சிறுமியை மணந்த 52 வயதான இறைதூதரை இன்னும் போலீஸ் தேடுகிறது

சிறுமியை மணந்த 52 வயதான இறைதூதரை இன்னும் போலீஸ் தேடுகிறது. Fundementalist Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints என்ற கிறிஸ்துவ கும்பலில் வயதுக்கு வராத சிறுமிகளை கிழவர்கள் திருமணம் செய்வதும், ஏராளமான பெண்களை ஒரு ஆளே திருமணம் செய்வதும் பழக்கமாக வைத்திருக்கிறார்கள். இதில் எட்டு ஆண்கள் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்கள். இதன் தலைவரான வாரென் ஜெஃப்ஸ் என்ற இறைதூதர் (அப்படித்தான் இவர் தன்னைத்தானே கூறிக்கொள்கிறார் prophet)க்கு 70க்கும் மேலான மனைவிகளாம். பெரும்பாலானவர்கள் சிறுமிகள்.

ஒரு ஆள் குறைந்தது மூன்று மனைவிகளை திருமணம் செய்திருந்தால்தான் சொர்க்கத்துக்கு போக முடியும் என்பது இந்த கிறிஸ்துவ சர்ச்சின் போதனையாம்.


Eight arrests in US polygamy sect


Warren Jeffs is believed to have been at his Texas compound
Eight members of a polygamous community have been indicted in connection with cases of alleged sexual misconduct with minors, US prosecutors say.
The charges follow an investigation into communities of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) in Arizona and Utah.

One of the men was arrested on Friday, while the others turned themselves in on Monday, AP news agency reported.

Police are still seeking the church's leader, who was charged last month.

Warren Jeffs, who is reputed to have 70 wives, was charged by authorities in Arizona with conspiring to commit sexual misconduct with a minor.

Mr Jeffs, 49, took over the leadership of the church after his father Rulon died in 2002, and has not been seen for more than a year.

Some believe he could be hiding at an FLDS compound near Eldorado in Texas.

Three wives

The 10,000-strong FLDS split from the Mormon Church more than a century ago after the latter renounced polygamy.

The sect dominates the towns of Colorado City, in Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, less than a mile away.

One of the men charged this week is a former police officer, previously convicted of bigamy and illegal sex with a teenage girl he had taken as a third wife, AP said.

Members of FLDS believe a man must marry at least three wives in order to ascend to heaven.

Polygamy is illegal in the US, but the authorities have reportedly been reluctant to confront the FLDS for fear of sparking a tragedy similar to the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas, which led to the deaths of around 80 members.

However, correspondents say the church is coming under increasing pressure from authorities in Utah and Arizona.