As a little girl I had no idea that there were other people like us in the greater world. In my little cosmos, “The Allreds” was the only true church of God.
There wasn’t even a real name for my religion and I never questioned why. My prophet was Rulon Allred and when he died during my tween years, the new prophet was his brother Owen. I knew there were other members of our organization in Utah and Mexico, but it was all kept so secret that I had no label for my system of belief. I just knew that our way was the only way and we were the only people God really loved.
After I ran away from home, I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, the only logical place I knew to go. Then I moved around the country in search of myself and my own truth. Imagine trying to explain a religion that had no name as I traveled from city to city and state to state. More than a decade later I discovered that I had been a “Fundamentalist Mormon.” Who knew? It took me a while to understand the label and it came as a great relief – I could at least answer the question of “what religion were you” without feeling like a fool.
About 10 years ago or so, I started diving deeper into my personal history and the history of my childhood religion, in a desire to understand. I wanted to make sure that my memoirs, when they were released, were as accurate as possible, based on the information I could gather. I began to discover the “other” groups I had only heard brief mention of in my younger years.
As a child I knew they were the wrong religion because they had the wrong prophet, and that was all I knew.
In my search for greater understanding I found myself as entrenched with the story of the F.L.D.S. (Short Creek is how I knew it as a child) along with everyone else in the country. Perhaps even more because I understood the underlying dogma. I found myself visiting Colorado City (Short Creek) on several occasions, shooting footage for a documentary that sadly still sits on the cutting room floor. I met extraordinary people and heard extraordinary stories of what really went on at Y.F.Z. Ranch and still goes on today in the F.L.D.S.
Yesterday, one of those extraordinary women shared a blog post that I am forwarding on to you. Brenda is a woman of amazing courage. I’ve never met her in person but when I first met her through a Facebook group she was fresh from the farm, so to speak. She looked and sounded exactly the way you would expect, having just left her uncultured home, fortunately with kids in tow. Since that time she has educated herself, become a prolific writer and supporter of those who are looking for life and truth outside of the F.L.D.S.
Here is her most recent blog post and an update on what really happened in the raid on Yearning For Zion Ranch and in Colorado City as Warren Jeffs fades into memory, yet not far enough. Check it out HERE.
Until next time BE FEARLESS & FREE!
The Polygamist's Daughter 