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It sounds like the Texas judge supervising the FLDS matter could not be more clueless or insensitive. After ruling that nursing mothers could not stay with their children, Judge Barbara Walther graciously allowed that the mothers could meet and pray with their children twice a day on the condition that they were supervised by an “appropriate religious person.”
Who is an “appropriate religious person”? Not anyone from their own church but the judge recommended someone from the “mainstream LDS Church” or another church! Understandably local LDS leaders are “baffled.”
Not content to break families apart, Judge Walther now seeks to manage the religious life of the FLDS. What authority does she have to determine who is an “appropriate religious person”? How much clearer does the LDS Church have to be that it has nothing to do with the FLDS? Hopefully the ACLU or someone will kindly help the judge to find a clue.
Tags: FLDS, polygamy, religious freedom
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22 April 2008 at 11:35 am
Truth
Any one who is interested in joining the resistance against the texas nazi judge should contact returnthosekids to get hooked up with the patriotic resistance.
22 April 2008 at 11:38 am
Jed
You’re always looking to the ACLU to solve your problems.
22 April 2008 at 11:56 am
David H. Sundwall
Darn straight I am!
As mush as I disagree w/ the ACLU this seems like a perfect case for them. I do hope they take it up.
Calling anyone a Nazi is ridiculous (except for real Nazis) but the judge and Texas sure seem to be overstepping any reasonable concern for the children. I’m all for making sure the children are okay but it appears they are going overboard, big time.
22 April 2008 at 6:40 pm
JimD
David, are the FLDS wanting to do regular prayers? Or are they wanting to do prayer circles (as the mainstream LDS church used to permit outside of temples, up until the middle of the last century)?
If the latter, the judge’s suggestion makes a little more sense.
22 April 2008 at 6:52 pm
David H. Sundwall
The story doesn’t offer any more details but my assumption is that regular prayers sessions were suggested as a concession to the mothers who are about to be separated from their children.
Either way, I don’t think it makes a difference. I think the FLDS have a lot of problems, and individual cases of abuse require state intervention. But who is the judge to micro-manage their private worship and decide which outside ecclesiastical authorities are more appropriate to survey the prayers?
Regardless of what kind of prayers are being offered, it’s a ridiculous intervention of the court.
23 April 2008 at 1:19 pm
Stephen M (Ethesis)
Learned something. FLDS have been requesting LDS as an alternative to the other options for a number of things, which is driving some of what otherwise seems terribly clueless.
23 April 2008 at 1:39 pm
David H. Sundwall
Stephen,
That is interesting that the FLDS would request LDS help. Bythe official LDS response, I bet they are surprised.
I still have a problem with the judge requiring another church to supervise their prayers.
17 May 2008 at 11:02 pm
Dahveeboy
5 Dahveeboy
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
I have followed this case very closely and have concluded that the Texas Authorities have committed a gross crime against the constitutional freedoms of American Citizens.
Freedom of religion is one of the most cherished of American values and that value has been ridden over roughshod by a blatant display of bigotry and intolerance.
The initial phone call was a hoax (remember weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?), and no specific charges have been brought. The whole community has been labeled ‘guilty until proven innocent’ and by default the families will remain torn apart until proven innocent.
Unfortunately the ego of people like Barbara Walther will go to any lengths to prove their point and save face, even if it calls for great suffering and the undermining of the rights of every one of us who call this country our home.
23 May 2008 at 11:25 am
FCSM WIVES
What bothers us is why do so many people judge who we are?
The news agency start stories, throwing in the word cult, abuse the way we dress and the money we have.
This starts a frantic problem for people, who then come out of the their shallow shell lives.
Complying and calling us names as if we were just animals.
Yes, we have problems at times in our religion, just like any other religion.
Perhaps most have forgotten the priest, that had abused children and ran and hid from the law and some still hiding.
Maybe some forgot about Senators and President that abused their sex partner or tried to have sexual encounter with them.
The gays, how they were and still are abused by society, but today they can now get married legally.
Society wants all of us to be like them, but lets be fair we are all not the same.
Perhaps what is more strange to us, for over 100 years we have lived polygamy. Yes, in different groups and different ways.
Over hundred of thousand members have lived polygamy, and yet only a handful have come out with complaints in over a 100 years.
As for the most famous quote that people have when they hear this, “they are brainwashed”
If we are so good at brainwashing, maybe we should teach it to the government to use on their people, wait we can not. They already have done that!
Thank You
FCSM WIVES