Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2009, Page 58
earth has its uses,‖ when asked about the alleged use of LSD. As she spoke, ―elderly
helpers in colored wigs and heavy make-up scurried around, avoiding eye contact.‖ There
are said to be as many as 50 followers, living on the property or in surrounding hills, who
still ―defer‖ to Hamilton Byrne.
Sarah Hamilton-Byrne, who became a physician—Dr. Sarah Moore—after leaving The
Family, now suffers from bi-polar disorder and recently lost a leg following a suicide
attempt. She says she sees the 87-year-old Ann Hamilton-Byrne as her mother. ―I do love
Anne, and my feelings are still mixed about her. ..I had put my life on the line to oppose
her ...as I believed at the time that to oppose her, to betray her, was to die. ..She is a
powerful and charismatic person, and I believe she initially meant well with both creating
the cult and collecting us children. Both acts were in compensation and delusional repair for
her own childhood.‖
When South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford confessed his extra-marital affair at a press
conference in June, he said he‘d met with colleagues for advice and support at C Street, a
gathering place for an alleged secretive fellowship of conservative congressmen that has
cult-like aspects. Jeff Sharlet, a Harper‘s editor who has written a book about the group —
The Family— says that members believe in ―biblical capitalism,‖ which means free-market
fundamentalism, and ―male headship.‖ They also teach that ―morality is for little people.‖
Members apparently think of themselves as ―chosen,‖ not bound by the same moral
strictures as ordinary people.
But they don‘t want to be called Christians, preferring rather to be known as ―followers of
Jesus,‖ for whom they teach ―absolute devotion,‖ the kind of devotion inspired by Hitler,
Stalin, and Mao. These leaders, according to Family member Doug Coe—who was the
moving force behind the National Prayer Breakfast—understood the absolute power of
devotion.
John Marks, who has written a book on evangelical fundamentalism, says that the Family‘s
doctrines don‘t diverge much from the beliefs of certain other evangelical groups. The sense
of being chosen explains why even sexual escapades aren‘t seen as reason for perpetrators
to resign from office. ‖They are chosen to live out a certain reality that completely
overshadows the peccadilloes of a sinner‘s life,‖ Marks says.
A year after the Texas raid on the Fundamentalist church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints’ Yearning for Zion Ranch, ―life has regained a familiar rhythm‖ despite continuing
economic and social disruption. An FLDS representative said that the group‘s willingness to
open itself up to public scrutiny, through media access, paved the way for the court‘s
decision to return all but one of the 439 children taken into custody. An attorney for one
FLDS Texas family says that the children ―all still have problems of worrying about strange
men coming around—are the police coming?—that sort of thing.‖ A spokesman for Texas
family services said: ―Despite feeling pride in their efforts on what they knew was a historic
case, many employees [of the Department of Family and Protective Services] found the
experience exhausting and emotional and experienced significant stress.‖
The raid and its aftermath have engendered both a renewed sense of grievance among
members and a resolve to defend their way of life. In Utah, the church is pressing—through
a campaign called Principle Voices—for the legalization of polygamy. There is sympathy in
the legislature for revising the law, and even the attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, who has
gotten death threats for defending current law, says: ―I‘m not being soft on them. But I
don‘t have the resources to throw them all into jail. I hope they now work through the
process of changing the law if they disagree with it.‖ ...
―Apostates‖ who rejected Warren Jeffs‘ leadership and resisted his demands to abandon
their homes, wives, and children, fear that negotiations between Attorney General Shurtleff
earth has its uses,‖ when asked about the alleged use of LSD. As she spoke, ―elderly
helpers in colored wigs and heavy make-up scurried around, avoiding eye contact.‖ There
are said to be as many as 50 followers, living on the property or in surrounding hills, who
still ―defer‖ to Hamilton Byrne.
Sarah Hamilton-Byrne, who became a physician—Dr. Sarah Moore—after leaving The
Family, now suffers from bi-polar disorder and recently lost a leg following a suicide
attempt. She says she sees the 87-year-old Ann Hamilton-Byrne as her mother. ―I do love
Anne, and my feelings are still mixed about her. ..I had put my life on the line to oppose
her ...as I believed at the time that to oppose her, to betray her, was to die. ..She is a
powerful and charismatic person, and I believe she initially meant well with both creating
the cult and collecting us children. Both acts were in compensation and delusional repair for
her own childhood.‖
When South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford confessed his extra-marital affair at a press
conference in June, he said he‘d met with colleagues for advice and support at C Street, a
gathering place for an alleged secretive fellowship of conservative congressmen that has
cult-like aspects. Jeff Sharlet, a Harper‘s editor who has written a book about the group —
The Family— says that members believe in ―biblical capitalism,‖ which means free-market
fundamentalism, and ―male headship.‖ They also teach that ―morality is for little people.‖
Members apparently think of themselves as ―chosen,‖ not bound by the same moral
strictures as ordinary people.
But they don‘t want to be called Christians, preferring rather to be known as ―followers of
Jesus,‖ for whom they teach ―absolute devotion,‖ the kind of devotion inspired by Hitler,
Stalin, and Mao. These leaders, according to Family member Doug Coe—who was the
moving force behind the National Prayer Breakfast—understood the absolute power of
devotion.
John Marks, who has written a book on evangelical fundamentalism, says that the Family‘s
doctrines don‘t diverge much from the beliefs of certain other evangelical groups. The sense
of being chosen explains why even sexual escapades aren‘t seen as reason for perpetrators
to resign from office. ‖They are chosen to live out a certain reality that completely
overshadows the peccadilloes of a sinner‘s life,‖ Marks says.
A year after the Texas raid on the Fundamentalist church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints’ Yearning for Zion Ranch, ―life has regained a familiar rhythm‖ despite continuing
economic and social disruption. An FLDS representative said that the group‘s willingness to
open itself up to public scrutiny, through media access, paved the way for the court‘s
decision to return all but one of the 439 children taken into custody. An attorney for one
FLDS Texas family says that the children ―all still have problems of worrying about strange
men coming around—are the police coming?—that sort of thing.‖ A spokesman for Texas
family services said: ―Despite feeling pride in their efforts on what they knew was a historic
case, many employees [of the Department of Family and Protective Services] found the
experience exhausting and emotional and experienced significant stress.‖
The raid and its aftermath have engendered both a renewed sense of grievance among
members and a resolve to defend their way of life. In Utah, the church is pressing—through
a campaign called Principle Voices—for the legalization of polygamy. There is sympathy in
the legislature for revising the law, and even the attorney general, Mark Shurtleff, who has
gotten death threats for defending current law, says: ―I‘m not being soft on them. But I
don‘t have the resources to throw them all into jail. I hope they now work through the
process of changing the law if they disagree with it.‖ ...
―Apostates‖ who rejected Warren Jeffs‘ leadership and resisted his demands to abandon
their homes, wives, and children, fear that negotiations between Attorney General Shurtleff
