[17] That same year, Ardous Kingston Gustafson, a mother of four and founding Co-op member, was jailed on Christmas Eve when she could not produce membership lists that were to be used to target plural families for further arrest and harassment. ", -Apostle George A Smith, "Journal of Discourses," vol. One of their daughters married another of the community's founding patriarchs and religious leaders, John Yeates Barlow. The girl's father and mother, Susan Nelson (one of John Daniel's many wives) are half-sister and brother. [46], In July 2019, Jacob Kingston, Isaiah Kingston, and two others pled guilty to participating in a fraud scheme masterminded by Lev Derman, a non-member and Armenian national. . Escaped members report some patriarchs believe it is their duty to give a daughter her first marriage lessons. "This great-grandfather married two sisters which meant the 22 known children were double cousins or as genetically similar as brother and sister. Order girls are taught from birth that their primary purposes in life are to be obedient, a submissive wife, and to bear as many children as possible, the suit states. "The fact that fumarase deficiency had shown up in one child was startling enough--there had only been a handful of cases reported worldwide. . . Re: Polygamy's Patriarchy-Poisoned Bloodline: The Genetic Catastrophe That Has Sprung from Joseph Smith's "Divine" Breeding Program of Mormon Mutation . . . lucky . 13:1). . he says. hello . Your IP: . "When asked, a little boy and girl at the home acknowledged who their mother is. And in 1999, David Ortell Kingston Jeremy Kingston's uncle was sentenced to the Utah State Prison for up to 10 years for committing incest with the 16-year-old niece who became his 15th wife. . . mating in a way that increases genetic diseases, that the public ends up supporting, it becomes a matter of public interest.'. "The children afflicted with fumarase deficiency from these three marriages include the grandchildren of Dan Barlow and his brother, the late Louis Barlow, and Merill Jessop, a top aide to fugitive prophet Warren Jeffs. . Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. ", ("Understanding Polygamy," from "Humanists of Utah, an Incorporated Utah Non-profit Corporation Has a Mission to Promote Joyful Living, Rational Think)ing, and Responsible Behavior," July 2005, at: http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2005/UnderstandingPolygamy_July-05.html) and councilmen.' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints elders, who control the community, have labored to keep the public from finding out why the disorder is manifesting. "If female, they are married off to the few, powerful prominent males: incest is the fate of many teen-age girls. . . . . But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low (D&C 104:16). [14] Some of their secrecy might be attributed to a fear of arrest for living in plural marriages, as had happened in 19591960 when being investigated by the Davis County Grand Jury, which some members claimed was organized by LDS Apostles Mark E. Peterson and Spencer W. In their own words, as quoted in a sister article that asks the question, "Is Monogamy the Ruin of Civilization?" They offer no support, no exit route and no programs for the people trapped inside polygamy endeavoring to escape these closed polygamous communities or compounds. The three marriages between second cousins have produced at least eight children afflicted with fumarase deficiency, according to a report in the May 2000 'Annals of Neurology' (based on the study conducted by the group led by Tarby and Aleck), interviews with doctors treating the disease and anecdotal evidence gathered from the community. "Tarby said there could be hundreds of victims in coming generations. While they affirm that they now carry the torch first lit by Joseph Smith, their agenda focuses only on plural marriage and their own brand of united order. . Kingston Clan. I'd never heard of them, a polygamist, fundie cult where even 14 year olds could . . A fourth to half of father-daughter and brother-sister offspring have mental or physical deficiencies. Tarby. . [in order] to reduce competition for wives. "It was . Many members of the fundamentalist community don't even know it's occurring. "Today, six sons and two daughters of John Ortell and LaDonna have married at least 20 half-sisters, nieces and first cousins, giving birth to a family tree that twists and tangles, and, at times, withers with children born of genetic deficiencies. . Some Kingston followers might justify their financial conglomerate by comparing it to the wealthy Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . The Cooperative itself was established in 1935. Rather than take steps to avoid the problem, the FLDS loyalists may believe it is their duty to accept their fate. After all, polygamy is illegal in the US. "The rate at which Kingstons marry each other is 'frightening,' she says. Branches of the polygamist mans family left out of the genealogy will change the incidence of common ancestors and potentially mask the true disease risk and incidence in the community. Not enough of the fumarase enzyme can lead to severe mental retardation and physical deformities. . 'And I've seen others that are totally laid out. 'Remember how Hitler was trying to breed a perfect race?' "In the FLDS community, marriages with cousins and other relatives are common, Bistline said. soon . 'There are people that have married their nieces, people who have married their aunts,' he said. . [O]ver the first 50 years of Mormonism, a highly inbred hierarchy became even more inbred through their illegal marriage and childbirth practices. The enzyme irregularity causes severe mental retardation, epileptic seizures and other effects that often leaves children unable to take care of themselves. . This means all other covenants were of no effect through which source they can. ". ozpoof Among the participants was Charles W. Kingston. "For more than 70 years, all marriages in the isolated towns have been arranged by the leader of the FLDS, a breakaway sect of the Salt Lake City-based Mormon Church. The two Kingston brothers and their business partner, Lev Dermen, are in jail awaiting trial, scheduled to start in July and last six weeks. . While Charles W. Kingston was the first to oppose the Church, the primary mover in the Kingston Group was his son Elden. From the article, "Mormon Polygamy: Frequently Asked Questions": "[Mormon] Church founder, Joseph Smith, said he received a revelation from God, which is still canonized Mormon scripture as Doctrine and Covenants Section 132. Reading the ignorant responses of the polygs - particularly in the face of the evidence all around them - makes my blood boil. . refuse to accept advice from any outsider, including doctors such as Tarby, who has treated their children for years. A small portion of the funds (less than 6%) were also used to purchase legitimate goods and services from businesses who provided them in "good faith". ", -Prophet John Taylor, "Millennial Star," vol. Still, if children are caught up in an abusive or incestuous situation, Williams would encourage policing. . "Victims suffer a range of symptoms, including severe epileptic seizures, inability to walk or even sit upright, severe speech impediments, failure to grow at a normal rate, and tragic physical deformities. "'We don't have a dad,' the little boy said. . Tarby asked them to bring the girl to him for an examination. But [FLDS members] don't think of it as sexual predation. . [7] Upon the creation of the LDCJC, most members of the DCCS became members of the church and most retain dual membership in both organizations to this day. [43] Responding to child marriage allegations in September 2022, the organization told The Guardian that "current policy prohibits plural marriage for members under 18" and "once an individual has made a decision on who to marry, members are encouraged to seek the blessing of their parents, family and/or church leaders, but to say that one individual chooses or heavily influences who will marry who is entirely inaccurate". Three of their children suffer from serious inherited disorders. . Because I fell down this rabbit hole and now so do you all. "When [my cousin] died, my childish vow surfaced and I began to look into my family history for some answers. As a symbol of their renunciation of worldly goods, the outer clothing contained no pockets in which possessions could be carried, although later an inside pocket was provided for the sanitary measure of carrying a handkerchief. . 'It's like any inbred disorder,' Tarby says. . When the Lord chose Brother Elden through which to send this new covenant, all other covenants were thereby dissolved. Re: Polygamy's Patriarchy-Poisoned Bloodline: The Genetic Catastrophe That Has Sprung from Joseph Smith's "Divine" Breeding Program of Mormon Mutation . Aleck is a geneticist who participated along with Tarby and others in the groundbreaking study of several polygamous families with fumarase deficiency in the late 1990s. ", -Apostle Heber C. Kimball, "Journal of Discourses," vol. Connie Rugg, one of Ortells plural wives remembered: [Ortell Kingston] experimented inbreeding with his cattle and then he turned to his children.[4] Ortell desired to perfect his own bloodline and implemented practices that encouraged marriages of close relatives. . He faces up to 30 years in. Wyler's ex-wife's sister has had two babies afflicted with fumarase deficiency. [T]he one-wife system not only degenerates the human family, both physically and intellectually, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; it is a lure to temptation, and has always proved a curse to a people. thus marking the first time news media reported this human and civil rights nightmare accurately since the 1850s. And it takes two of them to get him into the bathtub just to wash him down and clean him up.' [13][verification needed], The Latter Day Church of Christ is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a presence in Bountiful, Utah. 'They have the authoritarian structure necessary to keep this from happening, but I don't think they have the advanced thinking,' Aleck says. "For the first time, the faith-promoting stories about my great-grandfathers heroism for defying the federal government when they outlawed polygamy interested me. Certainly if MORmON Jesus had done this, we would hear all about it from the LDS as *proof* that God was doing his modern work via MORmONISM, but alas there is no such manifestation ! on the history of the fundamentalist community. . Family members attribute the defects to the advanced ages of the mother and father -- he was 64, she was 45. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use "'Those boys are the most moral, upstanding and wonderful people I know,' she said, clutching a grandchild to her thin hip. "Dr. Tarby, who routinely treats fumarase deficiency children at a state-funded clinic in Flagstaff, says, 'They are funny-looking kids [with] biggish heads and coarse, thick features.' http://www.azcentral.com/health/news/articles/0209PolygamyBirthDefect09- http://www.childbrides.org/taxes_PNT_forbidden_fruit.html, http://www.rickross.com/reference/polygamy/polygamy25.html. Meanwhile, as Mormons wait patiently and faithfully for multi-wifery's official return, the words of their founding Church fathers sound praise to polygamy past, present and future: --The Mormon God's Declaration of Righteous Genetic Combinations: Monogamy is a Christian Blight on Humanity, While Polygamy is the Lord's Way to Produce Fresh, Virile Men; Good-Lookin' Women; and Super Strong Stock to Carry Civilization Into Eternity. Elden clearly claimed to hold the priesthood keys, saying, I have those keys of power.[3]. . "The leaders must also understand the ethical considerations of continuing behavior, he says, that is bringing children into the world who suffer tragic deformities. . lost the priesthood which had come down to them from the Prophet Joseph Smith. Children are allowed to attend public school and many go on to college. "In addition, the Mormon Church touts itself as the quintessential traditional family values church . "It's unlikely the polygamous community will heed the doctor's advice. David Kingston is alleged to have married his 16-year-old niece Mary Ann Nelson, who attempted to run away but was apprehended and beaten by her father, John Daniel Kingston. : About half of the 8,000 people living in the towns are blood relatives of two of the founding families that settled in the 1930s on the desolate high desert plateau against the base of the Vermillion Cliffs. "Religious leaders control all marriages in the community, and many of these relatives have married or likely will marry in the future. [23] The group claims no preference for any particular family or surname stating members join every year "from a variety of different backgrounds and surnames. 'The downside is that if you don't start with good genetics, and if there is baggage in the genes of the individual, inbreeding will uncover that baggage. Consanguinity also causes rare recessive disorders to mask as dominant. . Men and boys wore blue coverall-type suits tied with strings; women and girls wore plain blue denim dresses. Members of a powerful polygamous group in Utah claim they were forced into underage marriages with their relatives to keep their blood pure, were raped by their husbands and had to perform child labor, according to a bombshell lawsuit. . Thus this monogamic order of marriage, so esteemed by modern Christians as a holy sacrament and divine institution, is nothing but a system established by a set of robbers. . Duringa 2020 trialfor a California businessman accused of carrying out a nearly $500 million biodiesel fraud scheme with a member of the Kingston Group, attorneys for the businessman called the Kingstons an incestuous polygamous group that is always scheming to defraud the US government in what the group calls bleeding the beast., A spokesman for the group, Kent Johnson, called those allegations categorically false.. Photocopy in authors possession. Wyler says he once saw a fumarase deficiency child suffer a seizure while she was sitting with her mother and two other children also suffering from the disorder. . " "Fumarase deficiency is caused by a lack of the fumarase enzyme, an essential component in a biological process called the Krebs cycle, which converts food into energy within each cell. Mormon Church presidents and "prophet"-leaders have blamed monogamy a host of terminal afflictions that have been delivered upon the world. Well, law enforcement often tends to look the other way in cases like polygamy, unless specific reports reach the agencies. They are lucky if they can even move their head and eyes a little bit.'. . "Until the test is available, Tarby says, the best prevention measure remains refraining from crossing Barlows, Jessops and their relations--who make up half the population of the polygamist enclave. "Tarby says members of the community made it clear that neither choice was acceptable. 'If the community gets larger, the number of people with fumarase deficiency gets larger. The groups, whose members believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven, are offshoots of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That's the big problem.' "While none of these can positively be linked to incest without DNA testing, geneticists say most of the conditions are exacerbated by incest. . (Patricia was one of Kingston's 14 wives, and the clip does not reveal whether she is still alive.) . _____, --Conclusion: Mormonism is Sick--and So (Genetically Speaking) Are the Faithful Followers of the LDS Legacy of Blood-Poisoned Polygamy. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. "'It makes you sick; it turns your stomach,' she says. 'I said, "You're married to somebody you're related to. Believing that Elden received lost priesthood keys in 1935 also seems to contradict an 1837 scripture given to Joseph Smith stating that the priesthood had then (in 1837) been restored for the last time: For unto you, the Twelve, and those, the First Presidency, who are appointed with you to be your counselors and your leaders, is the power of this priesthood given, for the last days and for the last time, in the which is the dispensation of the fulness of times (D&C 112:30; see also D&C 27:13). Men rise in prominence by being obedient and pure of blood and by having large families that can produce a lot of money and workers for the group, the suit continues. One of the guilty pleas states they cycled fraud proceeds through a number of international partners and then back to Washakie's bank accounts, falsely claiming them as loans or profits. Precisely where Elden obtained valid priesthood authority is a matter of dispute. . "The same right of marriage approval was wielded by John Ortell Kingston, who began the incestuous lineage. "But this is a very unlikely scenario for FLDS faithful, who practice a religious doctrine that requires men to be strictly obedient to religious leaders and requires women to give birth to as many children as possible to increase the sect's numbers. . [7], Plural marriage is practiced by some members of the LDCJC and members make their own choice in who they marry. 'But just on general principles, the offspring of uncle-niece, or half-siblings have an elevated level of genetic disease. The Twelve Apostles of Mormonism then acted to increase this familial relationship by marrying other relatives until in 1877, at the end of Brigham Youngs reign as Mormon Prophet and King, the polygamous hierarchy became l00% interrelated. Three others, including Grant, said they had to flee to escape such a fate. Polygamy would have afforded the opportunity of producing from that consecrated fatherhood and motherhood the improved type of man the world needs to reveal the highest possibilities of the race, that the day of the super man might come, and with him come also the redemption and betterment of the race.'. Have you also noticed all the genetic and other debilitating defects, deformities and diseases that comes along with your poisoned patriarchal plurality-of-wives club? . "Of even greater concern was the fact that the recessive gene that triggers the disease was rapidly spreading to thousands of individuals living in the community because of decades of inbreeding. 75.119.192.80 ", "C250 - Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee", "DCCS Self-Sustaining Policy, Contributions to the Community", "The Polygamist Accused of Scamming the U.S. Out of $500 Million", "Former WRE CEO testifies about money paid to DCCS Entities", "Jury Finds Los Angeles Businessman Guilty in $1 Billion Biodiesel Tax Fraud Scheme", "Polygamists Admit $512 Million Fraud for U.S. Fuel-Tax Credits", "CEO And CFO Of Utah Biodiesel Company And California Businessman Charged In $500 Million Fuel Tax Credit Scheme", "WRE Defendants arrested and awaiting trial", "Trial postponed for last defendant in fraud case involving members of the Kingston polygamous family", "Complaint and Jury Demand, Grant, et al. He prepared urine samples and sent them to the University of Colorado Science Center's Dr. Steve Goodman, a professor of pediatrics who runs a laboratory that detects rare genetic diseases. . Gallup Panel survey [conducted in August 2006] show[ed] that Americans are much more likely to believe most Mormons endorse practicing polygamy than to believe most Americans support it. But women who are disobedient and fail to bear children including because they miscarry face ostracism, the lawsuit claims. As a symbol of their renunciation of worldly goods, the outer clothing contained no pockets in which possessions could be carried, although later an inside pocket was provided for the sanitary measure of carrying a handkerchief. "Mormon Prophet Hebrew J. . Five of the women suing alleged they were coerced into marriage as minors and raped by their husbands. . Why do we believe in and practice polygamy? 'They don't believe anything written about Colorado City [by outsiders, even medical experts] carries much truth,' Tarby says. . . . David Kingston is alleged to have married his 16-year-old niece Mary Ann Nelson, who attempted to run away but was apprehended and beaten by her father, John Daniel Kingston. "Some of the kids can walk, but others have a difficult time even sitting. 'I really doubt that if we could tell them, you know, "This male has the condition and this female has the condition; you shouldn't mate," that wouldn't stop them,' he said. . 'So often when you have an uncle-niece, or half-brother-sister, you have a situation where abuse is going on,' Jorde says. However, the group reiterated its belief that "bleeding the beast" was "abhorent" and was "never a tenet" of its organization. "There is no cure for the disease, which impedes the body's ability to process food at the cellular level. . And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine. The current leader of the Kingston Clan is Paul Elden Kingston, and it is reported that he has up to 27 wives (including three half-sisters) and some wives have as many as 18 children. 'They have to outbreed,' Aleck says. Lucky was the first to die in my generation. Nearly all the Mormon founding families were relatives, so the first polygamists enjoyed relations to different degrees when the divine experiment began. "'We have and will have a continual output of children with this condition,' Tarby says. The Latter Day Church of Christ,[1] is considered a Mormon fundamentalist denomination by some in the Latter Day Saint movement. Arrow Real Estate and Property Compliance, Fountain of Youth Health and Athletic Club. Carolyn regularly worked at and tended . [7] Members of the Latter Day Church of Christ are also members of the Davis County Cooperative Society (a separate organization and legal entity) which practices the law of consecration and United Order. 'They just don't worry about the effects of intermarriage.'. . Several people also wonder if parts of 'Escaping Polygamy' is dramatized. They have no movement. [Mormon] [h]istorian B. H. Roberts, notes an eugenic attitude regarding polygamy: "'It was in the name of a divinely-ordered species of eugenics that Latter-day Saints accepted the revelation which included a plurality of wives. ", -The Prophet Brigham Young, "Journal of Discourses," vol. ("Doctrine & Covenants," Section 132, verses 55, 62-63), "Joseph Smith also testified an angel with a sword came to him many times and commanded him to practice polygamy or else he would lose his life. Yet, this practice may hide the actual genetic kinship and can further exacerbate genetic problems. He interpreted his dream to mean that God approved of his leaving the Church. This nurse has a polygamous background, so does her husband. . [6] Brooke Adams, Salt Lake Tribune, May 22, 2004. ", And despite the LDS Church's highly suspect claim of having genuinely abandoned the doctrine and practice of polygamy in 1890 (see D. Michael Quinn's historically-devastating essay that got him excommunicated for telling the truth, "LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890-1904," at: http://www.lds-mormon.com/quinn_polygamy.shtml), many Mormons, in fact, still believe that the practice of multi-wifing will someday be reinstituted "[b]ecause the doctrine is still part of official Mormon scripture (see 'Doctrine and Covenants,' Section 132). . This means it may be genetically unwise for children of the early leaders to marry other children of early leaders, even now; yet, this tendency still exists in Mormonism. "The few dissenters in the community say the serious genetic problems that are beginning to surface are an indication that the closed FLDS society could eventually collapse. [28][29], During the first years of the Davis County Cooperative Society, Elden Kingston and his followers wore unique blue denim outer garments that led to people referring to them as "blue-coats." . The State of Utah stated: "It was a specific investigation that we were approached by [federal law enforcement] to participate in." When asked to name his offspring by plural wife Mattingly Foster, Kingston came up with about five names before faltering, saying he was very nervous. After viewing a list of the children, he then attempted to name them but once more fell shortprompting the judge to supply the final child's name for him. . restricted in some polygamous sects, including FLDS groups in Colorado City, Arizona; Hildale, Utah; and West Texas, that force some of the young males to leave the communities . . The children live in the twin polygamist communities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. ", (Bruce, R. McConkie,'Mormon Doctrine,' 2nd ed., under "Plural Marriage" (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, Inc., 1966], p. 578) . All are retarded, the neurologist told Salt Lake City television station KSL-TV. During the 1920s, hundreds of dissenters from the LDS Church gathered into specific groups across the Wasatch Front. He tells community residents that they should undergo genetic screening before marriage, but they've ignored the suggestion, Tarby said. He also married a woman descended from polygamy. 5, p. 22, "Brethren, I want you to understand that it is not to be as it has been heretofore. ", ("Doctor: Birth defects increase in polygamy community," Associated Press, 9 February 2006, at: http://www.azcentral.com/health/news/articles/0209PolygamyBirthDefect09-) At least six of Merlin's incestuously conceived children in turn married half-siblings, couplings that subsequently produced children with various deformities, says Rowenna Erickson, an ex-member who left her polygamous husband. Members today wear normal modern clothing, although they are encouraged to be modest and keep a high standard of dress. Legitimate businesses, including those in the Cooperative, argued that Jacob hid the scheme from business partners as well as Co-op leadership. http://www.gallup.com/poll/24388/one-four-americans-think-most-mormons-e http://www.i4m.com/think/sexuality/homosexual_ruin.htm, http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2005/UnderstandingPolygamy_July-05.html, http://human-nature.com/science-as-culture/walker.html, http://www.renewamerica.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13723. Brigham Young, the second Mormon leader, preached, 'The time is coming when the Lord is going to raise a holy nation . One nurse confided, 'We see too many trisome l3 and l8 babies.' The Kingston sisters were able to help her escape although Ava wanted to stay with her family, she knew she couldn't give up her sense of self and continue watching the cycle of abuse continue. "All of the fumarase deficiency children Wyler has seen remain dependent on the parents or caregivers. 'I didn't dare talk about it,' she says. [2] Also known as the LDCJC,[3] the Kingston Clan, and The Order,[4][5][6] it is a religious organization created by members of the Davis County Cooperative Society or DCCS in 1977. . The word dispensation refers to two processes. . "[52][46][53] In a recent lawsuit, ex-members allege that the WRE case was an example of the concept of "bleeding the beast." Unfortunately, it's still the innocent who suffer due to Joseph Smith's lies. 'They are totally helpless,' he says. Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism, 2023 Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism, Joseph Smith Restores the Practice of Plural Marriage, Plural Marriage Commanded, Permitted, and Not Permitted, 1920sPolygamists Coalesce into an Organization, Lorin C. Woolley and His Council of Seven Friends, Independent Polygamists and Fundamentalists. Blood tests showed the infant and 25 other children from numerous women were fathered by the same man, leading to one of the largest welfare fraud-settlements in Utah history. The adoption of children among family members sometimes disguised sterility. . 'Children should not be victims of such programs.'. present a troubling scenario for law enforcement: these are crimes of a sexual nature committed in private in a closed society. . . [32] He was arrested and pleaded "no contest" to the charge of child abuse and served seven months in jail. The complaint against the Kingston Group also known as the Order was filed in Salt Lake City last week by 10 people, including Amanda Rae Grant, who starred in the A&E docu-series Escaping Polygamy.. . . . 'A lady comes in and helps her. KUTV A large police presence swarmed a well-known polygamous family's property in South Salt Lake Wednesday.A Department of Justice Spokesman Peter Carr confirmed to KUTV that it is involved in . And the Genealogy Department advises genealogists to follow only their direct line; in this instance meaning only the wife who is their mother, not other wives of their father. Or was it true no one knew the answers, because they could not be known, because no one wanted to know? These wives sometimes became known, sometimes not. 13, p. 195, "We breathe the free air, we have the best looking men and handsomest women, and if they (non-Mormons) envy us our position, well they may, for they are a poor, narrow-minded, pinch-backed race of men, who chain themselves down to the law of monogamy, and live all their days under the dominion of one wife. This practice has been attributed to "endogamous preference and the small size of the groups population" according to recent research from the University of California.