Wednesday, August 3, 2011

DR. DREW - Why Do Women Stay in Polygamist Sects?

We are going to catch up on our Dr. Drew, then stick with him daily. Thought and Comments Below! We sincerely want to hear from former or current FLDS women. Use Anonymous to feel comfortable if you wish. 
IF YOU HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE, WATCH THESE AND THE FLICKS BELOW ON BILL MAHER AND WARREN JEFFS TRIAL TAPE.
Some background on the ladies you'll see.
CATHY JO NICHOLSON - was raised in a polygamous household where Warren Jeffs was her school teacher.  She eventually escaped that life.  Cathy Jo is with is here today for a discussion of the FLDS church.  R – According to the affidavit investigators at the Eldorado, Texas compound observed a practice in which  female children of child bearing age (13 or 14 years of age) are “spiritually married to a male adult member of the church.”  As a former member is this surprising to you?  “No, not at all, at least not in recent years.  Since Warren took over for his father this became a more prevalent practice.  Meryl Jessop has taken the reins while Warren is in jail.  Meryl became notorious for giving his very young beautiful daughters up to the prophets.  I know of several of his daughters who were given to Rulon Jeffs when he was on his death bed.  This was done to supposedly seal his place in heaven and then these women were inherited by Warren Jeffs when his father passed the monarchy to him.”  R – Also according to this affidavit children were denied food and forced to sit inside closed closets as punishment.  When you were a member of the FLDS does this sound like his brand of discipline?  “Definitely – at that time he (Jeffs) was not the prophet but he did send down his decree of ‘today we fast and also tomorrow.’  I remember thinking to myself it’s so much easier after the third day to ignore your hunger.  He would beat the boys and close the girls in.  This did not go on in my private home but at school.  We needed to mind the headmaster (Warren Jeffs).  The fasting took place throughout the community.”  R – The raid was the result of a 16 year old girl’s call to a family violence shelter.  When she called she used someone else’s cell phone and whispered.  FLDS leaders told her that if she left or ran away she would be found and locked up.  R- When you escaped what did you think would happen to you?  “I believe they still tell those young women ‘they are free to leave but you’ll never see us again or have any support from us.’  “You’re not free to go when you have no resources, or outside information which you can study or become familiar with.”  There are virtual walls up, ‘yes you can step across the border and be free (which is what I did) but those virtual walls and threats of hell and eternal damnation are very strong and scary to these women.”  I’m so grateful to Texas and Utah for convicting Warren Jeffs and the young Wall girl who stepped forward and now this young 16 year old girl who has yet to be determined.  I’m so grateful that Texas has undertaken this huge task and done it so diplomatically so far.  My sister is in Colorado City…  I have family members whose whereabouts are unknown.  I only cry out if anybody knows of the Nicholson family – sisters and brothers.” 

LAURIE ALLEN - was born into the infamous and violent LeBaron polygamous sect. Her uncle Ervil LeBaron killed 28 people, and became known as the Mormon Manson. Her cousin Jacqueline Tarsa LeBaron is on the FBI's Most Wanted list. When she was eight, a polygamist kidnapped Laurie from Chihuahua, got in some trouble with the law, and eventually fled to Central America, keeping her as his interpreter. Laurie fought off the religious indoctrination, escaped at age sixteen, and found passage back to the United States. Fluent in Spanish and dedicated to freedom and human rights, she earned a college degree and went on to film school. BANKING ON HEAVEN exposes a cult similar to the one that nearly absorbed her when she was very young and vulnerable.Now Laurie Allen is a filmmaker with a vision and a goal. Her background makes her the one filmmaker who could write and  produce BANKING ON HEAVEN, a documentary about the abuse and corruption inherent in America’s polygamous sects.




(Source: CNN: Video and Cathy Jo Nicholson Bio; Bankingonheavon.com for Lauri Allen )
IF you've already watched, we hope you join the discussion.

9 comments:

  1. Oh fragnabbit. I had a whole eloquent post just disappear.

    Essentially, I had an epiphany that these are cults. Kids are indoctrinated from birth and know no other life but this. They believe that this is the ONLY way to get to heaven and if they don't go to heaven they will go to a literal fiery hell where they will burn in agony for all eternity, which is not an attractive option. So they are scared into poligamy. Or they walk into it like little sheep because everyone else does it.

    Plus, they know nothing about the outside world except that it is a very bad place - like those '70s movies where people get tortured and killed for crossing the street in the wrong place. Better to stay in a safe place where the Prophet knows best.

    My research sources:
    http://neirr.org/ncultlst.html
    http://www.howcultswork.com/
    http://griess.st1.at/anne/children%20in%20cults.htm
    http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/chldclt2.htm
    http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_articles/landa_susan_childrenandcults.htm
    http://www.freeminds.org/psychology/cults/reflections-on-marriage-and-children-after-the-cult.html
    http://www.neirr.org/psychissues/Children_Raised_In_Cults.htm

    Apologies to LDS members but the LDS church (mainstream Mormonism) appeared on every reputable cult list I found. Please don't shoot the messenger.

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  2. Cult it is. False Prophets, evil secrets. It almost makes you sick to think how those little ones must feel.

    They stay because the are already dead inside, fearful, and too beat down to do anything different. Just like any abusive relationship, except this one starts at birth.

    Strangely, today on "Days of Our Lives" they spoke of water-boarding. too coincidental!

    Be Obedient, stay away from those young bad boys, so I can marry you to some 60 yr old creep. The only way to heaven, my dear.
    Stripped of emotions, you do what your told. Stripped of an education, you don't have much to go on to come to any other conclusions.

    It did bother me when I believe it was Laurie said it took her months to find family. I virtually have none. Sometimes you have to make it on your own, or find sources to help you. That's an overpowering mission for an abused woman. Can you imagine getting out, it would be like us landing in Egypt.

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  3. BECAUSE THEY ARE TOLD SINCE BIRTH THEY WILL GO TO HELL IF THEY DON'T BE SUBMISSIVE. HELL ON EARTH TO GET TO THE PLANET.

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  4. How is this any different than how the Duggar children are being raised? Their parents follow Bill Gothard who despite being single and childless has dictated how his followers live their lives and raise their children from of conception.

    I'm not saying what's happening with the FDLS & other polygamist cults are right, it's not. But, where does the government step in when dealing with religious cults? The answers aren't easy or black & white.

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  5. the Duggar children are being raised in love and service to God- not out of fear that they will go to hell if they are not polygamist. The government needs to step in if it is harming the children's physce and physical well-being

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  6. Who is Bill Gothard? I like the D's, but the home schooling always gets me. Let those kids get out and LIVE. They want them home to do the chores. I do feel they are much better taken care of, and are not on welfare.

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  7. When do you go after cultic groups ?

    Education - a state wide, standardized curriculum for all students - you can home school, but the standard curriculum must be followed in order to pass annual or semi annual standardized testing. Part of that educational program can be a health education program which tells young people that no means no, and that no one has the right to compel you to marry someone you don't want to be married to, nor may anyone be compelled to have intercourse with someone whom they don't want to have intercourse with... that would be a good start.

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  8. Well, I have also done some research into the Gothardites, ATI and Quiverfull as some of my high school friends are into these movements. There are some parallells with Mormonism.

    The husband is the head of the home and the family's final authority. A husband is disobedient to God if he refuses to be the head of the home. The wife is commanded to submit to the authority and rule of her husband. If the wife refuses to submit to her husband’s authority she risks the judgment of God. There is no such thing as an equal marriage partnership.

    In these groups God’s highest calling for women is marriage, having children, and keeping the home. Often women are discouraged from going to college. After all why waste money going to college if you are going to be busy having children and keeping the home.

    Children are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Of particular interest is the growing stay-at-home-daughter movement. These are daughters who forego higher education to stay at hometo learn advanced homemaking skills and "advance their fathers' visions" under the authority of their fathers until they are married and their father transfers control to their new husbands. These women are not independant at any point in their lives. If they become widowed they move in with a child and authority over them is transfered to the man in that house.

    Does anyone notice that the older Duggar girls are stay-at-home daughters?

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  9. What I wonder is they claim in sister wives to be open thinkers just raising their family in a non traditional way. So if they are so open I wonder how many brother husbands they would like to welcome??? If they are so open minded I would like to hear their response to that what is good for the man is good for the woman if they are that open. If not maybe some of their own reasons for not having brother husbands would apply to sister wives as well. It works both ways.

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