A response to Mahonri:

Either I didn’t make myself clear or your acrobatic semantics is designed to confuse the issues - either way I am no more a fan of "political correctness" than you seem to be.

You are correct when you say the Utah Territorial government was corrupt but you neglected to say that Brigham Young was the Territorial Governor - and the impetus behind the corruption.

Thanks for plugging my soon to be published Mormon Polygamy, A Virus of the Mind. I will anticipate and welcome your review because you are in for a surprise. I provide clear and convincing evidence that Mormon Plural Marriage is 99 % secular as opposed to 1 % spiritual - and even then 1 % is a stretch. Joseph Smith and especially Brigham Young pulled off one of the dirtiest tricks on women ever conjured by the human brain. The most diabolical chicanery was the Christian dogma that Eve was responsible for introducing sin into the world.

I also thank you for mentioning T.B.H. (Thomas) and Fanny Stenhouse who I quote in my up-and-coming new book. As the reconstruction of the polygamybooks website progresses you will find both Stenhouse books are made available to the serious student of Mormonism. Included in the reprint of each book will be a copyrighted Preface comparing Brigham’s brand of polygamy with today’s brand of polygamy. I will present conclusive proof that polygamy practiced in the Nineteenth Century was as shameful and "unprincipled" as it is today. And it is worth mentioning that Thomas’ Rocky Mountain Saints is one of the most accurate and often quoted historical accounts of early Mormonism up to 1876.

Thomas and Fanny were apostates to be sure but they were dissidents, like me, because of the dishonesty and corruption associated with polygamy. The Stenhouses were well acquainted with Brigham Young. Fanny’s book is titled Tell It All, and she sure does, especially about Brigham’s tyranny and dishonesty.

I discern that you are an accomplished student of Mormonism. As such didn’t you learn that many good Latter-day Saints like William Law yearned for a return to the basics of the Mormon faith - that is before polygamy, consecration and infallibility became the backbone of Mormonism.

Apostates from the orthodox LDS Church do not provoke an emotional knee-jerk among the faithful as it does with Mormon fundamentalists. Fundamentalist hate apostates because they can expose the salacious and despotic improprieties of Mormon fundamentalism.

By the way I am not a feminist supporter but a civil rights advocate. Nor am I aware of a feminist group that has spoken out against Mormon polygamy which has always puzzled me. Men are also exploited by ambitious self-appointed prophets. It may also surprise you that I make no apologies for my polygamist past. I was one of the lucky ones who came out of the adventure much better off than when I went in. That’s because I didn’t fall for all the sophistry and money-making schemes concocted by priesthood miscreants.

There is nothing magical about the words "religion" and "sincere" that mandates respect. You were right as rain when you pointed out the semantic mutilation of the word "gay." In my opinion to use the words "religion" and "sincere" in conjunction with Mormon polygamy is just as disjointed. The test that should apply to respecting Mormon polygamy is whether or not it improves the human condition. It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to see that overall Mormon polygamy is a step backwards into the barbaric Middle Ages.

What are the positive results of Mormon polygamy? After 20 years of struggling through the lifestyle (its not the bed of roses some men think) I can only point to three potentially secular, positive aspects - and they are by far outweighed by the negative. Can you guess what they are? And can you discern why I used the word "struggle?"