The revelations this week of systematic abuse of young girls at the Yearning for Zion Ranch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the FLDS Church) in Eldorado, Texas break our heart. It's a bizarre story that's rooted in the American history of Mormonism.

The FLDS Church claims a religious mandate to practice polygamy. However, what we learned this week is that 50-year-old men used their religion as a cover to sexually abuse children. Such abuse has likely been ongoing since the FLDS Church was founded in 1930.

This story revolves around one religious community whose members live outside of the cultural, economic and moral norms of American society. Yet, on an MSNBC message board, I encountered a comment authored by a Pastor of a Christianist church in California that caused me to think the religious urge to control others transcends the unique history and failings of any one denomination.

The author of the comment identified herself as Dr. Lynn Cerullo of Oceanside, California. Google showed her to be one of three pastors at the Healing Springs Christian Center in Vista, California and the Dean of Students at the North County extension campus of Vision International University. Cerullo wrote:

We continue to constantly redefine right and wrong in our culture. Now that we have decided that homosexuality is normal, and are trying to pass laws not just protecting them or defending them-but promoting them (curriculum in public schools) it will not be long before there is legislature before us saying that "pedophiles and children are just expressing love for each other; leave them alone and quit judging them." It won't be long before they are teaching in the public schools that we need to allow children their rights to express themselves; demanding that all can have sex at any age, with anyone else of any age and that the parents have no say. (Of course, it will be the adults who want to abuse the children that will be passing these laws, not the kids!) This will be accepted at some stage, as in Rome and Greek (before they collapsed).The bizarre thing here is that you have a group of society drop outs who pretend to want to 'come out from among them and be separate' but they are using that as a cloak to hide illegal, abusive and may I add, immoral-activity. Religious freedom is paramount and extremely important. That's why the U.S. exists. However, it must be true religion we defend and not immoral and illegal activity hiding behind a banner of religiosity.

Dr. Lynn Cerullo, Oceanside, California

Cerullo's comments have little to do with the abuse practiced by the fundamentalist Mormons in Texas. In fact, Cerullo hardly mentions it. Instead she exploits the tragedy for her own purposes. She hides behind a banner of religiosity and demonstrates how Christianists ('true religionists', in Cerullo's terminology) claim a mandate to judge others. They wish to exert their power over the lives of those with whom they disagree. Her comments are self-serving and corrupt – and disrespectful of the girls and women who have suffered at the FDLS Church ranch. Cerullo's comments are of a kind with those made by Jerry Falwell following 9-11.


A peculiar people