Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

May 17, 2008 1:29:33 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Back to the grid

Texas Polygamists: Sect or Cult?  

Posted Apr 10, 08 2:12 PM CDT in Science & Health,  Crime,  US    Editor's Choice

(newser) – While much of the media is calling the polygamous group raided in Texas a “sect,” some experts say it’s better defined as a cult, LiveScience reports. One scientist points out that the word “cult” is often avoided in academia for its negative connotations. But “if you've got a group that's abusing hundreds and hundreds of women and children,” says a sociologist, “let's call it what it is.”

By not using the word, “we let them hide behind the veil of religion,” the sociologist notes. She defines a cult as a religious movement in which the object of worship is a “human leader,” rather than a higher being. But what keeps people in abusive societies? A warped worldview, she says, coupled with fear of punishment: “You take on new reality.”

Source LiveScience

open commentscomments (0)

Editor Recommended

Former member: 'religion is just a cover'
MSNBC | Apr 8, 08

Details of the raids
Newsweek | Apr 10, 08

Related News

  • Many Kids From Sect Had Broken Bones

    Apr 30, 08 6:53 PM CDT
    Many Kids From Sect Had Broken Bones Of 463 children seized from a Texas polygamist compound, 41 show evidence of broken bones at a young age, the Dallas Morning News reports. "Several of these fractures have been found in very young children," said the head of Child Protective Services, which also said it's looking into possible sexual abuse of sect boys. More »

  • Half of Sect's Teens Have Been Pregnant

    Apr 28, 08 6:20 PM CDT
    Half of Sect's Teens Have Been Pregnant Of 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 taken from a polygamist sect in Texas, 31 have had children or are pregnant, the Houston Chronicle reports. Officials announced that the last of the 463 minors taken from the El Dorado ranch had been bused to foster homes after an appellate court denied the mothers’ motion for emergency relief. More »

  • Sect Children Slowly Meet Outside World

    Apr 26, 08 6:46 AM CDT
    Sect Children Slowly Meet Outside World The last of the 462 children removed from the compound of a polygamous sect have been placed in foster care in 16 locations around Texas, the Houston Chronicle reports. The caregivers have been given lengthy instructions on how to treat the children, including keeping them away from TV, radio, and the Internet, at least at first, and avoiding red clothing, as the sect believes that color is reserved for Jesus to wear on his return. More »

  • 25 Moms ID'd as Minors in Polygamy Probe

    Apr 25, 08 3:28 AM CDT
    25 Moms ID'd as Minors in Polygamy Probe Texas authorities have identified 25 more mothers from a polygamist ranch as underage girls, bringing the number of juveniles in custody to 460. The girls had initially claimed to be adults, Reuters reports. Officials are keeping hundreds of women and children from the polygamist compound in temporary custody in a rodeo stadium, under heavy guard. More »

  • Texas Moving Sect Kids Into Foster Care

    Apr 22, 08 6:16 PM CDT
    Texas Moving Sect Kids Into Foster Care Texas authorities began moving children from a polygamist ranch to foster group homes around the state today. More than 100 of the children were bused to facilities, and the remaining 300 or so will likely follow later this week, the Houston Chronicle reports. The move comes on the second day of DNA testing of sect members to unravel family histories. More »

Texas Polygamists: Sect or Cult?
A member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in rear seat of cart, is relocated to another building on the Fort Concho complex in San Angelo, Texas, April 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Polygamists: Sect or Cult?
A State Trooper patrols as members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gather around a porch at their temporary housing in San Angelo, Texas, April 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Polygamists: Sect or Cult?
Law enforcement vehicles are seen around the main temple on the grounds of the "Yearning For Zion" Ranch, home of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Eldorado, Texas, Tuesday,...   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Polygamists: Sect or Cult?
A young member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reaches up for a ball as he plays at the group's temporary housing in San Angelo, Texas, Monday, April 7, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
prev   next
play

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

Texas  • religion  • rape  • polygamy  • child abuse  • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  • sexual abuse  • cult  • sociology


Loading...

Loading...

Related Threads: Crime, Polygamy in Eldorado

Next story from this section »

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »