On April 3, 2008 authorities raided a group calling
themselves Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or FLDS
in Eldorado, Texas. The group, which lives in a compound on a 1700 acre ranch,
was closed off to mainstream society. The group, including 416 children, is
suspected of being a polygamous sect. The raid occurred because law enforcement
officials suspected the group of forcing underage girls to marry older men and
of polygamy, or having more than one wife. This is an example of a counterculture
or a group that has values that counter those found in mainstream society. The
group left Nevada in the 1950s and has again made national headlines. As law
enforcement agents precede with child custody court hearings, the case of the
FLDS shows us the strength of cultural conformity. Countercultures are often
isolated because of their disagreement with the dominant culture’s constraints.
This case shows cultural relativism has its limitations.
300-400 words please.
1) What is your perspective on polygamy in modern society?
2) Do you agree with any of these groups view on American
values?
