fervently hope that the legal system can overcome the machinations sure to be invoked in the name of 'religious freedom' and triumph over this evil cult on behalf of the many generations to come who otherwise will be first victims and then perpetators and perpetuators of this unholy rape of children's souls
But thats another point - it isn't just this cult.
Why is it that any time an act is committed in the name of religion, it automatically receives a wink and a nod whereas if the same act is committed by let's say an atheist, it's given a whole other penalty?
If for example, we were to take 5,000 Witness kids who died because their parents using religion as their buffer, refused to allow them blood transfusions and put them in the news, we get a lot of shaking heads in sympathy but not much in the way of legal action. It's a religious action. Take those same 5,000 kids and put them in a country where they were denied blood transfusions simply because that's what a bunch of parents or city officials wanted - that becomes murder and/or possibly genocide. The end result is a dead child but because it's tied to a religious belief, it's somehow okay.
We storm the gates of the polygamist compound and remove 400 kids because there is a possibility of abuse - but nobody storms the churches and halls where every day submission is being taught, secrets are being held and punishment is being inflicted on their members. JW's teach absolute shunning which tears families apart and leads to suicide, depression and isolation for people. We have the blood policy. We have people encouraged to live in poverty, brainwashed into believing education is wrong, isolated within communities, marrying only in the religion, a people who detest government and don't support their country, women who are forced into submission in the way they dress, their association with others, their inability to spiritually divorce etc, kids being forced into submission by brainwashing and punishment and fear of shunning....the list goes on - and I'm sure you can see the similarities between the Society and the FLDS. We see the compound and scream bloody murder but who storms and exposes every other cult?
This is a ground breaking case which I'm sure will be the reference point in many legal arguments over the coming years. It may very well set the way this country thinks as far as defining what is a religion and what is not. Polygamist have a spiritual marriage and so if one has not legally filed their marriage in the State then there is no legal offense and these all become single parents with kids and their 'husbands' are in fact just the 'father of their children'. My understanding is that if one of these women refuses her husband or leaves, she has broken that spiritual bond and will suffer eternal damnation and shunning. Hmmmm....as a Witness if one of the couple break the marriage bond, only fornication serves as the cause for divorce else the divorce although legal in the country remains illegal in the eyes of the cult. If you remarry in accordance to the law of the land - you can still expect expulsion and punishment aka shunning from that community because you are charged with adultery. That punishment includes the loss of children, parents, siblings, friends and employment - sometimes a persons whole life. sammieswife.