NPR reported yesterday that authorities from Texas, Utah and Arizona have met secretly to decide how to deal with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). FLDS members are considered one of the country's largest groups of polygamists. The Church teaches that each man should have at least three wives and as many children as possible. The religous group dominates the towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, and have recently created a new outpost in west Texas (see prior related post).
Authorities are concerned about sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and welfare and tax fraud. They also claim that payrolls of the public schools are padded with jobs for church members and that local police are controlled by the church. Members who question the church or its teachings are apparently exiled, and it is reported that their wives and children are reassigned to other church members.
