God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped

God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped
by Andrea Moore-Emmett

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Book Summary Information

Author: Andrea Moore-Emmett
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-06-01
ISBN: 1930074131
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Pince-Nez Press
Product features:

ISBN13: 9781930074132
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Book Reviews of God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped

Book Review: Heartbreaking, But True
Summary: 4 Stars

Moore-Emmett is a real journalist, five time recipient of Utah Excellence in Journalism award. She is also President of the Utah Chapter of NOW. She interviewed 18 women who had quite different stories to tell of their experiences with fundamentalist polygamy. The specific group that dominated them, the husbands and "sister-wives," their children, their parents, are all quite different, and offer breadth to this horrible story.

She also provides a "Reading Group Guide" at the back of the book, suggesting she had in mind that the book would be used as a teaching tool. The Author's involvement with a group known as Tapestry Against Polygamy (TAP) could indicate that she expects that organization to use it in reading groups. TAP is an aid program modeled on safe houses for victims of domestic violence. Indeed, that's essentially what it is, although of a specialized nature, since polygamous husbands (and their religious leaders) routinely use quite forceful methods to "discipline" a wife into submission. Child abuse is also rampant, and incest is sufficiently common that those two groups of victims overlap a good deal.

These men are either quite insane or quite evil, or perhaps both. They claim "revelations" from God which govern their decisions, and many contend that certain sins can only be washed away with "blood atonement." In the bluntly worded Glossary, this is defined as "The death of the sinner or enemy of the church to pay for his or her sins." They're not kidding, either, although the deaths are attributed to accident or suicide. Since the local police in several of these communities are polygamists themselves, it only gets a woman or child in more trouble to report abuse to "authorities."

Even those who escape are scarred, physically, mentally, emotionally and economically. They typically escape with little more than the clothes on their backs. They have very limited educations, often no more than a grade school education, and that in a very limited school that teaches religion and a few practical skills. They know nothing, or almost entirely nothing, about the world outside the polygamist group, and have been taught to fear that world as demon-driven. They are also raised in the most extreme forms of racial and religious and sexist prejudice. Women can only get into heaven with the assistance of their "priest-head" (husband in most cases), who can reject them on a whim. The husband's power is very nearly absolute over his wife's life, with only the power-mad "prophet" over him.

Still, courageous women who conclude the risk is no worse than remaining where they are have escaped, helped each other to cope with the world outside, and even won a few battles in the courts of law. Some of their children get past the traumas of their childhood (where sexual abuse is almost common, and the children are condemned as "disobedient" if they protest), and some fall into depression, alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide.

Not a pleasant book to read, but an important one.

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Summary of God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped

"I know girls as young as 12 years old who have been forced to marry their stepfathers," Laura Chapman states in God?s Brothel. For the first time, the stories of Laura and 17 other former polygamist wives are being told in book form. Unique among books on this topic, God?s Brothel presents accounts from 10 of the 11 major Mormon polygamist sects and several independent families. This thorough coverage reveals patterns of physical, sexual and emotional abuse common to these groups.

In addition to the women?s stories, God?s Brothel presents a fascinating discussion of polygamy?s history in America. Moore-Emmett recounts the prosecution of polygamists and current freedom of religion arguments used to justify its practice. She also provides a coherent breakdown of the major contemporary polygamist groups and places U.S. polygamy in a world context. This background information greatly clarifies much of the confusion surrounding this complex issue.

Far from affecting only Utah, Mormon and Christian fundamentalist polygamist groups are found in 30 U.S. states, Mexico, and Canada. Conservative estimates place those living in polygamy in North America at 50,000 to 100,000 and growing. Recently, members of Utah?s Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) moved to Texas to escape prosecution after first telling local officials that they were opening a hunting lodge. This event represents just one instance of polygamy?s spread across the country, a spread that could bring God?s Brothel to a neighborhood near you.

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