My Mormon brothers and sisters are kind of irked with me. Of course, by this I don’t mean my LITERAL brothers and sisters. I mean all the Mormons in the world who call each other brother and sisters.

I’ve started getting some email regarding my writing that is, well, less than flattering. I guess I would be bothered by this, except I know that the people mailing me have not read the book. They just don’t like the subject matter.

“I have to tell you that I’m somewhat offended by the content of your Web site. The Church does not work like that at all. It’s probably just a clerical error that you are still listed on church records. The Mormons aren’t trapping you. We celebrate freedom of choice.”

See, I can tell a Mormon wrote this, because it’s not a downright attack. It’s couched in vague, non-offensive terms. Oh, and nobody else cares what I write.

Another one said:

“You realize the consequences of revealing the sacred temple rites, don’t you? How could you betray your church like this?”

Yet another clue this particular Mormon didn’t READ the book. There are no temple scenes in this book, and nothing “sacred” is revealed. As far as betrayal, I’ve done nothing of the sort. I simply told the story of a young girl who is the victim of abuse time and time again, because the powers-that-be refuse to stop the victimizers.

And then there was this one:

“How could you do this to Mom and Dad?”

Oh. Heh. That one actually IS from one of my literal sisters. Still haven’t figured out what it is I did, although she admitted she thought my next book was going to be titled TRAPPED BY THE MORMONS. Not a very good title, if you ask me.

I have to admit it’s become somewhat enjoyable to open up my email and see what’s there.

Book of Mormon about to come out from… Doubleday? Say What?

Nope, I have NOT lost my mind. In an unprecedented move by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a deal was inked with Doubleday to print the Book of Mormon.

Consider this, from the Deseret News. Keep in mind, of course, that the Deseret News is OWNED by the Mormon Church. There is a definite bias.

“Deseret Book chief Sheri Dew, who acted as agent in the deal, says: ‘The Lord doesn’t need Doubleday’s endorsement, but there are some for whom that imprint on the spine says . . .this is a legitimate book of scripture.’”

Apparently more than 100,000 copies will be printed (a damn good print run, mind you).

Needless to say, the Mormons are thrilled. And I can certainly understand why Doubleday has chosen to take this on. After all, they can see how powerful the LDS Church is, how many members hand over 10 percent of their income every year. Just think about it! A guaranteed readership base. “Go buy this book. Make it a bestseller, so that we can tell the world how legitimate we are now.” And they will. En masse. I virtually guarantee it. The bottom line in publishing is ALWAYS about the money, no matter what anyone says.

But the Deseret News article also said this:

“Though terms of the publishing contract and its associated royalties are confidential, Dew said the biggest challenge was the fact that the church, to Doubleday, ‘was an anomaly. They’re used to dealing with authors who have profit as their primary motive, and the church’s motive is so different. Just bridging that gap and getting work together was interesting process.’”

Say WHAT? Come on, Sheri, stop dissing us “authors.” We should all be offended. Book writers UNITE! Listen to what she’s saying. We are all mercenary money-grubbers, while the LDS agenda is pure of heart and Godly.

Their motive isn’t profit?

Puh-lease. Consider all of those potential new members adding their 10 percent to the Church’s coffers every year, so LDS, Inc., can go out and proselyte for more new members, buy up more property in Salt Lake City until they have total control over the entire city, control MORE media outlets, and hire an even BIGGER public relations corps to show their discontent when someone dares to take them on with a differing viewpoint that isn’t “faith promoting.”

Despite all of this, I’m not that worried. This book will NOW be available for review. And reviewers can be nasty. Consider the very first review of the Book of Mormon, many, many years back. You have all heard of this reviewer. His name was Mark Twain.

“ALL men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the ‘elect’ have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so ’slow,’ so sleepy; such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle — keeping awake while he did it was, at any rate. If he, according to tradition, merely translated it from certain ancient and mysteriously-engraved plates of copper, which he declares he found under a stone, in an out-of-the-way locality, the work of translating was equally a miracle, for the same reason.”

Chloroform in print. Heh.

You can read all of what Twain had to by clicking here.

A review of GOD’S BROTHEL and other musings on polygamy
If polygamy is so wrong, why are the women so happy? This is a refrain you hear over and over again from proponents of this peculiar lifestyle. Before he was put in prison for bigamy, every time Tom Green paraded his gaggle of wives on television, they were always smiling, laughing, joking—happy.

Surely something that makes so many women happy can’t be so bad?

Or maybe they aren’t as happy as they seem. In her book, God’s Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18, Andrea Moore-Emmett addresses that very issue.

The book tells, as the title says, the stories of 18 women and their experiences in polygamy. Now opponents of this book will probably note that most of these women have since left their polygamous relationships behind, and thus it is not an accurate picture. I disagree, for in this book, they are not just telling their own stories. They are telling the stories of the women left behind, the ones who can’t or won’t leave, because they fear for their lives, the loss of their children, or even their eternal damnation.

Throughout the book there is no “tone” or “agenda,” as some critics have accused. It is all told matter-of-factly, often with what feels like a lack of concern or a lot of detachment. To me, it makes sense, as the author has noted, that these women do indeed learn to detach. They have to, for their very own emotional survival.

For me, the most poignant story was the last one, that of a woman who found herself victimized over and over again, not just by the polygamists, but by the legal system in Utah AFTER she left polygamy. Wisely, Moore-Emmett uses Sarah’s story to end her book. When Sarah testified in private against Tom Green, Utah’s most well-known and flamboyant polygamist, her name, address and phone number were given to his attorney: And since Green was serving as his attorney’s paralegal, he had access to them. Her information was sent to EVERYONE in the polygamous communities, including her parents. She will never be able to stop looking over her shoulder. Ever.

There is no democratic voice for women in polygamy. They are chattel. The property of their “master.” Children are victimized repeatedly, because they, too, have no voice.

It’s time for this to stop. Utah’s legal leaders need to take a hard line with the polygamists—not just those like Green, who flaunt their “beliefs” and make themselves a target, but also those who carry on their ways behind the closed doors of secret societies. There should be no doubt, however, that there is a very real danger for those who dare to confront these polygamists, who justify all in the name of God.

Judge Andrew Valdez, who has been involved in the case of John Daniel Kingston, a member of the infamous Kingston Clan, discovered that someone was attempting to monitor his comings and goings from the courthouse. That someone was a member of the Kingston clan. Despite this, he has refused to recuse himself from the case of a man who has 106 children with 14 wives, and when asked to name those with Heidi Mattingly Foster (who were removed from the home under Valdez’s order), he could not do so.

As Valdez has stated, the man is running a puppy mill. Can it get any more disgusting.

Andrew Valdez is a hero.