Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005, Page 44
A group of wives from the polygamous community in Bountiful, British Columbia — which
split a few years ago from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints —
walked in on a roundtable discussion about child brides and exploitation in polygamous
families and said they supported a proposal to raise the age of sexual consent. Legislation
to this effect, they believe, would help them deal with ―willful daughters‖ who want to marry
earlier, against their parents wishes. The wives contend that most girls in the sect marry
men within a few years of their own ages. (Michelle MacAfee, Canadian Press in Vancouver
Sun, Internet, 2/18/05)
Attorneys General Say They Won’t Prosecute
The attorneys general of Utah and Arizona announced at a recent public forum that they will
not prosecute people for plural marriages, but that they would press charges against people
involved in underage marriages, sexual abuse, and welfare and tax fraud. (Chicago Tribune,
Internet, 3/11/05)
Following Leader into Idaho
Some members of the polygamous community of Bountiful, near Creston, British
Columbia, are following leader Winston Blackmore to a new settlement, in Idaho.
Blackmore, a wealthy businessman with interests in British Columbia, Idaho, and Alberta,
has been involved in a leadership conflict with the main body of the Fundamentalist
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is based in two towns along the
Arizona-Utah border. [The Canadian government is investigating the Bountiful community
for evidence of alleged abuses arising from its polygamous lifestyle.] Blackmore‘s
businesses reportedly employ most of the young men raised in the Bountiful community,
which places exceptional limits and controls on the activities of its residents. (Andrea
Deardon, Idaho’s NewsChannel 7, Internet, 5/10/05)
Caritas
Brainwashing Suit Settled
Former members who claim they were brainwashed and drained of assets by Caritas have
reached a settlement with the religious group. Caritas, a residential community with several
locations, was founded by Terry Colafrancesco, in Alabama, in the wake of a visit by an
eastern European woman who reported visitations from the Virgin Mary in Colafrancesco‘s
pasture. The group has settled similar suits in California and Florida. (AP in Tuscaloosa
News, Internet, 4/7/05)
Children Of God (Family International)
Says Sex in Group Seemed Normal
Kristi La Mattery, who grew up in the Children of God, says in a series of interviews with
the Chronicle that she and her sister were trained to believe sex among children and adults
in the group, and the use of sex to draw in new members, was a sacred duty. She tells how
she once fell in love with a convenience store co-worker, a fundamentalist Christian boy,
whom she shocked when she initiated sexual relations, which she believed to be benign
‗witnessing.‘ (Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, Internet, 2/27/05)
Life in Cult
As a boy, Ricky Rodriguez, who grew up in the Children of God — and recently left the
group, killed a woman associated with it, and then committed suicide — watched his father
have sex with different young women on a ―sharing schedule‖ while he was himself assigned
a different older teenage girl each afternoon.
A group of wives from the polygamous community in Bountiful, British Columbia — which
split a few years ago from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints —
walked in on a roundtable discussion about child brides and exploitation in polygamous
families and said they supported a proposal to raise the age of sexual consent. Legislation
to this effect, they believe, would help them deal with ―willful daughters‖ who want to marry
earlier, against their parents wishes. The wives contend that most girls in the sect marry
men within a few years of their own ages. (Michelle MacAfee, Canadian Press in Vancouver
Sun, Internet, 2/18/05)
Attorneys General Say They Won’t Prosecute
The attorneys general of Utah and Arizona announced at a recent public forum that they will
not prosecute people for plural marriages, but that they would press charges against people
involved in underage marriages, sexual abuse, and welfare and tax fraud. (Chicago Tribune,
Internet, 3/11/05)
Following Leader into Idaho
Some members of the polygamous community of Bountiful, near Creston, British
Columbia, are following leader Winston Blackmore to a new settlement, in Idaho.
Blackmore, a wealthy businessman with interests in British Columbia, Idaho, and Alberta,
has been involved in a leadership conflict with the main body of the Fundamentalist
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is based in two towns along the
Arizona-Utah border. [The Canadian government is investigating the Bountiful community
for evidence of alleged abuses arising from its polygamous lifestyle.] Blackmore‘s
businesses reportedly employ most of the young men raised in the Bountiful community,
which places exceptional limits and controls on the activities of its residents. (Andrea
Deardon, Idaho’s NewsChannel 7, Internet, 5/10/05)
Caritas
Brainwashing Suit Settled
Former members who claim they were brainwashed and drained of assets by Caritas have
reached a settlement with the religious group. Caritas, a residential community with several
locations, was founded by Terry Colafrancesco, in Alabama, in the wake of a visit by an
eastern European woman who reported visitations from the Virgin Mary in Colafrancesco‘s
pasture. The group has settled similar suits in California and Florida. (AP in Tuscaloosa
News, Internet, 4/7/05)
Children Of God (Family International)
Says Sex in Group Seemed Normal
Kristi La Mattery, who grew up in the Children of God, says in a series of interviews with
the Chronicle that she and her sister were trained to believe sex among children and adults
in the group, and the use of sex to draw in new members, was a sacred duty. She tells how
she once fell in love with a convenience store co-worker, a fundamentalist Christian boy,
whom she shocked when she initiated sexual relations, which she believed to be benign
‗witnessing.‘ (Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, Internet, 2/27/05)
Life in Cult
As a boy, Ricky Rodriguez, who grew up in the Children of God — and recently left the
group, killed a woman associated with it, and then committed suicide — watched his father
have sex with different young women on a ―sharing schedule‖ while he was himself assigned
a different older teenage girl each afternoon.
