One of my career aspirations when I was a little girl (and also about two to three years ago) was to become a National Geographic photographer. Yeah yeah, animals are cool and what not, but it wasn't pictures of Simba and company by which I was so inspired; it was those social-anthropological shots that really took my breath away. As a single young person with few attachments, there was nothing I could imagine as a cooler job than exactly that--traveling extensively, hanging out with new people, learning about their way of life, creating art out of their everyday and then getting paid for it? Seriously, what a sweet gig.
My love for NG led me to subscribe last year (and get a free embroided NG fleece sweater!) and I have been happily flipping through the pages ever since, admittedly mostly just looking at all the kick-ass pictures. The most recent issue, however, really got me reading.
The article that really caught my eye was a 25 page spread written and photographed by Scott Anderson and Stephanie Sinclair titled "The Polygamists". The article delves into the life and beliefs of Joe Jessep and his approximate 6,000 member clan that live in Hildale, Utah. Jessep is the patriarch of a 5 wives, 46 children, 239 grandchildren family:
Hildale and the surrounding area are known as the birthplace of the Fundamentalist of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a group that broke with the Mormons in the 1920's and 30's to continue practicing plural marriage.
I myself am in no way an expert on the lives of FLDS members; I am only relating what I know from what I have read in NG and elsewhere. I believe there are sites created by members of the faith themselves, if you are interested in hearing more. With that said, the FLDS Church teaches the doctrine of plural marriage. It is generally believed that a man should have at least three wives, all of whom should be subordinate to their husbands. They also practice what is known as placement marriage, where women are assigned husbands by the prophet according to the husband's "worthiness". As a general rule, women do not wear make up or have short hair. They do not wear pants or any skirt above the knee and usually wear hand-made prairie dresses. Men wear plain clothing as well and neither gender are allowed tattoos or piercings. Property is owned by the church and children are home schooled.
Most Americans associate FLDS (and Mormonism in general subsequently), with the April 2008 raid on a compound in West Texas known as the Yearning for Zion Ranch. That raid was spurred by a 16 year-old's phone call to a domestic violence shelter where she claimed she was being abused by her middle-aged husband. The calls were later determined to be a hoax but were taken seriously at the time by the authorities as the "prophet" of the YFZ Ranch, Warren Jeffs, had been convicted in Utah court for officiating at a marriage of a 14 year-old girl to a much older church member in 2007. After much confusion and media attention, Jeffs and eleven other church members, were indicted on charges ranging from bigamy to having sex with a minor.
It is, for many, a lifestyle that is easy to criticize. The FLDS, as NG puts it "is seen (by critics) as an isolated cult whose members, worn down by rigid social control, display a disturbing fealty to one man, the prophet Warren Jeffs--who has claimed to be God's mouthpiece on Earth." Members of the faith, however, describe their lifestyle as idyllic and wholesome--an environment free of junk food, social pressures and excessive television and an environment that emphasizes old-fashioned devotion and community cooperation. Additionally, something I personally took away as positive from the lifestyle was the FLDS' devotion to being a self sustaining group; they grow their own food, harvest it themselves and use volunteer work to complete projects around town.
But just a few things don't quite sit right with me. Okay, a lot of things don't sit right, but I am not here to fully elaborate on my opinion on FLDS, Mormonism or religion in general. Simply put, I just wanted to point out a contradiction within some philosophies here, particularly when it comes to Jeffs and the followers' trust in him.
Jeffs claimed that God guided his every action, no matter how small. And I quote from Jeffs' diary:
"The Lord directed that I go to the sun tanning salon and get sun tanned more evenly on their tanning beds".
Really? Did God really take time to tell Warren Jeffs to get a more even fake tan? I understand that I am not a member of the FLDS and maybe thus I cannot understand, but come on. Tanning? Really?
Overall the article was an insightful portrait of this defiant group of believers. I do not mean to insult all the members of the FLDS, but when it comes to Jeffs it is hard for me to find a way to reason with his actions or his beliefs.
To me in general, it is hard to reason with religion. I find much that I cannot grasp. It has been that way for some time and I expect it will continue to be the way for even longer.
One thing, however, that is quite certain, is that we will be renewing our subscription to National Geographic.
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