http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:35:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22263/flds-polygamist-sect-child-custody-case http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22263/flds-polygamist-sect-child-custody-case#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:58:18 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22263 Child by child, Texas authorities are acknowledging that many of the children seized during a raid on a polygamist sect's ranch can safely live with their parents or guardians.

Since the April 3 raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, 235 children's custody cases have been dropped, meaning fewer than half of the 440 children seized remain bound by a court order to stay in Texas, attend parenting classes or be available for unannounced visits by Child Protective Services.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22263/flds-polygamist-sect-child-custody-case/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22227/united-effort-plan-trust-2 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22227/united-effort-plan-trust-2#comments Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:35:32 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22227 Attorneys for a polygamous church sued a court-appointed accountant on Friday, seeking to reverse an $8.8 million judgment against its $110 million property trust.

The trust is the charitable arm of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A court gave Wisan guardianship of the trust in 2005 after state attorneys said church leaders had mismanaged its assets.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22227/united-effort-plan-trust-2/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22214/flds-112 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22214/flds-112#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:15:33 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22214 In what is now becoming a daily occurrence as the nation's biggest child-custody case moves forward, Texas child welfare authorities have filed to "nonsuit" more children taken in the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch.

Also: Because of a federal appeals court ruling, child welfare workers in three states will be required to obtain court orders in most cases before removing allegedly abused children from their homes, officials said.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22214/flds-112/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22177/flds-bigamy http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22177/flds-bigamy#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:15:40 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22177 Two of the new indictments issued by a grand jury against members of a polygamist sect added bigamy charges against men already accused of sexual assault of a child.

The indictments, issued by a Schleicher County grand jury Thursday, accuse Michael George Emack, 57, and Raymond Merrill Jessop, 36, of bigamy.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22177/flds-bigamy/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22175/warren-jeffs-110 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22175/warren-jeffs-110#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:06:16 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22175 Jeffs' defense attorney Michael Piccaretta had argued that Jeffs was denied a fair, impartial and unbiased grand jury, and that the prosecution presented false or misleading evidence to the grand jury.

Piccaretta said Monday he plans to appeal Judge Steven Conn's decision.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22175/warren-jeffs-110/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22170/flds-111 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22170/flds-111#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:42:44 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22170 For many FLDS parents and their children, returning to the sect's ranch has been an elusive dream. Tammy Jessop's desire to help extended family brought her to Barbara Jessop's small apartment, where she cares for 11-year-old Benjamin while his mother struggles to regain custody of his 14-year-old sister.

"We need her," said Benjamin of his big sister, who was ordered back into foster care last week by a district judge after allegations arose that the girl is an underage bride to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22170/flds-111/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22164/polygamy-49 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22164/polygamy-49#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:28:22 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22164 A push for federal help prosecuting crimes within polygamous communities has the support of a majority of Utahns, a new poll shows.

But members of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which first publicly disavowed polygamy 118 years ago, were more likely to oppose federal prosecution than "non-LDS" respondents.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22164/polygamy-49/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22141/warren-jeffs-bigamy http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22141/warren-jeffs-bigamy#comments Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:35:07 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22141 Bigamy charges have been filed in Texas against jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs and two other members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Bigamy, being married to two people at the same time, is a felony in Texas, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22141/warren-jeffs-bigamy/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22126/flds-110 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22126/flds-110#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:44:36 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22126 Church documents disclosed as part of a separate child custody case over the last several months identify at least 10 other men as allegedly having married girls who were 16 or younger.

The girls' fathers and stepfathers blessed the unions and sometimes even presided over ceremonies between other young girls and adult men, the documents show.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22126/flds-110/feed http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22119/warren-jeffs-child-bride http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22119/warren-jeffs-child-bride#comments Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:26:27 +0000 Anton Hein http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=22119 The child bride of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was ordered into foster care Tuesday by a judge who said the girl's mother had shown herself unwilling to ensure her protection from further abuse.

State District Judge Barbara Walther said "uncontroverted evidence" existed that the girl had married Jeffs when she was 12 in a wedding her father performed and her mother also witnessed.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/22119/warren-jeffs-child-bride/feed