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The Secretive World Behind One of the Largest Polygamous Cults in the U.S.
Barnes&Noble.com FamilyChristianStores.com
A Former FLDS Member Reveals Startling Details and Tells All in His New Book
Imagine growing up with 30 siblings and four mothers.
Imagine being forced to call your mother "Aunt" in public to avoid people finding out the truth about your family, and fear of your father being arrested.
Brian Mackert doesn't have to imagine any of this. As the 28th child of a father in a polygamous family, he knew first-hand what it meant to grow up in fear that others would discover your family was different and living outside of the law. Brian's family belonged to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), the largest polygamist cult in the United States formerly led by Warren Jeffs. This is the same FLDS splinter group that recently made headlines when its Texas compound was raided and children were taken from their families due to suspected abuse.
In a provocative new book called Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy (October 1, 2008 - David C. Cook), Brian Mackert takes readers behind today's shocking headlines of this controversial sect, and gives us a glimpse as to what it was like to grow up as a child in the FLDS. A heart-wrenching and gripping account, it is the first-ever memoir written by a man raised inside the FLDS.
Interestingly, Brian Mackert grew up with recent FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. The Mackert boys and the Jeffs boys played football together. Their families worshipped together on Sundays. Mackert's father and Jeff's father both ran prominent schools for the children of the FLDS. Yet Brian Mackert and Warren Jeffs grew up to be two very different men.
In Illegitimate, Brian writes of his four loving mothers, an abusive and controlling father, and his 30 confused brothers and sisters forced to live a lie. He details the constant, gnawing fear that he and his siblings lived in of mistakenly giving away the family "secret." He recounts the beyond arduous labor on his boyhood body, forcibly worked on the family farm and for another polygamist's business. Coming of age in this distraught environment, Brian documents the hopelessness he felt regarding his own future. This story of upbringing in a polygamous family echoes the plight of others, wondering if they are "illegitimate" with wounds and anxieties that persist into adulthood.
Much heartache was brought on by his polygamous father; a man so controlling he denied one of his teenage daughters essential sanitary items. Brian's confusion turns into anger as he and other non-favored siblings are neglected by their dad. Brian descends into rage, hatred, and later, alcoholism, drugs, emotional turmoil and even thoughts of murder.
As Brian tumbles down this path of self-destruction, fortunately, there is one thing that saves him: finding a faith that causes him to substitute love for hate, peace for fear, and forgiveness for revenge.
Brian's story is just one glimpse into the lives of the children of FLDS polygamists that are making the headlines. Within the pages of Illegitimate, you'll learn:
· The true facts behind the hype about this polygamous cult and its effect on children
· Shocking abuses suffered by women and children within the FLDS - all in the name of God
· The specific effect of the FLDS splinter group on young boys, and how they are systematically forced out of their communities - some literally left out on the street - to make room for "elite" men to have multiple wives
· Why FLDS males hide their identity as the father of their children
Even in Brian's painful childhood, there are lighter moments. In Illegitimate, he tells of the close-knit bonds between him and many of his brothers and sisters, and their fierce protection of each other against the outside world, including the LDS Mormon world. There is also plenty of humor amid the heartache, as Brian shares the inventive ways he and his 30 siblings could find to get around the rules and get into trouble.
In addition to Brian's personal story, Illegitimate also delves into the practice of modern-day polygamy, and its roots in the LDS Church. Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoned the practice of polygamy in the late 1800's, the Fundamentalist splinter group is still actively practicing polygamy. As you read the intimate details of Brian's experience, you'll learn how:
· The American public's sympathy and compassion for the children in polygamous groups often results in political backlashes
· These backlashes help perpetuate protection for polygamists who continue to abuse their children, leaving tragic scars that last a lifetime
· Young boys are at risk in polygamous families for neglect and abandonment, and girls are at risk for sexual molestation in under aged marriages.
If you are curious about polygamy and want the truth behind the headlines, start here. Let Brian Mackert introduce you to his polygamous family, the damage and fear that he and his siblings endured, and the hope he now has in his faith that saved him from a path of self-destruction.
Publication Data:
Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy
By Brian Mackert with Susan Martins Miller
Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: October 1, 2008
Hardcover * 288 Pages * $21.99 * 6 x 9
ISBN: 978-1-4347-6691-5
Product Description: The recent events at a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) compound in Texas have ignited a national dialogue on religious sects. Fundamentalist Mormon sects formed as splinter groups of the mainstream LDS Church exist in a world far removed from mainstream American culture: a world of abuse and twisted theology that seems too bizarre to be true. Yet for Brian Mackert, life inside this sect was all too real. As a son in a family of one father, four wives, and 31 children, Brian experienced firsthand the devastating realities of polygamous cults. Now Brian tells his remarkable story of tragedy and healing. Illegitimate takes readers behind today's shocking headlines and inside the walls of this controversial sect. Brian reveals a world of loving mothers and abusive fathers, devoted children and sibling rivalry, deceptive religion and the truth eventually found in Christ--outside the walls of the FLDS. Ultimately, Illegitimate demonstrates the incredible love of God, and His ability to bring light into the darkest of places.
Endorsements:
"Illegitimate is a riveting, heart wrenching expose of polygamy. I could not put it down! Illegitimate powerfully illustrates the redemptive life-changing power of Jesus Christ." ~ Irene Spencer, NY Times Best Selling Author of Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife
"Brian Mackert's Illegitimate is a courageous, unforgettable tale about the abuse of power in the name of God. As a son of polygamy, Mr. Mackert knows intimately the loneliness of a polygamous household and the heartache it often brings to its children. This book is part of the long tradition of people emerging from polygamous isolation to bravely tell their tales of abuse and neglect, often at the risk of retribution and ridicule. While Illegitimate is a harrowing reminder of how religion can be used falsely to destroy the lives of others, it ends with a wonderful irony: through new faith Mr. Mackert has at last achieved his own private peace." David Ebershoff, author of the New York Times bestseller, The 19th Wife
"Brian Mackert's Illegitimate pulls back the shroud of secrecy surrounding the modern-day Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Heart-wrenching, brutally honest, tender, and at times funny, Brian's story is utterly filled with God's grace and mercy." ~ Diane Noble, author of ,The Veil, the award-winning fictionalized account of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, a historical event in which the Mormon theology of Blood Atonement led to the slaughter of 120 innocent wagon-train victims
Author Bio:
Brian Mackert was a seventh generation Mormon whose family roots in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) date back to the days of founder Joseph Smith Jr. Brian's ancestors broke away from the LDS Church when it abandoned the practice of polygamy and became part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Born and raised in the Salt Lake Valley, Brian was isolated from the outside world. He left his family's religion and spent more than 13 years in the military. Today, Brian is a telecommunications engineer and a Baptist minister working in prison ministry, where he reaches out to inmates who are sex offenders, victims of neglect and abuse, and those who have grown up fatherless, or with an abusive father, just as he did. He also speaks periodically at churches and organizations across the country. Brian has also appeared in the documentary film, Jesus Christ-Joseph Smith: The Search for Truth.
Review:
Tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in the polygamist cult known as the FLDS Church before Warren Jeffs took power. I used to play football with Warren's brothers, my father ran one of the schools in the FLDS Community in cooperation with Rulon Jeffs' school when Warren was just one of the teachers in his father's school. My father had four wives and thirty-one children, I was his 28th child. I left the FLDS Church and joined the LDS Church as an adult, lost my faith in Mormonism and became a Christian. I am currently a Baptist Minister engaged in evangelical ministries that reach out to Mormons. I have even been in a documentary film on Mormonism: "Jesus Christ / Joseph Smith - The Search For Truth" which can be found at goodnewsforlds.com
What was your motivation behind this project? I discovered early on in ministry the powerful story that God has given me. The power of Christ to heal the past when we allow Him to have his way in us, and the healing power of forgiveness. I wrote this book to share that story with others in hopes that they too would experience that same healing through Christ that I have received. I want people who have painful pasts to know the same healing power of Christ that I have come to know.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? Personal healing from the pains of their past. The ability to forgive even the most horrific of offenses, and the healing that comes when we learn to forgive those who have wronged us.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? I couldn't help but take inventory of myself while writing this book. I recounted all the things which God has done for me, and came to a deeper appreciation of just how dark of a situation it was that He saved me from.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Well of course Jesus Christ was my influence and inspiration. However Christ placed a couple of people around me who helped inspire me to tell this story. My good friend and spiritual mentor Marcus Smith planted the idea in my head about just how important it was that I tell this story. He never allowed me to let go of the idea. Rachel Swank also drove me to write it and offered great amounts of encouragement to keep me motivated in the process. My favorite author would have to be Rick Warren author of "The Purpose Driven Life" and "The Purpose Driven Church".
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Forgiveness isn't a feeling that you wait to have happen to you. It is a choice that you make to no longer hold the other person accountable for the ways that they have wronged you. It is also an action that you take because you want a right relationship with God. It is an act of obedience. When we obey and forgive it frees us from our need for justice which allows God to begin to heal our hearts and free us from the pains of the past. As long as we are holding onto that bitterness, hate, or anger God cannot heal those of us who are the walking wounded.
The Hagar Fund:
I want to encourage you to give to the Hagar Fund. This fund has been established to help those who want to come out of the abusive culture of polygamy. Their needs are great and the road they have before them is long and fraught with danger.
When I left I was fortunate enough to join the military which provided for my needs while I adjusted to life in the world outside of the isolated community of the FLDS Church. Back then you could join the military without a high school diploma or GED. Today they require those academic certificates to join and even this option isn’t available to many of the young men & women wanting out.
Today many who leave polygamist communities have an average of a 6-8th grade education and no employable job skills. They come from abject poverty because of the large size of their families. They are in desperate need when they make the decision to leave. They need legal assistance so that they can leave with the custody of their children. They need school clothes and supplies for their children, they need a safe place to stay where they are outside of the reach of those who might take them back forcibly. They need education and vocational training so that they can stand on their own in the outside world. These obstacles are daunting enough by themselves. Imagine having to face all those obstacles without anyone to assist you and walk with you through those obstacles.
The isolationism that makes up the polygamist culture creates a culture shock to these men and women when they come out and try to assimilate to society outside of their polygamist cult. This combined with the counseling they will need to heal from the abuses they experienced only exacerbates things further.
Your generous contribution to the Hagar Fund will help provide a network of resources and hope for these men and women. Your one time gift will keep giving for generations to come as the next generation and future generations are born and raised outside of the culture of abuse and neglect their parents were subjected too.
This is why I’m proud to be a part of this fundraising campaign. Through the generosity of David C. Cook Publishing, a Shield and Refuge Ministries is able to obtain copies of my book at cost to offer as their thank you gift for your generous donation to the Hagar Fund. I have forfeited any royalties due so that these books can be made available at the lowest cost possible for this fundraiser. When you make a donation not only will you get the thank you gift “Illegitimate – How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy”, but I will personally sign it with a thank you note inside expressing our thanks for your generous contribution.
Join us in making sure that the next generation won’t know the pain of growing up in a culture of abuse and neglect. This is what Christ would have us do, to take care of those who are oppressed and down trodden. Just go to this link http://www.shieldandrefuge.org/donate.htm and give them your mailing address and who you would like to have the "thank you" note addressed to.
In Christ,
-Brian Mackert
Author of “Illegitimate – How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy”.
Click on the link to watch Brian's appreance on the "Hour Of Power" worship program and the "Harvest Show". Listen to Brian on...click on the images to listen online:
For The Drew Marshall Show, click on the image below and scroll down till you see my name and the title of the book. Look for the speaker icon under the summary info and click on it.
"Brian Mackert - Author of Illegitimate: How a Loving God Rescued a Son of Polygamy"
Speaking Engagements:
Broadcast or print media: If you are in the broadcast or print media and interested in having Brian appear on your program or schedule an interview, you can place your request and schedule it by contacting him through his publicist Sharon Farnell via email: farnells@plannedtvarts.com
Church or other public speaking venues: Brian is also available for speaking engagements upon request. If your church or organization would like to book Brian to come and speak concerning the doctrines of Mormonism or to simply share his testimony, you can reach him to schedule such an event via email: brian.mackert@gmail.com To watch a video of Brian preaching at Christ Community Church in Omaha, Nebraska; click on this link: "Christ Community Church - Sermon"