FLDS Women

FLDS women (from the polygamous compound where the children were taken away) appeared in the media today to defend their cult... uh, I mean religion. Actually, it is a cult, by both theological definition (because it claims to be a religion that it isn't) and sociological definition.

It's the sociological that I'm going to focus on.

The women said they were free to leave the cult property at any time, but that they didn't want to.

Of course they didn't want to.

First of all, it would mean never being able to be with their children again. They'd be leaving the only life they've ever known.

But there are psychological factors at work besides that. They've been raised since birth to believe that:

1. They would be leaving the only true church, thus turning their backs on God.

2. They would be evil and lost people if they left.

3. The outside world is thoroughly evil and dangerous and would corrupt them.

4. They would be of no use (other than for evil) and unable to make a living in the evil outside world. I mean really- how much education have they had? How much job training?

These women believe they'd wither away without their busbands, and would be lost souls without their church leaders.

So, while they were perhaps free to leave (and perhaps they weren't after all - how do we really know?), they have been conditioned since birth to be severly averse to doing so.

Such is one of the problems with cults.

And where are all the boys? With polygamy as the FLDS practice, there is only room for so many men. After all, how is a man going to have multiple wives to himself if there are roughly the same men and women? So some boys get cast out, and I fear, worse. I wonder how many male births are "stillborn"?

Sad stuff.