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Polygamous Community Releases Voter's Guide

LibertySugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:43:02 -0800

Hoping to move away from the fringe and regain political influence, Utah's polygamous community has released a voter's guide to help members decide how to vote tomorrow.

A coalition of polygamist groups — Communities in Harmony — asked federal, state, and local candidates about their positions on a wide range of topics that impact the once powerful demographic. Of the 150 candidates questioned, 60 responded and were rated on a scale of one to 10. Neither Obama nor McCain responded, but Libertarian candidate Bob Barr received a total score of 7.5.

Politicians who submitted their answers (to questions such as "Should polygamous people have the same right as other Utah citizens to hold public offices?" or "Should the government spend public safety funds disproportionately to target one group of people?") may see a modest bump in the polls. Out of 2.7 million people living in Utah, 37,000 are polygamists. If you were a politician, how would you answer the group's questions?

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Too Much of a Good Thing? This Cat Has 86 Wives

CitizenSugar — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:00:19 -0700

While we may have been shocked by the FLDS polygamy case in the US, this Nigerian man has that beat by a harem. Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, has 86 wives. Yes, that's right: 86 wives and at least 170 children. Far from recommending the practice to others, he says it takes a very special spirit to be wedded to scores of brides. He says, "A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them." He has a reputation as a healer, which is why they're drawn to him. "I don't go looking for them, they come to me. I will consider the fact that God has asked me to do it and I will just marry them."

To find out how he cares for an Economy-Sized family, and how the women feel about it,

Iowa Flooding and Polygamy Cause Debate Within Religions

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:07 -0700

What do the recent floods in the Midwest, and the attention garnered over the FLDS polygamy case have in common? It might not be obvious on the surface, but they're both instances where headlines are having a big impact on religion. First, the floods:

One grocery-store owner in Iowa, who is a devout Muslim, saw his business of six years washed away along with hundreds of others in the severe flooding last month. But whereas other businesses are signing up to receive federal loans at low interest, he cannot; it is forbidden in the Quran for any believer to pay interest. The store owner claims he will need $18,000 to replenish his stock, a sum he does not have, yet his faith has not faltered: “With all of our losses here, even the loss of a six year effort, I still feel we were blessed.”

In Utah, a somewhat different religious struggle is taking place between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the more renegade Fundamentalist groups, most of whom practice polygamy. To see what's causing the debate,

Front Page: Iran Fires Missiles, Polygamy Leader Hospitalized, Darfur Peacekeepers Attacked

CitizenSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:59:24 -0700

Iran Fires Missiles:
Iran has test-fired nine missiles today, including one capable of reaching Israel. The tests coincide with escalating negotiations over Iran's nuclear program as well as US and UK warships conducting naval maneuvers in the Persian Gulf. The tests make this quote from yesterday stand out. A senior Iranian official said yesterday that Iran would respond to any military attack by striking Israel and America’s vital interests around the globe. He said, “In case that they commit such foolishness, Tel Aviv and the US fleet in the Persian Gulf would be the first targets to burst into flames receiving Iran’s crushing response.”

Polygamy Leader Hospitalized:
Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs has been taken from jail to a Las Vegas hospital for an unknown medical problem. President of the now well-know FLDS sect, Jeffs was sent to prison after a conviction by a Utah jury last year on two counts of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice. His health has been in jeopardy while in prison because of a self-imposed fast as well as attempted suicide combined with throwing himself against the walls and banging his head.
Darfur Peacekeepers Attacked:
Six members of the joint peace mission between the United Nations and African Union in Sudan's Darfur region have been killed in an attack. A convoy of 40 armoured vehicles ambushed the peace force while on patrol in North Darfur. Reports say that about 17 peacekeepers are still missing. The UN-AU mission struggles against the violence with only 9,000 of the planned 26,000 troops. It's unclear at this point who was behind this attack. Since the conflict began in Darfur five years ago, the UN estimates that 300,000 people have died and another two million have fled their homes.

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Katherine Heigl to Take On Carolyn Jessop's Polygamy Story

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:31:10 -0700

Carolyn Jessop's memoir Escape will be adapted for the big screen, with Katherine Heigl attached to star and produce, Variety reports. Jessop, whose testimony helped convict polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, "was born into the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints sect. At 18 she married a man 32 years her senior; at 35, she fled with her eight children."

Another memoir focusing on this same Warren Jeffs case was also recently acquired by a movie studio, Elissa Wall's Stolen Innocence. Apparently this particular case is becoming a favorite headline for filmmakers to rip.

Do you think Heigl will do well with this weighty drama?

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Children of the Sect Are Headed Home Today

CitizenSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:25:33 -0700

Children of the Sect Are Headed Home Today The children of the FLDS sect are going home. After many weeks, much discussion and courtroom drama, Texas District Judge Barbara Walthe signed an order allowing parents from the Yearning For Zion Ranch to pick up their children from foster-care facilities starting today.

Texas Loses, Found To Have Illegally Seized Polygamy Kids

CitizenSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 07:30:31 -0700

A divided Supreme Court of Texas agreed 6-3 yesterday that the state had illegally seized 468 girls and boys from the FLDS ranch last month on unproven grounds of physical and sexual abuse. State officials said they would now begin moving swiftly to return the children.

A spokesman for the Department of Family and Protective Services, who took custody of the children after a raid on April 3, said,

“We are disappointed, but we understand and respect the court’s decision and will take immediate steps to comply. Our goal is to reunite families whenever we can and make sure the children will be safe. We will continue to prepare for the prompt and orderly reunification of these children with their families."

One man who has authored a history of polygamy and who is now a member of the mainstream Mormon Church said, "this will embolden them. It’s definitely a big win for the polygamists.”

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Texas Had No Right To Take Polygamists' Children

LibertySugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:40:00 -0700

Texas Had No Right to Take Polygamists' Children A Texas appeals court said Thursday that the state had no right to take more than 400 children from a polygamist sect's ranch, a ruling that could unravel one of the biggest child-custody cases in US history. The Third Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that the state never provided evidence that the children were in any immediate danger, the only grounds in Texas law for taking children from their parents without court approval, the appeals court said.

Polygamist Parents Must Learn "Evils of Polygamy"

LibertySugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:00:54 -0700

Chaotic custody hearings for the children removed from a polygamist compound began yesterday and will continue for three weeks. Texas' Child Protective Services (CPS) has come up with a vague plan for what to do with the 460 children removed from the polygamous compound: return as many children to the FLDS parents as possible.

If all the children were to remain in the most basic level of foster care next year, it would cost the state $21 million. While the details are still being worked out, CPS has articulated some of the conditions for custody. To see what they are,

Nigerian Archbishop: Polygamy Makes a Mockery of Christians

LibertySugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Polygamy isn't limited to America, where a second child was born to an underage member of the FLDS in custody. Archbishop Peter Akinola, the leader of Nigeria's Anglican Church, is telling Christian polygamists to cut out the big love.

Nigeria is religiously divided: the north is predominately Muslim, while the south is mostly Christian and animist. As a sort of recruiting tool, Muslims converting to Christianity were allowed to maintain their polygamist lifestyle.

Not any more. In a letter to his congregation, which includes 17.5 million Nigerians, the Archbishop wrote:

The observation [of polygamy] will destroy our witness if not firmly addressed. We cannot claim to be a Bible-believing church and yet be selective in our obedience.

Women that give up the polygamous lifestyle — which the Archbishop says is necessary — often remain single, even though they are free to remarry in the church. Their children remain with their ex-husbands.

Should women converts be forced to separate from their husbands and leave their families? Since Christians inevitably are selective in what they follow in a sometimes contradicting Bible, should an exception be made for Muslims who want to convert, but don't want to break up their families? Or, should these converts accept monogamy as a crucial tenant to the faith to which they hope to convert?

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