UTAH STATE LAWMAKER DEFENDS POLYGAMY
Utah State Lawmaker Defends Polygamy
Sat Jan 22
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Republican state lawmaker countered a Senate colleague's dispersal of an anti-polygamy book by passing out materials to fellow legislators defending the practice as natural and not necessarily harmful.
State Sen. Carlene Walker said she was offended by the book, "God's Brothel," that Democratic Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen distributed to legislators Tuesday.
Walker said she has known polygamists who are "fine, honest, educated, wonderful people."
"To characterize the whole polygamy community as abusive to children and the welfare system is inaccurate," she said.
The book distributed by Allen and written by Salt Lake City author Andrea Moore-Emmett tells the stories of 18 women who claim they suffered rape, incest and violence in polygamous communities.
"It's not fair to say we should ignore it," he said.
Allen helped enact a child bigamy law in 2003 that made forced marriages of minors a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison. The offense previously carried only a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail, and was rarely enforced.
It's believed that tens of thousands in Utah and more than 30,000 across the West continue to practice polygamy.
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My opinion: for more information about fundamentalist Mormonism, the book "Under The Banner Of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer is very informative. From experience with the LDS church, I can say the matters on which Krakauer writes are anything but common in the Mormon world.
Fundamentalist Mormons comprise a very small percentage of the Mormon population. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) tend for the most part to be devoted church members who are industrious, clean, hard-working, productive citizens. While their beliefs may seem odd or far-fetched to those outside their church, I do not see where Mormonism necessarily has a negative impact. It is nothing to be afraid of.
I did notice when in Utah that it was hard to find a good drink! At that time, a permit was required for consuming hard liquor. One can get a beer in a tavern in Utah, but taverns aren't that common. You won't see very much of this in Utah:
Mormons tend to not drink anything containing caffeine, and they tend not to smoke. There is not a great deal of poverty, as they tend to look after each other. Large Mormon families are not uncommon; one local LDS family here in La Grande had 13 kids, and one of my high school classmates is the mother of 12.
Being in Utah is almost like being in a different country... but it's nice there. With all the scenic wonders, it's sure worth a visit! Arches National Park is but one of many amazing places to see.
If you are in Salt Lake City, and if you are into music or the science of sound, be sure to check out the Mormon Tabernacle!
I find the Mormon culture strange, but I like learning about it. It is mysterious, unique and fascinating!
4 Comments:
No pictures with this article, although I can think of some that would have gone nicely with it...
My opinion: for more information about fundamentalist Mormonism, the book "Under The Banner Of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer is very informative. From experience with the LDS church, I can say the matters on which Krakauer writes are anything but common in the Mormon world.
Fundamentalist Mormons comprise a very small percentage of the Mormon population. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) tend for the most part to be devoted church members who are industrious, clean, hard-working, productive citizens. While their beliefs may seem odd or far-fetched to those outside their church, I do not see where Mormonism necessarily has a negative impact. It is nothing to be afraid of.
I did notice when in Utah that it was hard to find a good drink! At that time, a permit was required for consuming hard liquor. One can get a beer in a tavern in Utah, but taverns aren't that common.
Mormons tend to not drink anything containing caffeine, and they tend not to smoke. There is not a great deal of poverty, as they tend to look after each other. Large Mormon families are not uncommon; one local LDS family here in La Grande had 13 kids, and one of my high school classmates is the mother of 12.
Being in Utah is almost like being in a different country... but it's nice there. With all the scenic wonders, it's sure worth a visit! If you are in Salt Lake City, and if you are into music or the science of sound, be sure to check out the Mormon Tabernacle!
I find the Mormon culture strange, but I like learning about it. It is mysterious, unique and fascinating!
Oops! Editing problem. I decided to include the comment as part of the article and then forgot to trash the comment. Oh well... !
Hey, I found your profile on the blogger thing and was excited to discover i'm not the only speech therapist with ocd. i'm new to blogging and feeling a bit put out that no-one has visited my blog yet - check it out at www.readthedictionary.blogspot.com
i know this comment isn't strictly relevant to your post but i'm not sure how else to contact you.
Re: polygamy - i have my own issues with religious fundamentalists using social structures like marriage to repress women and vulnerable members of society. my own negative experiences make it impossible to claim objectivity but it seems that the practice has created a culture of abuse which should not be condoned. after all, it has been shown innumerable times that those who appear to be 'fine, honest, educated, wonderful people'have been complicit in abusing people, whether it be through direct action or by their silence.
We aren't the only speech therapists with OCD. In fact, I think the condition may be a prerequisite for being successful in the field!
As for polygamy in the fundamentalist Mormon groups, there is definitely a lot of what most would consider abuse inherent in that system. When a 14-year-old girl is given to a 40-year-old man in marriage, eyebrows tend to raise. The women the men choose? They rarely if ever have any say in the matter.
When mainstream Mormon women have large families, I believe they tend to do so by choice. Some Mormon families are small, of course. As for their roles in society and family, it seems to be what is expected of them through their religious culture. Get married, raise a family, perpetuate the faith. Again, not all Mormons are as strict as that. Like any other religion, there is a spectrum of belief.
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