Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2003, Page 106
organization Tapestry Against Polygamy believes, however, that the planned Colorado City,
AZ, facility is located where residents will not be able to access it anonymously.
Tapestry lawyer Douglas White says, moreover, that polygamist law enforcement officers in
both Arizona City and the adjacent town of Hilldale, UT, should be fired. ―People don‘t think
of them as law enforcement. They think of them as bodyguards for the prophet‖ [of the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.] (AP in Casper Star
Tribune, Internet, 9/15/03)
Women Say Polygamy Can Be Good
Polygamous Utah women recently gave the attorneys-general of Arizona and Utah a tour of
Centennial Park, AZ, schools and a Power Point presentation to suggest that group
marriages can be good for both the wives and the children and do not necessarily involve
child brides and child abuse. The tour was in response to a recent meeting of law
enforcement authorities from both states that discussed how to prevent child abuse and
welfare fraud among certain polygamous communities.
Polygamy proponent Mary Batchelor said Centennial Park residents need a ―social safety
net,‖ or somewhere they can go for services without additional scrutiny, which they suffer
now because they practice polygamy. She said the government ought to prosecute abuse
rather than question plural marriage. Batchelor says Centennial Park residents want
polygamy decriminalized. (AP in Casper Star Tribune, Internet, 9/27/03)
Polygamous Policeman Loses Certification
The Peace Officer Standards and Training Council of Utah has revoked the certification of
former Hildale, UT policeman Rodney Holm, recently convicted of bigamy and unlawful sex
with a minor. Promising to revoke the certification of other polygamous officers, the Council
said police, especially in Hildale and the neighboring town of Colorado City, AZ, were
hampering investigations into underage marriages. Most of the two towns‘ residents are
members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (AP in
Rocky Mountain News, Internet, 10/18/03)
Prophet Hut
Sect Members Removed
Police in November took into custody 300 members of the Prophet Hut, a Pentecostal
Christian sect, who were crammed into a house in West Java waiting for the end of the
world. Authorities also detained Hut followers in Bandung, East Nusa, and Papua.
Police have held Hut leader Rev. Magapin Sibuea since late October on the charge that he
might disrupt the Christian community (Reuters, Internet, 11/10/03 Jakarta Post,
11/12/03)
Some 164 of those taken into custody are undergoing ―psychological therapy‖ at a Bandung
mental health institute. A Christian social worker said: ―Some of them are suffering from
deep depression because their belief that doomsday would occur on November 10 was
disproved.‖ (Antara Indonesian News Agency, Internet, 11/17/03)
Rebirthing Therapy
Supporters Upset
Supporters of Rebirthing, which has been implicated in several deaths in the U.S., are
upset about a North Carolina law banning the controversial therapy that was set to take
effect on Dec. 1. Rebirthing therapist Raymond Knight says the techniques used in a
Colorado case that led to the death of a Rebirthing patient there were not ―legitimate.‖ ―We
organization Tapestry Against Polygamy believes, however, that the planned Colorado City,
AZ, facility is located where residents will not be able to access it anonymously.
Tapestry lawyer Douglas White says, moreover, that polygamist law enforcement officers in
both Arizona City and the adjacent town of Hilldale, UT, should be fired. ―People don‘t think
of them as law enforcement. They think of them as bodyguards for the prophet‖ [of the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.] (AP in Casper Star
Tribune, Internet, 9/15/03)
Women Say Polygamy Can Be Good
Polygamous Utah women recently gave the attorneys-general of Arizona and Utah a tour of
Centennial Park, AZ, schools and a Power Point presentation to suggest that group
marriages can be good for both the wives and the children and do not necessarily involve
child brides and child abuse. The tour was in response to a recent meeting of law
enforcement authorities from both states that discussed how to prevent child abuse and
welfare fraud among certain polygamous communities.
Polygamy proponent Mary Batchelor said Centennial Park residents need a ―social safety
net,‖ or somewhere they can go for services without additional scrutiny, which they suffer
now because they practice polygamy. She said the government ought to prosecute abuse
rather than question plural marriage. Batchelor says Centennial Park residents want
polygamy decriminalized. (AP in Casper Star Tribune, Internet, 9/27/03)
Polygamous Policeman Loses Certification
The Peace Officer Standards and Training Council of Utah has revoked the certification of
former Hildale, UT policeman Rodney Holm, recently convicted of bigamy and unlawful sex
with a minor. Promising to revoke the certification of other polygamous officers, the Council
said police, especially in Hildale and the neighboring town of Colorado City, AZ, were
hampering investigations into underage marriages. Most of the two towns‘ residents are
members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (AP in
Rocky Mountain News, Internet, 10/18/03)
Prophet Hut
Sect Members Removed
Police in November took into custody 300 members of the Prophet Hut, a Pentecostal
Christian sect, who were crammed into a house in West Java waiting for the end of the
world. Authorities also detained Hut followers in Bandung, East Nusa, and Papua.
Police have held Hut leader Rev. Magapin Sibuea since late October on the charge that he
might disrupt the Christian community (Reuters, Internet, 11/10/03 Jakarta Post,
11/12/03)
Some 164 of those taken into custody are undergoing ―psychological therapy‖ at a Bandung
mental health institute. A Christian social worker said: ―Some of them are suffering from
deep depression because their belief that doomsday would occur on November 10 was
disproved.‖ (Antara Indonesian News Agency, Internet, 11/17/03)
Rebirthing Therapy
Supporters Upset
Supporters of Rebirthing, which has been implicated in several deaths in the U.S., are
upset about a North Carolina law banning the controversial therapy that was set to take
effect on Dec. 1. Rebirthing therapist Raymond Knight says the techniques used in a
Colorado case that led to the death of a Rebirthing patient there were not ―legitimate.‖ ―We
