29 VOLUME 10 |ISSUE 1 |2019
interviews with women who leave polygamous fundamentalist
cults, I found they have long been conditioned to believe they
are of little consequence thus, they minimize what they have
endured as much as they minimize themselves. There simply is
not enough of Christie’s story to glean a thorough analysis.
After the death of the first leader, Christie writes how the
second leader and heir to the church reins over his people
with an unmatched brutality. Like his pedophile father before
him, he too takes a 10-year-old bride. The followers endure the
emotional and physical abuse of the elderly, underage children,
and men and women alike as “chastisement” and “correction”:
“…(S)eniors… could be beaten and kicked along with the rest
of us, including, many times, the Prophet’s own mother” (p. 98).
And “He slapped this [boy of 12] … so hard I thought the kid
would fall… Everyone gasped yet beyond that reflex, we dared
not show any other reaction for fear that we too would bear the
brunt of an outburst” (p. 96).
Christie then recounts the abuse she and her sons suffered:
“Countless times, He grabbed my hair and yanked my head
back… [In one beating] He pounded my body against that
pillar … literally hundreds of times” (p. 105). And “I heard my
son plead for mercy... Our leader had ordered the boys to form
a circle … then lay an unspeakable beating on [my son] …
accented, many times by kicks squarely in the groin” (p. 116).
Not long after her eldest son finds the courage to leave
the cult, Christie follows. She writes how, with difficulty yet
perseverance, she was able to reinvent a new life for herself,
including a happy marriage. (Her husband has written an
Appendix for the book and is given a secondary byline.) The
reader also learns that Christie bravely and successfully sued
the second leader however, most of the information about the
lawsuit comes from the Foreward, written by Nancy Mereska,
President of the Stop Polygamy in Canada Society. For her
part, Christie barely mentions this very important act of self-
empowerment, which could serve as “bread crumbs on the
path” for others to follow.
As one of the few, if not only, voices coming out of this
particular group, Christie leaves the reader with a dissonant,
short report and wishing she had not held back on key
elements of her story. She sums up her work best when she
writes toward the end, “I also had a few choice words held deep
inside me … but I’m a lady and will not share them here and
now” (p. 120).
Property… is a book whose main contributions are the addition
of another voice in the dialogue concerning fundamentalist
polygamy and new information about this particular
splinter group from Mormonism. Contrary to other sources
of information, we learn from Christie that this group is still
operating in Ontario, Canada. It did not dissolve after the death
of the first leader and in fact, according to Christie, human-
rights violations that include elder abuse, child abuse, sexual
abuse, assault, and labor violations continue to occur.
This book will be of interest to those studying the phenomena
of Mormon fundamentalist polygamy and also others
interested in cultic dynamics and the survivors who come
forward. n
References
Van Wagoner, R. (1989). Mormon polygamy: A history. Salt Lake
City, UT Signature Books.
Tanner, J., &Tanner, S. (1980). The changing world of Mormonism:
A behind-the-scenes look at changes in Mormon doctrine and
practice. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
About the Reviewer
Andrea Moore-Emmett, MA, LMFT, is a
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in
private practice in California, where she helps
individuals dealing with former cult affiliation.
She authored the book God’s Brothel, The
Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary
Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories
of 18 Women Who Escaped. She is the author of several articles
covering polygamy for various national magazines and was
the researcher for the A&E documentary, Inside Polygamy,
which also aired on the BBC. As a journalist, she has been
the recipient of five awards from the Society of Professional
Journalists, Utah Headliners Chapter, including the Don Baker
investigative Journalism Award. She was also awarded a Women
in Communications Leading Changes Award and the Leadership
Council on Abuse and Interpersonal Violence and the Institute
on Violence, Abuse and Trauma 2008 Award for Distinguished
Service and Excellence in Journalism. Moore-Emmett served as
Utah NOW President and on a Salt Lake City Mayor’s commission
for Bridging the Religious Divide. n
This book will be of interest
to those studying the
phenomena of Mormon
fundamentalist polygamy
and also others interested
in cultic dynamics and the
survivors who come forward.
interviews with women who leave polygamous fundamentalist
cults, I found they have long been conditioned to believe they
are of little consequence thus, they minimize what they have
endured as much as they minimize themselves. There simply is
not enough of Christie’s story to glean a thorough analysis.
After the death of the first leader, Christie writes how the
second leader and heir to the church reins over his people
with an unmatched brutality. Like his pedophile father before
him, he too takes a 10-year-old bride. The followers endure the
emotional and physical abuse of the elderly, underage children,
and men and women alike as “chastisement” and “correction”:
“…(S)eniors… could be beaten and kicked along with the rest
of us, including, many times, the Prophet’s own mother” (p. 98).
And “He slapped this [boy of 12] … so hard I thought the kid
would fall… Everyone gasped yet beyond that reflex, we dared
not show any other reaction for fear that we too would bear the
brunt of an outburst” (p. 96).
Christie then recounts the abuse she and her sons suffered:
“Countless times, He grabbed my hair and yanked my head
back… [In one beating] He pounded my body against that
pillar … literally hundreds of times” (p. 105). And “I heard my
son plead for mercy... Our leader had ordered the boys to form
a circle … then lay an unspeakable beating on [my son] …
accented, many times by kicks squarely in the groin” (p. 116).
Not long after her eldest son finds the courage to leave
the cult, Christie follows. She writes how, with difficulty yet
perseverance, she was able to reinvent a new life for herself,
including a happy marriage. (Her husband has written an
Appendix for the book and is given a secondary byline.) The
reader also learns that Christie bravely and successfully sued
the second leader however, most of the information about the
lawsuit comes from the Foreward, written by Nancy Mereska,
President of the Stop Polygamy in Canada Society. For her
part, Christie barely mentions this very important act of self-
empowerment, which could serve as “bread crumbs on the
path” for others to follow.
As one of the few, if not only, voices coming out of this
particular group, Christie leaves the reader with a dissonant,
short report and wishing she had not held back on key
elements of her story. She sums up her work best when she
writes toward the end, “I also had a few choice words held deep
inside me … but I’m a lady and will not share them here and
now” (p. 120).
Property… is a book whose main contributions are the addition
of another voice in the dialogue concerning fundamentalist
polygamy and new information about this particular
splinter group from Mormonism. Contrary to other sources
of information, we learn from Christie that this group is still
operating in Ontario, Canada. It did not dissolve after the death
of the first leader and in fact, according to Christie, human-
rights violations that include elder abuse, child abuse, sexual
abuse, assault, and labor violations continue to occur.
This book will be of interest to those studying the phenomena
of Mormon fundamentalist polygamy and also others
interested in cultic dynamics and the survivors who come
forward. n
References
Van Wagoner, R. (1989). Mormon polygamy: A history. Salt Lake
City, UT Signature Books.
Tanner, J., &Tanner, S. (1980). The changing world of Mormonism:
A behind-the-scenes look at changes in Mormon doctrine and
practice. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
About the Reviewer
Andrea Moore-Emmett, MA, LMFT, is a
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in
private practice in California, where she helps
individuals dealing with former cult affiliation.
She authored the book God’s Brothel, The
Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary
Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories
of 18 Women Who Escaped. She is the author of several articles
covering polygamy for various national magazines and was
the researcher for the A&E documentary, Inside Polygamy,
which also aired on the BBC. As a journalist, she has been
the recipient of five awards from the Society of Professional
Journalists, Utah Headliners Chapter, including the Don Baker
investigative Journalism Award. She was also awarded a Women
in Communications Leading Changes Award and the Leadership
Council on Abuse and Interpersonal Violence and the Institute
on Violence, Abuse and Trauma 2008 Award for Distinguished
Service and Excellence in Journalism. Moore-Emmett served as
Utah NOW President and on a Salt Lake City Mayor’s commission
for Bridging the Religious Divide. n
This book will be of interest
to those studying the
phenomena of Mormon
fundamentalist polygamy
and also others interested
in cultic dynamics and the
survivors who come forward.
