Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2005, Page 41
surprisingly, the description of Heaven‘s Gate comes across as less powerful, yet Lalich‘s
perspective on this group goes well beyond the familiar facts. She offers an extensive
analysis of the cult‘s materials (including the farewell videotape) and interviews with former
members.
The theoretical material in Part Three of this book is extremely valuable for its clear, careful
linking of concepts. The root cause of cultic groups, Lalich claims, arises from the leaders'
charisma:
Without the leader, there would be no draw, no call, no promise of an ideal.
And without devotees responding to that call, there would be no group, no set
of coordinated activities, and no followers granting the leader the authority to
rule (p. 226).
Building on earlier primary work by Weber, Lofland, Stark, Kanter, Giddens, Simon, Zablocki
and Lifton, Lalich offers us another set of analytical tools for understanding cult
commitment. Her insights into the internal cognitive processes of the believers and the
dimensions of a self-sealing system go far beyond the usual catalog of the group‘s activities
or defensive explanations of religious freedom. Bounded Choice is compelling and
informative reading, highly recommended for scholars and interested readers of all kinds.
J. Anna Looney, Ph.D.
Dept. of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
E-mail: looney@sociology.rutgers.edu
God’s Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon
and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who
Escaped
Andrea Moore-Emmett
San Francisco: Pince-Nez Press, 2004. ISBN 1930074131 (paperback), 234 pages,
$16.95
Enter the world of polygamy! The world of plural marriages, poverty, spousal rape,
childhood incest, and all forms of physical and emotional abuse! All are alive and well and
thriving in fundamentalist Mormon communities, and in a few fundamentalist Christian
groups, as well, according to Andrea Moore-Emmett. These current practitioners maintain
that polygamy was foretold by scripture and commanded by doctrine. According to the
author of God’s Brothel, the practice of polygamy still appears to be tolerated by
mainstream Mormonism and ignored by the U.S. government. Despite the fact that some of
their practices fly in the face of civil and human rights, these societies appear to have
protection under the First Amendment. God’s Brothel is a journey into the abyss where
perhaps thousands of women and children dwell, victims of a patriarchal system so
oppressive as to rival the abuses of the Taliban.
God’s Brothel is a peek into the lives of eighteen women who lived polygamy and left, often
at great peril to themselves. Of various ages and circumstances, the women have in
common the experience of being among the plural wives of the men of various
fundamentalist Mormon communities. These poignant stories speak of the unspeakable, of a
society in which primitive impulses, normally relegated to fantasy life, are allowed to run
rampant, unchecked by the taboos, laws, and morals of a civilized society.
Andrea Moore-Emmett begins her book with an introductory chapter on the background of
the fundamentalist Mormon sects, a ―complex and convoluted issue‖ that can be understood
only by shedding light on its historical roots. The practice of polygamy comes out of the
vision of Joseph Smith, founding prophet of the Mormon Church, who revealed that
surprisingly, the description of Heaven‘s Gate comes across as less powerful, yet Lalich‘s
perspective on this group goes well beyond the familiar facts. She offers an extensive
analysis of the cult‘s materials (including the farewell videotape) and interviews with former
members.
The theoretical material in Part Three of this book is extremely valuable for its clear, careful
linking of concepts. The root cause of cultic groups, Lalich claims, arises from the leaders'
charisma:
Without the leader, there would be no draw, no call, no promise of an ideal.
And without devotees responding to that call, there would be no group, no set
of coordinated activities, and no followers granting the leader the authority to
rule (p. 226).
Building on earlier primary work by Weber, Lofland, Stark, Kanter, Giddens, Simon, Zablocki
and Lifton, Lalich offers us another set of analytical tools for understanding cult
commitment. Her insights into the internal cognitive processes of the believers and the
dimensions of a self-sealing system go far beyond the usual catalog of the group‘s activities
or defensive explanations of religious freedom. Bounded Choice is compelling and
informative reading, highly recommended for scholars and interested readers of all kinds.
J. Anna Looney, Ph.D.
Dept. of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
E-mail: looney@sociology.rutgers.edu
God’s Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon
and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who
Escaped
Andrea Moore-Emmett
San Francisco: Pince-Nez Press, 2004. ISBN 1930074131 (paperback), 234 pages,
$16.95
Enter the world of polygamy! The world of plural marriages, poverty, spousal rape,
childhood incest, and all forms of physical and emotional abuse! All are alive and well and
thriving in fundamentalist Mormon communities, and in a few fundamentalist Christian
groups, as well, according to Andrea Moore-Emmett. These current practitioners maintain
that polygamy was foretold by scripture and commanded by doctrine. According to the
author of God’s Brothel, the practice of polygamy still appears to be tolerated by
mainstream Mormonism and ignored by the U.S. government. Despite the fact that some of
their practices fly in the face of civil and human rights, these societies appear to have
protection under the First Amendment. God’s Brothel is a journey into the abyss where
perhaps thousands of women and children dwell, victims of a patriarchal system so
oppressive as to rival the abuses of the Taliban.
God’s Brothel is a peek into the lives of eighteen women who lived polygamy and left, often
at great peril to themselves. Of various ages and circumstances, the women have in
common the experience of being among the plural wives of the men of various
fundamentalist Mormon communities. These poignant stories speak of the unspeakable, of a
society in which primitive impulses, normally relegated to fantasy life, are allowed to run
rampant, unchecked by the taboos, laws, and morals of a civilized society.
Andrea Moore-Emmett begins her book with an introductory chapter on the background of
the fundamentalist Mormon sects, a ―complex and convoluted issue‖ that can be understood
only by shedding light on its historical roots. The practice of polygamy comes out of the
vision of Joseph Smith, founding prophet of the Mormon Church, who revealed that
