Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts

27 May 2011

The Bible is not historical it is hysterical



Chain The Dogma      May 26, 2011

The Bible is not historical it is hysterical

It causes hysteria in those who believe it is a literal account of history

by Perry Bulwer




Hysteria:

1. Behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic
2. A mental disorder characterized by emotional excitability, etc., without an organic cause.

U.S. television network, History, announced on May 24, 2011 that a 10-hour series covering the entire Bible has been in the works for two years and is expected to air in 2013. News reports covering the announcement all refer to the series as a docudrama, which is commonly understood to be the dramatization of factual events. Such dramatizations, however, almost always use dramatic and historical license to manipulate, distort or ignore certain facts for entertainment purposes without making their audience aware of what those distortions are. The recent movie, The King's Speech, is a good example of that, as explained by Christopher Hitchens.

History president and general manager, Nancy Dubuc, referring to the series as bringing “the historical stories of the Bible to life for a new generation”, seems to suggest that 'docu' in docudrama indicates documentary, in other words a factual representation of real historical events. I suppose she had no choice but to maintain the pretence of history when announcing this project, but remember, she is not in the business of teaching history but in delivering eyeballs to advertisers. The History channel exists to make money, not to educate viewers with actual history, and what better way to make money than to promote the Bible to the gullible. It's what god frauds have been doing for centuries.

It is simply not true that Bible stories are historical, especially the most dramatic ones likely to be portrayed in the series. At best they are historical fiction -- metaphors and myths mixed in with bits of real history -- at worst they are lies. And they do create hysteria in people who believe the Bible is a factual, true account of reality. Just look at the recent hysteria created by Harold Camping, or browse through the more than 3,000 news articles in the Religion and Child Abuse News archive that document the hundreds of ways in which hysterical Bible believers abuse children. I've linked to some of those articles below. The headlines alone are enough to prove the point.


This article was found at:



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7 May 2011

New Canadian TV series Sex Scandals in Religion examines the crimes committed by god experts of various faiths



Montreal Gazette   -  Canada     May 7, 2011

Series finds sex abuse hiding in many faiths

By BILL BROWNSTEIN, The Gazette 




Last year, I was extolling the comic merits of the British TV series Doc Martin to an equally jaded crony. When said cynic asked where he could catch this show, I, somewhat meekly, told him it was on Vision TV.

He howled. And howled. Like many others - like myself before, in fact - he had presumed without having ever watched anything on Vision TV that this was the "holy roller network, God's cheerleader," that it offered little more than televangelists of dubious nature.

I tried to assure him that the cantankerous Doc Martin - magnificently portrayed by Martin Clunes - would never be mistaken for any kind of cheerleader, let alone for a religious figure. That there was nothing socially redeemable about the man. That the show contained no spiritual message whatsoever.

And soon my friend was hooked. As have been so many other (sorry) converts. And not just to Doc Martin, but to a slew of other shows - like Absolutely Fabulous, EastEnders and (groan) Benny Hill - which can also be scoped on Vision TV.

Admittedly, there are those among us who approach anything with Vision in its title with a certain degree of skepticism. All the more so here, since Vision TV promotes itself rather dryly and unfairly as just a multi-faith, multi-cultural outlet. Nothing really alluring about that description.

And yet it is on Vision TV where viewers can watch Sex Scandals in Religion, a most provocative four-part original series, beginning Monday at 10: 30 p.m. The focus is on cheerleaders for various deities, but not on the spiritual enlightenment they are supposed to be bringing to their respective flocks.

As series narrator Gordon Pinsent points out, sex scandals are not limited to those already widely reported excesses of the Catholic Church. In fact, the Toronto-based Gogent/Bender production team heads off to less expected places in its exposé. It reports on scandals involving mullahs in Iran, Orthodox Jewish rabbis in Brooklyn and Winnipeg, a bogus Buddhist master, and a hypocritical Baptist preacher in Atlanta. [see links section below for related articles]

Staggering yet sobering stuff that viewers might expect to find on a 60 Minutes or PBS probe.

In Monday's debut, In The Name of the Ayatollah, an Iranian woman recounts her horrific ordeal as state agents raped and tortured her. Her crime was that her boyfriend is a student leader, who had the temerity to protest against his country's rulers. Also subjected to the same shocking treatment is a man whose only apparent "crime" is being gay.

A former henchman for the regime confirms both testimonies that fellow agents have been directed by mullahs to instill the fear of God into dissenters by raping and torturing them. Plus, they are informed that they will be spiritually rewarded for their efforts. Naturally, the government denies any wrongdoing, suggesting it's all some antiIranian conspiracy. Until, that is, the son of a government leader dies in prison under suspicious circumstances, and an investigation of sorts is opened.

No less disturbing is the Wall of Silence episode, airing May 16. As the title suggests, a community-wide cover-up takes place in Orthodox Jewish enclaves in both Brooklyn and Winnipeg, where young boys report sexual abuses allegedly committed by two rabbis. Rather than remove the accused, leaders victimize the children and their families and seek to ostracize them. Evidently, the image of the community is more important than crimes committed.

Particularly poignant is the story of Daniel Levin, son of Globe and Mail books editor Martin Levin. Traumatized by his molestation as an 8-year-old, allegedly at the hands of a Winnipeg rabbi, Daniel suffered from severe depression and later took his own life.

Though many tend to equate Buddhism with only bliss, such is not the case with one revered master, who is said to have taken advantage of his situation by taking sexual advantage of some female followers. In the Name of Enlightenment - airing May 23 - picks up on the notso-enlightened path of Sogyal Rinpoche, who allegedly tells women he has had his way with that they will "burn in hell" if they report his abuses. They don't burn - so much for his divine connections.

What makes In the Name of the Lord - airing May 30 - so alarming is that its subject, Bishop Eddie Long, is a charismatic and wildly homophobic Southern preacher, who is accused of sexually molesting fatherless boys in his flock. At his pulpit, Long decries homosexuality as an affront against God, yet he sees no contradiction in apparently abusing boys.

Long's response is that he feels "like David against Goliath." But playing on Biblical parables doesn't cut it here. Or anywhere else in this eye-opening series.

Yet more proof that Vision TV is not what some might have assumed it to be: Infidelity, another compelling four-part series, premiering Monday at 10 p.m. on the network. Subjects tackled are Men in Affairs, Women in Affairs, Open Marriages and Sex Addiction. Not to be confused for a Billy Graham crusade.

On the subject of sex, Donovan King, one of my fave anarchist preachers, joined by city burlesque queen Velma Candyass, will be conducting a 90-minute tour of the city's red-light district - or what's left of it - Sunday at 4 p.m.

King and Candyass (sounds like a super name for a law firm) have been on the front lines in trying to save the Main from "Disneyfication" and to restore the heritage of the fabled red-light district, once the cultural epicentre of our Sin City.

"Though the Quartier des Spectacles rises from the ashes of the storied red-light district, the area has not entirely disappeared," claims King, who has been conducting Haunted Walks in Old Montreal the last five years. "This walk looks at the infamous district from the glory days of New France, right through Prohibition and into the 21st century, and all the attempts by political leaders to clean it up."

King, quite the history buff, notes that the district's roots were in New France centuries back. "That's when the Cabaret de la Folleville was put on trial by religious authorities. They accused its madam of witchcraft three times in trials. She was acquitted every time, allegedly because some of the prosecuting clergy also used the services."

Sounds like the making of another dynamite Vision TV probe.

Participants in the walking tour of the red-light district are to meet Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Midway Bar and Salon, 1219 St. Laurent Blvd. To confirm, email optatif@gmail.com.


This article was found at:



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14 Feb 2011

Final arguments in Canadian constitutional hearing on polygamy will be broadcast on TV and Web

CBC News  -  Canada   February 7, 2011


Polygamy hearing final arguments on TV, web


When lawyers have their last chance to convince a judge of whether Canada's anti-polygamy laws should remain or be thrown out, cameras will be there to record the historic courtroom debate.

A B.C. judge has decided television and web cameras will be allowed to film final arguments in the constitutional case which most observers agree will likely end up at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Lawyer Dan Burnett, who successfully argued for the access on behalf of CBC and Global TV, said the judge's decision Monday could impact the openness of the courts to the media.

"It's quite an exciting development because [the judge] has indicated that not only will cameras be allowed, which has almost never occurred before in B.C., but also web casting of the entire argument, which will be a first," Burnett said.

The CBC had originally asked in November to broadcast the proceedings of the case, but Chief Justice Robert Bauman rejected the request on the condition that the argument was made the same day as the opening of the trial and that a lawyer representing the federal government did not agree to cameras.

In Monday's decision, no party involved in the case objected. Bauman's ruling imposes conditions requiring the cameras to focus only on the judge and the lawyers.

The only court in the country that regularly broadcasts proceedings is the Supreme Court of Canada, while several others have allowed cameras on rare occasions requiring the approval of all parties involved.
10-minute delay

Burnett said while the chief justice noted that the case doesn't necessarily create a precedent, he is hopeful it will.

"In a case of great public importance, it's a very helpful step forward as far as the openness of the court and my expectation is that those involved will see how unobtrusive it is and that it will pave the way for greater electronic access in other cases down the road," Burnett said.

The case began after the provincial government asked the B.C. Supreme Court to decide whether the law against polygamy violates the guarantee of religious freedom in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The court has spent more than two months hearing from nearly three dozen witnesses, including academic experts and current and former residents of Bountiful, B.C., the small polygamous commune that is at the heart of the case. Some observers have suggested the case could end up at the Supreme Court of Canada.

The lawyers will present their closing arguments in the spring and at the request of the judge, there will be a 10-minute delay in the live coverage.

"The advantage of web casting ... is people can watch all of it if they want instead of what portion can fit on the evening news," Burnett said.

This article was found at:


RELATED ARTICLES:


Stop Polygamy in Canada website has notes taken by observers in the courtroom as well as links to most of the affidavits and research the court is considering in this case.


Canadian polygamy case hears evidence on high rates of teen pregnancies in fundamentalist Mormon community


For Mormon polygamists in Canadian case religious freedom means enslaving women, sexualizing girls, exploiting boys

Two more plural wives testify in Canadian polygamy case, see no problem with forced marriage or trafficking child brides

Testimony of first FLDS witness in Canadian polygamy case reveals women in denial that their children are being abused

First anonymous FLDS witness in Canadian polygamy case paints cosy picture of plural marriage, seems oblivious to abuses

Affidavit in Canadian polygamy case reveals shocking statistics on child trafficking, child brides and teen mothers in Bountiful

Economics professor considers financial aspects of polygamy that create inequality

Two Mormon fundamentalist women from Utah tell Canadian court positive accounts of polygamy, no hint of abuse

Brother of FLDS bishop describes intellectual abuse, child labour, spiritual abuse and loveless religion in Canadian polygamy case

No freedom from religion for women and children in Mormon polygamist towns where men claim religious freedom to abuse

Mormon polygamist survivor tells court babies smothered to keep quiet, emotional and spiritual abuse worse than sex abuse

Video testimony by Mormon fundamentalist in Canadian court says polygamy provides happy life and harms no one

Survivor tells Canadian court extreme abuses including water torture of babies common in Mormon polygamist communities

FLDS bishop of Bountiful will not testify in Canadian polygamy case so his affidavit will not be read into record

Legal expert tells Canadian court polygamy prohibitions and monogamy tradition pre-date Christianity

The issue of women's rights in the Canadian constitutional review of the polygamy law




Before holiday break in constitutional case judge hears conflicting expert testimony on harms associated with polygamy

Expert in polygamy case says society should assume all members of sects have free choice, but what about children?

B.C. government expert in polygamy case sets out long list of social harms, societies that abandon polygamy do better

Court views video affidavits from Mormon fundamentalist survivors detailing pedophilia, incest, child trafficking and forced marriage

Polygamy expert tells court in constitutional case that it reduces women's freedom and equality and leads to forced marriage

Affidavits from survivors and psychologist's testimony in constitutional case show abusive nature of polygamous lifestyle

Expert witness in constitutional case on polygamy claims Bountiful women freely choose their own religious oppression

Judge allows controversial expert witness to testify in Canadian polygamy case, no decision yet on publication of video affidavits

Pro-polygamy intervenor groups make opening statements as first week of Canadian constitutional case ends

FLDS lawyer in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy claims members freely consent to plural marriage, abuse survivors disagree

Lawyer appointed to argue for striking down Canada's anti-polygamy law in constitutional case makes opening arguments

Canadian constitutional case on polygamy begins with BC government's opening statement

Unique Canadian constitutional case on polygamy set to begin November 22, 2010

Timeline of events leading up to Canadian constitutional case on polygamy which is set to begin

Survivor of abuse by Mormon polygamists documents accounts of sex crimes in the FLDS and other fundamentalist groups

Mormon fundamentalist leader asks court to exclude evidence against him in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy

Fundamentalist Mormon spokeswoman says polygamy doesn't hurt anyone

Mormon fundamentalist claims of religious persecution in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy not supported by the facts

Polygamist leader says BC attorney general guilty of religious persecution

Polygamist leader calls charges religious persecution

More persecution than prosecution

Second Mormon polygamist found guilty of child sex assault, jury doesn't buy defense claim of religious persecution

Claims of persecution ridiculous in societies where Christians have special privileges to indoctrinate children

More pro-polygamy affidavits by Mormon fundamentalists filed in Canadian constitutional case set to begin in November

Judge will allow anonymous testimony from Mormon polygamists in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy

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Polygyny and Canada’s Obligations under International Human Rights Law (pdf)

Research paper submitted to B.C. court in constitutional case documents harms associated with polygamy

Man from Bountiful says girls in Mormon polygamist communities "treated like poison snakes", taught to obey men and have many children

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Prosecuting Polygamy in El Dorado by Marci Hamilton

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearings on Polygamy Crimes: What Needs to Be Done at the Federal Level to Protect Children from Abuse and Neglect

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Texas Will Attempt to Show That Polygamist Culture Itself Harms Children

FLDS defendants complain their religious freedom violated, while denying religious freedom to their children

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Some Canadian children are protected from religion-related abuse, while others are not

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Israeli politicians and women's advocates call for immediate change to polygamy law to protect rights of women and children

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9 Jan 2011

Do Mormon 'sister wives' have true freedom of choice when their religious belief demands polygamous marriage?


The Salt Lake Tribune - October 24, 2010


‘Sister Wives’ revives Utah’s cultural ties to polygamy


By Scott D. Pierce


As Utahns know, the TLC series “Sister Wives” put Utah and polygamy in the headlines once again.

The TV show about Kody Brown, his four wives and their 16 children, which completed a seven-episode, first-season run on Oct. 17, caused a stir in the national media. And the show sparked more than just reality-TV scaled controversy thanks to local headlines about the Utah County attorney’s office screening charges of bigamy that could land Kody Brown in jail.

While “Sister Wives” made it clear the Browns aren’t LDS, many viewers nationally might have been confused. “I can totally see how this show might cause alarm in terms of how the rest of the country sees us,” said Christine Seifert, an associate professor of communications at Westminster College. “It may very well make it harder for non-Utahns to recognize the cultural and religious differences between the LDS Church and its fundamentalist offshoots.”

Of course, “Sister Wives” didn’t create that confusion. That ship sailed a long time ago, communication professors, historians and TV critics alike could agree. “I don’t know that this made it any worse,” said TV Guide television critic Matt Roush.

Roush labeled “Sister Wives” as the latest in a string of “TLC freak shows.” “From the way it was presented, the whole thing was looked at as more of an aberration” to the way most Utahns live, he said.

Perhaps a more interesting question, at least to Seifert, might be the way the show depicts the Brown women. They seem ordinary, albeit as normal as any woman can who is sharing a husband with three other women.

For their part, the Brown wives say they’re not representing any group — not feminists, not their polygamist community, not the state of Utah. “We’re just out to represent our family,” said Christine Brown, wife No. 3, in an interview before the show’s launch in late September.

Unlike horror stories of underage girls forced into polygamy, the Brown wives were all adults who insist they entered plural marriage willingly. And choice is “certainly a tenet of feminism,” Seifert said.

But she has additional reservations. “From a feminist perspective, though, one has to question how much their religious beliefs entered into the marriage decision,” Seifert said. “If someone honestly believes that she can’t go to heaven without being in a plural marriage, then you have to wonder how much freedom of choice she’s really been given.”

While “Sister Wives” sparked headlines on the Web and legal questions in Utah, it hasn’t been a huge TV hit. The season finale drew 2.7 million viewers, which is a large audience for a cable network like TLC, but would bring quick cancellation on a major broadcast network. TLC hasn’t yet announced if there will be a second season.

Apparently, “Sister Wives” didn’t raise many tourism issues. “I can honestly say that we have not had e-mails or anything like on Prop. 8 or some other issues,” said Leigh Von der Esch, managing director of the State Office of Tourism. “I have not had any reaction at all through our tourism contacts.”

But “Sister Wives” also won’t help Utahns tired of having to hear about mistaken stereotypes.

“Everywhere we travel, we’re still going to be asked how many moms [and] sister wives we have,” Seifert said.


This article was found at:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/50510584-80/wives-sister-tlc-utah.html.csp


SIMILAR ARTICLES: 



Two reality TV polygamist wives want out of marriage but fear losing kids, family hires lawyer as state considers charges


Reality TV polygamists say they are "just regular folks" but they and 40,000 Mormon fundamentalists defy the law

Former Mormon child 'bride' forced to marry at 14 says reality TV show is unrealistic, polygamy breeds child abuse

Mormon polygamous family featured in new TV reality series under police investigation for bigamy after first show air

Elissa Wall on 'What it Was Like to Die'

Jeffs's wedding pictures disgust

Former under-age polygamous bride tells all in book

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs

Child 'bride' key witness against Warren Jeffs stunned by court's reversal of rape convictions, fears for safety of FLDS children


Mormon fundamentalist leader must testify in tax case and reveal details of polygamy and child brides in Bountiful

Judge will allow anonymous testimony from Mormon polygamists in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy

Mormon polygamists seek immunity from future prosecution before giving evidence in Canadian constitutional case

Canadian constitutional case on polygamy triggered by Mormon fundamentalists, but will also examine Muslim communities


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Polygyny and Canada’s Obligations under International Human Rights Law (pdf)

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Man from Bountiful says girls in Mormon polygamist communities "treated like poison snakes", taught to obey men and have many children

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Review of the positions 12 intervener groups are expected to take in upcoming Canadian constitutional case on polygamy

Some religious practices, such as polygamy, are inherently harmful and should not be tolerated in modern society

Women's adovcates: polygamy is an “oppressive institution” that abuses and enslaves women and children

Prosecuting Polygamy in El Dorado by Marci Hamilton

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearings on Polygamy Crimes: What Needs to Be Done at the Federal Level to Protect Children from Abuse and Neglect

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Some Canadian children are protected from religion-related abuse, while others are not

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Israeli politicians and women's advocates call for immediate change to polygamy law to protect rights of women and children

New study on polygamy in Malaysia finds evidence of harm to everyone involved

Indonesian Women's Association divided on whether polygamy, which is legal in Indonesia, is harmful to women and children

17 Mar 2009

Forced Into Polygamy in Public

ABC News - March 17, 2009

What Would You Do If You Thought You Saw a Child Bride?
By ELISSA STOHLER and YARDENA SCHWARTZ

Colorado City, Ariz., home to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, seems like a town stuck in the 19th century. Women wear old-fashioned clothing and sport elaborately braided hairstyles, and the practice of polygamy -- having more than one spouse at one time -- is not uncommon.
The FLDS, which has been renounced by the Mormon Church for it's practice of polygamy, has been accused of arranging marriages between underage girls and much older men who already have multiple wives. Young women have spoken out about allegedly being forced into marriage when they were as young as 14, and wishing they'd had help escaping their fates.
So how would people react if they thought they were seeing a young girl being forced into a polygamous marriage against her will?
Watch the story tonight on "What Would You Do?" at 10 ET
"What Would You Do?" headed west to see how people would respond when faced with the chance to save a young girl from a forced polygamous marriage. A few hours' drive from Colorado City, we set up hidden cameras at a family restaurant in Las Vegas called Hash House a Go-Go, just minutes from the strip, and hired actors to portray a polygamist family.
There was Frank, a man in his 60s, his wife, Sherry, the "head wife" of the family, and "sister wives" Laura and Kathy. There was another young woman as well, "Susan."
The actress playing Susan was actually 20 years old. But in our scenario, she was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl about to become Frank's very reluctant fourth wife.
As the family paraded into the restaurant, the heads of unsuspecting diners turned immediately. Not only did the family's fundamentalist attire attract attention, but Susan was crying as the family sat down to order food. Restaurant patrons could hear her say, "I'm not ready to be married. I'm only 15."
The head wife, "Mother Sherry," told Susan that she should feel blessed. The other sister wives agreed, and reassured Susan that Frank was a good husband. But their words only upset Susan more. Then Frank took a commanding stance, telling Susan to stop crying and saying that she needed to be obedient. Susan only became more distraught.

Some People Did Nothing to Help

So what did people do? Many stared at the family, slack-jawed, while the young bride-to-be wept and pleaded with Frank and the other wives to let her wait a few years. One couple seated at the table behind Susan asked to be moved to the opposite end of the restaurant. And although clearly disturbed by what they were seeing, many others avoided any attempt to help the young bride-to-be.
Later, "What Would You Do?" anchor John Quiñones asked them why they didn't step up.
"It's illegal," he pointed out to one woman. "Couldn't you call 911?"
"To them, it's not illegal," she responded. "We may not agree with it, but I don't know that we're in any position to change it."
Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states. And, in Nevada, the legal age for marriage with parental consent is 16.
Witnessing this kind of reaction distressed Elissa Wall, an escaped member of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, who was with us while we were filming the scenario and guiding how we directed the actors.
At the age of 14, Wall was forced into marriage against her will by the leader of the FLDS community, Warren Jeffs. After she escaped the sect, it was her testimony that helped put Jeffs behind bars on two counts of rape in 2007.
Wall -- who wrote a book about her experience called "Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs." -- still wishes someone had intervened to stop her forced marriage, and she wants people to know that there are windows of opportunity in which it's possible to save a child bride.
So as she watched the scenario play out from a nearby control room, she was relieved to see that some people did react -- albeit covertly. One couple took their concerns to the manager.
"I don't care what state you're in, that's against the law," said James Lupperger, a visitor to the area. "She's being held against her will. In New Jersey, I'd slam that guy's face in."
Another man quietly took camera phone pictures of Susan, and told us he was planning to hand the photos to the cops.
But by late afternoon on the first day of filming, no one had approached the polygamous family directly or even tried to help the young girl when she was left all alone at the table. Finally, Toni Desiderio entered the scene.

Some People Called the Police

Desiderio had her eye on the family from the minute they sat down. She shot them piercing looks as she overheard Susan's tearful pleas. Eventually, the husband paid the bill and left the restaurant while the other wives went to the restroom, leaving Susan alone.
Seeing her opportunity, Desiderio called out, "Do you need help, sweetheart? Susan, do you need help?"
Hearing that Susan was only 15, Desiderio summoned someone to call the police and then led the girl by the hand to the back of the restaurant.
On the second day of filming, we saw even more courageous reactions. Although Judy and Sam Basile were having a business lunch, they were more concerned with the business of the reluctant child bride-to-be.
It didn't take long for Judy Basile to step up. And she was the first person to do so when the family was still there. She leaned over Susan's shoulder and whispered, "What can I help you with? What can I do for you? Come with me." She then lead Susan out of the restaurant, holding her in her arms the whole time. Diner Renee Wood also took action. The minute she heard Frank snarl at Susan, "I will teach you to be submissive, to obey and be a good wife," Wood sprung into action.
In the blink of an eye, she had her arm around Susan.
"Do you want to come home with me? Come now. I have a home. I have a room for you," she told the girl.
But before Wood could remove Susan from the restaurant, a human tug of war broke out, with Susan caught between Wood and the head wife.
Wood held her own despite being outnumbered by the four sister wives and angry husband.
"You're a good person, there's a better faith out there," she told Susan. "You're going to be protected."

Former FLDS Wife Moved to Tears

Then, in a burst of adrenaline, she elbowed her way through the wives to the front of the restaurant, clutching Susan closely while her co-worker, Shannon Brown, called police.
As it turned out, Wood is the former executive director of a domestic violence shelter in Utah. She not only had experience in dealing with abuse but was familiar with the plight of young girls in polygamous communities.
Watching the scene unfold, former child bride Elissa Wall was deeply moved. Contemplating how her own life might have been different if a stranger had stood up for her, she said, "It brought me to tears because I put myself in that situation, and I thought, 'You know, if my mother could have done that ... that would have changed everything.'"
This article was found at:
http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/story?id=7093224&page=1

14 Jan 2009

Dr. Phil Show: Family Cult, Part 2

January 14, 2009

On today's show: Dr. Phil continues his look at extreme religious groups and how their influence can shatter lives and rip families apart — all in the name of God. Wayne Bent, leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church in New Mexico, was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual misconduct with teenage followers. Lorraine and Bambi are former members of this group who left a mother and two sisters behind. They say they were concerned to learn that their family members were fasting, which they considered a matter of life and death. Dr. Phil cameras follow the two women as they travel to the compound in New Mexico in an attempt to rescue their relatives. Is their mission successful, or will they have to accept that their loved ones may live in this religious environment forever? Then, Taariq and Nichole are a brother and sister who were raised in a group called the United Nuwabian Nation of Moors, on a 400-acre compound located outside of Atlanta. The siblings say they were forced to drop out of school and were sexually molested by the group’s leader, Dwight York. Although York was put in prison with the help of Nichole and Taariq’s testimony, they say they still struggle to move forward with their lives. Can Taariq and Nichole adjust to the outside world? Don’t miss the warning signs your loved one could be involved in an extreme religious group.

This article was found at:

http://www.drphil.com/shows/

7 Nov 2008

Two upcoming TV programs: "Mind Control" & "Escape from Jonestown"

A&E TVMind Control on November 9, 2008 at 2:00 pm ET

Documentary exploring the secretive doomsday bible groups Meade Ministries and the House of Yahweh, and the methods they use to indoctrinate and control their members. Includes exclusive hidden camera footage that takes viewers inside a doomsday compound and a look at how intervention specialist Rick Ross performs an intervention to get a member out.

http://www.aetv.com/listings/episode_details.do?
episodeid=375820


CNNEscape from Jonestown on November 13, 2008 at 9 p.m. ET

Thirty years ago, 900 people died by murder and suicide. Only a few survived. Now, CNN special correspondent Soledad O'Brien with their untold stories as "CNN Presents: Escape from Jonestown."

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/

4 Nov 2008

Mind Control?

From the Dr. Phil Show website:

Wednesday - November 5, 2008

Mind Control?

It’s hard to believe, but in America alone, there may be as many as 5,000 religious groups preying upon the weak and vulnerable, and all in the name of God. Dr. Phil’s guests have warnings for you and your children. Seeta says when her 18-year-old daughter joined a religious group called 1 Mind Ministries, she left home with her 7-month-old son and never returned. Soon afterward, Seeta received the horrifying news that her grandson was found dead and her daughter was being charged with murder. Learn the disturbing details of this case and why Seeta says her daughter is innocent. Then, meet Norman, a college-educated husband and father who moved his family hundreds of miles to join a religious group that came with a price he says he never expected. Norman says he was enticed to join the House of Yahweh because of his strong desire to be part of a group. The House of Yahweh is a mysterious organization out of Abilene, Texas, led by Yisrayl Hawkins, a man who some say has more than 30 wives. As Norman and his family prepared for the end of the world, as Yisrayl Hawkins preached, Norman says he eventually realized why they were selected to join the group. You won’t believe the reason he gives! Then, meet a former wife of Yisrayl Hawkins, and learn the warning signs of mind control.

This article was found at:

http://www.drphil.com/shows/

26 May 2008

Polygamy: A World Apart

A 48 Hours special, "Polygamy: A World Apart," airs Tuesday, May 27, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on CBS

(CBS) On Thursday, the Texas Court of Appeals ruled that officials did not have sufficient grounds to seize over 450 children living in the Eldorado, Texas compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).

On April 3, the FLDS was thrust into the spotlight when authorities raided the compound after an abuse hotline received a call from someone claiming to be a 16-year old child bride being abused by her older husband. After seeing what appeared to be a number of underage pregnant girls authorities removed the children, fearing they were being abused.

In the 48 Hours special "Polygamy: A World Apart," Tuesday, May 27, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, CBS News correspondents delve into this secretive world with insider accounts, harrowing escape stories, interviews with law enforcement officials and an explosive interview with high-ranking FLDS member Willie Jessop. The broadcast will explore the stunning court decision and examine the religious sect from the inside out.



Correspondent Susan Spencer sheds light on the sect's practices and self-styled prophet, Warren Jeffs, who, despite being in prison for his conviction as an accomplice to the rape of a minor, continues to lead the FLDS empire in a number of states. Additionally, these communities support themselves in part through various federal programs. In an interview with Spencer, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff describes the FLDS as "the American Taliban" for the way it treats women and compares it to "an organized crime group." Spencer also sits down with private detective Sam Brower, who has been investigating the FLDS for years, and says that this is not about religion but "about child abuse, on a scale that's never been seen before in this country." And, Spencer talks to Elissa Wall, 21, who was 14 when she was forced into marriage and who was eventually responsible for Jeffs' imprisonment.

What is next for the members of this Texas compound? Correspondent Peter Van Sant goes in search of answers as he interviews neighbors of the compound and Willie Jessop, who discusses life in the church in a confrontational interview. "My faith does not break the law," Jessop proclaims. He goes on to call the state’s demand for birth certificates and DNA samples un-American. "I am innocent until proven guilty. They haven’t got one woman that says 'please save me.' They haven't found one child that says, 'please save me,'" he contends.

The broadcast will also feature the exclusive story of two teenage girls, about to married, who fled from the FLDS community in Salt Lake City, Utah. 48 Hours documented their dramatic escape in 1999 and has followed their bid for freedom ever since. Now, nine years later, correspondent Erin Moriarty catches up with Sarah, whose escape came at the expense of her family. As she prepares to reunite with Laura Chapman, the woman who helped them break free, Sarah recalls life in the FLDS: "One of the things we kept hearing over and over again was that they needed to break my spirit. I laughed too much. I was too happy."
While the allegations of abuse against young girls have taken center-stage, what about the experiences of young boys? Correspondent Seth Doane reports on the emotional journey of four boys who studied under Jeffs. Now excised from the sect, they struggle to find their way in the outside world, separated from the security of their families and homes.

Correspondent Troy Roberts explores the modern face of polygamy. With one husband three wives - two of them twins - and 22 children living in a suburb of Salt Lake City, they have jobs, wear make-up and their kids go to public school. They do, however, face challenges fitting in.

This article was found at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/22/
48hours/main4120479.shtml

12 May 2008

Forced to Marry at 14

Coming up on the Oprah Winfrey Show - May 14, 2008

Forced to Marry at 14: Lisa Ling's Special Report on Polygamy

In her first television interview, a young woman who was forced to marry her cousin at age 14 speaks out. Find out how she escaped the polygamist sect she grew up in and how she then eventually helped put the leader behind bars. Plus, Lisa Ling reports from behind the gates of the Eldorado, Texas, polygamist compound. In a rare on-camera meeting, several women from the community share with Lisa how they feel about the recent raid and separation of mothers from their children. Then, off-limits until now, Lisa gains access to a now-abandoned polygamist community, revealing mysterious secret passages and hidden rooms. Join us as we take you deep inside the impenetrable world of polygamy on today's [May 14] Oprah.

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/coming/
tows_come_main.jhtml