Posted 3/05/2005 05:14:00 PM by Douglas

Mormons in Texas: Imagine how we're a bit gunshy about the term compound

The fact that the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is transforming the 1,700-acre YFZ ranch — short for Yearn for Zion — into a sprawling headquarters is disturbing to others as well in this sleepy West Texas county of 3,000 residents.

"You get a sect like this, and everyone wants to compare it to Waco," said Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran, referring to the deadly stand-off between federal officials and Branch Davidian leader David Koresh in 1993.

Well, if the hail of gunfire fits. Seriously, there's got to be a reason that these people have been driven out of every state they've lived in, and are totally shunned by the LDS Church in Salt Lake City. Why? Well, there's this:

In recent years, though, Jeffs and his group have come under increasing scrutiny from the media, anti-polygamy activists and law enforcement officials. They are facing two civil lawsuits by former members and ongoing criminal investigations by Utah and Arizona authorities, Utah officials said.

Former members accuse Jeffs and other church members of taking wives as young as 14.

"They believe that at the end of time, the city of Zion will be built with gold in a precinct near the Gulf of Mexico," Mankin explained. "Now, if you're from Houston, Eldorado may not seem that close to the Gulf. But if you're from Utah, it might."

Ok, so they need a map, too. That's not a crime. There's more, though, and a reason why they're marrying off 14 year old girls.

Jeffs and his father, the prophet known as Uncle Rulon, have predicted the coming of "the destructions," the apocalypse, at least four times in the past five years, Mankin said. The latest doomsday prediction was for Jan. 5.

"What I'm learning is that every time there is one of these apocalyptic visions, it coincides with a spike in the number of underage marriages," Mankin said. "These girls aren't interested in 50- or 60-year-old men, but all of a sudden (the) world is ending and you need to marry to be lifted up to heaven."

We all know it's not a crime to use the "end of the world" story to get a little tail, but it's kinda different story when she's 14, and when you're already married. Twice. As I've said before when this story first surfaced, this is just weird.