She loves god and the prophet. She is only 8, and her faith will keep her from going to the police after the Bishop forces himself inside her; feelings of inferiority and guilt will make her the victim of rape and abuse to her father’s brothers until she is arranged to marry a man she doesn’t know. The perceived sanctity of marriage will not cleanse her soul. She will bear twenty seven children throughout her life, ravaging both body and mind in the name of the church, while sharing her husband’s affection with three other wives.

Where in the world is a girl expected to waive all of her rights and forsake an education or a career in order to breed? In what country can an organization knowingly harbor and defend abusers, sexual deviants, pedophiles, and murderers? Some third-world countries may come to mind, but unfortunately the answer to all three questions is: United States.

Today’s Artists For Moms spotlight article is dedicated to the campaign against abuse of women and children in the religious sect of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints (LDS). The LDS church appears as any other off-shoot of the Christian faith, but differs from Mormonism and Judaism (to which it claims it has an historical affinity) through its practice of plural marriage. Polygamy is still a canonized doctrine in the Latter-Day Saints, as ordained by its founder Joseph Smith (“if ye abide not [the polygamy] covenant, then are ye damned”), and is a source of misery for many women and children in the sect. Carolyn Jessop, a former member of FLDS and author of Escape (a true-story account of her childhood experiences in the group), revealed the cold reality of becoming a wife and a mother at the age of 14. According to Carolyn, polygamist women often end up competing for the only thing that gives them power over the other wives – sex and pregnancy. To become the favorite wife, each woman works against the others. They will bear children, sew, and cook for attention, but will not risk their faith or status to stop abuse. In an all-male church and a strongly patriarchal community, complaints from women will typically get an extremely unfavorable reaction from both family and the clergy. The extensive political and religious networks of LDS have made reporting, tracking, and mitigating violence and sex crimes difficult. Many women go through their entire lives without telling anyone about their abusers because of the shame and deep psychological trauma that such a revelation can incur:

“…There is no true Latter-day Saint who would not rather bury a son or daughter than to have him or her lose his or her chastity – realizing that chastity is of more value than anything else in all the world.” – President Kimball, Latter-Day Saints

Some victims speak up, but because the church officials discourage ‘outside’ (state or federal government) interference, justice has been limited. Chilling excerpts from infamous court cases are telling of the sect’s influence over its followers:

“He began sexually abusing each daughter when she was about six, beginning with fondling, then kissing her genitals, and then moving on to oral and vaginal sex. One of his daughters began sleeping under her bed to get away from him. They did not notify the police. Throughout this entire span, Ray was very active in the Church and had constant callings.” – the case of Richard Kenneth Ray (1974,1984), sentenced to 58 years

“That same year, Gene’s six-year-old stepson told his mother, her parents, and ‘his church leader in Meyer that Metcalf had periodically masturbated him and had forced him to masturbate Metcalf, often in the cab of his truck.’ No one reported the incident to anyone outside the church. According to another source, Metcalf had also molested Scouts in the Church troop of which he was Scoutmaster.” – the case of Rober Gene Metcalf (1978, 1988), sentenced to 37 years

“He was a counselor in the bishopric in January 1980 when two full-time missionaries told church leaders that Shean had been sexually molesting them. Clark K. McCune, a Lompoc dentist and president of the Santa Maria Stake, summoned Shean to a high council court. Shean confessed, not only to their charge but admitted to ‘decades of extensive homosexual pedophilia.’ He was excommunicated, but no one reported Shean’s activities to the police. “ – the case of Michael Shean, sentenced to 14 years

What is most obscene about the cases mentioned above and other similar cases, is that the victims are not believed, and in fact, they are vilified and ostracized from the community, while theirs abuser are not only allowed to walk free, but are defended by the church and their own families (members of which may have been abused as well). I am outraged that this organization is allowed to exist; United States is a country built on tolerance and freedom, but these are privileges that should not be perverted into a sick religion!

I would like to thank Laura Pelick (“Mother and Child”) and Kelly Angel (“Anthony in Blue”) for contributing their artwork for the Artists for Moms project and helping to spotlight this issue. If you are interested in learning more about the Latter-Day Saints and the organization’s history with physical and sexual abuse, please visit the following websites:

Escaping Latter-Day Saints – a true story of abuse, rape, violence and redemption
Beckie Weinheimer’s Story – real experiences with Latter-Day Saints and Mormonism
Latter-Day Saints and Abuse – looking at scripture, leadership, and education
Official Records Excerpts from Abuse/Rape/Pedophilia Cases – 1
Official Records Excerpts from Abuse/Rape/Pedophilia Cases – 2

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