Originally Posted by mixedmedia

Actually, there is a book - Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer (a very well-respected journalistic writer) - that studies fundamentalist Mormonism and it is far more prevalent than I ever imagined - and disturbing. It is quite normal for girls as young as 13-14 years old to be married to much older men. Even for stepfathers to marry their own stepchildren. And because they live in closed, close-knit communities these activities are very rarely prosecuted. In fact, very often law enforcement will be involved in polygamist activities, as well. This book blew my mind. It is an excellent, well-written volume and I encourage anyone who wants to know more about fundamentalist Mormonism (not to be confused with the modern Church of Latter Day Saints) to read this book.