Sunday, March 17, 2013

Life among the FLDS (1 of 2): Idolatry.


From Lost Boy, by Brent W. Jeffs, with Maia Szalavitz (2009; pp. 103-104):

Warren and Rulon preached that, because the apocalypse was coming, the people needed to be even more perfect and godlike to ensure their survival...

Warren began preaching that almost all material possession were “idols” and that we had to stop worshipping them.  He wanted us to rid ourselves of worldly good in preparation for the apocalypse.  Anything that wasn’t “useful” was a worldly thing.   This included all kinds of trinkets, artwork, even family photos...

I’d start taking woodshop class in about fifth grade.  We’d make wooden boxes and other decorative items as projects.  But when Warren started in on idols, that had to stop.  One morning when I was in eighth grade, Warren preached that wall sconces were idols.  When we went into the shop that day, the teacher was practically in tears.  He dismissed the class and told us to play outside because he was afraid that anything he could think of to make might be interpreted as idolatry by Warren.  That would get him into trouble, and possibly even lose him his wife and his kids.

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