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Latest Story About a "Mormon" Abusing Children

smac97

By smac97
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smac97 Grand Master

smac97

Posted
Posted

Oi:

Some articles did not include the label "Mormon" in the headline: 

The Rolling Stone article is actually one of the more concise and well-written pieces (though it has stomach-churning bit which I will not quote here) :

Quote

FEDERAL AUTHORITIES APPEAR to be closing in on an alleged polygamist cult leader accused of abusing underage girls, court documents show. In a new affidavit, an FBI agent claims Samuel Rappylee Bateman, 46, has more than 20 wives, many of them below the age of 15, that he sex-trafficked children, and that he even attempted to marry his own daughter, at one point trying to bribe her with snacks and money.

According to the FBI, Bateman was raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist subset of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations, before breaking off to lead his own sect. The mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended the practice of plural marriage in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. The FLDS, active since the 1950s, still practices polygamy. It is run by self-declared prophet Warren Jeffs, who is attempting to hold onto his control of the group while serving a life sentence for child sex abuse charges related to underage marriages. 

Bateman has been in jail in Arizona since September, when federal agents raided his homes in Colorado City, on the border with Utah. They were looking for evidence of underage marriages or sexual activities between adults and minors, according to reporting by the Salt Lake Tribune, which obtained a copy of the search warrant. Bateman was arrested and charged with three counts related to destroying records in a federal investigation. After Bateman was jailed, nine girls between the ages of 11 and 16 were taken from his homes and into the custody of state child welfare officials. The girls were placed in group homes in the Phoenix area but disappeared last week. They were found Thursday in Spokane, Washington.

At the time of the raid, Bateman was out on bond for three counts of child abuse, after state authorities stopped him in August on the highway and found three girls between the ages of 11 and 14 locked in a cargo trailer with a bucket for a toilet and no ventilation. He has pleaded not guilty to both the state and federal charges.
...
Bateman began taking other wives, amassing more than 20 of them — most of them under the age of 15 — and gathered around 50 followers. Most of his wives are from two families of his followers, the filing alleges.

From the Tribune piece:

Quote

After federal agents descended on Colorado City in September and searched the homes of Samuel Bateman, the leader of a small new offshoot of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Arizona child welfare officials removed a group of young girls from among his followers.

The nine girls, ranging in age from 11 to 16, had been in Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) custody since then, and had been staying in group homes in the suburbs of Phoenix.

Last Sunday, eight of them went missing.

But on Thursday, court documents reveal, a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy found all eight missing girls outside an Airbnb in Spokane, in a vehicle driven by Moretta Rose Johnson. Johnson, 19, was taken into custody and is accused of kidnapping in a federal complaint.
...
Also on Thursday, in Colorado City, Ariz., a 24-year-old woman who was among Bateman’s followers was arrested. She was booked into the Mohave County jail on suspicion of kidnapping, obstructing a criminal investigation, resisting arrest and tampering with a witness.

According to federal court documents, Bateman called that woman from jail in Arizona on Sunday at approximately 8:38 p.m., in a video call that was recorded. That woman was driving a vehicle, and another woman in the car told Bateman they had two of the girls, court documents said.

The next day, the woman who had been the passenger told Bateman, from what appeared to be a hotel room, that they had all of the girls but one, court documents said.

From the Mirror piece:

Quote

A Bentley-driving "Mormon prophet" is accused of having 20 "wives", some as young as nine.

Samuel Rappylee Bateman, 46, from Arizona, was arrested in September after he was allegedly caught transporting underage girls inside a trailer which had just one sofa and a bucket for a toilet.

The FBI revealed on Friday the suspect is accused of "marrying" up to 20 women along with girls as young as nine.
...

According to FBI Agent Dawn A. Martin, Bateman "began to proclaim he was a prophet" and outlined his desire to marry his own teenage daughter in 2019.

She added the suspect has "approximately 50 followers and more than 20 wives, many of whom are minors, mostly under the age of 15."

The evidence against him also includes recordings of Bateman talking to a couple in Colorado City, Arizona, who were filming a documentary.

The article goes on to describe the contents of the recording (as does the New York Post piece).  Utterly depraved, terrible stuff.  Hard to stomach and fathom, really.

From BizPacReview:

Quote

While in custody, federal prosecutor Patrick Schneider said the radical leader reached out to his followers in Colorado City from the Coconino County Jail and told them to secure passports for all the women and girls and to delete messages sent through Signal, an encrypted messaging app. For that, Bateman was indicted for “Destruction of Records or an Attempt to Destroy Records in an Official Proceeding; Tampering or Attempting to Tamper with an Official Proceeding; and Destruction of Records in a Federal Investigation,” according to Arizona’s District Attorney’s Office.
...

Bateman grew up as a member of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a radical offshoot of the Morman church, which abandoned polygamy in 1890.

In 2019, he “began to proclaim he was a prophet,” Martin stated.

Bateman’s followers — a group so extreme, even convicted child rapist and fellow FLDS cult leader Warren Jeffs denounced him, according to the Daily Mail — are comprised of approximately 50 members and more than 20 wives “many of whom are minors, mostly under the age of 15,” Martin said.

A few thoughts:

1. Assuming the allegations against this man are proven, I hope he is punished to the fullest extent of the law.  

2. It sounds like several of his adult wives colluded with him.  If so, I hope they are also punished.  While I appreciate that they may have been inculcated to behave in these terrible ways, the same excuse might also be claimed by Samuel Bateman.  

3. From the Rolling Stone piece: "Bateman began taking other wives, amassing more than 20 of them — most of them under the age of 15 — and gathered around 50 followers. Most of his wives are from two families of his followers, the filing alleges."  This sounds like a very small and insular group that fell into depravity.

4. I hope these young women get the counseling and resources they need.  What a terrible experience for them.

5. Bateman apparently founded an offshoot from the FLDS folks, who in turn have their origins in the "Council of Friends" from late 1920s and early 1930s, which arose after the 1904 Second Manifesto.  The "Mormon" label nevertheless seemingly evokes a one-to-one connection between Bateman and the Latter-day Saints.  Very unfortunate.

Thanks,

-Smac

2
Meadowchik Grand Master

Meadowchik

Posted
Posted

Not surprising that Mormon offshoots get related to the most known branch of the Latter-Day Saints tree. 

Is there anything any LDS leaders could have done historically to reduce or prevent these crimes especially insofar as they were inspired by the LDS church? Is there anything further that could be done now?

Damien the Leper Grand Master

Damien the Leper

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, smac97 said:

Oi:

Some articles did not include the label "Mormon" in the headline: 

The Rolling Stone article is actually one of the more concise and well-written pieces (though it has stomach-churning bit which I will not quote here) :

From the Tribune piece:

From the Mirror piece:

The article goes on to describe the contents of the recording (as does the New York Post piece).  Utterly depraved, terrible stuff.  Hard to stomach and fathom, really.

From BizPacReview:

A few thoughts:

1. Assuming the allegations against this man are proven, I hope he is punished to the fullest extent of the law.  

2. It sounds like several of his adult wives colluded with him.  If so, I hope they are also punished.  While I appreciate that they may have been inculcated to behave in these terrible ways, the same excuse might also be claimed by Samuel Bateman.  

3. From the Rolling Stone piece: "Bateman began taking other wives, amassing more than 20 of them — most of them under the age of 15 — and gathered around 50 followers. Most of his wives are from two families of his followers, the filing alleges."  This sounds like a very small and insular group that fell into depravity.

4. I hope these young women get the counseling and resources they need.  What a terrible experience for them.

5. Bateman apparently founded an offshoot from the FLDS folks, who in turn have their origins in the "Council of Friends" from late 1920s and early 1930s, which arose after the 1904 Second Manifesto.  The "Mormon" label nevertheless seemingly evokes a one-to-one connection between Bateman and the Latter-day Saints.  Very unfortunate.

Thanks,

-Smac

Good grief! At this point your church should just distance itself from the term "Mormon". Maybe make a specific change to "Book of That Guy".

All joking aside...if true then this guy can rot.

1
LoudmouthMormon Veteran

LoudmouthMormon

Posted
Posted

My dad always told me the story of spending a few years here as a child in the 1930's:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_of_Truth%2C_Utah#Raising_the_dead

Summary: Crazy lady runs commune, claims to be prophet/reincarnated Virgin Mary, makes prophecies concerning resurrection.  Someone dies and she and her followers keep the corpse around and feed it, until the Sherriff makes them knock it off.  

I used to think that Great Depression frontier America was a crazy time, with stories like this.  With all of Smac's links, I realize all times are crazy.  Or better put, there are crazy elements among humans all the time.

3
  • Popular Post
bluebell Grand Master

bluebell

Posted
  • Popular Post
Posted
1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

Bad fruit that polygamy.

If sex crimes are the litmus test, then wouldn’t monogamy be equally bad fruit?

6
Tacenda Grand Master

Tacenda

Posted
Posted
Just now, bluebell said:

If sex crimes are the litmus test, then wouldn’t monogamy be equally bad fruit?

Well, I'm just saying the young age of the marriages specifically. At least that's what pops in my mind every time I read the ages. But you make a good point.

gav Rising Star

gav

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Bad fruit that polygamy.

I can't eat polygamy, but I can consume the Book of Mormon, PoGP, and D&C and they have seeds within that can be nurtured for a next round of harvest.

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The Nehor Grand Master

The Nehor

Posted
  • Popular Post
Posted
2 hours ago, bluebell said:

If sex crimes are the litmus test, then wouldn’t monogamy be equally bad fruit?

Cut out the middle man. Sexuality itself bore all this bad fruit.

5
The Nehor Grand Master

The Nehor

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, gav said:

I can't eat polygamy, but I can consume the Book of Mormon, PoGP, and D&C and they have seeds within that can be nurtured for a next round of harvest.

I find quads to be tastier than the separate triple combination and Bible set.

Meadowchik Grand Master

Meadowchik

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Bad fruit that polygamy.

"That" polygamy being key here with Mormonism because of its scripturally-codified coercive nature...thereby giving men scripture to reinforce evil pressure towards women and other men. 

And the historical distancing of the church from polygamy has repeatedly been one with mixed messages, providing believers further support or continuing that old coercive pressure.

Even now the mixed messages abound. The LDS Church has not completely ended plural marriage, as it is still regarded as a celestial principle and perpetuated in it's temples intending it for the afterlife. And obviously it hasn't called it's institutionalization of it a mistake, just stopped the practice of live polygamy for now.

1
JLHPROF Grand Master

JLHPROF

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, The Nehor said:

Cut out the middle man. Sexuality itself bore all this bad fruit.

Considering it was partaking of the fruit that brought about sexuality it's an interesting cycle.

2
gav Rising Star

gav

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

Considering it was partaking of the fruit that brought about sexuality it's an interesting cycle.

Touché! 

smac97 Grand Master

smac97

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

"That" polygamy being key here with Mormonism because of its scripturally-codified coercive nature...thereby giving men scripture to reinforce evil pressure towards women and other men. 

Could you elaborate?  What is the "coercive nature" of  polygamy?

10 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

And the historical distancing of the church from polygamy has repeatedly been one with mixed messages, providing believers further support or continuing that old coercive pressure.

Could you elaborate?  What "mixed messages" are you referencing here?

10 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

Even now the mixed messages abound. The LDS Church has not completely ended plural marriage, as it is still regarded as a celestial principle and perpetuated in it's temples intending it for the afterlife.

This seems like a substantial equivocation.  Being sealed to more than one person via religious ceremonies is qualitatively different from "plural marriage" as that term is understood and utilized in general discourse.  The former is purely a question of belief, whereas the the latter is objective and quantifiable.

Let's say that John and Jane marry and Jane later dies.  John believes that he is still married to her in some sense, but after a few years nevertheless marries another woman, Jill.  Does the law treat John as being in a "plural marriage?  Does society?  No and no. Is John actually in a plural marriage?  That's a purely subjective question left entirely to the individual.

10 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

And obviously it hasn't called it's institutionalization of it a mistake, just stopped the practice of live polygamy for now.

Yes, that is so.  The Church has likewise not called animal sacrifice under the Law of Moses "a mistake," just stopped the practice.

Both offend, via presentism, our modern sensibilities, and understandably - but not objectively - so.

Thanks,

-Smac

Edited by smac97
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Kenngo1969 Grand Master

Kenngo1969

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, Tacenda said:

Bad fruit that polygamy.

Some of us wouldn't be here without it.  <_<  But ... maybe you're right: Maybe the world would be better off without us.  (???)

2
JLHPROF Grand Master

JLHPROF

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Ambrosia said:

Sex is either male or female, or hermaphrodite in such cases where that applies.  So, No, it wasn't the partaking of some fruit that made Adam a male and Eve a female.  They were already male and female before they ate that fruit. 

I said sexuality not gender.  "Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed."

1
JLHPROF Grand Master

JLHPROF

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

I always knew I was a mistake.

It was mistake.  When we inevitably allow same sex relationships then we will be making a fatal mistake.

ksfisher Grand Master

ksfisher

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Ambrosia said:

Okay, I see what you meant now.  I just wouldn't call that the beginning of sexuality when the sexuality of each sex is innate in each person's own sex..

Ahab?

3
The Nehor Grand Master

The Nehor

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

It was mistake.  When we inevitably allow same sex relationships then we will be making a fatal mistake.

I have a hard time believing that the fatal act of self-destruction will be caused by a small minority of the population and due to a desire which most of humanity has no interest in. The small lgbt minority is going to condemn all of mankind and strike the final blow to end civilization? Shouldn’t God pick a more predatory sin to burn us down over? Something a little more pervasive?

Edited by The Nehor
1
Meadowchik Grand Master

Meadowchik

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, smac97 said:

Could you elaborate?  What is the "coercive nature" of  polygamy?

Could you elaborate?  What "mixed messages" are you referencing here?

This seems like a substantial equivocation.  Being sealed to more than one person via religious ceremonies is qualitatively different from "plural marriage" as that term is understood and utilized in general discourse.  The former is purely a question of belief, whereas the the latter is objective and quantifiable.

Let's say that John and Jane marry and Jane later dies.  John believes that he is still married to her in some sense, but after a few years nevertheless marries another woman, Jill.  Does the law treat John as being in a "plural marriage?  Does society?  No and no. Is John actually in a plural marriage?  That's a purely subjective question left entirely to the individual.

Yes, that is so.  The Church has likewise not called animal sacrifice under the Law of Moses "a mistake," just stopped the practice.

Both offend, via presentism, our modern sensibilities, and understandably - but not objectively - so.

Thanks,

-Smac

Hold on, could we start by you answering my questions? They were in the first reply to your OP.

gav Rising Star

gav

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, The Nehor said:

I have a hard time believing that the fatal act of self-destruction will be caused by a small minority of the population and due to a desire which most of humanity has no interest in. The small lgbt minority is going to condemn all of mankind and strike the final blow to end civilization? Shouldn’t God pick a more predatory sin to burn us down over? Something a little more pervasive?

My take is that it is anything that destroys the wholesome perpetuation of the species i.e. destroys good family structure and societies.

So the potential candidate behaviours are myriad and cumulative.

The scriptures are full of destruction stories and the circumstances leading up to said destructions. Child sacrifice features prominently, even among the lead up of the scattering of Israel and the Judah. I always wonder if abortion somehow falls into that category and that, among many other anti-family trends, is pretty pervasive.

2
pondering Explorer

pondering

Posted
Posted

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Given all the different religious groups out there, with agency to follow one's conscience and follow which idea supports a God who is both Just, and Loving.. I choose to believe in a God who treats men and women equally.  I find no problems rejecting doctrines and beliefs of men which are not just, not loving, and not merciful.  

Midlife "awakening"... there comes a point within each person's life where they stop relying on arms of flesh, realize that no other person has any authority over them, that we are all just imperfect people, and you become your own authority figure.  Not that you fully trust yourself, but you learn to live with ambiguity for some things, and feel no angst in rejecting what is obviously wrong within institutions, government, and religious.  All leaders are fallen, all are just people.

The word "Mormon" was not used in my family's newspaper articles, though he was in the bishopric.  It was "boy scout" leader that was in all the papers.  I would have liked for the word "Mormon" to be there as some of the videos were from inside a meetinghouse - but his name was linked to the names of his victims, and his shame shared by the children, so as much as it would be great to see his name dragged through the mud, trying to protect the names of the children was more important.  Anyways, he's now in jail the rest of his life.  thanks to atheist's.  thanks to the secular world.  

 

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