FLDS, religious freedom or an aberration?

This story is the opinion of a former LDS member, me, and as such, I shall not quote any sites, but rather go by my personal knowledge of facts.

When I was growing up, the LDS church had not yet sealed or changed some of the original writings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. As such, three points must be made clear.

1. Church doctrine regarding polygamy when originally issued was that "polygamy is an everlasting covenant" given to the LDS  prophet BY God. The key word here is "everlasting". Look it up in any dictionary and you come to the conclusion that polygamy IS to be practiced by ALL Mormons till the end of time.

2. Mormons believe that to be a TRUE prophet of God, EVERY word the prophet utters as being FROM God must be true and/or come true.

3. Mainstream Mormons abandoned the practice of polygamy for one reason and one reason only. That reason being that in order for Utah to be granted state-hood, the Mormons had to abandon the practice of having multiple wives.  So the prophet at the time supposedly received another "vision" from God that polygamy was no longer to be practiced. (Hey God, what ever happened to the word "everlasting"?)

Utah was allowed into the Union and all was right with the world.....or was it? This created quite a stir in the Mormon church, especially among practicing polygamists. How could the prophet break up their happy, multiple wives, homes? Obviously they blamed the prophet for a false vision, rather than blame God for changing his mind. As I was growing up, I believed that if there IS a God, he certainly isn't going to change his mind on things just to fit the times. The reorganized LDS church took the same view as me. IF God truly is a supreme being, he's never wrong and won't change his laws and doctrine, midstream or otherwise.

I won't even pretend here to know what rift caused the FLDS church to grow from the "reorganized" LDS church, but it's quite obvious that whatever it was, the FLDS still maintained that polygamy is an everlasting covenant and continued it's practice.

All that being said, is it within the powers of the Federal Government to interfere with a fundamental principle of a religious group? Or is it a case of the Feds overstepping the bounds of separation of church and state? Wasn't America started for the purpose of religious and personal freedom? Have we not fought wars to protect those very freedoms?

I can fully understand why the FLDS exists. Not just due to faith in God's word but (with the exception of those awful looking clothes and hairstyles) the idea of having the legal right to have sex with more than one woman. The idea that the male is the supreme leader of the household. And isn't it quite interesting that one result of the ORIGINAL concept of polygamy within the church is the love of family and having LARGE families? Be fruitful and multiply they say. It's also a fact in the mainstream, reorganized and FLDS sects that 8-10 children is not only desirable but the norm.

Women in the church are even looked down upon if they can't bear multiple fruit. I know my mom was, even though it wasn't her fault. She had to have a hysterectomy after giving birth to me and before she could have any more kids.

Mormons of all flavors believe that doing good works is one of the keys to heaven. Bearing as many kids as possible happens to be one of those "good works". 

And if anyone notices, there are no African Americans in the reorganized OR FLDS sects. When I was growing up, we were taught that black skin was the curse God put on Cain for killing Abel. Further proof that the reorganized and FLDS branches believe that the mainstream church strayed from TRUE visions from God is that blacks were allowed entry into the church. The fact is, a group of blacks attempted to sue the LDS church for admission and so suddenly a new "vision" allowed blacks to join. But they were not allowed to hold the priesthood or the women admitted to the relief society (the women's group within the church) until a FURTHER clarification of the vision was released. Now blacks are allowed full membership, though it's my understanding that interacial  marriages are still discouraged and frowned upon.

This is all further reasons for FLDS to feel they're right and that the mainstream church is wrong and that government intervention in their lives is illegal and unwarranted.

Certainly it can be said with the FLDS, just like with anything else in life, that some people have taken things too far and corrupted religions principles, such as marrying off 12-13 yr olds to much older men, but still, it IS religious freedom that is at stake.

Say what you will, but I am actually rooting for Warren Jeffs even though I don't believe he's any more of a prophet than I am, but he's fighting for his religious rights and as such, should prevail, especially since the tip that led authorities to raid the compound is at best, suspect.