Wherever people talk about Mormonism, you always hear about the fundamentalist Mormons: the polygamists. On the LDS-interest Internet there’s tons of discussion of modern-day polygamy usually in a hand-wringing what should be done about them kind of way. Naturally, I was glad when I finally got the opportunity to meet…
Category: Polygamy
Book Club Discussion of “Under the Banner”
My book club recently read Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer. Despite my interest in all things mormon, I did not recommend this book to my group. I had read it before, and found it frightening. The Lafferty murders were especially heinous (to my mind) and disturbing on…
Sunday in Outer Blogness: Big News Edition!
Everybody‘s talking about the big news items this week: Secularism is rising dramatically in the U.S., and HBO is showing the Mormon temple ceremony! Let’s have a look:
a solution to the FLDS PR problem
I’m not sure why, but an idea has been floating around in my mind the last couple of weeks. I’m not usually in the mood to help a religious group survive, but I figured this thought was worth putting into the public domain for criticism at the very least. The…
Remembering a Convert
As a child, I admired Brother B. He was a member of our ward. Back then Brother B. must have been in his fifties. He was naturally self-confident and projected authority in an understated sort of way. Late in life, Brother B. had switched careers to become a natural healer….
Thoughts of Nancy
It’s kind of a strange family history claim to fame: My great-great-great-great aunt, Nancy Winchester, was one of Joseph Smith’s youngest teen brides. She was fourteen or fifteen years old in 1842(3?) when she married the prophet; he was in his late thirties and was killed a year or so…
This close to paradise (conclusion of Polygamist)
“Thank you so much.” “No problem,” he said. “Now just lay low, and I’ll see you tonight.” Then he went back to the house. As soon as he was gone, I knew immediately where I wanted to go. Riding on the local bus the other day, I had noticed a…
Who cares what Brigham Young said? (Polygamist continues…)
I woke from my fitful sleep to a light in my eyes. As I was groggily sitting up and regaining consciousness, I heard Spencer say “See? I knew we’d find him here.” Then Spencer and Sam both squeezed into the tiny room, standing the flashlight up to point at the…
An Uncertain Destination (Exmormon: Part V begins)
I sat back in my chair as I listened to the teacher recite the same story of Joseph Smith that he had been repeating to us all week. The handful of other students in my class looked just as bored. The the teacher turned and asked, “Now who can tell…
Get a Hammer and a Nail…
After the recent comments in chanson’s thread, I decided to copy this post from FLAK. I am interested in finding out what it is about the raid that people are so passionate about. I will state my theories below my proposal. And – as chanson did in one of her…