Patriarchy in El Dorado

By Elder George

By now we have all seen or read about the Church of the Latter Day Saints and their compound at the Year for Zion Ranch in El Dorado, Texas. The Texas authorities have removed 416 children from their parents with the consideration of placing them in foster care. This action came from a call made to authorities by a 16 year-old girl claiming to be at the compound who said her husband had abused her. The call turned out to be a hoax, but by then the authorities had raided the compound.

The media will do its utmost to ferret out what it perceives as suppression of women and children by the sect (the treatment of boys has not even been mentioned). However, let’s compare their conduct to the normal state of girls in our society. Below is an edited excerpt from an article titled Girl Sex that I wrote for Muslims Weekly four years ago.

On Sunday May 23, 2004 The New York Post in a front-page story broke the news that schoolgirls wore sex bracelets that advertised the type of sexual activity that they would perform and in which they would participate. A whole menu exists of the sexual activities the girls offer. The term girls is quite literal, they are 11 years old! Girls in public schools, private schools, and religious schools wear these sex bracelets; the democratic nature of immorality does not show preferences.

The above illustrates the moral decadence of our society as in relates to girls. Posters on public transportation promote sexual activity and the Mayor of New York had city employees distribute 2.6 million condoms to our school children. In all likelihood the girls did not have an adequate male presence at home. Now lets return to the compound and see how those girls behave.

The girl’s bodies are covered from neck to ankles with clothes that appear to be clean and in good repair. The hair on their heads seemed clean and well groomed. The children live with their parents in a cohesive secure community. In every way these girls live in a better environment than the girls of the broken families of New York and of every major city in America. They certainly live in better conditions than are usually offered in foster care. What issue does the Texas government have with the religious sect?

The sect is a current example of patriarchy, the natural insulator against government intrusion into the private lives of individuals. Neither the Texas government nor any state government tolerates patriarchy; they consider children to be their property. If a parent does not raise the child the way the government dictates, the child is taken away from the parent and given to someone who will raise it according to state directions.

The El Dorado incident cannot be covered in one 500-word article as it has many ramifications; perhaps I will comment on it again, but in the interim I leave you with this thought. Those same governments that believe in putting the children of that sect in foster care would like to get their hands into the madrasas as well, and to also get Muslim women out of the hijab. They want to eliminate the patriarchal way of life, cultural practices, and religious influence. Then they will be in complete control of your life.

Elder George’s website is www.mensaction.net and he can be reached at 212-874-7900 ext. 1329.