There is so much confusion surrounding the Texas “YEARNING FOR ZION” FLDS community. Fathers are in hiding. Mothers are pleading on camera. Children and other members of the sect are withholding family information or providing false family information to authorities. The ACLU is saying the civil rights of some members may have been violated. In the wake of the media coverage, we are all left to debate religious freedom, family rights and child abuse.
An Associated Press review by reporter Michelle Roberts of the records kept by the Bishop of the sect (seized by authorities in the raid last month) shows that by the time a girl reached 16 she was more likely to be 
married than allowed to live with her family as a child. The same was not true for boys. The records reveal the relationship details of 37 families totaling 507 individuals. Tthe lists were written from March through August 2007, most of the people were living at the YFZ Ranch, though others were in homes along the Utah-Arizona line.
Two-thirds of listed households were polygamous. Once senior elder was listed as having 21 wives. Men still in their 20s made up most of the dozen monogamous marriages. Of the 19 youths listed as being 16 or 17, none of the boys are husbands, while nine of the girls are listed as wives. Only one 17-year-old girl remained unmarried. Under Texas law, children younger than 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult.
So, what are we left to make of this data? I had a professor who once said that one could use data to prove virtually any point of view or reveal a deeper truth. What does this data say to you?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Boise Leon // May 9, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I saw a smooth distribution of ages for wives and an occasional custodial (older wife). Children were distributed evenly which meant that older girls were helpful in handling the many young ones. The work crew who built the Temple had already moved out and housing was filled to capacity for the new arrivals. I doubt that very few young marriages were made in Texas.
2 Sandy Bowe // May 10, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Why did Texas look away for so many years? They had to have know what was going on and they just looked the other way. I think they sent the wrong message to FLDS a long time ago. Don’t bother us - we won’t bother you. The sad thing about that is that someone is getting to get hurt either physically and/or emotionally and usually it’s children and women. Every live interview with a female from that compound is very strange. They seem like robots - trained how to respond and with little or no emotion. It certainly isn’t something you see in Wisconsin, that’s for sure!
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