Windy Sydney

I was doing some research on the FLDS situation in Eldorado, Texas and found a blog written by an extremely religious Christian woman. She dresses differently than others, covers her head, home schools her kids, and submits to her husband. She believes that the bible asks her to do these things, and she seems very sincere when she mentions that she isn't brainwashed. Here are a few quotes taken directly from her article:

I show my separation through my my behavior, my words and my dress. Yes, I am submissive to my husband. He is the authority in our household. I am not submissive to all men. I do not think men are inherently more valuable or intelligent than women. The bible specifically instructs women to submit to their own husbands as unto the Lord.

I do understand that is her personal belief, and I respect her for living her life according to her beliefs, even though it must be difficult at times. I do not agree that women should have submit to anyone, especially their own husbands. They should be thought of as a team, a couple. Not an authority and a follower. It's just my opinion.

Submitting to my husband in no way makes me brainwashed. It doesn’t make me less of a person, or display my lack of value. On the contrary, I am especially valuable and God’s instructions are evidence of how special I am to Him. Yes I dress funny, but this also is evidence of my value. The bible instructs us to dress modestly and says specifically that women should have long hair.

I honestly don't believe for a second that God cares what our hair looks like. I don't think she is brainwashed, and I believe everyone is valuable to God.

I believe that Christians, as a group, have an obligation to protect others religious freedoms because if we don’t protect theirs, who will protect ours? By making it illegal for FLDS to practice their faith openly we are fostering an environment of secrecy and darkness which promotes abuse in the first place. When a man (Warren Jeffs) sets himself up as God, there will be consequences. God will see to that. But that is God’s job, not the government’s. Persecuting these people, instead of allowing them to live openly, merely tightens the hold Jeffs has over them. It confirms his authority instead of diminishing it; forcing the women deeper into secrecy instead of allowing them to blossom in the light.

I believe that people should be able to practice their religion without harm. Religious freedom is an amazing right to have, and most of us take it for granted. I find it hard to believe when I see two or more groups of people fighting about what God would want. Do you think God would want us to fight? Probably not.

I just don't think she realizes that the girls in this flds compound were being forced into marriage as young as the age of 13 years old. Does she realize there were "marriage beds" found on the top floor of the sects temple? Does she understand that these young girls had no choice of whom they married or when they married?

Where does religious freedom cross the line into abuse?

I do not trust the government to have these children’s best interest in mind. I think they have political motivations, which are not universally well intended. My government is betraying it’s people. Ebbing away at our fundamental rights a little at a time, and expecting us to turn a blind eye.

What kind of political motivations is she talking about? I wonder about that. What does the government have to gain by taking 400 plus kids into state custody? They are paying out the wazoo for this case, especially since the women and children are not being honest about who their mothers are and the state now has to do DNA tests. Those are not cheap... just multiply that by 400.

The state has a responsibility to stop abuse. The evidence is there. Certainly there is proof that the phone call that stated the raid was faked, but the investigators have found young girls pregnant, and those who have given birth already are as young as 15. It's against the law, it's abuse, and no one should turn a blind eye to that.


The only time I was slightly concerned that the FLDS communities' rights were being ignored was when the FBI and local authorities entered their temple. After the raid, they found marriage beds on the top floor, and I was thankful they made the decision to go in there. It's proof of abuse, and it was now in the hands of the authorities.

Also, these women in the flds community obviously know that they were breaking the law even though they claim otherwise. Why else would they avoid answering questions about their husbands and the ages they were when they (or their daughters) were married. If these people are so religious and close to God, why are they lying at all? Why are their husbands who supposedly hold the priesthood authority hiding like cowards?

The flds women HAVE been brainwashed, it's painfully obvious by every single television interview that makes its way to the networks. They all speak in the same, meek, calm, singy-songy voice, and they always look around like they are in a daze. The women giving the interviews were chosen by the men because they knew to obey their husbands and to say only what they were told to say.

One of the women here, show on Larry King Live, giving a tour of her home in the FLDS Community speaks as though she is a robot. My roommate even mentioned to me that she showed little to no emotion, and when she described the places where the kids played and put their shoes she cried. Neither roomie, nor I, saw any real tears. It's almost as if these women show no emotion. Just a personal observation.

The whole time she gives the tour of the home, everything is almost over the top. I know these women love their children very much, but these same women put their children in danger. Why choose religion over your own child's safety and well being?

Since the show is an hour long, the videos had to be broken into 4 segments. They are all amazing, and if you have the time to watch them, you should!









I would love to share some comments from my friends on PostMormon.org about the situation in Eldorado, TX as well as the blog that I am quoting. I use their comments with permission:

I'm all for Freedom to practice one's chosen religion. What bothers me in this case is that these young children didn't necessarily choose this lifestyle. It bothers me that in following this religion, these people are doing things that are illegal in this country.

The issues here, as I see it are child abuse and polygamy. Both are illegal and neither can be proven with just a phone call alleging them.

I don't think young women under the age of 16 are fully capable of understanding what being married is all about. I don't think they are emotionally ready to be mothers.

Sorry if this seems kinda disjointed... i'm haveing problems concentrating today due to recurring depression issues. -Kansas Kitty

Here, Magi shares a thought that hadn't occurred to me. These communities sometimes survive thanks to the state's welfare system...

When the Bill of Rights were written, our founding fathers had never heard of religions where men raised young females for each other. If they had even foreseen such a thing, there would have been something put in it about organized pedophilia masguerading as religion.

This cult is breaking the moral and legal laws of our land. Those children have a right to protection.

A few years ago, in Utah, a man got a vision from God to start a religion with strict dietary rules. If you remember, someone turned him in because his children were mal-nourished. God had told him to feed them only lettuce and watermelon. Under some thinking, rescuing these children from death is tampering with the man's religious freedom.

There was a group in Northern Idaho whose tenet to follow was "spare the rod and spoil the child." They took this literally and regularly beat children during church services. One of them was being beaten to drive the demons that were causing his pain out of him. His appendix broke and he was taken to the hospital. The law investigated this cult and found children with healing bones that had been broken, permanent scars from beatings and scared out of their little minds.

I start to see men with permanent erections running around looking for young meat. That is crude, but that is what it looks like.

Where do we get off being concerned? It is child abuse and against the laws of Texas. These people draw heavily on the welfare system. If we are feeding them we have a right to make sure those children are safe. -Magi

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If our society wishes to begin viewing 13 year old children as adults...Well, we live in a democracy. We can vote on it. I'd like to think the majority of Americans are smart enough to kill that idea! Freedom of religion is all very well, between mature adults, but when you force behaviors that are extremely abnormal and evidently unhealthy (I know I have read at least ONE thing by someone in the medical community that talks about the negative physical ramifications on a young girl's body should she give birth) on children, that is when we as a society have to step up and do something about it.

Her comment about the gov't is very reactionary. IMHO she is already defensive about the life she leads. (This is natural; she is clearly in a minority.) Texas is generally viewed as unapologetic about their "Cowboy Chrisitianity", for lack of a better term. I am NOT trying to use the term offensively, BTW...just putting out a general view of the state that I think "other" people commonly have.

I wouldn't doubt that the men and women in charge over there are happy to have an excuse to raid the compound. I am happy they have an excuse to raid the compound. Child abuse is sickening. The whispered call that sparked this whole thing is something that I would have jumped all over, too.

That being said, I would venture to say this woman is correctly picking up on the relief the people in charge are feeling...they finally have an excuse to do something about the cult... and she is personalizing it. She is not seeing the trees for the forest. She sees the state raiding a religious minority compound. She doesn't see the state removing girls they truly believe are in danger.

She is entitled to her opinion. Like everything else, I think her viewpoint is complicated. She is correctly picking up on attitudes about the cult, and incorrectly transferring those attitudes in a paranoid way to her own life. -Mashiara

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I try to "empathize" with how these women feel. Again, the children come
first, but they are not without some true principles here. My best instinct
after reading the comments, came from agreeing basically with the Islam
mother who gave other options for the way that things should have been
done. I am so upset by the whole thing..mainly because we are all basically
in conflict with our patriotism and conscience. Does that make sense??

Right now, I feel, that whether there could/should have been other ways
to deal with this..(men taken out)! The children are out now..I am for
keeping them safe and out of this environment..at least until their mothers
are deprogrammed. -My Turn

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The issue that really bothers me is my taxes are helping to feed, support and sustain these people (and their children) and then society as a whole has to somehow try to fix the psychological and sexual abuse these children have had to live under with the lie that it was "God's will"--and then listen to some made up bs about it being "religious persecution"!!!

The cost to society at large, all of us, cannot be estimated easily. I am sure it is astronomical and far-reaching into future generations of people. - Susan D.

Thank you again to all my buddies who let me add their points of view, and thanks to everyone else who reads the blog!