On Saturday morning, the day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, my brother-in-law passed away. As someone said, “what a blessed Resurrection Sunday he had!” He was a very special person, not only to me and to his family, but to our ministry that reaches out to Mormon polygamy groups.
Paul Owen had been a special guest on our Live Television program a couple of times, and he was also interviewed for our DVD, Lifting The Veil of Polygamy. His interview was significant and very moving. He had been a life-long member of the Kingston polygamy group, he had been a loyal and faithful member, always obeying everything the leaders expected of him. He attended their church services and other meetings faithfully. His allegiance was to the group and to the leadership. His time, energy, money, and assets were dedicated to the success of what he believed was God’s kingdom on earth. No one could have been a more dedicated member, with a good attitude, than he was.
But before anyone knew what was going on deep within his heart, he was having questions, then some solid doubts. Through this ministry, one of his sons and his wife became Christians, his son began witnessing to his father Paul. As God worked in his heart, Paul made the decision to ask Jesus to do what He came to do - Save him! Paul’s full story is on our DVD, Lifting the Veil of Polygamy. You can watch it online at this link: http://www.whatloveisthis.tv/lvp_full.htm. Or contact us and we will send you a copy. In fact we’ll send extras if God lays it on your heart to share them with friends, family or neighbors.
The funeral was unique with the COVID virus concerns, but at least some of us were able to share time with our family, and the true Gospel was proclaimed. Please pray for comfort and peace for his wife, and children, and pray for any and all of his loved ones who don’t know Jesus, that they too will want THIS Jesus to whom Paul had given his life.
We praise God for every opportunity He gives us to reach out to those from the Mormon polygamous belief system and to explain the truth of God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ alone.
Thank you for your support of this ministry!
There has been little in the news these past few weeks with the Coronavirus taking its toll on our health, economic and social lives. And the silence is even more applicable to the polygamy groups who are inherently silent on almost everything. A couple of items however have slipped into the status of being newsworthy.
Last Newsletter we explained the Utah Legislature’s passage of SB102 which basically decriminalized polygamy in Utah. Just a couple of weeks ago, Utah governor Herbert signed the bill into law. It is now, in and of itself and by itself, not a crime in Utah to be a polygamist. However, they claim that any person arrested for any crime that is associated with polygamy, it then becomes a felony. The Utah State Constitution proclaims that polygamy shall be prohibited forever. It was because of that statement, they say, that polygamy has not been legalized. So, they skirted the constitution by making polygamy a mere infraction of the law no more powerful than a traffic ticket.
Next it was quietly made known that Isaac Kingston was released from prison because of COVID-19 concerns. Isaac Kingston was imprisoned along with his brother Jacob for their multimillion-dollar tax fraud scheme using fake bio-fuel sales to receive tax credits and refunds to line their pockets as well as others involved in the scheme. We will never cease to be surprised with the way our legal and police departments handle polygamists with kid gloves and such deference.
Another quiet bit of information that came out of a polygamy group is that some were not practicing social distancing, they believe the disease is a government conspiracy, that it’s a sign of the times and soon God’s wrath will destroy all the people on the earth and the polygamists will then establish their kingdoms and take over the wealth of the world.
If you have a question or would like more information on a news event or topic relating to Mormon polygamy or have a concern, we invite you to send your request to us via email:
doris@shieldandrefuge.org
It is a completely different world for us who were born and raised in Mormon Fundamentalism. We were brainwashed from the cradle to believe that those not in the group were our enemies, not to be trusted. Sometimes we hear people say about the victims of polygamy, “Why don’t they just leave, just walk away?” It isn’t that simple! To help understand the dilemma we faced in our attempts to leave, we have been suggesting reading material which may give the reader a better understanding of the dark world of Mormon polygamy.
This month our featured book is entitled, The Midwife , a biography of Laurine Ekstrom Kingston, written by Victoria D. Burgess. Kingston is a nurse and she became a well-known and sought-after midwife to hundreds of plural wives in various polygamy groups, all of whom deliver their babies at home.
Laurine was born and raised in the Kingston polygamy group. She married the leader’s oldest son as his first wife and he later married her younger sister as a plural wife. From the inside back cover we read:
“But for her unwavering defense of her sister-wife, she was thrown out of the Church … she was prohibited from attending Church but remained faithful in belief and practice.”
Laurine built up her midwifery practice at the same time she built up her reputation and became a “role model” for this subculture that devalues women.
“Laurine is now in her 80’s, she advocates religious tolerance and political pluralism as well as home birth.”
Her biography includes a lot of interesting information about her plural marriage, the poverty forced upon polygamous families as well as anecdotes from some of her midwifery experiences. Quote from page 184:
“Eighty percent of the babies Laurine has assisted in their birth into the world came from large polygamous families, so she saw the range of expressed and suppressed feelings about adding one more soul to a family. It might be funny if it were not tragic to see women give birth who were emotionally or physically unprepared at that moment in their lives but tried to convince everyone around them that everything was fine.”
This is an interesting informative book filled with mind-boggling experiences of a modern mid-wife. Laurine delivered many of my own mother’s babies, and several of my sisters’ babies as well. This book can be purchased from amazon.com.
MORMON POLYGAMY HISTORY
Excerpted and condensed from The Atlantic Monthly, 1864 -
“The first Mormon household I ever visited belonged to a son of the famous Heber Kimball, Brigham. A fine-looking, motherly woman, with a face full of character, gray-haired, and about sixty years old, rose promptly to grant my request. I had ample time to make the acquaintance of two pretty young girls, hardly over twenty, holding two infants, of ages not more than three months apart, and both of the young girls addressed her as "mother," she added, "Those young ladies are the wives of my son, who is now gone on a mission to Liverpool, young Mr. Kimball, the son of Heber Kimball; and I am Heber Kimball's wife."
“One knowing beforehand that Utah was not distinguished for monogamy, I stared, I believe I blushed a little, I tried to stutter a reply; "How can these young women sit looking at each other's babies without flying into each other's faces with their fingernails, and tearing out each other's hair?"
Mrs. Heber Kimball was a woman of remarkable presence, she witnessed her husband's affections being subdivided and parceled out until she owned but a one-thirtieth share. She was one of the strangest psychological problems I ever met. One day in the Opera-House at Salt Lake, when the carpenters were laying the floor for the Fourth-of-July-Eve Ball, Heber and I got talking of the “pot-pourri” of nationalities assembled in Utah. Heber waxed unctuously benevolent and expressed his affection for each succeeding race as fast as mentioned.
"I love the Danes dearly! I've got a Danish wife." A moment after --"The Irish are a dear people. My Irish wife is among the best I've got."
Again, "I love the Germans! Got a Dutch wife, too! Brother Heber continued to trot out the members of his marital stud for discussion of their points, but when I happened to touch upon the earliest Mrs. Heber, whom I naturally thought he would by this time regard as a
forgotten fossil of his connubial life, his whole manner changed to a proper husbandly dignity, he replied, gravely. "Yes! that is my first wife, and the best woman God ever made!"
Though Mormondom is disloyal to the core, it still patronizes the Fourth of July, at least in festivity, omitting the patriotism, but keeping the fireworks substituting "Utah" for "Union" in speeches.
All within half a day's ride of the city come flocking into it to spend the Fourth. A well-to-do Mormon at the head of his wives and children, march through the streets in solid column, looks to the uninitiated like the principal of a female seminary, taking out his charge for an airing.”
~ The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 13, No. 78, April 1864
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“Please keep telling the world through about Jesus Christ. I love your program and have watched for many years. I pray for your strength and health and the Holy Spirit giving the help needed for women and children to escape polygamy. Over the last 40 years I have been researching LDS after meeting some missionaries in Northern California. I couldn't understand how they seemed to have so much in common with Conservative Christians, were clean shaven and polite, respectful etc. yet believed in unbiblical ungodly tenets. I set out to find out why, which led me to hundreds of books and articles, some of which you mention. After a very long time, I found my answer: mind control, isolation, keeping the people so busy day and night that they haven't time to research. Later still I learned these people were raised without the ability to use critical thinking skills. They were not discerning but very trusting of their leaders. I continued to read about the history of LDS and visited several LDS historic places throughout the US while traveling for my business. I have been praying all this time that the church will implode figuratively and Moroni on the roof will be replaced with a cross. You are doing a service and never know who is listening to you.
It's God's battle, right? We are just doing the leg work. We love him so much. I wish I was there to help you. God bless you.” LL
- Several of us who minister specifically to Mormons and Mormon Fundamentalists are currently seeking God’s mind as we plan a conference for this fall. The conference will focus on how Christians can best reach out to polygamy groups and individual group members for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for wisdom, creativity, a good attendance, and an informative, productive conference that will bring fruit of salvation and glory to Jesus.
- A family from a polygamy group is in need of a used car to transport children back and forth to school and other light errands. If anyone has a car they can donate, please contact A Shield and Refuge at: 801-649-3103, or: contact @shieldandrefuge.org
WE ARE available to speak to your group, association, church or organization about the Mormon Fundamentalists of today.
Just call Doris: 801-649-3103, or Email: doris@aboutpolygamy.com
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