Stolen Innocence Quotes
"For us, it is the priesthood of God or nothing." —FLDS PARABLE
"I was nine years old and a little bit confused, but mostly I was excited because everyone else at the dinner table was acting so happy for our father."
"We were God’s chosen people—and when Judgment Day came, we would be the only ones allowed into heaven."
"Members of the FLDS believe they are following the true Mormon religion as it was first envisioned by Joseph Smith."
"The wicked would all be destroyed and when it seemed like none would survive, the Lord would lift the worthiest people—us—off the earth while the devastation passed beneath us."
"Trying to coexist in a single-family home with multiple children and two women sharing the same husband had presented challenges that began soon after my mother arrived more than twenty-five years earlier."
"To hold priesthood, a man must prove his worthiness by showing his absolute devotion to the work of God through strict obedience to the key holder of the priesthood, the prophet."
"We were taught to always put on a good face, even when things are going poorly."
"My heart was pounding as she raced after Jacob to the kitchen only to be greeted by the grim sight of flames licking at the kitchen walls."
"The prophet can do no wrong." —WARREN JEFFS
"Despite his youth, Grandpa Newel had traveled alone with sixty head of cattle to the remote and barren land in southern Utah that his father had homesteaded, and it was there that he made good on his promise to his father that he would establish a fully functioning ranch."
"Grandpa Newel’s belief in the principle of plural marriage first took root when, at the age of ten, he accompanied his father to a clandestine meeting of men still in the Mormon Church who continued to embrace the practice in secret."
"When we arrived, the house looked cozy, the snow-covered ground and the white picket fence that surrounded the historic wood residence giving it a homey feel."
"As we tried to process complex emotions, we couldn’t help but feel that Dad had been unjustly dealt with."
"Things were not perfect at home and something did need to change, but breaking the family apart would not solve the problem."
"Perhaps it was the change of climate or the stress of losing my dad that had me fighting off constant colds and spells of the flu."
"I lingered in the living room, watching my parents share a few romantic moments, heartened to again see them expressing their love for each other."
"The twin towns felt like home to everyone; there everyone knew one another by name and many were related by blood or marriage."
"Uncle Rulon was carried to his room, and Warren was contacted immediately."
"The fact that Travis was again around only made the twins more restless."
"I already felt like an outcast, but now I was on a life raft all by myself."
"In spite of this, I still tried to maintain friendships with the girls and boys in my grade."
"With a fresh feeling of betrayal and anger, I later confronted my stepsister."
"But I hadn’t heard of anyone getting married at fourteen for some time."
"I was horrified that my private writings might not actually be private."
"This was the last straw for Brad, who had been a constant target of Uncle Fred’s scrutiny since his arrival."
"I couldn’t understand how my mother could make such a choice."
"Uncle Warren said that our prophet’s call was 'Leave apostates alone, severely.'"
"I felt physically ill as I stood to leave."
"Just because I care about my life doesn’t mean I’m turning down the prophet," I replied coldly.
"There’s a back door. We could just, like, run."
"Mom," I urged again, "this is going to be the biggest mistake of my life. I can feel it and I know it."
"Just be strong," Mom said. "The Lord knows what he’s doing."
"Do you, Sister Elissa Jessop, take Brother Allen Glade Steed by the right hand and give yourself to him…"
"My free will and choice?" I thought. Nothing about this day was my free will and choice.
"Do you know what I’m doing to you?" "No," I said, recoiling.
"I want my job back!" the prophet told his son.
"Perfect obedience produces perfect faith." – FLDS Parable
"According to your faith, so shall it be." – Warren Jeffs
"Winston Blackmore has been aspiring to position. He is pushing his own words beyond that of the prophet. He is seeking power and aspiring to power and is in need of serious reprimand." – Warren Jeffs
"You need not to question him." – Warren Jeffs to Elissa Wall
"The Lord is going to cleanse the people. And it will be revealed to the prophet those who are halfhearted, and they will be weeded out." – Warren Jeffs
"You are whatever you decide to be." – Craig Wall to Elissa Wall
"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." – Inscription on a monument
"Your problem is that you are questioning Allen and the priesthood itself." – Warren Jeffs to Elissa Wall
"He desires us to be more fervent and faithful. The time is short." – Warren Jeffs
"I pray the Lord will honor our prophet’s prayer." – Warren Jeffs
"The sun had long since disappeared over the glittering ocean, leaving us with only the flickering light from our fire to see by."
"My taste of freedom and real life had been a thrilling adventure."
"Lesie, come back, please," she said softly, almost pleading.
"I’m your priesthood head!" he exclaimed, exasperated.
"Quietly I still wondered: If I left, would I really be okay?"
"My mind would just go insane if it was quiet."
"Trust in God. He works in mysterious ways."
"Happiness is the object and design of our existence."
"I was trying to be this tough girl, but inside I felt lost in the dark."
"In one moment, what I’d been asking for since the very beginning had been granted. Not because of all my begging and pleading. Not because I’d complained about the terrible things that Allen had done to me."
"I sat dumbfounded. Uncle Warren was telling me that I literally had to be destroyed, killed, in order for God to forgive me."
"As I watched Mom playing with her grandchildren, I was overcome by a sense of grief that they would have to grow up without her."
"Warren may have been the prophet, but I was the one who could see my future. He could no longer tell me how to live my life."
"Everything changed for me the moment I held my son in my arms. Looking at Tyler’s little face, I was in awe of him."
"I didn’t want to know a God who would willingly break apart families."
"I knew that he would never send this precious baby to me if he felt I was a sinner."
"The work of justice could not be destroyed; if so God would cease to be God."
"Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just the first step."
"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing."
"No matter what anyone may say, you are created equal. You do not have to surrender your rights or your spiritual sovereignty."
"I have followed my heart and spoken the truth."
"I pray they will find the strength to step back, reexamine what they have been told to believe, and follow their hearts."
"This trial has not been about religion or a vendetta. It was simply about child abuse and preventing further abuse."
"Opinion is a flitting thing, but truth outlasts the sun." — Emily Dickinson
"If you see them in the grocery store, give them a kind word instead of a cruel one, because you never know if that one kind word would make the difference for them."