Stolen Innocence - Lisa Pulitzer [121]
At the center of town, some of the church elders erected a monument to Uncle Roy and the raid, and the unveiling was held on July 26, with Mayor Dan Barlow leading us in the dedication. Some of the local craftsmen had engraved the monument with these special words: “The Prophet Leroy S. Johnson stood on this site with the people and met the raiding police officers. He later declared the deliverance of the people in 1953 was one of the greatest miracles of all time.”
On the day of the dedication, Warren was away on one of his mysterious trips, but when he returned in early August and learned what had been done in his absence, he was livid. On Sunday, August 10, he stood up in church and chastised the people of Short Creek, accusing us of being like the people in Moses’ day, worshipping the golden calf as he was receiving the Ten Commandments from God. He told us that he’d received a revelation from God and commanded the destruction of the monument. “Verily I say unto you my servant Warren, my people have sinned a very grievous sin before me, in that they have raised up monuments to man and have not glorified me,” Warren related to us the terrifying revelation. Never before had he dictated a revelation directly to the people, and hearing how angry the Lord was with us for partaking in “idolatry” struck fear into our hearts.
Warren accused the people of being unworthy of future blessings and declared there would be no more meetings held, neither priesthood nor Sunday meetings. He also commanded that there would be no more marriages, baptisms, or confirmations. But he said the people would continue to pay tithing to him and support the FLDS storehouse.
Raising his hand in the air, our prophet told us that the land of Short Creek would now be “cursed.”
“I want that monument plowed to the ground, broken into pieces, and scattered in the hills where no one can find them,” he commanded, “and all the pictures and stories put in the church archives and forgotten.”
Terrified, several church elders jumped to their feet and raced out of the meetinghouse to follow his directive, bulldozing the monument that very afternoon. As time went on, we would see that Warren’s tirade had been prompted by jealousy. The monument and slide show had honored another time and another prophet. There was little mention of either Jeffs.
That day, Uncle Warren officially put an end to what had become a way of life for the people of the FLDS. He delivered a message from God, informing us that because of what we had done there would be no more socials, no more school, and no Harvest Fest. He had effectively ended Short Creek social life. We were to repent and pray privately that the Lord would forgive us.
For many, losing the right to marry was the severest punishment. It was unclear how long the ban would be in effect or if it would ever be lifted. Those men with fewer than three wives worried that they would never attain eternal salvation, while unmarried women feared that they would not gain entrance to heaven unless they were placed beside a man.
It was the harshest punishment Warren had ever issued, and it set off a frenzy of anxiety. Our salvation was at stake, and it was looking less and less likely that we would all be saved together. If Warren’s words held true, some of us would be saved, but most of us would not.
On August 31 my mom and I decided to quietly phone Kassandra to wish her a happy birthday. When I called, Ryan picked up the phone, and after I asked to speak with Kassandra, he informed me that she was in labor. I was shocked. I didn’t know she was pregnant. When Kassandra finally phoned us back, we learned that she and Ryan were living together, and they now had a newborn son.