None of the past 20 month’s is new to the Mormons on the Ranch, they have been battling persecution and bigotry all their lives.
Today’s verdict was not unexpected, it’s very difficult to do battle with ignorant individuals who assume everything their government tells them is true.
Those who dare to not follow in lock-step, are jailed, discredited, or roasted to death.
To me, Raymond joins a very long and distinguished group of men, women and even children who were beaten, jailed, and even killed for daring to hold onto their Faith.
In the Book of Mormon, several persons die and are honored as martyrs. The prophet Abinadi is the most notable example (Mosiah 12:1-17:1). Others include the women and children of Ammonihah who were burned to death for their beliefs (Alma 14:1-10). At the death of those women and children, the prophet Alma 2 assured his friend amulek that “the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory” (Alma 14:11).
The Doctrine and Covenants teaches that “all they who have given their lives for [God’s] name shall be crowned” (D&C 101:15) and that the blood of the innocent ascends to God “in testimony” (D&C 109:49; cf. 98:13). In this connection, members of the Church refer to the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith as “the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch” (D&C 135:1). The Lord spoke through Brigham Young that “it was needful that [Joseph Smith] should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned” (D&C 136:39; cf. 135).
Those are the words that Raymond still lives by, even when his fellow Mormon’s abandon the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young; Even when he loses his freedom, his belongings, his home; Even as the cell door shuts behind him, he has his Faith, his dignity, his community and his Family and true friends behind him.
The bigots and the haters need someone like Raymond around. If it wasn’t the Mormon’s, they would go after the Hispanics, or the Jews, or the blacks. Like a bully in a school yard, they will only go after the meekest among themselves. Those who they know won’t fight back, or will flee in terror of them. Lift a fist to them or dare to challenge them, and they fold like the cowards they are.
What they have wrongly done to Raymond needs to be challenged, and it needs to be challenged in the only meaningful way they understand; in Court with lawsuits that will rock their bigoted world to it’s core.
I implore the FLDS leadership to stand up to the tyranny that they want to heap upon your religion until they have destroyed it, along with your women and children. They have no problem attacking your children, and have even promised to do it again. The only way you will be left in peace is to make it so prohibitively expensive for them to attack you, that they capitulate and go find an easier target to make themselves feel superior to.
As for Raymond, his friends support him with the same tenacity that we supported the children with, and as with the children, we will rest when you are once again free to practice your religion despite barbie’s persecution.
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