Church of Lies - Hardcover

Jessop, Flora; Brown, Paul T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787994626 ISBN 13: 9780787994624

Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub, 2009

Synopsis

From the Preface:

"My name is Flora Jessop. I've been called apostate, vigilante, and crazy bitch, and maybe I am. But some people call me a hero, and I'd like to think they're right too. If I am a hero, maybe it's because every time I can play a part in saving a child or a woman from a life of servitude and degradation, I'm saving a little piece of me, too.

I was one of twenty-eight children born to my dad and his three wives. Indoctrinated to believe that the outside world was evil, and that I resided among the righteous, I was destined to marry a man chosen for me by the Prophet. I would then live in harmony with my sister-wives, bear many children, and obey and serve my future husband in this life and throughout eternity. But my innocence didn't last long. While still a child, I understood that the church of the righteous was nothing but a church of lies.

When I was eight years old my father sexually molested me for the first time, raping me when I was twelve. I tried to kill myself. Beaten, molested, taunted, and abused by family members alleging they only wanted to save my soul became a daily routine, I ran from this abuse more than once in my early teens--even attempting to cross the desert on foot. My family hunted me down. I thought government agencies would provide me safety if I reported my father. Instead, police and social services colluded with the FLDS to return me to my family and I ended up back inside polygamy, right where I started."

Flora goes on from there to tell the dramatic true story of how she ultimately escaped and has been fighting against frustrating obstacles with hard fought successes in rescuing women and children from the FLDS. It's a story you can't put down.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Church of Lies

"Flora Jessop's story is raw, courageous, riveting, and a real eye-opener. Once you start reading, you can't put it down. Church of Lies is one more compelling reason why polygamy should not be decriminalized."
—John R. Llewellyn, author, Polygamy's Rape of Rachael Strong: Protected Environment for Predators

"This is an important book that sheds light on an ultra-authoritarian secretive community in our midst. Flora Jessop spares no punches in telling her story and describing life in the FLDS, especially the hazards for women and children. But no matter how cruel and oppressive the setting, Jessop was able to break free and help others do the same. A must-read for anyone interested in children's rights, victims' rights, and just plain human decency."
—Janja Lalich, PhD, author, Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships; coauthor with Margaret Singer, Cults in our Midst

"Risking her life, Flora Jessop has become a folk hero for her defense of countless victims of abuses perpetrated within the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints community. Her own struggle to free herself of its constraints is remarkable; her advocacy for those who are attempting to leave is inspirational."
—Dr. Stephen A. Kent, professor, Department of Sociology andInterdisciplinary Program in Religious Studies, University of Alberta

"Alternating between grit and childlike innocence, Flora Jessop's story is both difficult to read and impossible to put down. She reveals the truth about the secret fundamentalist Mormon FLDS for all to see and skillfully exposes the real dangers that lurk within this twisted religious system."
—Natalie R. Collins, author, Wives and Sisters and Behind Closed Doors

From the Inside Flap:

Church of Lies

"My name is Flora Jessop. I've been called apostate, vigilante, and crazy bitch, and maybe I am. But some people call me a hero, and I'd like to think they're right too. If I am a hero, maybe it's because . . . every time I can play a part in saving a child or a woman from a life of servitude and degradation, I'm saving a little piece of me, too."—From the Introduction

Church of Lies is a stranger-than-fiction story that is torn from today's headlines. It recounts Flora Jessop's painful journey: she was held captive and repeatedly abused, both physically and sexually, only to flee her "family" and find herself addicted to drugs, working as a topless dancer, and involved with violent men. Ultimately, her story is one of redemption. Flora had an awakening that led her to become an outspoken advocate for women and children who are still suffering in polygamist communities.

Church of Lies not only tells the heartbreaking personal story of a courageous woman but also exposes the FLDS for what it is—a renegade and abusive cult. Flora says it this way:

"I understood that there were others beside myself who needed help—thousands of children and women were suffering in polygamy, just as I had. Condemned to a life of ignorance, brainwashing, and brutality; treated like property; producing as many as sixteen children; dying prematurely, all used up . . . I was so damn mad, I decided I would spend the rest of my life saving every last one of them. Rescuing a teenager from polygamy is like taking someone straight from hell and delivering her to heaven. So far, I've saved a few. But I'm far from done with my journey."

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0787994626
• ISBN 13: 9780787994624
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296