Hiding a material witness is not religious freedom and has nothing to do with religious freedom. She is marked with a scarlet letter A, for authorities; she went to the authorities and she broke the covenants of her husband and the church. If she ever reappears it will only be to recant her complaint. Otherwise she will vanish, never to be seen or heard from again. While the faithful weep.
“Stephen Smith, an internal medicine physician in San Angelo, is part of the medical team at Fort Concho. He is wrestling with the judgments being made about the FLDS, given what he has seen - and considering abuse remains widespread in the world outside the ranch. 'In my opinion, we had to go do something about them so we didn't have to keep looking at our own behavior,' he said, pointing out that 'We didn't round up all the Catholic schools when we found out about their abuse.'
He said most of the women and children are in good health - healthier than most people."
The women he has met at the compound are "quite content with their own culture. Even though I don't agree with their lifestyle, I got the impression that in their own little world it made sense," he said. The children seem happy, laughing and playing like children everywhere.
But not a word of concern for the missing 16-year-old, no amber alert for her. Maybe the Indians got her, just as they got those who threatened the church 150 years ago. A State within a State, a cult within a church, a crazy relative or a beloved loved one. A practice denied by the church but central to the church, so what then are the limits on the church? Repeated raids and disappearing witnesses that change nothing? Or a simple acknowledgment by the church that they are what they are and go to the devil if you don’t like it. It's time they drop the pretense of being a mainstream religious sect and admit the truth.
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