Zion’s Dystopia – The FLDS in Eldorado, Texas (Part 3 – Conclusion)

As I photograph the Schleicher County Courthouse in Eldorado, a voice behind me says, “Nice building, huh? It’s the same kind of limestone that the polygamists used for their temple.” Surprised, I turn to see a man maybe in his late forties, five feet away but coming closer, and I ask him, “Have you been to the compound, or talked to anyone there?” The sunshine is intense as we study each other, standing on the tended lawn. I squint but … Read on…

Zion’s Dystopia: The FLDS in Eldorado, Texas (Part 2)

FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs likely succeeded his father Rulon T. Jeffs in 2002; this information is disputed, and Warren recently claimed that he was not the true prophet, but rather had been deceived by evil powers into believing this heresy. The Eldorado Success newspaper, however, has tracked both the development of the YFZ compound and the power struggle within the FLDS, and offers the view that Warren fought off challengers to assume his father’s preeminent position. Dying of natural causes … Read on…

Zion’s Dystopia: The FLDS in Eldorado, Texas (Part 1)

The temple of the Yearning for Zion (YFZ) compound gleams, pure and white, in the sunshine of West Texas. I pull over on the side of Rudd Road, a bumpy asphalt strip that divides ranch land and homes, some as simple as singlewide trailers where laundry hangs on clotheslines beneath which pass young goats and other small livestock. In late April, mesquite and cedar trees are greening, and yellow flowers bloom beside the growing, sprouting prairie grass. This rolling land … Read on…

Cliff’s Notes: The Bible (Scene One)

The play consists of several scenes, featuring different Bible characters. An Evangelical preacher introduces each scene with a quotation of scripture, and also comments throughout the play. A stage manager occasionally holds up cue cards, to let the audience know if they should boo, hiss, cheer, etc. This play was first performed at First Unitarian Universalist Church in Lubbock, Texas. Note: Though children are featured in the play, adults played the roles. For permission to use, please contact Cliff Ashby … Read on…

The “New Atheists”: Are They Saying Anything New?

From a presentation made by Marilyn Westfall at the Theatre of the Upper Arlington Library, Columbus, OH August 4, 2007. When I originally was asked to speak on this topic-“The New Atheists, Are They Saying Anything New?”-my memory went back to the time when I was a Catholic, which was at least nominally until about age 19. I recall how I wouldn’t dare to ask any priest or nun, “Are you saying anything new?” Such a question, if I were … Read on…

Prodigal

Ex-Jesus freak turned gay stud, you still quoted from Job when, roughed up and rolled, you begged for quick healing; not that you believed a word you prayed, nor did I, both apostates, both teenaged outcasts, and I was hardly surprised when one night, bruises faded, you fled Texas without a note. Driving through Wisconsin, three a.m., you stopped to photograph a town, you wrote, was calm and white as a child’s Bethlehem. You mailed the print to me, but … Read on…

Global Warming – The Eloquent Engineer

In today’s politically charged environment, we are increasingly confronted with people supporting their particular agenda with misinformation and distortion. This form of dialog has reared its ugly head in our politics, in our schools, and even in the slightest interaction with strangers. Commentaries printed on the opinion pages of my local newspaper the last few weeks are prime examples of this rising epidemic of global hot air. The authors are not interested in reason, logic, or facts, just in pursuing … Read on…

An Interview With August E. Brunsman IV

August E. Brunsman IV, Executive Director, Secular Student Alliance Brunsman has been the unpaid Executive Director of the SSA since 2001 and has been the paid ED since October 2004. Before that, he worked as a programmer for the Institute for Humanist Studies for three years. In 1997 he founded Students for Freethought at the Ohio State University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa majoring in psychology and minoring in mathematics and cognitive science in 2001. Brunsman is also the … Read on…

Mission Dolores Part I (of four)

At Mission Delores, San Francisco: Religious Romance & Genocide I – The Chapel, An Odyssey The soured wood of the church doors flavors the air. Stone tile cools my knees. I unzip my forest green backpack and remove a notepad wedged between books and my rolled-up windbreaker. On the dusky burgundy squares, my pack is a lump disrupting the floor’s diamond pattern.            Until minutes ago, I was weighed down by that pack, searching for Dolores and Sixteenth streets-the location of … Read on…