Long story short, a dear friend's girlfriend has lost about 1/2 of her devout Mormon family in the last 6 months to a new break away Mormon sect.

I don't know much other than it isn't the Community of Christ. Many of the men in her family have divorced their wives and married new wives from the sect in a matter of weeks. It is located in rural Western Colorado. (I was not told what town)

They believe that the only true prophet was Joseph Smith and it sounds like they are holing up for the end of days ie; apocalyptic- collecting guns and storing food type of cataclysmic stuff.

Any ideas? Anyone know about this. He's a bit worried that they are poaching her family members off one by one. Ironically, the internet allowed them to research the fact the Brigham Young basically inserted himeself as heir to the throne. They realized that the revelation on polygamy wasn't doctrine and the JS had brought the rites etc. Ironically what they found on the internet sent then searching deeper into Mormonism rather than getting out.

It sounds really troubling and they are taking children with them. The girlfriend was meeting them for Thanksgiving dinner for what they feared was possibly the last time they will see them.

The sect is recruiting heavily out of rural Wyoming. Sounds like a Waco situation waiting to happen. Anyone have more details?

My friend is a bit worried that GF will follow her family there.

Sounds truly strange and bizarre.

This is the first I've heard of it, though that part of the country is known for its share of militant groups holing up in the mountains to be isolated away from the real world, in preparation of the Apocalypse they believe is to come.

Some of my relatives still reside in rural Wyoming. Though I haven't heard any of them make mention of it on our network connections.

Community of Christ is not into teaching or practicing heretical doctrines. One of the things that's separated it from LDS since their split, is that they've tried to become more Christian in their approach to religion, so not to be associated with the cult of Mormonism.

The only split in CoC I'm aware of is when the priesthood was made available to women. Some of the old timers left then for the LDS because of their chauvinism. But CoC doesn't discriminate based on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., unlike LDS do.

Would someone tell me what collecting guns and ammo have to do with Jesus Christ?
Many of these CULTS force everyone to get as many guns as possible. What does it have to do with having a life patterned after than of Jesus? Or is Jesus not a part of these CULTS?

I live in Colorado and hearing that the mainstream CULT is infiltrating northern Colorado and the Colorado SPrings area is already so far gone with that Dobson "Focus on the Family" crap and other fanatical evangelists. People there are murdering other people because they believe the other people are murderers, (literally yesterday for an example). Makes sense huh? (Spoiler - Sarcasm!)

Only the middle of Colorado seems like an OK place to be. But, it will be part of the morridor if people aren't careful. With north and south Colorado already fanatical and then some ridiculous JS CULT on the western side, I don't have the strength to deal with living within the Morridor again. I will have to move again.

Focus on the Family is fanatical and reminds me of Westboro Baptists. I have played at a few weddings in which the couple were in churches associated with F on the F. Frightening is all I can say about it.

"The sect is recruiting heavily out of rural Wyoming. " - is there a portion of Wyoming which is NOT rural?

I did find this - but is about FLDS
http://www.childbrides.org/colorado_YFZ_exclusive_by_Krakauer.html

This is another article which causes one to pause:
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/19/americas_little_known_isis_the_fundamentalist_mormon_sect_that_blends_polygamy_child_rape_and_organized_crime/

Mancos Colorado is mentioned in the 1st link above. Property was purchased by David Steed Allred (FLDS radical) in Mancos Colorado (120 acres) with plans to purchase more.

This (Mancos) might be the town you are referring to. I really don't know. Your post is the first I have heard about this. But, since I live in Colorado, this is troubling to say the least.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mancos,_Colorado

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_on_the_Family



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2015 03:28PM by verilyverily.

Community of Christ seems to be all spread out the I-25 towns in CO, though from the Springs to Greeley to Denver to Ft. Collins. These aren't western CO towns, though, so it's on the other side of the Continental Divide. It could be any town from Grand Junction to Montrose to Silverton.

Is this the group the OP is referring to?
http://www.cofchrist.org/
LMAO...If this is indeed the group, I walk the chiweenies right by the Farmington location on a regular basis.

Or something else?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2015 04:55PM by Itzpapalotl.

NOT to hijack the thread, but did you say chiweenies???????
I'd love to talk about em!

If you would like to, I'll make my email available.

Sure, we can talk about them! :) We'll get it set up.

"Would someone tell me what collecting guns and ammo have to do with Jesus Christ?"

Jesus was totally pro-Second Amendment, and could handle an AR-15 like nobody's business.

Sorry for the levity, but this just sounds so bizarre! JS was a con-man cult leader, but this root cause of LDS nuttiness it totally lost on these poor people.

On the basis of VERY little information, a Waco-type situation* might be possible. Memes, what you want to find out are things such as the type of leadership (strong, authoritarian, charismatic?), the degree of doctrinal and LIFESTYLE obedience/conformity that is required, the degree and type of separation (isolation) from the world, faith in unique & special revelations that only THEY have, things like that.

The dangers are not only Waco-type shoot-outs, but also Jonestown and Heaven's Gate suicides.

*To be even-balanced, as dangerous and evil as David Koresh was, the use of tear gas and tanks on the compound was outrageous.

Just watched a powerful video by National Geographic, on escaping a cult. Two stories, one of Warren Jeffs nephew who was raped by him as a child, and the other by two women who were part of a Christian cult in Sacramento, that is just as evil.

https://youtu.be/nZ7gDB73JOE

Amyjo, It was after I watched that same program that I drove to the post office and mailed my letter of resignation to our bishop.

Thanks for sharing that, GodLedMeOut.

During the video playing I was almost shouting at the young woman who was so brainwashed after she beat her child, under strict orders from Mrs. Green. I wanted to tell her, what are you waiting for? Get the heck out of there!

Then was relieved to learn that's exactly what she did, under cover of night, with her husband, was get out and never go back. How scary for her and to have been so brainwashed in the first place, that she ignored what was happening to her own mother as she'd been cast out from their community. I was glad the mom sued that SOB's and won her verdict. She'll never see a penny of it, but it must've made her feel vindicated to some degree.

Still, she can't reclaim what she lost because of the years she allowed that cult/sect to totally run hers and her family's lives.

Listening to Warren Jeff's nephew made my heart sick, after hearing what had happened to his two older brothers. That man is so loathsome, I'm surprised he hasn't been attacked where he's at in prison. Maybe he's left in solitary confinement just so that doesn't happen?

There have been 200 plus breakaway sects since the "martyrdom" of JS. They'll keep coming, and probably increase now, due to the shakeup caused by the internet and the fact that the church bosses will be forced to back-pedal, thus alienating some hard-liners. Mormonism has always been an apocalyptic, end-times sect, and it attracts and nurtures a lot of those wing-nuts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2015 04:48PM by rationalist01.

From a book I perused in the 1980's, there were 247 at the time, including one that said "OK Jokes over. Let's get back to practicing actual Christianity."

Wonder whatever became of them

For a partial list of Mormon off-shoot prophets, see
"Mormon Prophets After Joseph Smith"
http://packham.n4m.org/prophet2.htm

Most were visited by God or angels, and have revelations.

If there are:

Lots of eligible women my age, and,

wink-wink on the lesser commandments (WoW, sex, etc.), and

Nudity/Nudism/Naturism is O.K., and


Sign Me Up!

(or is that Sing Me Up?)

Or maybe a new sect inspired by Denver Snuffer? I don't think he's started his own church yet.

It could get to the point where the Snufferite sects are competing with each other, possibly fighting with each other, and you need a scorecard to tell which group is which.

He is probably the John The Baptist for a new Joseph Smith if this is true. Snuffer won't call himself a new Smith but I've heard of people who will, er, TLC, cough, cough.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2015 05:27PM by Elder Berry.

I think it is. I used to hang out with the Snufferites when I was having my own faith transition. They think that the New Jerusalem will be at the Grand Mesa in the mountains outside of Grand Junction, CO. They're pretty serious about getting ready for the end of the world.

Is Snuff leader of this group of eschatologists?

I'm actually not against polygamy. It's not my cup-of-tea, but among consenting adults, it should be fine. The key is, as always, personal responsibility. As long as they can support whatever kids happen, who cares? Trouble happens when jerks start marrying little nieces and shit.

Doesn't it all go that way. And boys (the spares) are thrown out into the world with no skills or education.

You have a serious point there.

Does TSCC have any programs for "Lost Boys"? Seems like they are the root cause of them.

Historically, many of the Utah sects were living off the government dole, the more children & wives the man had, the more welfare they got to live off of - food stamps and whatever else their large families were eligible for. Not sure they can still get away with that, but watched a documentary some time back, and that was how a large polygamous family subsidized itself and was able to keep reproducing.

And it "bleeds the devil" too

Devil = Gooberment for those with "discernment"

Well Jesus never had a militia but Horny Joe certainly did.

A big one for cults, of course, is interfering in marriages and families: forcibly matching people up, breaking up marriages, or (kind of passive-aggressively) manipulating people into marriages (and other families) or setting up extraordinary requirements to enter into marriage.

Obviously, LDS experienced this from the earliest days. But it shows up in many other cults, such as the Moonies, Jonestown, the (lost somewhere in Brasil) Children of God, Christian Science,* and others. If there's any of this going on...very bad news.

*Christian Science advocates "spiritual/spiritualized marriage," i.e. celibacy within matrimony. One of those things which are denied publicly, but is clearly stated in Mary Baker Eddy's writings and is idealized among the true believers.

Stepford? No, that's already code for Provo

Do they wear gym suits and tennis shoes?
Is there a comet appearing anytime soon?

This is what happens when a church starts failing. The splinters can become quite extreme. Those old guys at the top of the LDS church should bear some responsibility for the nutcases their church produces. As it is, Cliven Bundy and his kind are still in good standing in the church.