extensive discussions about what the person might be going through and how to stay true to the condition while maintaining dramatic tension. I tried different types of anger and frustration exercises before narrowing down on what would be most appropriate in this situation. At times, it may seem excessive, but it is as close to reality as possible.

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‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Season 4’s most uncanny twist is a total delight – Inverse

Posted: at 8:55 am

The undead of Staten Island have been reborn. Or, at least energy vampire and corporate cog Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) has on What We Do in the Shadows. The soul-sucking bore perishes of natural causes at the age of 100 in the Season 3 finale, which is the typical expiration date for energy vampires, apparently. What happens to him next as part of an ongoing Season 4 arc is the riskiest thing the show has ever done and it pays off in spades.

Just before the end of the Season 3 finale, a horrific neonatal version of Colin crawls out of his adult-sized selfs chest cavity with Prokschs face poorly superimposed on an infants body.

This resurrection gimmick would not work in almost any other show. But FXs irreverent comedy-fantasy-horror-mockumentary has just enough panache, low-brow hilarity, and consistent cleverness to strike the right balance with Baby Colin. Hes sweet, disgusting, and absurd. He also still resides in a mansion full of old vampires. Shockingly, Baby Colin already feels more important to his housemates arc than he ever did as an elderly adult.

JUICY SEASON 4 SPOILERS AHEAD.

What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 begins with the Core Four reuniting after travels abroad Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and her talking Nadja clone-doll (also voiced by Demetriou), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), and Laszlo (show creator Jemaine Clement), who has been busy raising Baby Colin to be interesting at the manor. Baby Colins instruction consists of literature and art deemed worthy and not boring by the snobbish dandy, while all other babysitting duties are ignored.

Guillermo (Harvey Guilln), the vampire-slaying bodyguard of Nandor and reluctant henchman of the fanged friends, also makes his way back to the flamboyant home. He is immediately alarmed by Baby Colins perilous environment.

However, the gang soon finds that while they are (mostly) immortal, their Staten Island mansion is not. Neglect has made it far too dangerous for the potentially human Baby Colin. Nadja makes her case to the Vampiric Councils Guide, played by Kristen Schaal, and is approved to transform the space into a nightclub, paying homage to both True Blood and Blades memorable takes on vampiric bars.

What We Do in the Shadows returns to FX on July 12 with Season 4s first two episodes, entitled Reunited and The Lamp. FX

Baby Colin is integrated seamlessly into the series deadly discotheque arc with a surprising Episode 3 twist that delights the shows characters, and will likely delight its viewers.

But, is Baby Colin really all that different from Adult Colin? Prokschs comedic chops are utilized better than ever as a convincing youth (who may or may not be harboring an exhausting secret from the rest of his adoptive parents). It helps that the potential ruse is bolstered by Baby Colins lines, which were clearly written by people who know how to think up realistic kid characters. Baby Colin retains the navet and endless fascination of normal toddlers, even with Prokschs adult uncanny valley face.

De-aging Colin, who isnt quite as cute as The Mandalorians Baby Yoda or Guardians of the Galaxys Baby Groot to become an instant fan-favorite, was a huge creative risk, but it pays off. A CGI-plastered visage on a little body gives What We Do in the Shadows a facelifta touched-up version of the already near-perfect horror sitcom.

En garde! Much to Laszlos dismay, Baby Colin gravitates more toward musical theater than weapons. FX

While Baby Colin may be a youngster, What We Do in the Shadows brand of comedy remains as crass, inappropriate, and devilishly entertaining as always. Characters explore polyamory, polygamy, and even penis enlargement! Its the same sort of cheeky potty humor established first by the movie of the same name created by Clement and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi.

The FX shows rebirth reminds us that we shouldnt have to turn off our brains to enjoy contentnot even if that content is meant to make you laugh lest we miss out on the great television and films that make the most of the genre without insulting its audiences intelligence. Thankfully, What We Do in the Shadows can be depended on to deliver.

What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 premieres July 12 on FX.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY.

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Legality of polygamy – Wikipedia

Posted: July 11, 2022 at 3:48 am

Polygamy around the world

The legal status of polygamy varies widely around the world. Polygyny is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being Muslim-majority countries. Polyandry is illegal in virtually every country and strictly prohibited in Islam.[citation needed] In several non-Muslim countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, including India, Philippines and Singapore, polygyny is only permitted among the Muslim population. Some countries that permit polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give her consent.

In countries that ban polygamy, the offence is commonly called bigamy, though the penalty varies between jurisdictions. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, the prohibition is not enforced.

Note: These countries are included separately because they have specific legislation aimed only at Muslims.

Polygamy is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent, being most common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" in West Africa and Central Africa, with the countries estimated to have the highest polygamy prevalence in the world being Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Niger and Nigeria.[68] In the region of sub-Saharan Africa, polygyny is common and deeply rooted in the culture, with 11% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa living in such marriages (25% of the Muslim population and 3% of the Christian population, as of 2019).[69] Polygmous marriages occur, regardless of legality, as the practice is deeply rooted in culture and often supported by Islam in Africa.

Misdemeanor

Felony

As in Africa, polygamy continues to be practiced in parts of Asia, regardless of laws.

In most countries, a person who marries a person while still being lawfully married to another commits bigamy, a criminal offence, though penalties vary between jurisdictions. Besides, the second and subsequent marriages are considered legally null and void.

The United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand permit some benefits for spouses of polygamous marriages performed abroad. In the past, Sweden used to recognize polygamous marriages performed abroad; butsince 2021, Sweden no longer recognizes such marriages, save in exceptional circumstances.[136] In Switzerland polygamous marriages conducted abroad may be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis;[142] see Europe. In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, which allows simultaneous, additional marital rights and obligations for already married persons, prior to married persons becoming divorced from their existing spouse.[143]

The vast majority of Muslim majority sovereign states recognize polygamous marriages: these states span from the West Africa to Southeast Asia, with the exceptions of Turkey, Tunisia, Albania, Kosovo and Central Asian countries.[144][145][146][147]

Predominantly Christian nations usually do not allow polygamy, with a handful of exceptions such as the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia.

Almost a dozen countries that do not permit polygamous civil marriages recognize polygamous marriages under customary law. All the northern states in Nigeria governed by Islamic Sharia law recognize polygamous marriages. The autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland in northern Somalia also recognize polygamy, as does the country's Transitional Federal Government itself, since the country is governed by Sharia law. The recently independent country of Southern Sudan also recognizes polygamy.

Polyandry is de facto the norm in rural areas of Tibet, although it is illegal under Chinese family law. Polygamy continues in Bhutan[35] in various forms as it has since ancient times. It is also found in parts of Nepal,[148] despite its formal illegality in the country.[149]

Debates of legalizing polygamous marriages continue in Central Asian countries.[citation needed]

In 2000, the United Nations Human Rights Committee reported that polygamy violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), citing concerns that the lack of "equality of treatment with regard to the right to marry" meant that polygamy, restricted to polygyny in practice, violates the dignity of women and should be outlawed.[150] Specifically, the reports to UN Committees have noted violations of the ICCPR due to these inequalities[151] and reports to the General Assembly of the UN have recommended it be outlawed.[152][153]

Some countries where polygamy is legal are not signatories of ICCPR, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Brunei and South Sudan; so that ICCPR does not apply to these countries.[154] It has been argued by the Department of Justice of Canada that polygyny is a violation of international human rights law.[155]

The tables below cover recent pieces of legislation that have been either debated, proposed or voted on; all of which concerns a form of polygamous union.

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Legality of polygamy in the United States – Wikipedia

Posted: at 3:48 am

The legality of polygamy in the United States has been controversial during the country's history.

Couples have married in the United States for centuries. For most of US history, marriages were solemnized in an ecclesiastical setting. Government-issued marriage licenses are a modern innovation. Even before the advent of licensing, many states enacted laws to prohibit plural marriage style relationships. Early Mormons were persecuted for their practice of polygamy. No state permits its citizens to enter into more than one concurrent, legally-licensed marriage. People who attempt to, or are able to, secure a second marriage license are generally prosecuted for bigamy. The terms "bigamy" and "polygamy" are sometimes confused or used interchangeably. Some states' statutes refer to polygamy while others use the bigamy term. Criminal sentences differ widely. Prosecutions for either violation are extremely rare. Polygamy is a practice difficult to define since it virtually never occurs in the context of legal licensing. Given that Mormon polygamists migrated to the Rocky Mountains in 1847, partly to escape prosecution for polygamy in the eastern states, efforts to curb the practice focused intensely on Utah and the surrounding territories in the 1800s. Utah and four other western territories were constrained to incorporate a prohibition against plural marriages in their state constitutions.

Given that almost no polygamists bother to seek a second marriage license, the practice of forming a family with more than one spousal-styled relationship is very difficult to criminalize. In the majority of cases, the additional partner is considered a wife in the context of religious beliefs. Legally speaking, the practice is more akin to adultery. Criminal prosecutions of adultery are unheard of in the U.S.[original research?][citation needed]

Utah made the practice of polygamy a felony in 1935, after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints publicly repudiated it in 1890, 1904 and 1910. Many convictions followed. Since the 1960s, polygamy prosecutions have been rare. Prosecutions included Robert D. Foster, Steve Bronson, Mark Easterday, Thomas Green, and Rodney Holm. The latter two prompted state supreme court challenges. Both failed. Nevertheless, Utah has remained reluctant to pursue prosecutions, citing a lack of resources, difficulties obtaining convincing evidence, and an understanding that any prosecution would trigger an inevitable appeal to the higher courts. The Supreme Court's 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling found that all adult, consensual, non-commercial sexual activity is protected, thus weakening any attempts to prosecute families for private residential or sexual arrangements that did not seek the imprimatur of the state.

On December 13, 2013, a federal judge, spurred by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups,[1] struck down the parts of Utah's bigamy law that criminalized cohabitation, while also acknowledging that the state may still enforce bans on having multiple marriage licenses.[2] The state of Utah appealed the decision, arguing that polygamist Kody Brown lacked standing to bring his civil suit, since his county prosecutor, Jeff Buhman, had not followed through on any plan to prosecute the Brown family. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals (Denver) agreed with Utah and overturned the previous decision, thus effectively recriminalizing polygamy as a felony.[3]

In 2020, State Senator Deidre Henderson introduced a bill reducing the penalty for polygamy from a five-year prison sentence (as a felony) to an infraction. The bill passed with overwhelming support in Utah's House and Senate. As such, polygamy was downgraded from a felony to an infraction, but it remains a felony if force, threats or other abuses are involved.[4]

Federal legislation to outlaw the practice in federal territories was endorsed as constitutional in 1878, despite the religious objections of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), by the Supreme Court, in Reynolds v. United States.

Individualist feminism and advocates such as Wendy McElroy and journalist Jillian Keenan[who?] support the freedom for adults to voluntarily enter polygamous marriages.[5][6]

Authors such as Alyssa Rower and Samantha Slark argue that there is a case for legalizing polygamy on the basis of regulation and monitoring of the practice, legally protecting the polygamous partners and allowing them to join mainstream society instead of forcing them to hide from it when any public situation arises.[7][8]

In an October 2004 op-ed for USA Today, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley argued that, as a simple matter of equal treatment under law, polygamy ought to be legal. Acknowledging that underage girls are sometimes coerced into polygamous marriages, Turley replied that "banning polygamy is no more a solution to child abuse than banning marriage would be a solution to spousal abuse".[9]

Stanley Kurtz, an American conservative fellow at the Hudson Institute, rejects the decriminalization and legalization of polygamy. He stated:

Marriage, as its ultramodern critics would like to say, is indeed about choosing one's partner, and about freedom in a society that values freedom. But that's not the only thing it is about. As the Supreme Court justices who unanimously decided Reynolds in 1878 understood, marriage is also about sustaining the conditions in which freedom can thrive. Polygamy in all its forms is a recipe for social structures that inhibit and ultimately undermine social freedom and democracy. A hard-won lesson of Western history is that genuine democratic self-rule begins at the hearth of the monogamous family.[10]

In January 2015, Pastor Neil Patrick Carrick of Detroit, Michigan, brought a case (Carrick v. Snyder) against the State of Michigan that the state's ban of polygamy violates the Free Exercise and Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.[11][12]

As of 2008[update] some conservative Muslims in the U.S. engaged in polygamous relationships in which each had one wife with a legal marriage and others with only religious marriages.[13] Around that time a phenomenon of polygamy occurred among Muslims in Philadelphia who were black.[14]

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Letter to the Editor: Rep. Lauren Boebert’s comments about church and state are wrong – Summit Daily

Posted: at 3:48 am

I was shocked to hear U.S. Rep. Lauren Boeberts comments about separation of church and state. Having heard them secondhand, I had to Google her remarks, thinking she was misquoted. Nope.

She really doesnt understand the need for separation of church and state. From my history lessons, I remember that many of the people who came to this country early on came to avoid religious persecution. Without this important separation, we would all be subject to the whims of whatever group is currently in power.

Should a Roman Catholic Congress predominate, perhaps in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination would become illegal. I remember the unfounded fears that the Pope would rule the U.S. if John Kennedy was elected.

Perhaps if a polygamous cult were in favor, polygamy would be legal, and those not practicing such would be considered inferior. Absurd perhaps, but our Founding Fathers wanted all of us protected including Lauren Boebert.

It appears that she would like to push her faith beliefs on all of us thereby ignoring the Constitution which protects us all. I hope the people of Colorado are far too intelligent to reelect this threat to our democracy.

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Elon Musk jokes after twin reveal: I’m ‘doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis’ – Marca English

Posted: at 3:48 am

Elon Musk joked when he revealed that he had two twins with one of Tesla's executives.

According to reports, Musk and Shivon Zilis welcomed twins last November.

Musk previously tweeted about the falling birthrate in the US.

"USA birth rate has been below min sustainable levels for ~50 years. (The) past two years have been a demographic disaster," Musk tweeted on May 24.

Previously, the billionaire also used his social media account to say "have kids."

Musk now has nine children, five with Justine Wilson, two with Shivon Zilis, and two with Grimes, the artist.

Elon Musk kept in secret the identity of the twins.

However, when the news broke, Musk tweeted: "Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis. A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far."

Then he followed with: "I hope you have big families and congrats to those who already do!"

However, people commented on Musk's underpopulation post by blasting the billionaire for having sex with one of her employees and saying he wants to help the world.

"Imagine just knocking up co-workers and telling people you're just trying to help."

Another user attacked Musk's polygamy by replying: "Congratulations to those who have a large family with one woman, not like you, a large family with different women."

Shivon Zilis, 36, became a top executive at Neuralink.

Shivon Zilis met Elon Musk when she was working at Tesla as a Project Director, they have been close to each other ever since.

The twins were born just a few weeks before Musk and Grimes had their second child.

According to Business Insider, Elon Musk and Shivon Zilis petitioned to change the name of the twins.

The report says that the children will "have their father's last name and contain their mother's last name as part of their middle name."

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The Resurging Spectacle of the LDS Church in Film and TV – Study Breaks

Posted: at 3:48 am

There is no shortage of badly written B-movies poking fun at the LDS church, but lately Hollywood has taken a more serious interest in telling stories about Mormon fundamentalists. Recent releases include a Netflix docuseries titled Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey and Under The Banner Of Heaven, a drama series about a Mormon detective who begins to question his own faith after investigating a gruesome murder committed by a locally respected Mormon family that fell into extreme fundamentalism.

The Mormon faith last became a pop culture phenomenon during the 2010s, when The Book Of Mormon was new to Broadway. What is the reason for this resurgence in interest, and why now? More importantly, what even is Mormonism? Mormonism, or the Church of Latter-day Saints/LDS church, is often joked about, but few might be able to accurately describe what makes their beliefs differ from other denominations of Christianity.

Attempting to write a concise, informative summary of the history of the LDS church is like trying to wrangle an octopus into a burlap sack, but the octopus has 24 arms and the burlap sack is on fire. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is more popularly referred to as the Mormon church or the LDS church. The church was founded by Joseph Smith after, at the age of 14, he received a revelation from God that told him not to join any existing Christian churches. Three years later, an angel named Moroni told Smith that he had been selected to translate the Book of Mormon, which was allegedly inscribed on golden plates somewhere in New York Smith did not allow anyone else to see these plates, because the angel Moroni forbade it.

Mormons believe that the holy trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) are three separate gods and that there are three levels of heaven (the highest being celestial, where they will live in Gods presence). Mormons famously do not consume coffee, alcohol, tea or tobacco; many turn to soda instead, to the extent that soda shops have become wildly popular in an area of the U.S. described as the Mormon Corridor. Contrary to popular belief, the church only bans hot caffeinated drinks; Coke is still safe, until God declares otherwise.

The sins of the LDS church are heavy and numerous this is not unique to this particular denomination but is still obviously worth mentioning. Until the 1970s, Black men were restricted from partaking in certain activities in the LDS church and could not join the priesthood. Women are still barred from becoming priests. From the 1950s to the mid-1990s, the LDS church operated an Indian Placement Program, where Native American children (often impoverished) were invited to live with white Mormon families during the school year, where they were often baptized as Mormon.

In an article for The Atlantic, Emma Green wrote, The LDS Church teaches that Native Americans are descendants of the Lamanites In the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites are predominately a wicked people, cursed by God with a skin of blackness as punishment for turning against him. An LDS church document from 1976 confirms that Lamanite was the Mormon definition of Native American. This is just an introduction to the numerous offenses committed by the LDS church; this brief list barely dips a toe into the shallow end. One begins to wonder why Hollywood hasnt taken greater advantage of the skeletons in the LDS churchs closet.

Hollywood has always been fascinated with cults, and cults derived from Christian fundamentalism are an even more enticing target because they are often steeped in reality. A recent example is The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, a biopic about Tammy Bakker, who, with her husband Jim Bakker, developed a cult-like following around the largest religious broadcasting network in the United States; Jim Bakker fell into infamy after being convicted and imprisoned for fraud.

There are too many movies about cults to name, like Children Of The Corn or, to name a more recent example, Midsommar. Whereas satanic cults and stories about satanic ritual abuse were popular in film from the 70s to the late 90s/early 2000s, Christian cults have become a more captivating subject in contemporary film and TV, proving that truth is often stranger (or more engrossing) than fiction. One recent series about the horrors of Christian fundamentalism is Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is a Netflix docuseries that details the rise of Warren Jeffs, the leader of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints) church, an apocalyptic sect of the LDS church. The rise and fall of Warren Jeffs is detailed through personal interviews with ex-members of the FLDS church, many of them women who were victims of polygamous marriages ordained by FLDS leaders.

Although the LDS church has since excommunicated the FLDS church due to its continued practice of polygamous marriage that has created an overwhelmingly negative reputation for the LDS church as a whole, the FLDS churchs beliefs do not and cannot exist in a vacuum. The LDS church is the root of the FLDS churchs evil. The FLDS church simply amplified and warped the core message of the LDS church. What better way to ensure religious devotion than to convince people that the end is near, that their only salvation when the world goes up in flames is to become the best FLDS member they can be, and that the only way to be the best is to unquestioningly believe everything the FLDS leaders tell you to do?

Although the LDS church has firmly stated that they have denounced polygamy and any person who practices polygamy is not affiliated with the LDS church, their website says the Bible and the Book of Mormon teach that the marriage of one man to one woman is Gods standard, except at specific periods when He has declared otherwise. So, plural marriage is not allowed, unless God decides it is during specific instances. Although in all fairness, plural marriages are expressly forbidden in modern times and were only encouraged between 1840-1890.

In Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey some ex-members of the FLDS church describe how men were assigned multiple wives as rewards, and that men who were not given more than a few wives felt as if they were being punished in some way. Marriages were rarely created out of love. The purpose of marriage and sex was not for pleasure but to create as many new FLDS members as possible. Rulon Jeffs, who served as president of the FLDS church and was the father of Warren Jeffs, had around 65 wives by the time of his death and at least 65 children. One ex-member interviewed in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey talks about being married off to Rulon Jeffs at the age of 19; at the time, Rulon Jeffs was already an elderly man. Another woman who was forcibly married to Rulon Jeffs describes how she used to trick him into falling asleep to avoid intercourse with him.

In contrast, Under The Banner Of Heaven is a fictionalized story of a murder and infanticide that occurs in a primarily Mormon town. After watching Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, I found it difficult to be shocked and appalled as the show described an esteemed Mormon familys collapse into fundamentalist insanity. I had already seen the reality, and the reality was much more horrific than any TV show could ever hope to replicate.

The show makes temporal jumps between brief glimpses of the life of Joseph Smith, to the present-day detective (played by Andrew Garfield) unraveling the murder mystery, to the events leading up to the murder as told by the husband of the victim. Viewers who watch Under The Banner Of Heaven prior to Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey may find it easier to become engrossed in the drama series, unfettered by the echoes of the chilling accounts from former FLDS victims. The two shows make a good pairing, like wine and cheese, but the order they are viewed in is important.

Why has the LDS church become a renewed public spectacle, and why now? As QAnon conspiracies run rampant, satanic panic-era fears have become increasingly prevalent. The satanic panic never truly died but went stagnant until QAnon resurrected it. Hollywood is tired of the same old stories about secret satanic ritual abuse Christian fundamentalist abuse is horrifically real, and as more people open up about the trauma they endured in the name of God, the more audiences are interested in watching stories about real and fictionalized Christian cults. Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey and Under The Banner Of Heaven are only the beginning.

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The Resurging Spectacle of the LDS Church in Film and TV - Study Breaks

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Drake Makes Tristan Thompson Best Man in Polygamy-Themed ‘Falling Back’ Vid

Posted: June 29, 2022 at 12:42 am

Drake's first music video from his new album is a giant not-so-inside-joke -- and while he and Tristan Thompson are laughing ... Khloe Kardashian is definitely not.

Drizzy dropped the vid for "Falling Back" Thursday night, and it's a full-on wedding party, complete with him saying "I Do" to his beautiful brides.

Yes, plural ... 23 gorgeous women, actually -- and the guy getting him ready for the big day is none other than TT, who's clearly leaning into his rep for infidelity.

TT tells the rapper, "Doesn't feel right, we scrap it, we go home," while making sure the guy's looking fresh for his 20+ brides ... clearly poking fun at Tristan's multiple cheating scandals, and Drake's timing for this video is pretty on the nose!

As you know, Thursday's season finale of "The Kardashians" featured Khloe's heated reaction to finding out about Tristan's affair with Maralee Nichols ... who he got pregnant.

Khloe says "You either wear a condom, get a vasectomy, or you don't f*** random people that you meet in other states. It's not rocket science".

So, the release of "Falling Back" -- the first single from his "Honestly, Nevermind" album -- kinda plays like a Kardashian's sequel or spinoff. TBH, it's brilliant marketing -- unless you're Khloe -- and Tristan's clearly in on the joke.

BTW, Drake's vid -- directed by Director X -- has a quick "Free YSL" moment ... making him the latest in a string of rappers to publicly support Young Thug and Gunna after their indictments in Georgia on RICO charges.

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Drake Makes Tristan Thompson Best Man in Polygamy-Themed 'Falling Back' Vid

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