Polygamous clans of Utah
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The polygamous clans of Utah are Mormon sects, who still practice polygamy (plural marriage) despite that practice's ban by the mainstream LDS church. In polygamy, men are married to multiple women simultaneously.
Recently, there have been some publicized legal cases relating to these groups and groups with similar views, in particular the tendency of some members to marry and subsequently have sex with girls under the age of 18. Examples include the Elizabeth Smart case, the Tom Green case, and the case described in [1] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/26/utah.polygamy.ap/index.html), in which a man married his 15-year-old cousin, who was also his aunt.
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Kingston clan
One such group is the so-called Kingston clan, also known as the Latter Day Church of Christ, with claims that it includes 1,200 members. The group runs a $150 million business including pawn shops, restaurant supply stores, a coal mine and dairies. Several members have been charged and convicted of polygamy.
The Apostolic United Brethren
The Apostolic United Brethren, commonly called AUB, is estimated to have about 5000 to 9000 members. The AUB is one of the more liberal of the mormon groups practicing plural marriage. The AUB does not authorize plural marriages for people under 18.
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , commonly called FLDS, is estimated at around 6000 to 8000 members. A succession crisis has been brewing in the church since 2002 when Warren Jeffs became president of the church. There has been extensive litigation regarding the church for some time, as property rights of disaffected members are weighed against the decisions of church leaders who hold trust to the land their homes are built upon. A large concentration of members live in the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. In 2004 the church started contruction on a temple in Texas. The FLDS tend to be very conservative in dress and lifestyle.
True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
The True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days, often called TLC, is headquartered in Manti, Utah. Membership is estimated at 300 to 500. The church is lead by the charismatic Jim Harmston. Prior to 1999 the church engaged in aggressive missionary work, but has since lead a quiet lifestyle.
The Church of Jesus Christ in Zion
The Church of Jesus Christ in Zion has congregations near Independence, Missouri and Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Missouri. The church is lead by scientist and inventor Roger Billings. Membership is estimated at about 1000. The church is closely associated with the International Academy of Science.
Independent polygamists and small clans
There is also a large movement of independent Mormon polygamists; former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and of the mormon fundamentalist groups, who feel called to practice the principle of plural marriage, but don't feel like anyone holds proper authority to regulate the principle. These people practice plural marriage based on the idea that if God issues a revelation to an individual regarding that individual's personal life, that it is more important to follow the individual revelation than to follow a church leader speaking generically. It is difficult to measure who these people are, but preliminary estimates indicate that there may be more independent polygamists than there are members of the formally organized polygamist sects, perhaps 50,000 in Utah alone. There is a large concentration of these independent polygamists in Missouri. Not all of these polygamists have been formally excommunicated from the LDS church, but they will be shortly after the church finds out because the church maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards plural marriage.
There are many hundreds of small polygamist clans, with membership in the tens or hundreds, located in every part of the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
External links
- Man sentenced for marrying his 15-year-old cousin (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/26/utah.polygamy.ap/index.html) -- from CNN
- BBC on Warren Jeffs legal problems (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4091354.stm)Template:UT-stub