Recent read and a commentary

Well, after picking up this book earlier this summer, I'm disappointed with myself that I didn't read it right away. I practically devoured it, I read it so fast... it was incredibly hard to put down! While giving her readers a glimpse of life inside a polygamous sect, her main theme was FREEDOM, and how the women in that community completely give up their rights as human beings.

Escape
By Carolyn Jessop & Laura Palmer

From Publishers Weekly
Seventeen years after being forced into a polygamous marriage, Jessop escaped from the cultlike Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints with her eight children. She recounts the horrid events that led her to break free from the oppressive world she knew and how she has managed to survive since escaping, despite threats and legal battles with her husband and the Church. Though sometimes her retelling overflows with colorful foreshadowing and commentary on how exceptional she is, the everyday details she reveals about this polygamous society are devastating and tragic.

This book's release happened around the time the FLDS children in Texas were removed from their homes. Carolyn Jessop also appeared on the Today Show, while promoting her book. My thoughts are still mixed over whether or not I agree with that situation in Texas, but I was definitely intrigued to learn more about this sect that is so commonly misaligned by the media with the church I belong to. This book was enlightening, to say the least!

I read this post on When I in Awesome Wonder Consider All... and loved how this picture so clearly illustrated the differences in beliefs between the FLDS and LDS members. A reader went through the book and tabbed in yellow the beliefs that are common between the faiths, and in red the beliefs that are starkly different. Not surprisingly, there are WAY more red flags than yellow ones. (At least I wasn't surprised.) The beliefs we have in common? They also worship God, believe in Christ, and agree that we're given a latter-day prophet to follow as in Bible times. (Though we disagree on who that latter-day prophet is.)

I know polygamy was practiced by my LDS ancestors, until it was rescinded in 1890. It's a practice I have a hard time wrapping my own head around, and to be quite honest, I can't say that I would ever be comfortable or willing to participate in it.

On that note, a final question about our society...

Why is this (polygamy) so abhorred by the public?

While this seems to be so celebrated?

Is it not somewhat the same situation???

Mr. Hefner is much like a polygamist
living and sleeping with several women...
he's also not legally married to all of them...
but I suppose since he's not having hoards of children with them,
it must be okay.

Both situations turn my stomach.