[18][7], The Cooperative had its birth during the Great Depression when many families struggled immensely to provide for their families. Winnipeg's Bear Clan still active during pandemic, despite 'small COVID [37], The Kingston family and other members of the LDCC have faced two lawsuits, one in 2006[38] and another in 2022[39] accusing members and the organization as a whole of sexual abuses, including pedophilia and underaged marriages, within their membership. [The Lord] had to institute another New and Everlasting Covenant which he gave to another 25 year old boy on the highest mountain east of Bountiful on the first day of the year, 1935. . Wyler's ex-wife's sister has had two babies afflicted with fumarase deficiency. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. . "The rate at which Kingstons marry each other is 'frightening,' she says. The corporation produces goods and services that are used by members, and sold or traded to other cooperatives and to the public. They have no movement. "Another problem in polygamy is a mans breeding years are expanded sometimes into his 80s by the taking of new wives. The early Mormon Church practiced polygamy until 1890, when leaders abandoned the practice as a condition for Utah to gain statehood. One of their daughters married another of the community's founding patriarchs and religious leaders, John Yeates Barlow. "15 years ago, a strange-looking child suffering from severe physical maladies and acute retardation was brought into the office of [pedatric neurologist] Dr. Theodore Tarby. Tarby recounts a conversation he had with a member of the Barlow clan in which he tried to explain why so much fumarase deficiency was occurring among Mormon polygamists. "The widespread presence of the fumarase deficiency gene in the bloodlines of the founding families of Colorado City is going to make reaching any such goal extremely difficult. requote from Steve's excellent post ! 'It's a bomb that's going to explode.'. . Childbirth would be fraught with despair and guilt for me and for many family members. "Although it is a felony under Utah law for close relatives to have sex, only one Kingston--John and LaDonna's fifth son, David Ortell--has been criminally charged with incest. . "Farm Roots of Incest: Marriages in the Kingston clan must be sanctioned by [the] current head of the church . Members of the Kingston polygamous family facing fraud charges strike Despite its on-going public relations effort to convince Americans that Mormons don't really support polygamy (and despite the belief of many devout Mormons that polygamy came from God as revealed church doctrine which will eventually be reinstated when Jesus returns to the Earth), a quarter of Americans surveyed also have expressed the opinion that most Mormons embrace the idea of plural marriage: "A . The Kingston Clan, also known as The Order is a Mormon based group that is far more like an organized crime family and cult than religious organization. . "'One lady I know, she just cannot physically pick [her son] up anymore to get him into the bathtub,' Wyler says. . Thanks for signing up! "Mormon Prophet Hebrew J. Duringa 2020 trialfor a California businessman accused of carrying out a nearly $500 million biodiesel fraud scheme with a member of the Kingston Group, attorneys for the businessman called the Kingstons an incestuous polygamous group that is always scheming to defraud the US government in what the group calls bleeding the beast., A spokesman for the group, Kent Johnson, called those allegations categorically false.. In the l950s, research doctors thought we were one of the few families in the world with this form of nephritis, known as Alports syndrome. "The fact that fumarase deficiency had shown up in one child was startling enough--there had only been a handful of cases reported worldwide. "Tarby says members of the community made it clear that neither choice was acceptable. Derman was found guilty of masterminding the scheme in March 2020. They do develop to some degree, but it's way behind their peers.'. They are lucky if they can even move their head and eyes a little bit.'. [N]ew disease classifications belong at the door of the Mormon Church leadership. . 75.119.192.80 "The few dissenters in the community say the serious genetic problems that are beginning to surface are an indication that the closed FLDS society could eventually collapse. (Patricia was one of Kingston's 14 wives, and the clip does not reveal whether she is still alive.) ", ("Doctor: Birth defects increase in polygamy community," Associated Press, 9 February 2006, at: http://www.azcentral.com/health/news/articles/0209PolygamyBirthDefect09-) [47][48] The remainder of the transactions (over 94%) were to entities associated with Lev Derman, who prosecutors allege was the mastermind of the scheme. Since polygamy remained a hidden and illegal practice, disguised family records occurred. joined the Mormons in Zion, the new Promised Land, trading a life of mining for religious hope. . People are always trying to find people who are inferior and brand them as such.' "During this early period, polygamy was practiced secretly by the Mormon leadership, men who covertly preached and expanded polygamy while publicly deceiving the general Mormon population about the practice. Brigham Young waited until 1868, twenty-one years after arriving in Utah, to actively promote it, and John Taylor ceased emphasizing it shortly after becoming President of the Church. [6] Brooke Adams, Salt Lake Tribune, May 22, 2004. "Buried quietly on family farms, without notice of birth or death, child death often remains undocumented in polygamy clans. As a symbol of their renunciation of worldly goods, the outer clothing contained no pockets in which possessions could be carried, although later an inside pocket was provided for the sanitary measure of carrying a handkerchief. My aunt and uncle outlived two of their five children and two more may have nephritis. "Tarby believes the recessive gene was introduced by one of the community's polygamist founders. If the FLDS faithful believed that Jeffs was relying on science to determine marriages rather than divine revelation from God, he could lose control of the church. It is these discredited ideas that foster this genetic legacy. As found in: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Factional breakdown: Mormon fundamentalist sects, "Unlikely whistleblower helps uncover alleged half-billion tax scam by secretive polygamist sect members", "Inside 'The Order,' One Mormon Cult's Secret Empire", The Primer, Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism", "John Ortell Kingston (Elden's Brother) Leads 1948-87", "Patterns of Polygamy Davis County's Kingston clan - County's polygamy roots run deep", "Kingston pleads guilty to incest charge", "Incest could be behind probe of Kingston family", "2021 Utah Code:: Title 76 - Utah Criminal Code:: Chapter 7 - Offenses Against the Family:: Part 1 - Marital Violations:: Section 102 - Incest -- Definitions -- Penalty", "New allegations of abuse in the polygamous Kingston family", "Utah polygamist sect accused of indoctrination, rape and child marriage", "As trial nears end, critics of polygamous towns wonder whether verdict will matter", "Polygamists are urged to make public statement", "Shurtleff: Child bride polygamous marriages appear to have stopped", "No longer performing child-bride marriages? I think most people are made aware of the problems caused by inbreeding (a nicer word than incest) when they are still young teenagers. They ought to be ashamed of such conduct, and the still fouler channel which flows from their practices; and it is not to be wondered at that they should envy those who so much better understand the social relations. Escaping Polygamy - Wikipedia From the article, "Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints Genealogy and Polygamy Problems": "The gene pool is . Their brains, he says, 'are strangely shaped' and are frequently missing large areas of brain matter that has been replaced by water. "Experts say the number of children afflicted in the FLDS community is expected to steadily increase as a result of decades of inbreeding between two of the polygamous sect's founding families--the Barlows and the Jessops. 'A lady comes in and helps her. . Feds move to seize homes and businesses from polygamous Kingston Group However, Grant claims she endured years of sexual abuse by a half-brother as a child. Interview with the owner of Desert Tech: The son of Paul's sister Rachel herself a daughter of Ortell and LaDonna Kingston [Nick] Young was the only current member of the Kingston clan, out of the many contacted for this story, who consented to a live, on-the-record interview. All went bareheaded and barefoot. They are quick to point out to reporters that they no longer practice polygamy and excommunicate members who continue to do so. As a symbol of their renunciation of worldly goods, the outer clothing contained no pockets in which possessions could be carried, although later an inside pocket was provided for the sanitary measure of carrying a handkerchief. Polygamy today is comprised of early Mormon polygamy descendants and these families are now interrelated by a factor impossible in monogamy. She says her parents, Merlin Barnum Kingston (John Ortell's brother) and Joyce Fransden, were uncle and niece. Let's now examine how this supposedly "divinely-inspired" Mormon program of heavenly eugenics has actually worked in practice. He estimates the test would . Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a302ff8194befb0 So many young people.'. Children are allowed to attend public school and many go on to college. . . Meanwhile, as Mormons wait patiently and faithfully for multi-wifery's official return, the words of their founding Church fathers sound praise to polygamy past, present and future: --The Mormon God's Declaration of Righteous Genetic Combinations: Monogamy is a Christian Blight on Humanity, While Polygamy is the Lord's Way to Produce Fresh, Virile Men; Good-Lookin' Women; and Super Strong Stock to Carry Civilization Into Eternity. The suit includes ten former members alleging the organization used marriages to "unlawfully make girls and their children religious martyrs and traffic them for sexual and labor purposes". . [31][32][33] During this time, some non-members and ex-members began claiming the practice stemmed from theories of genetic purification held by past leaders. Or was it true no one knew the answers, because they could not be known, because no one wanted to know? 13:1). "In this isolated religious society north of the Grand Canyon, few secrets have been more closely guarded than the presence of fumarase deficiency. . Photocopy in authors possession. In response to questions from the newspaper, Kent Johnson, a spokesman for the Davis County Cooperative. "Other possible genetic traits include: microcephaly, a malformation of the skull in which the infant has a small head (ex-members say two children with microcephaly have died and eight others are institutionalized); blindness; spina bifida; Down syndrome; kidney disease and abnormal leg and arm joints. . Splinter Group: Latter Day Church of Christ (Davis County - MRM . . "'Warren has to be really careful that he doesn't lose his position as a god to these people,' Wyler says. They can't sit up. Certainly if MORmON Jesus had done this, we would hear all about it from the LDS as *proof* that God was doing his modern work via MORmONISM, but alas there is no such manifestation ! This practice has been attributed to "endogamous preference and the small size of the groups population" according to recent research from the University of California. [23][36] These relationships are defined as incestuous according to Utah's Criminal Code 76-7-102 (2021), which states: "Related person" means a person related to the provider or actor as an ancestor, descendant, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or first cousin, and includes: (i) blood relationships of the whole or half blood without regard to legitimacy; (ii) the relationship of parent and child by adoption; and (iii) the relationship of stepparent and stepchild while the marriage creating the relationship of a stepparent and stepchild exists. "Finally exposed in the news, the facts of life inside [the Mormon offshoot Kingston clan's] religious/cult compound are stunning Mormons, Utahans, the nation, and the world. ', "The ultimate goal of the breeding program, Wyler says, is to create the perfect race. Men make all decisions affecting her health. Even the few highly educated people there . . By 1935, his followers began to move to Bountiful, Utah, intending to live under a United Order communal program as defined by Joseph Smith in the Doctrine and Covenants. Elden passed away from cancer in 1948 and was succeeded by his brother John Ortell Kingston (commonly known as Ortell). They offer no support, no exit route and no programs for the people trapped inside polygamy endeavoring to escape these closed polygamous communities or compounds. ", -Apostle George A Smith, "Journal of Discourses," vol. Brother Elden had received a new dispensation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Victims suffer a range of symptoms, including severe epileptic seizures, inability to walk or even sit upright, severe speech impediments, failure to grow at a normal rate, and tragic physical deformities. . In recent years, former members have lobbied for law enforcement to take action against the sect. '90% of the community is related to one side or the other,' said Bistline, a former member of the sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. . Garrad's Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. Kingston Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 17:32. on the history of the fundamentalist community. The two Kingston brothers and their business partner, Lev Dermen, are in jail awaiting trial, scheduled to start in July and last six weeks. "'We don't have a dad,' the little boy said. 1,000 GOAL. Many members of the fundamentalist community don't even know it's occurring. Source: Twitter Jessica with her husband and three daughters. The word dispensation refers to two processes. . The lone man suing said three Order men raped him when he was 16 or 17 and that when he left the group and announced he was gay, was tracked down and severely beaten by a group of boys acting at the direction of the Order, the lawsuit alleges. soon . 'They have to outbreed,' Aleck says. In the revelation, the Lord commands him to take virgins 'an hundredfold in this world' for the purpose to 'multiply and replenish the Earth' so 'they may bear the souls of men.' : About half of the 8,000 people living in the towns are blood relatives of two of the founding families that settled in the 1930s on the desolate high desert plateau against the base of the Vermillion Cliffs. "[52][46][53] In a recent lawsuit, ex-members allege that the WRE case was an example of the concept of "bleeding the beast." [T]he one-wife system not only degenerates the human family, both physically and intellectually, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; it is a lure to temptation, and has always proved a curse to a people. A member of a polygamist clan today was convicted of incest with his 16-year-old niece, who testified that she had been forced to become his 15th wife. 'They are functioning way below their chronological age.'. . "Did this practice affect my family and other Mormon pioneer families adversely, possibly even in other momentous ways? He was kicking people out, too, who weren't obedient. Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream church, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. . FOX 13 Investigates: Non-profit run by polygamous Kingston group - KSTU "Fast-forward . "Now 16, Rugg's sister was married to and subsequently left one of her half-brother's sons. 'And their claim is they marry closely to preserve the royal bloodline, so to speak.'. The Kingston Clan is a polygamous group with an estimated 10,500 members. . . Several people also wonder if parts of 'Escaping Polygamy' is dramatized. "Like his father-in-law, John Y. Barlow became one of the towering patriarchs of the fundamentalist Mormon community and served as FLDS prophet from 1935 until his death in 1949. . "The discoveries and research within my own kindred so alarmed me that I studied other descendants of polygamy to see if their families also suffered from crippling illnesses. . . . They are coming out of polygamous communities proliferating in Utah because Mormons are unable to face their history or follow sound marriage and childbirth practices. Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism, 2023 Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism, Joseph Smith Restores the Practice of Plural Marriage, Plural Marriage Commanded, Permitted, and Not Permitted, 1920sPolygamists Coalesce into an Organization, Lorin C. Woolley and His Council of Seven Friends, Independent Polygamists and Fundamentalists. . ", (Bruce, R. McConkie,'Mormon Doctrine,' 2nd ed., under "Plural Marriage" (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, Inc., 1966], p. 578) And it takes two of them to get him into the bathtub just to wash him down and clean him up.' lost the priesthood which had come down to them from the Prophet Joseph Smith. . . He faces up to 30 years in. Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged. So when you see all of these diseases occurring in the children, it's possible some are the result of inbreeding.'. They have been known for systemic inbreeding, child sex abuse, physical abuse, child labor, and tax evasion. "The baby, delivered at Johnson's home in 1983, was taken to Primary Children's Medical Center. . One child born with an incomplete liver died. . Men and boys wore blue coverall-type suits tied with strings; women and girls wore plain blue denim dresses. We've received your submission. "[We] 'hierarchy children are from the 'elite' first families of Mormonism and these families started polygamy in America. Mormons can now see why American citizens passed laws intended to stop polygamy, a relic of unwise prophecy, laws continuously disregarded in Utah, a state controlled by the Mormon Church, if they will only look. . Consequently, genetic diseases and mutations have inevitably sprouted in many polygamous groups having this belief. The Kingstons claim that Elden received a new dispensation is problematic in another way. "Roughly one in four Americans say 'most Mormons' support the practice of polygamy . The Kingston Group is not affiliated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) based on the Utah-Arizona line that is run by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, who. Consanguinity is a reason why families bear children of only one sex--all sons or all daughters. . _____, --How "God's Genes" Do Ugly Things: The Biological Attack on "Modern"-day Followers of Mormonism's Originally-"Revealed" Doctrine of Polygamy. "With no other options available, more FLDS families will be faced with the difficult burden of caring for children suffering with fumarase deficiency. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman empire. "For Colorado City and Hildale to avoid more fumarase, polygamist leaders must use their authority to make sure that those potentially carrying the fumarase gene are not allowed to marry, says geneticist Aleck. [54], The Utah holdings of Davis County Cooperative members were once estimated at more than $200 million,[9] and were believed to include the following:[55], For the church formally established by Joseph Smith in 1830, see. "Frequent and powerful seizures are among the most disturbing characteristics of the disease. 'Children should not be victims of such programs.'. Asserting that 'the attitude between Mormons and Mormon fundamentalist polygamists is that of kissing cousins with more similarities than differences.' . He interpreted his dream to mean that God approved of his leaving the Church. Men rise in prominence by being obedient and pure of blood and by having large families that can produce a lot of money and workers for the group, the suit continues. In addition, placing the law of consecration at the pinnacle of divine laws is inconsistent with scripture and restoration history. The group also teaches its members that only those with so-called pure blood will survive the apocalypse, according to the lawsuit. Girls in polygamous Kingston Group continue to marry as young as 15 The Latter Day Church of Christ,[1] is considered a Mormon fundamentalist denomination by some in the Latter Day Saint movement. David Kingston is alleged to have married his 16-year-old niece Mary Ann Nelson, who attempted to run away but was apprehended and beaten by her father, John Daniel Kingston. . Over the past decades, the Kingston Group has maintained extreme secrecy while developing an extensive cooperative system, with wealth in at least 50 corporations in Utah and scattered across the West. A small portion of the funds (less than 6%) were also used to purchase legitimate goods and services from businesses who provided them in "good faith". Elden received the covenant of consecration and also the plan of temporal salvation.[2]. "Our ancestral destiny meant we might give birth to sons who would die at maturity or daughters who would carry the trait to the next generation of sons. Eldens solo experience of receiving the priesthood keys and authority is truly singular and contrasts the pattern previously given by the Lord for important priesthood conferrals that require more than one witness. . "Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org", http://www.lds-mormon.com/quinn_polygamy.shtml, http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm. 'In the meantime, the taxpayers have to pay the bills. Moore-Emmett suggests that the heavily Mormon Utah government is unduly tolerant of polygamy and reluctant to acknowledge the abuses of many polygamous families. Women and girls, after theyre married, submit to their husbands and men answer to higher-ranked men, the suit alleges. . 'And I've seen others that are totally laid out. [45] Members allege to have been targeted for audit at a rate over 9x the published IRS average for the general population, with no pattern of fraud being found outside of a couple of bad-actors. "Wyler said it's all part of the community's religious system. One nurse confided, 'We see too many trisome l3 and l8 babies.' Assets are generally estimated to be in the range of $200 million, although one Colorado competitor gave an even more stratospheric guess, pegging the clan's wealth at $11 billion. . . Consanguinity also causes rare recessive disorders to mask as dominant. . "'They are discouraging any new blood," historian Bistline says. [43] Responding to child marriage allegations in September 2022, the organization told The Guardian that "current policy prohibits plural marriage for members under 18" and "once an individual has made a decision on who to marry, members are encouraged to seek the blessing of their parents, family and/or church leaders, but to say that one individual chooses or heavily influences who will marry who is entirely inaccurate". Half and full siblings are marrying in religious ceremonies. The group sought to maintain Pure Kingston Blood by arranging marriages between cousins and other close relatives, and shunning relationships that werent between white people, the lawsuit alleges. D. Michael Quinn, former Brigham Young University professor, states, 'The Mormon practice of polygamy enabled men to marry daughters, nieces, cousins, granddaughters and former wives of other General Authorities.'. "State investigators found no wrongdoing among members of the Davis County Cooperative Society, also known as the Kingston Group. _____, --Inbreeding for the Lord: the Mutative Aftermath of LDS-"Inspired" Polygamy Among Mormonism's Doctrinal Adherents. "Some fumarase deficiency children, he says, develop a small degree of motor skills over time: 'They don't remain infantile their entire life. "Community historian Ben Bistline said most of the community's 8,000 residents are in two major families descended from a handful of founders who settled there in the 1930s. "An unknown number--but believed to be in the thousands--of Barlow/Jessop descendants carry the recessive gene that causes fumarase deficiency. Supposedly, these sacrifices are part of the united order. Two weeks after is excommunication, Kingston had a dream wherein he believed he was visited by Jesus Christ and God the Father. 'I don't know how many who die within the first two or three years that we don't even ever know about. He did not consider this lack of sons might be his genetic inheritance, not his multiple wives. . This nurse has a polygamous background, so does her husband. The children live in the twin polygamist communities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. . From the article, "Mormon Polygamy: Frequently Asked Questions": "[Mormon] Church founder, Joseph Smith, said he received a revelation from God, which is still canonized Mormon scripture as Doctrine and Covenants Section 132. . ", ("Understanding Polygamy," from "Humanists of Utah, an Incorporated Utah Non-profit Corporation Has a Mission to Promote Joyful Living, Rational Think)ing, and Responsible Behavior," July 2005, at: http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2005/UnderstandingPolygamy_July-05.html) "Some genes linked to conditions like microcephaly and dwarfism are 'autosomal recessive,' and are found among the 22-linked pairs of chromosomes that do not include the X and Y sex chromosomes, says Lynn Jorde of the University of Utah's Eccles Human Genetics Institute, a leading genetics research center. Most populations outbreed and so these lethal genes rarely match to cause any serious diseases. The notoriety will just make them zoo specimens. 'Most of what you print is lies, lies, lies.' . For Mormon patriarchs lusting in their hearts for the Polygamy Reunion Tour, hope springs eternal. . ". SALT LAKE CITY A local non-profit with ties to the polygamous Kingston group is facing multiple questions and accusations regarding its taxes. "Nearly everyone in Colorado City, Arizona, and the adjacent town of Hildale, Utah, was a member of a fundamentalist Mormon sect that practices polygamy and had long encouraged multiple marriages between close relatives. "Sterility is another consequence of consanguinity and the evidence of many sterile polygamous wives is overwhelming. Upon Ortells death in 1987, leadership passed to his son Paul Elden Kingston. But rather than amassing a fortune for the sake of accumulating wealth or to simply sustain a few selected leaders, donations flow into the Church coffers and out again to provide financial support for the accomplishment of the Churchs responsibilities regarding missionary work, temple work, and providing for physical welfare needs. . 'Warren Jeffs is also trying to breed a perfect race.'.