Because of the Persecution upon the FLDS People, This blog was started after the children in Texas were kidnapped in 2008. It was written for those who did not want to hate the FLDS People, but sought understanding. It was not written for the FLDS People, or for those who already hate or do want to hate the FLDS religion and our leaders.
I do not write here anymore, but I leave it up (for now) as a reference for others.
If anyone is wondering, I have gone undercover among the FLDS lately, and I believe I have discovered the true reason these men women are willing to force themselves to engage in so much "law" breaking.
These so-called innocents have got to be hiding something!
Here is most likely the ring leader, I don't think any Matt Smith or other court-appointed PILL could possibly not be full of fear getting this kind of intimidation.
I call her "Always Obey Mother"
Or it may be this one, the leaders are easy to spot with keen eyes like mine. "Obey Other Mother 2"
I believe I have also located some of their top lieutenants. These guys have the looks that could intimidate any police state militant "just doing my job" out there.
"Slick"
"Buggy"
"Say what?"
"Drill Sargent"
I caught this one napping and without her disguise. "Angelface"
"Lead Man"
And last, but certainly not least...
"Willy The Thug"
I believe I can get more of these highly sought photographs, so stay tuned...
Somewhere in Texas a child awakes to a sweet mother who has tears on her face
"Mother dear why have you been weeping so, and why are you here in my place? Where is my father, so grand and true, that sweet man so noble and tall? He would comfort and console your heart, he will answer your tearful call! He has done it many times, mother dear, when I was sad and blue Even when policemen came in here and took me away from you"
"O angel, dear angel, I love you so, you came from heaven to me And because of your life, little child of mine, your father here cannot be The same poor people who know not love, have taken him far away Because you live, little child of mine, the poor devils wants father to pay"
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:1-16
New evidence was discovered today from archives found of a secret video recording of the typical abuse Elissa Wall suffered while she was a member of the FLDS Church.
"Hi Al, It's R- from MA again. Remember me? First of all, I hope all is well with you and your loved ones. I felt much better after communicating with you the last time. It was like a cleansing of my soul to express my thoughts and concerns to someone who knows the truth. After that, I kind of went on my merry way of life and didn't get on the computer every day to learn more. For some reason on Monday night I decided to check things out in my own inept computer way (as i mentioned previously). I was so surprised to learn that Allen was going to court the next day (7/21). My heart, thoughts and prayers were with him all day. When I got home from work I was right back on the computer again trying to find out what happend. I'm not sure I fully understand the outcome except that it is not over for Allen and he'll have to go to court again. I went to a KSL news website to learn that. After the article there were some type of blog comments from people on the situation. I was horrifed at some of the comments and the stupid things people say. I then went back to your web/blog that i read before and got your e-mail address and contacted you. I was surprised to see more recent comments but again horrifed at some of the comments and ingnorance.
"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".
I don't understand why people can't just mind their own business and worry more about how they are living their own lives for when they meet their maker one day. Again I hope you don't mind that I contacted you directly instead of commenting on the blog. I'm a little embarrassed to speak in a public forum and I think a little afraid of how I would reply to some of those idiots. In my frustration I would not want my comments to make me seem as ignorant as they are. Some more of my thoughts, Al, I hope you don't mind. First, I hate the way the words "rape" and "rape of a child" are being used . They make it sound like Allen stalked her after school, dragged her in the woods and forced himself on her. Can't anyone understand that he was with his WIFE? I also hate the word "brainwashed". Realistically, aren't we all brainwashed (for lack of a better word) to some degree. I learned my religous beliefs from my parents. I didn't know any better. I believed what I was taught. Also, I know that Christmas and Santa Claus is not recognized by all nationalities or religions but it was in mine. Isn't that the biggest brainwashing of all? I really thought that a fat man in a red suit came in my house and left presents under the tree. Boy, was that a tearful day when i learned the truth about that one. But was either one done to hurt me? NO. One was to teach me and the other to bring pure joy to an innocent child as parents STILL do. Lastly, when i read Elissa's book, I was horrified to realize the time frame between meeting Lamont and finally leaving with him and everything in between. Your blog had a better time frame stated and I was suprised of the large age difference between her and Lamont and their actual ages at the time. As I mentioned before, she was vague in her book when it seemed she didn't want to give too many details. Where I come from, sex with a minor child (under 18) is considered rape whether it's consentual or not. Where I come from Lamont could be facing a prison cell as well. Now that would be justice. Once again, Al, Thanks for listening to me.
Take care, R-
P.S. I think what breaks my heart the most is looking at Allen's wedding pictures. He looked so happy and handsome. I'm sure he never would have imagined that his life would be like this. At this age in his life he should be with somone (or more) that would love him and take care of him and give him little Steed's to be proud of. In case you havn't figured it out, Al, I'm a sap. I am a nurterer and caregiver by nature. I just want to mother the world. Thanks again.
"The Lord has so arranged it that the people must be tried. He says, "My people shall be a tried people." There is not a person that tries to apply to his life the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel that doesn't have to be tried. If they are not tried one way, they will be tried another. It is the trials that come along our way that makes us grow. The great trial the Prophet Joseph was put through -- I don't know of any other man in Zion's Camp [who] was tried more than Joseph himself, because he was the leader of the people. The actions of the people tried him. It was through the trials he passed through that he gained the favor of the Lord.
"We have experiences every day that show to us that people are being tried in their feelings. I have a man in mind that has visited me from time to time over a period of several years, and every few days he calls me on the telephone and tells me what a wonderful man I am, what a wonderful spirit I have, and how he is built up by just hearing my voice over the telephone. He came to my home the other day and spent one hour and a half or more conversing on the principles of salvation. In all this time he has never paid any tithing at all, that I know of, and he acknowledges it to me. But he said, "Brother Johnson, what can I do? How shall I start to bring myself in line with the Priesthood that you have?" He says, "I know that you hold the keys of the Everlasting Priesthood; now how can I start to get in line?" I said, "Brother, the first thing that you should do would be to commence to support that Priesthood, support it with your tithes and your offerings." He said, "I guess that is right. I guess that is my stumbling block, is to place my tithing where it belongs." He left me with the determination by his looks, anyway, that he would immediately begin to support this work. But I haven't heard anything from him for several days.
"We have had these experiences before. Some men support this work because they feel like when they support it they are laying away money that they can draw back sometime with interest. I had one man tell me that came to my office and said, "Brother Johnson, how much tithing have I paid the last two years? I have been supporting this work for two years. I would like to know just how much I have paid in." I said, "It would be impossible for me to give you a correct account of what you paid in because you paid some to me and some to President Hammon, and a great deal of your tithing has gone to Brother Musser. So I don't have all the record at hand. If you give me a little time, I might be able to give you the account." "Well," he says, "the reason I want to know, I am in a little bind right now and I thought maybe I could figure up the interest on that, and I could borrow it back and get me out of this bind." I said, "Brother, in the first place, this is not a financial institution, a place where you put your money on interest." I said, "When you give your tithing to the Priesthood, you give it to the Lord. You don't give it to the Priesthood, you give it to the Lord, and the Priesthood uses it wherever needed. There is no such thing as interest in this work on your money; or there is no provision made for you to draw back your money. When you place it here, it is a voluntary donation. Therefore, there will be no compensation made upon any such terms." He said, "Brother Johnson, you have hit me with a sledgehammer between the eyes. I thought I was placing my money in a safe place where I could draw it back any time I wanted to." From that time to this he has never paid anymore tithing. I didn't have the money to give it back, so I didn't make any restitution.
"Another man came and gave me a check and said, "Brother Johnson, I know that this is the Priesthood of God. I know that we should support it. Here is a check for half my tithing." He said, "The other half I gave to the Church, so that if the time comes that I find you people are not right, I will have something to fall back on in the Church." I don't know how much tithing this man had paid. I know I hadn't received any. But that is about the amount of faith some of our people have. In some instances we have a great call upon the Priesthood for the return of money. If there are any in our midst who feel like their money is being placed at the hands of the Priesthood with the expectation that they can draw it out any time they wish or desire, they better change their faith quickly, because this money is being used for the building up and establishing the Kingdom of God, for no other purpose.
"The things that have been told us this afternoon are true and faithful, and if we will apply them to our lives, the Lord will bless and reward us and pay us for our faith and our support. The Lord is very mindful of our situation. Plans have been made in the minds of some people to take away from us our rights upon this land upon which we live. But the Lord has protected us thus far, and I hope He will continue to bless us and overrule for the good of our people. In the first place, we came to this place under the direction of the leaders of this work, under the leadership of President Barlow and President Musser and the rest of the Council at that time. When they met in council to decide upon a place for the gathering of the saints who were in dire need of homes, a place to live where they could live their religion under the protection of the Spirit of God, places in Idaho were considered, in Oregon, in California, and other places. But they decided upon this place here. They came here and blessed the land. A great blessing was pronounced upon it. When they were questioned as to when they would obtain these blessings, they were told, "When the people become united."
"No one here knows the fertility of this soil or how extensive it is, and they won't know until the Spirit of God rests upon this place in abundance. I know that this land is a choice land. It is the most choice at the present time upon this whole continent in the sight of God. He is trying to prepare a people to redeem it from the curse that is upon it. This whole continent is cursed because of the disobedience of the people. But the Lord has said that it would become a choice land unto a people who would keep His commandments, who would apply to their lives the Celestial Law. So great is the desire of our Father in heaven that a people be prepared, that He has caused that the Prophets throughout the history of time have prophesied of a Millennial reign of a thousand years upon this continent, this land." (Our Prophet Leroy S Johnson 11-15-1964)
I often contemplate what it is that is the most valuable thing to have in the whole world. And although it may seem to be different to different people, yet the truth is absolute. There is something more valuable than all other things in life, when it comes right down to it. At the end of life and we look back we all know that this is the greatest thing, if we think about it.
Many believe that money is the most valuable thing in life, even many people who say they don’t. So much time and effort and labor is used to gain money that we can often forget why we are trying to earn it, and many center their whole life on it and the things they can buy with it. In fact many believe that the decision of whether or not to become parents is a financial decision. I cannot tell you how backward that is from my thinking.
Many say that children are the most valuable thing in life, and the association of friends and family and little ones is the greatest thing on Earth. How can they be wrong? They are wrong, and I have been wrong as I have often believed this to be the case myself. To me, not being able to be with family and most especially little children has been very hard on me, as I love to be around them; having had that privilege most of my life. But even holding your own child in your arms, while being greater in value than money, exponentially, to the power of millions, it is not the greatest thing in life. It is not.
So what is the greatest thing in life? What is it that is so valuable that no one would argue with me when I tell what it is? Actually, some may argue with me now, but when they look back at their own life on their deathbed, they will realize it truly is the greatest thing, the most valuable thing they have.
And what is it? I will tell you. It is this:
“Righteous Desire”
The center of our character is WHAT we want.
Believe me, desiring only right is the greatest thing in life, it is the most valuable thing in life, and is the most sought after thing in my life. It is what I pray for the very most to improve in myself. Without it nothing else holds its value; with it everything gains value. What we truly desire defines who we are, it guides what we do, and in truth we will find we have never freely acted, spoke, or even imagined, against our deepest desires whether we admit to it or not.
Those who have changed their life, their heart, their mind, to the point that they desire nothing, truly not one thing, that is different than what God wants, are truly the happiest people alive. They are the ones who are the MOST alive, and the most free.
THE fall and winter of 1838 was one of the darkest periods in Church history. Mobocracy on one hand, and apostasy on the other, dealt the cause of God cruel blows, such as no human work could hope to withstand. The tempest of persecution, briefly lulled, burst forth with tenfold fury; no longer a city or county --a whole state rose in arms against God's people, bent upon their destruction. "The clogs of war" were loosed upon the helpless Saints, and murder and rapine held high carnival amid the smoking ruins of peaceful homes and ravaged fields.
Then fell the mask from the face of hypocrisy. Treason betrayed itself. Apostles, Presidents, and Elders fell from the faith and joined hands with the robbers and murderers of their brethren. Satan laughed! The very mouth of hell seemed opening to engulf the Kingdom which He who cannot lie has sworn shall stand forever.
Truly, those were "times that tried men's souls."
Like a rock in mid-ocean, facing the storm, unmoved by wind or wave, stood Heber C. Kimball; among the truest true, among the bravest brave. Referring to the time of his visit to Adam-ondi- Ahman, he says:
"In a few days an express came with the news that the mob was gathering in every part of Missouri to come against the Saints in Far West. We therefore returned to Caldwell County.
"Thomas B. Marsh left the day previous to the rest of the Twelve, pretending there was something very urgent at home, and when we arrived at Far West, October 22nd, we learned that he and Orson Hyde had left the city. Brother Hyde was sick when we went to Diahman.
"The Saints, tenacious of their liberties and sacred rights, resisted the unlawful designs of the mob, and with courage worthy of them guarded their families and their houses from their aggressions. But not without the loss of several lives, among whom was my much esteemed and lamented friend David W. Patten, who fell a sacrifice to the spirit of persecution and a martyr to the cause of truth. The circumstances of his death I will briefly relate.
"It being ascertained that a mob had collected on Crooked River, led by the Rev. Samuel Bogard, a Methodist preacher, a company of sixty or seventy persons immediately volunteered in Far West to watch their movements, and if necessary repel their attacks. They chose Elder Patten for their leader, and commenced their march about midnight, and came up to the mob at the dawn of October 25th. As the brethren were marching quietly along the road near the top of the hill, they were fired upon, when young O'Banyon reeled out of the ranks, and fell mortally wounded. Thus the work of death commenced, when Captain Patten ordered his men to charge the mob, who proved to be on the creek below. It was yet so dark that little could be seen, looking to the west; but the mob could see Captain Patten and his men in the dawning light, when they fired a broadside and three or four of the brethren fell. Captain Patten ordered the fire returned, giving the watchword, 'God and Liberty.' The brethren charged the camp, when the mob were soon put to flight and crossed the river at the ford. One of the mob fired from behind a tree, and shot Captain Patten, who instantly fell mortally wounded, the ball having pierced his abdomen.
"Immediately on receiving the intelligence that Brother Patten was wounded, I hastened to see him and found him in great pain, but still he was glad to see me; he was conveyed about four miles to the house of Brother Stephen Winchester; during his removal his sufferings were so excruciating that he frequently desired us to lay him down that he might die; but being desirous to get him out of the reach of the mob, we prevailed upon him to let us carry him among his friends. We carried him on a kind of bier, fixed up from poles.
"Although he had medical assistance, his wound was such that there was no hope entertained of his recovery, and this he was perfectly aware of. In this situation, while the shades of time were lowering, and eternity with all its realities opening to his view, he bore a strong testimony to the truth of the work of the Lord, and the religion he had espoused. He was perfectly sensible and collected until he breathed his last, which occurred at about ten o'clock in the evening. Stephen Winchester, Brother Patten's wife, Bathsheba W. Bigler, with several of her father's family were present at David's death.
"The principles of the Gospel which were so precious to him before, afforded him that support and consolation at the time of his departure, which deprived death of its sting and horror. Speaking of those who had fallen from their steadfastness he exclaimed,
'O that they were in my situation! For I feel that I have kept the faith, I have finished my course, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me.'
Speaking to his beloved wife, he said, 'Whatever you do else, O do not deny the faith.' He all the time expressed a great desire to depart. I said to him ' Brother David, when you get home, I want you to remember me.' He replied, 'I will.' At this time his sight was gone. A few minutes before he died, he prayed as follows, 'Father, I ask Thee in the name of Jesus Christ, that Thou wouldst release my spirit, and receive it unto Thyself.' And he then said to those who surrounded his dying bed, 'Brethren, you have held me by your faith, but do give me up, and let me go, I beseech you.' We accordingly committed him to God, and he soon breathed his last, and slept in Jesus without a groan.
"This was the death of one who was an honor to the Church and a blessing to the Saints ; and whose faith, virtues and diligence in the cause of truth will be had in remembrance by the Church of Jesus Christ from generation to generation. It was a painful way to be deprived of the labors of this worthy servant of Christ, and it cast a gloom upon the Saints ; yet the glorious and sealing testimony which he bore of his acceptance with heaven and the truth of the Gospel was a matter of joy and satisfaction, not only to his immediate friends, but to the Saints at large.
"I took Dr. Avard [yet another traitor] with me to Far West, a distance of three miles, to Elder Rigdon's house, where we found Brother Patrick O'Banyon, who was wounded in nearly the same manner as Brother Patten. He also died in a short time, firm and steadfast in the faith. He was perfectly calm and composed, and bore a strong testimony to the truth of Mormonism.
"Gideon Carter, who was also a faithful Saint, was shot in the head, and left dead on the ground, so defaced that the brethren did not at first know him.
"This was a gloomy time!"
"On the 30th (October 1838) we discovered several thousand of the mob coming to Far West, under pretense of being government troops; they passed through our corn and wheat fields, making a complete desolation of everything they came across.
"Brother Brigham and I were appointed captains of fifty, in a hurry, and commanded to take our position, right in the thoroughfare on which the mob was advancing to the city, momentarily anticipating the awful tragedy of a bloody massacre. Joseph was with us giving counsel.
"The army came up to within good rifle shot, and halted; seeing our temporary fortifications, which we had thrown up the night previous, by pulling down some of our houses, and fixing up our wagons; they dared not approach nearer, but retreated to Goose Creek, about three-fourths of a mile, screaming, hallooing and screeching; the devils in hell could not have made a more hideous howling. The mob declared there were fifteen hundred of us; but to my certain knowledge there were only about one hundred and fifty in that line.
"The word came to us that Joseph Smith and several others were to be given up, otherwise they would massacre every man, woman and child. In order to prevent this horrible threat from being executed, Joseph gave himself up, with Elders Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight, and George W. Robinson, they having been betrayed into the mob camp by Col. George M. Hinkle and other apostates, on the 3ist of October.
"November 1st, the mob, professing to be the regular militia of the state of Missouri, numbering about 7,000, surrounded Far West, we were all taken prisoners and then marched a short distance into a hollow, where Col. Lucas had previously pointed his cannon, in full range, so that if we had not laid down our arms, he could easily sweep us into eternity, which was his design. We were then formed into a hollow square, and commanded by Col. Lucas to ground arms and deliver up our weapons of war, although they were our own private property. We were then marched back a short distance, on the public square in Far West, where we were again formed into a hollow square, near the house of Brother Beeman.
"The mob then commenced plundering the citizens of their bedding, clothing, money, wearing apparel, and everything of value they could lay their hands upon; and also attempting to violate the chastity of the women in sight of their husbands, pretending they were hunting for prisoners and fire-arms.
"The most of us had not had any food for twenty-four hours, not having time to go to our houses to get it. When these troops surrounded us, and we were brought into a hollow square, the first persons that I knew were men who had once professed to be beloved brethren, and they were the men who piloted these mobs into our city, namely William McLellin and Lyman E. Johnson, two of the twelve; John Whitmer and David Whitmer, two of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon; William W. Phelps and scores of others, hail fellows well met. A portion of the troops were painted like Indians, and looked horrible, led by Neil Gillium, who styled himself 'The Delaware Chief;' who, with many others cocked their guns upon us and swore they would blow our brains out, although we were disarmed and helpless.
"William E. McLellin wanted to know where Heber C. Kimball was. Some one pointed me out to him as I was sitting on the ground. He came up to me and said:
'Brother Heber, what do you think of the fallen prophet now? Has he not led you blindfolded long enough? Look and see yourself, poor, your family stripped and robbed, and your brethren in the same fix; are you satisfied with Joseph?'
I replied, 'Yes, I am more satisfied with him a hundred fold than ever I was before, for I see you in the very position that he foretold you would be in; a Judas to betray your brethren, if you did not forsake your adultery, fornication, lying and abominations. Where are you? What are you about? You, and Hinkle, and scores of others; have you not betrayed Joseph and his brethren into the hands of the mob, as Judas did Jesus? Yes, verily, you have; I tell you Mormonism is true, and Joseph is a true prophet of the living God; and you with all others that turn therefrom will be damned and go to hell, and Judas will rule over you.'
"Soon after this, when things began to be a little more quiet, I desired to go to my home to get something to eat as I had not eaten anything for many hours. I asked some of the mob standing near, if I could not have the privilege to go to my house, a little distance off; they referred me to their captain, who was Bogard, the Methodist preacher. I went to him and told him what I wanted. He first spoke of sending some one with me, as I would be liable to be shot if found alone. In a short time says he, 'I will go with you.' He went down to my house; my wife prepared some dinner, and he ate with me; then we returned, and I took my seat on the ground with my brethren who were under guard.
"The next day, 2nd, I was permitted to return to my house, but was told not to leave the city, as it was surrounded by a strong guard to prohibit anyone leaving the place; they were engaged in taking every man who seemed to have any influence, and putting them in chains to stand a trial. They were pointed out by the apostate allies of the mob.
"We were brought up at the point of the bayonet and compelled to sign a deed of trust, transferring all our property to defray the expenses of this war made on us by the State of Missouri. This was complied with, because we could not help ourselves. When we walked up to sign the deeds of trust to pay these assassins for murdering our brethren and sisters, and their children; ravishing some of our sisters to death ; robbing us of our lands and possessions and all we had on earth, and other similar "services," they expected to see us cast down and sorrowful, but I testify as an eye witness that the brethren rejoiced and praised the Lord, for His sake taking joyfully the despoiling of their goods. Judges and magistrates, Methodist, Presbyterian, Campbellite and other sectarian priests stood by and saw all this going on, exulting over us, and it seemed to make them more angry that we bore our misfortunes so cheerfully. Judge Cameron said, with an oath, 'See them laugh and kick up their heels. They are whipped, but not conquered.'
'On the 6th, Gen. Clark delivered his noted extermination speech, and read over the names of the brethren who were made prisoners, to await a trial for something, they knew not what, and placed under a strong guard. In order that the tyrant may not be forgotten I insert a portion of his speech:
''Gentlemen, you whose names are not attached to this list of names, will now have the privilege of going to your fields and of providing corn, wood, etc., for your families. Those who are now taken will go from this to prison, be tried and receive the due demerit of their crimes. But you (excepting such as charges may be hereafter preferred against) are at liberty as soon as the troops are removed that now guard the place, which I shall cause to be done immediately. It now devolves upon you to fulfill the treaty that you have entered into, the leading items of which I shall now lay before you.
"The first requires that your leading men be given up to be tried according to law; this you have complied with.
"The second is that you deliver up your arms this has also been attended to. The third stipulation is that you sign over your properties to defray the expenses that have been incurred on your account; this you have also done. Another article yet remains for you to comply with, and that is, that you leave the State forth-with; and whatever may be your feelings concerning this, or whatever your innocence is, it is nothing to me. General Lucas (whose military rank is equal to mine) has made this treaty with you, and I approve of it. I should have done the same had I been here, and am therefore determined to see it executed.
"The character of this State has suffered almost beyond redemption, from the character, conduct and influence that you have exerted; and we deem it an act of justice to restore her character by every proper means.
"The order of the Governor to me was that you should be exterminated, and not allowed to remain in the State. And had not your leaders been given up, and the terms of the treaty complied with before this time, your families would have been destroyed and your houses in ashes.
"There is a discretionary power vested in my hands, which, considering your circumstances, I shall exercise for a season. You are indebted to me for this clemency. I do not say that you shall go now, but you must not think of staying here another season, or of putting in any crops; for the moment you do this the citizens will be upon you; and if I am called here again, in case of non-compliance with the treaty made, do not think I shall act as I have done now. You need not expect any mercy, but extermination, for I am determined the Governor's order shall be executed.
"As for your leaders, do not think, do not imagine for a moment, do not let it enter your minds that they will be delivered and restored to you again, for their fate is fixed, the die is cast, their doom is sealed.
"I am sorry, gentlemen, to see so many apparently intelligent men found in the situation that you are; and oh! if I could invoke that great Spirit of the unknown God to rest upon and deliver you from that awful chain of superstition, and liberate you from those fetters of fanaticism with which you are bound that you no longer do homage to a man.
"I would advise you to scatter abroad and never again organize yourselves with Bishops, Priests, etc., lest you excite the jealousies of the people and subject yourselves to the same calamities that have now come upon you.
"You have always been the aggressors, you have brought upon yourselves these difficulties, by being disaffected, and not being subject to rule, and my advice is, that you become as other citizens, lest by a recurrence of these events you bring upon yourselves irretrievable ruin." ... "You must not be seen as many as five together, if you are, the citizens will be upon you and destroy you, but you should flee immediately out of the state. There is no alternative for you but to flee, you need not expect any redress ; there is none for you."
"I was present," continues Heber, "when that speech was delivered, and I can truly say ' he is a liar and the truth is not in him for not one of us had made any such agreement with Lucas, or any other person; what we did was by compulsion in every sense of the word, and as for Gen. Clark and his 'unknown God,' they had nothing to do with our deliverance, but it was our Father in heaven, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, in whom we trust, who liveth and dwelleth in the heavens, and the day will come when our God will hold him in derision with all his coadjutors."
"Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?
Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin? May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness!
O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm. Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness.
Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen."
"As a child I loved to sit at my grandmother’s feet while she told us about her life. The stories she told and the life she lived inspired all of us, and most of my sisters decided to do just like she did. Despite what stories you hear of forced marriage of young girls, I have over a dozen married sisters, and only one was under 18 when she married her sweetheart. The others did not wait because they did not want to get married sooner, but my father, the protective softy that he is, did not want to let them to get married any sooner than he had to.
The life of a lady is not over when she gets married. Marriage is not slavery to my mothers, who both went to College and had jobs after they married my father. They did it because they wanted to, and they only had the children that they wanted to. I am very glad they wanted me.
I ask all of you mothers, is there a greater relationship in your life that the one between you and your child? It should be the greatest, because it is for your child. For me, my mother was second only to God. She represented God to me. She taught me who God was. She taught me how to pray. She taught me to look to my honorable father for direction in my life. She was my first and most favorite teacher. She still is the greatest woman on this earth to me; when I think about the word love, I think about my mother. Every day is Mothers Day to me.
I ask sincerely, should I have not been born? Should I not exist? Should I not have the father and mother that I do? Would the world be a better place had I not been born? Do you not want me to exist? Am I a crime?
You see, my mother was a teenager when I was born. And my father is as good a man as there is on this earth. Yes we were on food stamps sometimes, yes the government paid for much of our medical care, but is the government wrong for doing it? Am I a fraud? Am I a crime?"
"Only three decades ago a teenager became pregnant with a baby. The father of that child was married to another woman, and was more than ten years older than the young girl. And I couldn't care less if the entire world, all of the governments, and all of the churches put together, and even if you, your own wonderful pious self, condemn what happened at that time.
I was born, and I was not a mistake, let alone evidence of a crime.
I was the greatest thing to happen in the life of a girl, I was the most cherished thing on the planet to one particular mother, I was brought into this world to the greatest woman on Earth, and one of the greatest men, and if anyone does not like that, too bad. If you do not like the fact that I was born when I was born to who I was born to, you might as well go read the Anti-FLDS sites, because you cannot be helped here.
I was born into a Covenant, and that Covenant was ordained by God, the Creator of this world and of this Universe. I was born to a couple who were sealed for time and All Eternity in the one true Church on earth, by the only man on earth who Almighty God gave that authority to. I was a large part of the reason my mother not only willingly, but very anxiously entered into that Covenant. I was not only wanted, but those two people, my wonderful parents, were sealed together for the very purpose of bringing me into this world. My heritage and birth is the greatest honor and privilege that God has ever given to me. And if you don't like it, I have no way to help you. I am alive, and I will not go away for you.
Putting my father in jail would have accomplished nothing good. Putting my mother in jail, or in a shelter, would have done absolutely nothing good. Kidnapping me from my mother, which would have been like killing me (which some people might endorse), would have accomplished absolutely nothing but to serve the devil. And if you would have liked any of this to happen, you are serving the devil yourself, willingly or not.
If you are praying for me to see the light, praying that I would condemn my own birth, my own father, and my own religious procreation, then I know that the god that you pray to is not the God of heaven, but is the god of hell, and all your prayers for me are much, much less than a waste of time.
If that is your prayer, please pray for someone else besides me. I have had enough problems with Lucifer and seek no more of his “help”
The people who say that the raid on the YFZ ranch happened the way it did to avoid another Waco are very confused, and some very willingly. That is as opposite of truth as there ever has been in history. The reason the raid happened at all was because they WANTED another Waco; they were expecting another Branch Davidian fight. And those who yet to this day endorse that awful State-sponsored terrorist act, are either rotten bigots, dark-hearted apostates, or among the masses of the grossly and willingly misinformed.
The most horrid of people, those who yet say that the Temple doors were broken down, and that sacred building was desecrated by the wicked sheriff and his monsters for even the slightest hint of a good reason, are serving the master of mayhem, Beelzebub himself. That sacred and holy temple had been anxiously awaited for over a hundred years by the greatest of people, and only the devil himself and his willing followers could have ever desired to make it the worthless shell it has now become. And only the darkest imaginations and vilest hearts could have ever desired to invade and invalidate the sacredness of such a place.
May they repent and ask forgiveness, is my only desire for them. Until then, they are my enemies. I forgive my enemies already, and will seek to do only good toward them, but that does not change the fact that they remain my enemies, and the enemies of my people."
“And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water; But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
“Who can tell if we will repent, and turn unto God, but he will turn away from us his fierce anger, that we perish not?
“And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and repented; and God turned away the evil that he had said he would bring upon them.” (Jonah 3:4-10)
“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened” – Winston Churchill
"An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it". - Mahatma Gandhi
"There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes. We cannot see it, but when our bodies are purified, we shall see that it is all matter." - Joseph Smith
