The Secret Lives Of Saints: Child Brides And Lost Boys In Canada's Polygamous Mormon Sect
by Daphne Bramham

Description

A riveting, shocking account of the founding and flourishing of the polygamous, fundamentalist Mormon sect in Bountiful, B.C. Winston Blackmore of Bountiful, B.C., says it’s God’s will that he has dozens of wives and scores of children. Canada’s most outspoken polygamist insists his faith left him no choice but to "marry" and impregnate nearly a dozen teens, and he has publicly admitted to marrying girls as young as fifteen. Polygamy and sex with minors are both illegal in Canada and yet Blackmore and this cult flourish. He believes that he and his religion are invincible, protected by the country’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, and he keeps a framed copy of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms hanging on his office wall. So far, no one has challenged him. The Secret Lives of Saints documents the rise of the fundamentalist Mormons and unravels Blackmore’s story using his own words as well as those of people who have escaped the cult to live in the outside world. It details the intermarriages and intrigues among the patriarchs as they fight for control of minds, money, property and women. And running through the narrative are the most troubling questions of all: Why has nothing been done to stop the illegal practices of this cult? Why haven’t the polygamists, pedophiles and abusers been charged and jailed? As well as telling a story that will raise the hairs on your arms, The Secret Lives of Saints will leave you pondering the notion of tolerance, whether it is possible to have both religious freedom and individual rights, and where the line needs to be drawn between them. From the Hardcover edition.