Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2005, Page 42
polygamy was the only way to achieve eternal salvation, and furthermore, that a man had
to have at least three wives for this to be accomplished. In contrast, the only way a woman
could enter into heaven was to be escorted by her husband. Thus, a woman was dependent
upon the good will of her husband, and obedience was assured. The doctrine of polygamy
became scripture and sacred to the Mormon faithful, eventually resulting in a split among
believers as the practice ran up against the laws of the land.
In 1890, Wilfred Woodruff, the then-president of the Mormon Church, realized that the only
way the Utah Territory would be allowed to join the union of states was to comply with the
laws that prohibited polygamy. He delivered a Manifesto declaring to the U.S. government
that the practice had ceased, thus paving the way for Utah statehood. However, the
Manifesto created an uproar amongst the faithful, with many fearing that Woodruff had
―plunged the church into apostasy.‖ Remaining loyal to the original scripture and their plural
families, resistant Mormons broke off from the mainstream Mormon Church and continued
to practice polygamy. Several families emigrated to Mexico and Canada, where communities
thrive even today. However, most of these fundamentalist groups reside in Utah and the
western United States, living their polygamist lifestyle behind a collusive veil of secrecy.
In Chapter 1, Moore-Emmett identifies the major fundamentalist groups currently in
existence. Many of the groups are interrelated because splits occurred and various
charismatic men formed their own communities. Chapter 1 also includes a summary of the
―current legal maze,‖ providing the reader with an overview of some of the issues, lawsuits,
and players involved in prosecuting cases related to polygamy, and spousal and child abuse.
Each of the following eighteen chapters tells the individual story of as many women‘s
journeys out of polygamy and into freedom, where life is still tough but their own. These are
the women of Tapestry Against Polygamy, a grass-roots endeavor whose function is to
assist women in leaving their lives of oppression and beginning new lives in which they
make their own choices. Because of the doctrine of ―blood atonement killings‖ (death for
one‘s sins), several of these women live in hiding and fear for their lives and the lives of
their children.
The plight Moore-Emmett‘s book describes, of the women and children growing up in this
patriarchal system, defies intelligent reasoning. Required by doctrine to have ―one child per
year‖ (without the benefit of prenatal care), the women exist in a chronic state of
pregnancy, their lives devoted to child rearing and the care of their husbands. However, the
men are not required to support their multiple wives and children. Families survive on
welfare and food stamps, rationalizing that they are ―bleeding the beast‖ (i.e., the U.S.
government, considered the enemy). Food supplies are supplemented by ―dumpster diving‖
in garbage cans, a task accorded to the women. If the women complain about their plight,
they are told that they are ungrateful, that they have been given a wonderful opportunity to
learn to be independent. In addition, poverty is considered a blessing to make them more
perfect and to ―refine their souls.‖ Despite the fact that some polygamous organizations are
quite wealthy (e.g., assets of the Kingston group are estimated at around $200 million), this
paradox seems to have eluded the group. Husbands and fathers come and go at will,
deciding with whom they will sleep on any given night, while the other women lie awake in
emotional agony listening to the sounds of their husbands making love to their ―sister-
wives,‖ sometimes in the same room.
Most of the women who become plural wives have been reared from birth to accept this
practice and to think of it as their means of salvation. Boys, too, are reared to believe that
having multiple wives is their obligation and birthright. In some sects, sons are expected to
give their wives to the patriarch, their own father, if he so desires. Thus, fathers and sons
may be married to the same woman fathers also may marry their own daughters, and
brothers may marry their own sisters. One of the most extreme examples exists in the
Kingston group, a Utah-based sect, in which the practice is based upon the claim that the
polygamy was the only way to achieve eternal salvation, and furthermore, that a man had
to have at least three wives for this to be accomplished. In contrast, the only way a woman
could enter into heaven was to be escorted by her husband. Thus, a woman was dependent
upon the good will of her husband, and obedience was assured. The doctrine of polygamy
became scripture and sacred to the Mormon faithful, eventually resulting in a split among
believers as the practice ran up against the laws of the land.
In 1890, Wilfred Woodruff, the then-president of the Mormon Church, realized that the only
way the Utah Territory would be allowed to join the union of states was to comply with the
laws that prohibited polygamy. He delivered a Manifesto declaring to the U.S. government
that the practice had ceased, thus paving the way for Utah statehood. However, the
Manifesto created an uproar amongst the faithful, with many fearing that Woodruff had
―plunged the church into apostasy.‖ Remaining loyal to the original scripture and their plural
families, resistant Mormons broke off from the mainstream Mormon Church and continued
to practice polygamy. Several families emigrated to Mexico and Canada, where communities
thrive even today. However, most of these fundamentalist groups reside in Utah and the
western United States, living their polygamist lifestyle behind a collusive veil of secrecy.
In Chapter 1, Moore-Emmett identifies the major fundamentalist groups currently in
existence. Many of the groups are interrelated because splits occurred and various
charismatic men formed their own communities. Chapter 1 also includes a summary of the
―current legal maze,‖ providing the reader with an overview of some of the issues, lawsuits,
and players involved in prosecuting cases related to polygamy, and spousal and child abuse.
Each of the following eighteen chapters tells the individual story of as many women‘s
journeys out of polygamy and into freedom, where life is still tough but their own. These are
the women of Tapestry Against Polygamy, a grass-roots endeavor whose function is to
assist women in leaving their lives of oppression and beginning new lives in which they
make their own choices. Because of the doctrine of ―blood atonement killings‖ (death for
one‘s sins), several of these women live in hiding and fear for their lives and the lives of
their children.
The plight Moore-Emmett‘s book describes, of the women and children growing up in this
patriarchal system, defies intelligent reasoning. Required by doctrine to have ―one child per
year‖ (without the benefit of prenatal care), the women exist in a chronic state of
pregnancy, their lives devoted to child rearing and the care of their husbands. However, the
men are not required to support their multiple wives and children. Families survive on
welfare and food stamps, rationalizing that they are ―bleeding the beast‖ (i.e., the U.S.
government, considered the enemy). Food supplies are supplemented by ―dumpster diving‖
in garbage cans, a task accorded to the women. If the women complain about their plight,
they are told that they are ungrateful, that they have been given a wonderful opportunity to
learn to be independent. In addition, poverty is considered a blessing to make them more
perfect and to ―refine their souls.‖ Despite the fact that some polygamous organizations are
quite wealthy (e.g., assets of the Kingston group are estimated at around $200 million), this
paradox seems to have eluded the group. Husbands and fathers come and go at will,
deciding with whom they will sleep on any given night, while the other women lie awake in
emotional agony listening to the sounds of their husbands making love to their ―sister-
wives,‖ sometimes in the same room.
Most of the women who become plural wives have been reared from birth to accept this
practice and to think of it as their means of salvation. Boys, too, are reared to believe that
having multiple wives is their obligation and birthright. In some sects, sons are expected to
give their wives to the patriarch, their own father, if he so desires. Thus, fathers and sons
may be married to the same woman fathers also may marry their own daughters, and
brothers may marry their own sisters. One of the most extreme examples exists in the
Kingston group, a Utah-based sect, in which the practice is based upon the claim that the
