Before anyone reads this post and gets their panties all in a wad, keep in mind that this is written by a non-mormon who is merely looking in from the outside. It is merely my perspective.
Interestingly enough, polygamy is not as widespread as the general population is led to believe. The Mormon church no longer condones this state of being, but there are a few select cults in outerlying backwoods areas that continue to practice.Polygamy was introduced by the leaders of the church in the 1800's when they made the trek to the west and needed to build large families to tend the farms. Recently, Tom Greene made national and international fame for the state while being charged with Rape, among other things, for marrying a 13 year old girl whose mother gave permission for him to marry. The man is like 45 years old, married to a 13year old kid. He already had 7 wives and about 35 kids. Shit. That made a major ruckus out here, he was sentenced to life if my memory serves me right. But, all in all, the polygamy, although it makes the state famous, is not as widespread as everyone thinks. Mostly, the Mormons of current day still do tend to have large families, although the farm land is becoming nonexistent. The church teaches them that they should have as many children as they can afford, most cannot afford the amounts they produce though. The tax cuts are amazing for those with 10 kids. Hell they get money back that they never even thought of paying. The schools are overflowing, and the babies keep coming. Young girls are preped for marriage at a young age. Yearly. I dont know of many Mormons who use contraceptives,they are taught strict abstinance during the teenage years, and once they marry the babies start, so I am baffled by the claim that a treatment center is forcing the usage of them.
I am consistently amazed at the amount of sexual abuse that occurs here, both within the Church and outside of it. I have never lived in an area that the abuse was so high. It baffles me that there are so called "Bishops" of the church who not only are guilty of this crime, but encourage people to "turn the other cheek". Sick. A "Bishop" is a male who has been "called" to lead his "Ward".(Neighborhoods are segregated into wards. The Neighborhood that you live in determines which church you will attend. And, there are "Wards" on every other corner, it seems.) There are so many "bishops" who are charged with sexual abuse, it puts the Catholic issues to shame.
Mormons in general are cultish. (But, so were the Baptists when I lived in Alabama!) Unless you live in a diverse neighborhood, the adults tend to stick together.They wear "secret underwear" They attend functions that the church sponsors, the BoyScout troops are run by the church, the republican party is made up of Mormons and there is definitely no seperation of Church and State out here. The children tend to ostricize children of nonmormon families, and this begins at an early age. I constantly try to figure it out, as my daughter is ten and has been subjected to this harassment the last year or so. I suppose that the area we live in is a bit better than others,as we have a high Hispanic population who are mostly Catholic. Thank goodness!!
Mormons believe that they are the "chosen ones" of the universe. If you are not Mormon, you are not of that persuasion. You will not reach a celestial kingdom when you die, only the Mormons will.And the celestial kingdom is supposed to be better than just going to Heaven, but is reserved for only the Mormons. But, rest assured all of you who want to reach that kingdom, there are many Mormons who go and do "temple work". who will gladly baptize you, after your death, into the churh so that you will be recieved. So, don't go getting all upset that you wont make it there, you will.........
Mormons of good standing in the church do not smoke, nor do they drink, or use drugs. They are "encouraged" to abstain from caffine such as coffee, but they drink an enormous amount of Cokes and Pepsi. What is up with that? As a whole, they despise homosexuality,citing it as a mortal sin, but there are arrests of men all of time who are arrested for soliciting sex from young boys. Masturbation is strictly forbidden, and must be confessed before any marriage. AS if it were some abnormal act. The women here tend to be large, I suppose from having so many kids. Many enter into marriage at a very young age, have several kids, then the hubby walks out the door. Happens all of the time. Teens are pressured into perfection on a daily basis. They are not always able to abide by the rules of the church. Suicide rates here among the youth are extremely high. They are not able to "measure" up to the demands of the church.
Mormons who are in good standing are vehemently convinced that they are absolutely correct in all of their beliefs and systems. Jack Mormons, those who have left the church, are vehement about their hatred for the church.
Basically, it is amazing to me that with all of the huge standards that Mormons have to uphold to remain in good standing with the church there is such a high rate of abuse here. It is very contradictory in my opinion...I am constantly amazed by what I see occurring. I am enraged by the acts of the wilderness programs, subjecting kids like Ian August to death in the desert. And, now I hear that there is an abusive girl's program. I am, at times, embarrassed by the government, although it is not much different than the bigger one that we all endure. There is so much more that I have stored in my head, but my fingers are tired.
Why do I live here? The mountains are the most majestic that I have ever seen, and there is nothing to compare to flyfishing on these rivers. It is serene, if you dont read the paper or listen to the news!
