Moms and Children from Religious Sect to be Parted
“SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — Adult mothers who have been allowed to stay with their young children since they were taken from a polygamous sect will be separated from them after DNA sampling is completed next week, a child welfare official said Saturday.
Texas District Judge Barbara Walther late Friday ordered that parents and children of the Yearning For Zion Ranch submit DNA samples to help sort out family relationships that have confounded authorities since 416 children were taken into state custody two weeks ago.
The child welfare agency has said that the sect encourages adolescent girls to marry older men and have children, and that boys are groomed to become future perpetrators. Sect members deny the allegations.”
From the AP >
The continuing saga of the Yearning for Zion Ranch, where members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints settled, highlights how religion can be used to brainwash and negatively affect the lives of otherwise ordinary people. The children were taught from a very young age that rejecting polygamy would land them in hell.
It is true that people can be brainwashed without religion but there is no denying that this was a religious organization and that God, damnation, and the rest of the church’s belief system were the tools that were used to abuse the victims.
This is still a violation of these people’s rights. Their doctrines are no more heinous than the garbage taught by mainstream religion! And I would be willing to bet that the ACTUAL child abuse that went on here is MUCH lower than the rest of the county . . . of course, I was a Catholic girl raped by her father from age 9 to age 13.
However we might disagree with what these people believe, our belief in the rights of all people compels us to cry foul over this atrocity.
Like so many in the atheist community - it would appear that you would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Do you realize the logic you use in many of the posts on your site to vilify religion is similar to the logic that people use to vilify the U.S.A.? “Oh - the U.S. is soooo terrible… so greedy… so war-mongering… so lazy… so fat…” The funny thing is that this type of one-sided assessment ignores the fact that the U.S.A. is the most charitable and generous nation on the planet.
Many atheists - and from what little I’ve read here, Brian is one of them - comprise a truly perplexing, oxymoronic lot. They claim to have so much irrefutable knowledge and insight, yet are themselves so myopic and bigoted. In the end, it seems to me, that you are no better than those you strive so fervently to tear down.
I agree with you that people who use religion as a justification for committing horrible crimes against other people are among the worst of the worst that humanity has to offer. Yet, I still try to pray for these people in spite of my utter revulsion to the deeds that have been done in the name of God.
Attempting to label an entire group based on the actions of a minority is pretty much the definition of prejudice. You are doing noting more than fomenting intolerance in your blog… nothing more.
Hi Truthilicious,
I don’t use any logic to vilify religion. All I do is post stories about the negative effects of religion. If that is vilifying then reality and the facts are vilifying, not me.
You bring up an interesting analogy:
My response to this is that the U.S.A. needs to be criticized by its citizens and the world in order to improve itself and stay on the right track. Without this criticism from the watchful eyes of the world, it would run amok. It is only through this criticism that it can self-correct. We can’t be a country of “yes men.” Similarly, religion needs to be criticized. “It” needs to realize where it is wrong so that it can correct itself. You seem to be saying that people should not criticize the U.S.A. for the wrong things it does simply because it does so much good. I could not disagree with you more wholeheartedly.
I’m glad that you used this analogy because it highlights the weakness of your argument. Religious people do use that logic (”Why is it a problem if a few hundred people are killed and suffer each year because of religion if it is doing so much good for so many in this world?”) and it’s only when you transfer it to something secular, like a country, that one can see how silly and wrong it is.
A country killing people for bad reasons is just as horrible as religions killing people for bad reasons - no matter how much good they are doing! Think of it this way… if a person does a lot of good in this world - charity work, saving lives, curing disease - but then goes on a horrific murder rampage, that person should still be locked up in jail for the rest of their miserable life. A lot of good does not make up for any amount of bad. Two rights don’t cancel a wrong.
No where on this blog do I claim to have irrefutable knowledge. I don’t even believe there is such a thing as irrefutable knowledge. I don’t see where I’ve been bigoted. Please point that out. I’m also not trying to tear anyone down. Please point that out as well.
You have made quite a few hurtful accusations here and, if they are true, I’ll mend my ways. But, you’ll have to show me where I’ve committed bigotry, claimed irrefutable knowledge, and torn people down.
You can keep praying for these people and hope that changes them. I’ll keep posting blog stories about the things they do wrong so that more people will be aware. Maybe one of us, or both of us, will be able to create some change and put an end to these atrocities.
I would also like to add that I don’t think that religion needs to or should be villified. Rather, it just needs to be left in the past like other harmful beliefs about the world that we’ve already relegated to human history… for instance, human sacrifice to appease gods and bring their favor, the idea that sickness is somehow caused by our actions, etc.
It’s simply time to move on and progress as a specie.