On polygamy and fundamentalism
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Jim Hill, the former investigator for the Utah Attorney General’s Office, spent a lot of time looking at polygamy and he came away with a nuanced view. Polygamy, he contends, isn’t necessarily a problem.
“It’s the sexual exploitation of children and, in my view, the financial exploitation of the women and children in the Kingston group (also known as the Order),” said Hill, outlining what he saw as the fundamental problem.
The Order now has a presence in South Dakota which KELOLAND News has tracked through property records and business filings, on the site of the former FLDS compound in Custer County, where they list Airbnb rentals and also have a registered day care.
KELOLAND News has reached out to the Order for comment on this series, attempting to call Order leader Paul Kingston, and making contact with his brother, Jesse Kingston, who took down contact information for KELOLAND.
Hill reflected on some of the experiences he saw as an investigator that have molded his views on polygamy, or as many call it, plural marriage.
“I saw a lot of good people in the FLDS culture that actually believed in this plural marriage thing,” Hill said. “They were trying their best to do the right thing. They were trying their best to raise families. They were hardworking people. They were honest. They were trying to support their three or four wives and older children by working hard and being diligent.”
The issue for Hill was that in some situations, such as in the FLDS, there was abusive behavior at the top.
“That was the wrong part of polygamy, in my estimation, how they basically capitalized on all these people that were below them,” he said.
Jessica Christensen was part of a group called the Order which is not directly tied to the FLDS but it does have some similar beliefs. She describes a structure in which group leaders exploited those under their direction.
Content retrieved from: https://www.keloland.com/keloland-com-original/part-3-on-polygamy-and-fundamentalism/.
