Fundamentalist Church of Jesus
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Polygyny in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada

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Polygyny in Bountiful, British Columbia (BC):

Most of the area in and around Bountiful, BC is populated by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). This is a satellite community of the main FLDS organization which is centered in Arizona, Texas and Utah. They practice polygyny -- the type of polygamous marriage involving one man and multiple wives. This tradition is called "plural marriages."

Joseph Smith, the founder of the original Church of Christ from whom this and almost a hundred other Mormon denominations have their origins, taught that the only way for a man to attain the highest of three levels of Heaven after death is to be married to at least three wives and to have many children. The only way for a woman to reach the same level is on the specific invitation of her husband.

There is a fundamental problem with plural marriages:

• The ratio of boy to girl babies born to the families is approximately 1.0
• In order to maintain a culture of plural marriages, there must be many female adults for every male adult.

Typically in the FLDS movement, most young men are expelled from the group during their teenage years. There are strong indications that girls as young as 13 are required to become the "celestial wives" (a.k.a. sister wives") of men who are often much older.

Topics covered in this section:

	FLDS history and beliefs
	Polygyny, racism & child abuse allegations
	Laws regarding polygamy in Canada and other countries
	Is the anti-polygamy law constitutional and thus enforceable?
	Events from 2004-JUL to 2008-DEC
	Events from 2009-JAN to SEP
	Events from 2009-OCT to 2010-NOV-22
	Events from 2010-NOV-23 to now. Court rules criminal code restrictions constitutional; polygamy illegal

Copyright © 2004 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2004-JUL-25
Latest update and review: 2011-NOV-24
Author: B.A. Robinson

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