My Polygamy Weekend

[The Fourth Nephite]

Saturday I took my kids to the new park in Saratoga Springs:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/3196...rom-my-listing

It's pretty cool. My kids loved it. Then we went and checked out Eagle Mountain, which is pretty weird. A fairly large town in the middle of nowhere and as far as I could tell, no sort of businesses, not even a gas station or convenience store. I'm told it was started by polygamists, or at least polygamists lived in the area before it became a large town.

Then we headed north towards Bluffdale. I turned into Jordan Narrows park to check it out. Nothing too interesting. Then we headed down a little road from the park and after a bit we came to a large structure that looked like a cross between a church and a school. But there were no signs or markings. Just a big building next to some softball fields and a playground.

I pulled out my IPAD and it turns out it's a United Apostalic Bretheren complex. Apparently they're a large polygamous group whose members blend into society instead of wearing that Little House on the Prarie clothing. They also believe the LDS Church is legitimate, although perhaps a little misguided.

Then today I was talking to my Physical Therapist in Mt. Pleasant. He told me that a lot of polygamists are moving in on the east end of town and he's been treating some of them. I've been out in that part of town and I never noticed anything unusual. But then I really wasn't paying attention. I was more interested in finding trails that went into the mountains.

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/2136...ted-brethren-3

Turns out it's the same group. According to my PT, a lot of the families moved in and started attending the LDS wards. He says that they like for their boys to attend and then get the priesthood so they then have the priesthood in their homes. He said they seem to like the LDS Church and some of the boys even go on LDS missions and then they get home and go for the polygamist lifestyle. Apparently this is all covert. The mothers attend with the children and the fathers stay home.

My understanding is this group doesn't do the underage marriages. I think they're the same group as the family on the TV Show Sister Wives. He also says they're all on Medicaid. On a side note, his office only gets paid $14 dollars for every Medicaid patient they see. They lose money every time they treat one.

Anyways, he says that some of these families attended the local wards for a few weeks until some people figured out they were polygamists and let the Bishop know and then the Bishop "put a stop to it" which I think means he told them they weren't welcome to attend.

I know you get excommunicated if you practice polygamy but I didn't know what would happen in this situation. I guess I never thought about it. I never knew that some polygamists wanted to attend LDS services.

I understand why the Bishop did what he did. It would be a public relations nightmare if the media found out some polygamists were attending church at an LDS ward. Anyhow, I found it all kind of interesting.

[ERCougar]

Occasionally, I'll work a 3-4 day stint covering the hospital of a tiny town/s***hole in western Nevada that Piney knows well. I think it was My fourth or fifth time there before I learned that about half of the hospital staff were polygamists, as was the 'ND' () in town (whose name I had actually heard of as one of the big polygamists, but hadn't ever connected the dots). Anyway, none of the wavy hair or funny dresses--very normal people, with the exception of having made a very poor life choice to live in that town.

According to Wikipedia, they were ok with the LDS church until 1978. The lifting of the priesthood ban was apparently the proverbial straw. On a brighter note, they don't do the underage marriage thing either.

It baffles me how these groups get women to join or remain in their ranks. Before finding this all out, I had talked a few times with one of the clerks--5'10ish, really pretty, friendly and smart, the type of girl who would have other options. She had gone to college in Reno and then came back to this town 'for her husband'. At the time, I didn't know about any of the polygamists, but later found out that she was one of them. Still baffles me.

[ERCougar]

Saturday I took my kids to the new park in Saratoga Springs:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/3196...rom-my-listing

It's pretty cool. My kids loved it. Then we went and checked out Eagle Mountain, which is pretty weird. A fairly large town in the middle of nowhere and as far as I could tell, no sort of businesses, not even a gas station or convenience store. I'm told it was started by polygamists, or at least polygamists lived in the area before it became a large town.

Then we headed north towards Bluffdale. I turned into Jordan Narrows park to check it out. Nothing too interesting. Then we headed down a little road from the park and after a bit we came to a large structure that looked like a cross between a church and a school. But there were no signs or markings. Just a big building next to some softball fields and a playground.

I pulled out my IPAD and it turns out it's a United Apostalic Bretheren complex. Apparently they're a large polygamous group whose members blend into society instead of wearing that Little House on the Prarie clothing. They also believe the LDS Church is legitimate, although perhaps a little misguided.

Then today I was talking to my Physical Therapist in Mt. Pleasant. He told me that a lot of polygamists are moving in on the east end of town and he's been treating some of them. I've been out in that part of town and I never noticed anything unusual. But then I really wasn't paying attention. I was more interested in finding trails that went into the mountains.

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/2136...ted-brethren-3

Turns out it's the same group. According to my PT, a lot of the families moved in and started attending the LDS wards. He says that they like for their boys to attend and then get the priesthood so they then have the priesthood in their homes. He said they seem to like the LDS Church and some of the boys even go on LDS missions and then they get home and go for the polygamist lifestyle. Apparently this is all covert. The mothers attend with the children and the fathers stay home.

My understanding is this group doesn't do the underage marriages. I think they're the same group as the family on the TV Show Sister Wives. He also says they're all on Medicaid. On a side note, his office only gets paid $14 dollars for every Medicaid patient they see. They lose money every time they treat one.

Anyways, he says that some of these families attended the local wards for a few weeks until some people figured out they were polygamists and let the Bishop know and then the Bishop "put a stop to it" which I think means he told them they weren't welcome to attend.

I know you get excommunicated if you practice polygamy but I didn't know what would happen in this situation. I guess I never thought about it. I never knew that some polygamists wanted to attend LDS services.

I understand why the Bishop did what he did. It would be a public relations nightmare if the media found out some polygamists were attending church at an LDS ward. Anyhow, I found it all kind of interesting.

Good thing we have the Strengthening Church Members Committee to protect us!

[Shaka]

I live pretty close to that park. It's quite nifty. SS is a cool town although I'd wish they would build some baseball fields instead of more soccer fields.

The part of Eagle Mountain you refer to is called City Center and it's a ghetto. Hans Olsen refers to it as the West Valley of Utah County. The City Center kids participate in youth sports in Saratoga Springs. If you go to a game it's easy to pick out those who live in City Center by the number of tats and piercings. There are normal folks that live there but sometimes the difference between the City Center folks and the people that live in The Ranches (an Eagle Mountain community next to Saratoga Springs) is staggering.

I know a couple of women who were raised in the polyg portion of Eagle Mountain and attended the UAB church in Bluffdale. Both are smoking hot, have Goatnapper approved aftermarket racks, and have something just slightly off about them. While raised in the UAB neither practices polygamy, both consider themselves LDS, and one is working on going through he temple.

The undercover type polygs are all over Utah. I knew several families in Murray that were very much like Bill's family on Big Love. Everything they did was normal other than the fact that they were polygs.

[Solon]

I was chatting with the local missionaries this weekend in town, and they told me they're getting ready to baptize a man who grew up in Colorado City, who comes from a polygamous family.

Even though this guy has only ever been married to one person, he had to be interviewed by a General Authority in Salt Lake, and receive authorization from the First Presidency to get baptized. Apparently that's a standing requirement for anyone with polygamous roots who wants to join the LDS church.

I asked the missionaries if they had to get some kind of approval from the Strengthening the Members Committee, but they just looked at me confusedly.

[Sullyute]

Anyways, he says that some of these families attended the local wards for a few weeks until some people figured out they were polygamists and let the Bishop know and then the Bishop "put a stop to it" which I think means he told them they weren't welcome to attend.

Good thing we have the Strengthening Church Members Committee to protect us!

That was the first thing that I thought when I read that. Somebody call Elder Holland and let him know the committee is needed!

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Mine:



Well technically, I guess it was last Monday. Dance party with the Sister Wives. Best family home evening ever.

[BigPiney]

Occasionally, I'll work a 3-4 day stint covering the hospital of a tiny town/s***hole in western Nevada that Piney knows well. I think it was My fourth or fifth time there before I learned that about half of the hospital staff were polygamists, as was the 'ND' () in town (whose name I had actually heard of as one of the big polygamists, but hadn't ever connected the dots). Anyway, none of the wavy hair or funny dresses--very normal people, with the exception of having made a very poor life choice to live in that town.

According to Wikipedia, they were ok with the LDS church until 1978. The lifting of the priesthood ban was apparently the proverbial straw. On a brighter note, they don't do the underage marriage thing either.

It baffles me how these groups get women to join or remain in their ranks. Before finding this all out, I had talked a few times with one of the clerks--5'10ish, really pretty, friendly and smart, the type of girl who would have other options. She had gone to college in Reno and then came back to this town 'for her husband'. At the time, I didn't know about any of the polygamists, but later found out that she was one of them. Still baffles me.

Interesting, I had no idea.

[Eddie]

There are a number of these "underground" polygamous groups in Davis County. Many attend LDS church, have their kids attend and graduate from seminary, go on missions, etc.

I was told that many of them have their kids grow up active in the church specifically so that they can have the priesthood and so that their first marriage can be in an LDS temple.

Always thought that was strange. Do they think that LDS priesthood and ordinances "take" if they aren't living an LDS lifestyle? Just makes me curious as to where they are coming from.

[venkman]

There are a number of these "underground" polygamous groups in Davis County. Many attend LDS church, have their kids attend and graduate from seminary, go on missions, etc.

I was told that many of them have their kids grow up active in the church specifically so that they can have the priesthood and so that their first marriage can be in an LDS temple.

Always thought that was strange. Do they think that LDS priesthood and ordinances "take" if they aren't living an LDS lifestyle? Just makes me curious as to where they are coming from.

Sounds like they're a little fuzzy on the whole Priesthood keys thing.

[Goatnapper'96]

AUB does not view the LDS Church as in apostasy. In fact there is a great deal of nomadacy between the two for those raised AUB. If a young man or woman is not interested in participating in polygamy they are encouraged to join the LDS faith. Joe Darger, former UNLV power forward, was raised in the AUB in Riverton and was baptized LDS while at UNLV. His family homestead is the obvious polygamous house just west of the Jordan River along Bangerter HWY that has the baseball field.

The AUB was the force that the original developer of the City Center area of Eagle Mountain leveraged, as in many likely voted who might not have really lived there, to get the votes neccesary to incorporate Eagle Mountain. The description that shaka makes of the two communities within EM, Ranches and City Center, has a great deal of truth. However, I am so upscale I got me a vacation condo in the Willow Springs condo complexes at Eagle Mountain!

[falafel]

Mine:



Well technically, I guess it was last Monday. Dance party with the Sister Wives. Best family home evening ever.

In that picture, I see three dudes and only two chicks. Those ratios seem way off to me for a polygamist mixer. A dude should be able to leave with 2 or 3 women.

[Joe Public]

Sounds like they're a little fuzzy on the whole Priesthood keys thing.

If I remember my Daymon Smith correctly, the concept of priesthood keys/authority was a post-Manifesto way for the LDS church to invalidate the status of folks like John W. Taylor and others who continued to practice polygamy in opposition to the new, official LDS church position on the matter.

In other words, it may be more of a difference in beliefs than a lack of understanding. That being said, why have the boys get the priesthood at the LDS church instead of from the dads at home?

[Shaka]

However, I am so upscale I got me a vacation condo in the Willow Springs condo complexes at Eagle Mountain!

You uppity Ranches people disgust me.

[Katy Lied]

Cause the temples belong to the mormons.