Are Organized Polygamous Groups Cults?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="043fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>Polygamy Versus Common Sense  </B></div> <div>  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Polygamy Versus Common Sense"><U>Home</U></A>     <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Infamous Polygamists"><U>Essays </U></A>    <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Essay Submission"><U>Essay Submission </U></A>   <B> </B><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Infamous Polygamists"><U>Infamous Polygamists</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="044d2b03.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What every potential polygamist man and "><U><B>What every potential polygamist man and woman should know</B></U></A><B>   </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Faith What is it?"><U><B>Faith: What is it?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Who are the Heroes of Mormon Fundamental"><U><B>Who are the heroes of Mormon Fundamentalism?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Freedom to be oppressed!"><U><B>Freedom to be oppressed!</B></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Are organized Polygamous Groups Cults?</B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Doctrine Covenants Section 132"><U><B>Doctrine & Covenants Section 132, Fact or Fiction?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Duplicity of Religion"><U><B>The Duplicity of Religion</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tricked into Eternal Polygamy"><U><B>Tricked into "eternal polygamy"</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Damning Quotes!"><U><B>Damning quotes!</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Crime Corruption and Sexual Abuse in Pol"><U><B>Crime: Corruption and Sexual Abuse in Polygamous Groups</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Are Organized Polygamous Groups Cults?</B></I></div> <bR> <div> The answer is an enthusiastic yes.</div> <bR> <div> Are Mormon polygamist cults bad? In other words, are Mormon cults harmonious with American ideals? Once again the answer is an enthusiastic, yes they are bad cults, and no they are not amicable with those things that have made America great. In fact, if anything, they are anti-American. For example: Jim Harmston, prophet of the True & Living Church sent priesthood men to Washington DC to curse the White House and Capital Building, calling down destruction from heaven. In the Allred Group, AUB, it is a common occurrence during opening and closing prayers for men to ask God to speed up the destruction of the United States Government.</div> <bR> <div> If we consult the dictionary we find "cult" refers to religious beliefs. However, the modern day use of the word, "cult," implies something bad. It is my contention that all organized polygamous groups are bad cults, which invokes the question, how bad is bad? Because bad can be anything mischievous, amiss, wicked or evil, or something in between. I'll let you decide how bad is bad.</div> <div> The characteristics of a bad cult are as follows:</div> <bR> <div> 1. A strong, ruthless leader with absolute authority. In Utah there are several organized polygamist groups. The most visible are the FLDS lead by Warren Jeffs; AUB lead by Owen Allred; the Kingston Clan lead by Paul Kingston; the TLC lead by Jim Harmston; and Centennial Park lead by Johnny Timpson.</div> <bR> <div> What makes a leader ruthless? Intolerance to opposition. Members who dare disagree or question the leader or his doctrines are out - no debate - no negotiation. The leaders in each of the afore mentioned groups have demonstrated intolerance at varying degrees. Warren Jeffs is probably the most ruthless because of the many men and boys that he has excommunicated from FLDS. Jeffs has ignored the civil rights of these victims and has not only taken away their homes, but wives and children. And to show the power he has over these victims, they have complied without contesting his power with the hopes he will relent and change his mind. However, it is unlikely Jeffs will change his mind in as much as it is believed he has given the wives and children to other members of the FLDS.</div> <bR> <div> Owen Allred has pressured members into taking loyalty oaths. According to Doug Jordan he was excommunicated by Jim Harmston when he challenged Harmston’s intention to claim he was Jesus Christ.</div> <div> Polygamist cults are bad because they are both theocracies and monarchies that pretend to supercede the Constitution. Jeffs got away with evicting the Barlow boys because the Barlow's were so thoroughly indoctrinated by the theocracy that they were conditioned to obey.</div> <bR> <div> "Wait a minute," you may say, "Colorado City and Hildale have mayors and other city officials, government consistent with the Constitution." Yes that’s true, but the constitutional government is a mere veneer for the purpose of qualifying for government subsidies. It is well known that the police departments are controlled by the prophet. When Mayor Barlow of Colorado City had his wives and children taken away and was forced out of office there were no city officials or citizens that came to his defense. Why not? Because they too would have gotten the bums rush.</div> <bR> <div> 2. Unexcelled enlightenment. The polygamist leaders are not only experts in matters of religion, but experts in all other matters such as economics, politics, business, etc. They are both spiritual and secular leaders. For example, Owen Allred once predicted the fall of the United States Government. He also predicted that our current form of currency would be replaced by another currency. Jim Harmston predicted millennial catastrophes and the second coming of Christ. Warren Jeffs predicted that the faithful would be translated (lifted into heaven). When none of these predictions were fulfilled they were easily explained away. The people were unworthy, God decided to give the people a second chance, or He simply changed his mind.</div> <bR> <div> Because of the prophet’s unique and exclusive relationship with God, he is automatically endowed with superior intellect, discernment and special spiritual gifts, including the power to heal.</div> <bR> <div> The following story was related to the author by four separate people. The stories were undisputed by Kay Crabtree, the husband of the victim.</div> <bR> <div> Marge Crabtree, a convert to the TLC from Canada, was dying of cancer. A local doctor advised Marge to return to Canada where she was entitled to free medical treatment that could prolong her life.</div> <bR> <div> Jim Harmston intervened and gave Marge a blessing and pronounced her cured. It was suspected by Marge’s friends that Jim did not want Marge to return to Canada because she would take her money with her. But Marge was a true believer. She was so grateful to Jim that she slipped off her finger a ring, a valuable family heirloom, and gave it to Jim.</div> <bR> <div> As added security, Bill Lithgow and Doug Jordan, with his wife’s money, purchased a $10,000.00 machine that would prolong Marge’s life. In spite of all the inventions of man and supernatural attempts to save Marge, she soon died.</div> <bR> <div> According to Cindy Stewart who tended Marge up to her death, Jim Harmston enlisted the preternatural talents of his patriarch, Phil Savage, to explain why his blessing and cure did not work. Cindy was also the stepdaughter of Phil Savage. It was Savage who converted Cindy to the TLC, and Savage’s lies and corruption that contributed to Cindy’s apostasy. </div> <bR> <div> Savage had previously given Marge a blessing telling her that in a previous life (the Doctrine of Multiple Mortal Progression) she had been the plural wife of Adam, the god of this world. Savage claimed that he saw in vision, Adam appear at Marge’s deathbed and gave her a choice. She could be healed and continue to tarry here on earth, or she could go to the other side of the veil and be with him. She chose the later.</div> <bR> <div> 3. Exploitation of money and sex. (See: <I>Why People Believe Weird Things, </I>by Michael Shermer.) According to Shermer this is one of the primary characteristics of a cult. And I doubt that Shermer had Mormonism in mind when he made that statement because he doesn’t mention Mormonism in his book, but boy does that characteristic fit the polygamist cults. </div> <bR> <div> I have written many times over the years that polygamy is about power, money and sex. Polygamy has become a means to an end. Merchandising plural wives and the promise of a celestial exaltation are the implements that lead to power. The prophet doles out blessings and plural wives with no more compassion than a druggist distributes pills.</div> <bR> <div> In AUB only full tithe payers are given wives, and only those who go along with the illusion that Owen Allred is a prophet and that he holds all the keys of the priesthood. During the Hill vs. Allred et. al. civil trial, an AUB accountant submitted evidence that in the last ten years AUB took in about one million dollars in tithing each year. This does not reflect the value of property and other gifts that are donated to AUB. </div> <bR> <div> A large portion of AUB’s tithing money is squandered on speculative money making schemes like a secret formula that will extract gold from tailings. AUB has lost hundreds of thousands, probably million of dollars on get-rich-quick money-making schemes, all of which have failed. I could furnish a list if need be.</div> <bR> <div> AUB controls Big Valley Credit Union. LaMoine Jenson is the priesthood person who oversees Big Valley. I was elected to serve as a board member for three years. During that time one of LaMoine’s plural wives was the manager. He was a loan officer. The largest depositor, by far, was AUB. </div> <bR> <div> LaMoine is the owner and manager of Jenson Lumber. The offices of Big Valley are located on Jenson Lumber property. LaMoine borrowed extensively from Big Valley to keep his lumber business operational. Most of his customers were building contractors who were members of AUB. LaMoine always got first pick. When he needed money, a moratorium was placed on all other loans. Big Valley was like LaMoine Jenson’s personal bank. LaMoine Jenson has been picked to succeed Owen Allred when he dies, which due to advanced age and poor health, could be anytime.</div> <bR> <div> Mormonism is rich in cult characteristics. Thanks to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, cult ingredients are all in place just waiting for someone with charisma, imagination and arrogance, like Jim Harmston, to come along. Jim deserves an A+ for imagination and arrogance but I have yet to see much charisma. </div> <bR> <div> Mormonism has authority, sex, supernatural enlightenment, exaltation, unification, doctrines of tithing, consecration and isolation (law of gathering). </div> <bR> <div> Mormon polygamist cults are bad because:</div> <bR> <div> 1. They suppress and discriminate against women.</div> <div> 2. They are secretive. Even the prophet and his inner circle keep secrets from its members.</div> <div> 3. Deception, like pretending to be governed by the constitution, mayor, etc.</div> <div> 4. Isolationism. Us against the world. Only the faithful (absolute conformists) are accepted in the fold.</div> <div> 5. Absolute authority</div> <div> 6. Unification </div> <div> 7. Hatred. </div> <bR> <div> Mormon polygamists are great haters. They hate the United States Government, they hate the Black race, they hate the Jews. They hate gentiles. They hate apostates. Hate unifies the group. The Mormon fundamentalist prophets use hate the same way Hitler used the Jews as an object of hate to unify Germany.</div> <bR> <div> The first time I interviewed Jim Harmston he told me the Jews were the cause behind most of the problems in the world. I asked him how he knew. He looked at me with disgust and said it was all in the book, <I>The Protocols of the Elders of Zion</I>, which is an anti-Semitic forgery. I didn’t let on that I was well aware that the <I>Protocols</I> was one of the most false and cruel publications ever directed at the Jewish people. And for a supposed prophet, he did not observe the blue and white Star of David that I wore on my lapel. </div> <div> I was once approached by a member of AUB who stated, "You know, the holocaust never happened. It was invented to make Hitler look bad and create sympathy for the Jews." I could hardly believe my ears. I had an uncle who served in Patton’s Army and helped liberate Jews from German concentration camps. I had visited the Holocaust Museum in Israel and read dozens of accounts in both fiction and non fiction books. Much to my disgust, I found that there were more in AUB that held the same opinion. Owen Allred and LaMoine Jenson were well aware of the prayers condemning the United States Government and the anti-Semitic leanings of members and did nothing to counteract those beliefs.</div> <bR> <div> Dozens of books exposing cults can be found on the Internet, but by far the best book on the subject is <I>The True Believer, </I>by Eric Hoffer. <I>The True Believer </I>is out of print but used books at a nominal price are available at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>www.bibliofind.com.</U></FONT> Hoffer’s insight in mass movements is unexcelled. If you are interested in human behavior, mass movements and why people do wacky things, Hoffer won't disappoint you. </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arrus BT" >Contact me at:  </FONT><A HREF="mailto:webmaster@polygamyversuscommonsense.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:webmaster@polygamyversuscommonsen"><U>webmaster@polygamyversuscommonsense.com</U></A> .                                                                            <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arrus BT" ><B>Copyright 2004 John R. Llewellyn and Power Link ISP, Inc. All rights reserved</B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.powerlinkisp.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.powerlinkisp.com"><U><B><IMG SRC="06aaa220.jpg" border=0 width="682" height="34" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.powerlinkisp.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.powerlinkisp.com"><U><B>For hosting services and other fine products please visit our internet host </B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>