Strange Rituals: Forbidden Sex transcript

Last night, I found the transcript for "Strange Rituals: Forbidden Sex." I still have not seen the show, so it was interesting for me to read the transcript. Our segment was sandwiched right in between a segment on incest and tantric sex. It's nice to know that we are in good company. lol

As usual, I was baffled by the journalism. They would copy and paste segments of different parts of our interviews and patch them together in a way that makes us seem incoherrent.

So without further ado, here is the transcript (with my commentarin bold):


>>>NARRATOR: New York, 1820.
A time of intense religious revivalism.
A 14-year old boy by the name of Joseph Smith Jr. was struggling to find a congregation that shared his beliefs.
One day Joseph had a vision in which he came face to face with God, who told him that none of the churches were right for him.

>> JANKOVIAC: In the early 19th century there was a tremendous religious upheaval in America.
The traditional churches were being challenged.

WHO IS JANKOVIAC? RELATED TO WEIRD AL?

>> NARRATOR: Later Joseph records another vision of an angel, Morona, who helps him find sacred scriptures buried in the family farm.
The translation of the texts later becomes the Book of Mormon.
By the time Joseph is 24, he has his own church, a growing congregation ready to believe him and his visions.

>> JANKOVIAC: Somewhere during that time Joseph Smith had a revelation.
He said that in order to be saved, everyone had to take more than one wife.

THIS IS NOT EXACTLTY TRUE. PLURAL MARRIAGE WAS NEVER AN ISSUE OF SALVATION FOR THE SAINTS, BUT OF EXALTATION. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

>> NARRATOR: Polygamy, or marriage to multiple spouses simultaneously, has cropped up in several cultures throughout history.
It is still common in Africa and parts of Asia.
Even in the Hebrew bible, Abraham is married to three wives.
But to introduce polygamy as a new divine dictum in mid-19th century America was asking for trouble.

>> JANKOVIAC: Other Christian groups reacted with hostility.
It was proof, for many people, that this really was not God's religion, but the Devil's religion.

>> NARRATOR: In 1844, a posse stormed a jail where Joseph Smith was being held.
He was shot dead as he tried to escape through a window.
He left 33 widows behind, and a large congregation of polygamous families.

>> JANKOVIAC: After the Civil War, the American federal government was so appalled by this practice they thought they had to save Mormon women.

>> NARRATOR: The next prophet, Brigham Young, led the Mormons to a safe, isolated area in Utah, and to safeguard the church from persecution, denounced polygamy.

ALSO NOT TRUE… BRIGHAM YOUNG NEVER DID DENOUNCE POLYGAMY. NEITHER DID HIS SUCCESSOR JOHN TAYLOR. POLYGAMY WAS NOT DONE AWAY WITH UNTIL THE TENURE OF WILFORD WOODRUFF IN 1890. EVEN THEN, IT WAS NOT REALLY DONE AWAY WITH IN THE CHURCH UNTIL 1904.

>> JANKOVIAC: Eventually, by the early 1920s, the next generation of descendants had completely rejected polygamy.
That being said, there were some who went back to these scriptures, and they decided they had an obligation to reintroduce the more perfect form of Mormonism-- fundamental Mormonism.

IN TRUTH, THEY NEVER REALLY DECIDED TO REINTRODUCE IT. THERE WAS NEVER A BREACH IN THE PRACTICE

>> NARRATOR: Today, the remaining fundamentalist Mormons are pushed to the fringes of civilization.
Like here, near Concho, Arizona, 200 miles east of Phoenix.

>> MORONI: Time to get the kids going.
Come on, wake up.
It's time to get ready.
Sophie, it's time to get up.
Wake up.
It's time to go to school.
Come on.
Morning.

>> NARRATOR: Moroni and Martha Jessop have been married for 16 years.
They have seven children.

>> MARTHA: I was 18 when I met Moroni, but he was just my friend.
(laughs) I had no idea that I would fall in love with him.

>> MORONI: Well, Martha and I decided that we would live a plural marriage but, you know, I went through a whole year where I couldn't even bring up the subject to Martha.

>> MARTHA: Polygamy was practiced by the early Mormon prophets.
If you want to go back in history to the Bibletimes, you can see it in the Bible.

>> NARRATOR: Five years into his marriage with Martha, Moroni married Temple.

ACTUALLY 7 YEARS PREVIOUS…

>> MORONI: Good morning, sweetie.
How did you sleep?
We met, two months later we were engaged, two months later we were married.
It was just a whirlwind.
It was just a perfect fit, you know, for our family.
And I said, "Aha! I get it now.
I know how to live this lifestyle."

ACTUALLY THIS WHOLE EXCHANGE IS NOT CONGRUOUS TO ME. THEY ARE MIXING THINGS I SAID WITH DIFFERENT STORIES. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME.



>> TEMPLE: I have a room and she has a room, and he just goes between the two rooms.
He doesn't have a room.

>> MARTHA: We do pretty much stick to every other night.
If one of us is mad at him, a lot of times he'll end up on the couch.

>> TEMPLE: It's not that complex.
There are special circumstances.
If one of us feels like we need him more, then he'll change nights.

>> NARRATOR: The transition into a polygamous marriage was not easy for Martha.

>> MARTHA: Well, I think there is always jealousy because we're human.
I did have insecurities just like any woman.

>> MORONI: I realized, you know, she's going to have a hard time, and be jealous seeing me with this other woman.
And I realized that this was kind of a little life lesson for me, you know, on jealousy.

>> MARTHA: 'Cause I'd had Moroni to myself for a while, I was not sure if he was going to love me or view me the same way as he did before.

>> TEMPLE: I was in love, starry-eyed.
Everything was great.
So I... I mean, that was my adjustment.
And I knew that's what the Heavenly Father wanted for me, so...

>> MARTHA: We have to learn that he still loves us, no matter what.
If he's a good man, he's going to bring his wives into this with love for that wife, but he's not going to love any of us differently.

>> MORONI: Come on, go sit at the table.

(all talking) >> NARRATOR: The Jessops live in a three-bedroom trailer.
They have no running water or electricity.
The nearest town is 15 miles away.

>> TEMPLE: This is Sophie's bed.
Christian's bed.
The bottom bunk is Ethan's.

>> MARTHA: Yeah, it's difficult.
The four older kids share a room, and then we've got kids that are in bedrooms with us.

>> TEMPLE: Well, ultimately, we're responsible for our own kids.

>> MARTHA: But, I mean, there is always helping out with each other.
Sometimes, Temple will come in and dress my baby, or... or sometimes, you know, just...
just different things.

>> TEMPLE: Whatever needs to be done to get out the door.

>> MARTHA: I think that it's fine.
We want our kids to be close.
'Cause I've known families where every mother has their own house, and the kids grow up saying, "That's not my brother," and, "That's not my sister." We don't want that.

>> NARRATOR: In the middle of the desert, the Jessops are kept together with a combination of faith and tradition.

>> MARTHA: If you don't come into this lifestyle saying, "I'm giving my 100% no matter what," it's going to be doomed for failure.

>> NARRATOR: As the family grows, so do its isolation and challenges.
But the Jessops' solution for the future seems to defy logic.

DEFIES LOGIC?? HOW?? I DON’T GET IT!


>> MORONI: My name is Moroni Lopez-Jessop.
Moroni: That I'm mormon.
I'm named after an angel in the Book of Mormon.
Second, Lopez, that I'm Latino.
And Jessop, that I come from a polygamous family.
My father was a very important figure in my life.
And him entering polygamy is hard to describe.
He wound up getting excommunicated from the Mormon church.
After that, the rest of the family was excommunicated.
After that, we basically just associated with other people who believed in polygamy like we did.

AGAIN, SO MUCH WAS CUT OUT OF THIS INTERVIEW THAT IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. IT MAKES ME SOUND INCOHERENT.

>> NARRATOR: Nowadays, mainstream Mormons denounce polygamists.
There aren't many groups left for the Jessops to associate with.

>> MARTHA: The biggest disadvantage is how other people look at you.
You feel their animosity toward you.

>> MORONI: There's a culture of paranoia that has cracked into polygamist culture.
It's only in recent years, you know, recent decades that polygamists have been put in prison simply for being polygamous.

>> NARRATOR: Last time the Arizona state troopers went to arrest Mormon fundamentalists for polygamy was in the 1950s.
When the public saw how the children were separated from their parents, the protests forced the law officials to reunite the families.

>> MORONI: Ethan, would you say the blessing, please?

>> ETHAN: Sure.
Dear Kind Heavenly Father, please bless the food, help it to strengthen our body, bless us, keep us safe.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

("Amen" all around) >> NARRATOR: Shunned by other communities, the Jessops find solace in their own faith and family, something Joseph Smith would have been very familiar with.

>> MARTHA: I believe that we can be as God.
Honestly, I believe that God was once like us, and that we can attain what He has.

>> MORONI: Heaven is not just family, but heaven is the presence of both male and female, interconnected inseparably, and so...

>> NARRATOR: The Jessops pay a price for their lifestyle.
Even their neighbors are suspicious of their every move.
Their isolation may be the reason for their decision to increase the size of their family yet again by adding a third wife.

>> MARTHA: We want someone who's going to come in and say, "We love this family for who they are, and we will accept them for who they are, and we want to be part of this family." >>

MORONI: Come on out on the porch.
That's all right.

>> TEMPLE: I think, more than anything, I want her to be willing to give 100% of herself, just as we have, and we will continue to do.

>> MORONI: All right, everybody looking right here.
Stand up straight.
Look at him.

>> TEMPLE: Look over there.
Be still.

>> MARTHA: 'Cause I love Moroni that much, and I believe that a man needs to have more than one wife.
He will become more whole with more wives, and so will I.

>> MORONI: Very nice.

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More Feedback in 2010

A few days ago, I didn't think there would be any more feedback from the TLC show. After the re-run on New Year's Eve, I was wrong.

Check out what this lady Cristina said on a message board:

"Comments: I'm watching Forbidden Love: Polygamy as a "re-run" tonight, and I feel so sorry for the "wives" who, at least in comparison to the reporter who is visiting their home, look so plain,tired,worn-out,and as though they have no individualism what-so-ever... This is just a case of a man who is intimidated when tossed into a population of other men...therefore, he creates a sort of "sub-culture" where HE is the one and only male for miles...making him MUCH more appealing! The wives are women who know nothing else but to be followers....ugh...just a shame that these women are missing out on so much LIFE...and the men are being made to feel as though they are much more significant than they REALLY are!"

I shared this with Martha. She shrugged. "We spent all day cleaning for the shoot. And then we had the cameras in our faces from sun-up to sun-down. Of COURSE I looked plain and worn-out."

I also shared it with Temple. As expected, she flared up, "How would they know how we are? They cut out all of oour interviews! And I looked plain?? Did they see the shirt I wore the first day of the shoot? Was it plain? No, it was pretty stylish and colorful. But I don't think they WANTED to show a plural wife looking like that."

On the same message board, there was a message by a guy named Nighthawk that I've known for a while on several discussion groups. He said:

"I had to look this up on Google to find out exactly what everyone is talking about. I have already seen some pieces of it.I have personally corresponded with Moroni, the man who lives out in the desert with his wives. He chose that lifestyle after his family was subject to persecution in various ways. He is a very gentle man and well educated. His wives are also well educated.He and his wives were disappointed in the way Dawn Porter edited and presented her two or three days with them. His wives were especially upset that Ms. Porter failed to include any of their comments about how happy they were with their lives.The History Channel also did a segment on Moroni and his wives, at the same time. It sounds like that show was much more honest about their work.Moroni has written quite a lot about his family's experience participating in this show on his blog. He has also been involved in some other, similar, situations.So, while making your judgments (along with the condemnations I have already read here), you might want to see what the people involved actually had to say."

Both Martha and Temple likes his response. It was nice to be defended after much of the crap that I have seen out there.

Surprisingly, I found an article I had missed written by Dawn Porter on September 28, 2008 for NOW Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

"To me, however, this quest for perfection seemed pointless when the sacrifices you have to make along the way are so painful. I needed to meet a polygamous man. So I traveled hundreds of miles across the desert to meet Moroni Jessop, 46, who lives in a four-bedroom trailer with his wives Martha 42, and temple, 38, and their nine children. I was nervous meeting him face-to-face, but with his baggy jeans and scruffy hair, Moroni happily answered my questions.
Like the previous family, Moroni views polygamy as a way of bettering himself by having more people to love. He insists that it’s improved the way he treats women. Like Ruth, Moroni had a family history of polygamy. He says ‘When I first entered it, I didn’t have a good time. There were so many demands, and both my wives were angry. But, in time, we all just started laughing more and I realized then I was happy. It takes a lot of work and understanding to deal with the concerns of more than one woman.’

"Like the previous family, Moroni views polygamy as a way of bettering himself by having more people to love. He insists that it’s improved the way he treats women. Like Ruth, Moroni had a family history of polygamy. He says ‘When I first entered it, I didn’t have a good time. There were so many demands, and both my wives were angry. But, in time, we all just started laughing more and I realized then I was happy. It takes a lot of work and understanding to deal with the concerns of more than one woman.’

"So how does he spread himself among his wives? ‘It’s up to me to decide that’ he grins. ‘The women have their own rooms and I try to be fair. Half of my battle is ensuring they both feel loved.’ Now Moroni’s on the hunt for wife number three –he believes a man cannot get to heaven unless he has at least three wives."

Okay, the article is fair, and mostly reflects the content of the show. I have only two objections:

1. The belief that a man must have three wives to attain to the Celestial Kingdom is an old fundamentalist belief. But they did not hear this tidbit from me, because it is not my personal belief. I wouldn't say that in an interview, because I am not sure how I believe in that respect. They just threw that in there to support their fiction that I'm searching for another wife.

2. I'm 46? Martha is 42? Temple is 38?? Heloooo!! Do we look that old?? I'm not sure where they came up with the ages. But at the time of the shoot, I was BARELY 38. Martha was 35, and Temple was 28. Temple is 2 years YOUNGER than Dawn Porter! LOL! Sheesh!

Anyway, I have not found any feedback on the History Channel show yet, but you can bet I will post what I find.

In closing, I will will leave you with my favorite YouTube comment (There are over 145 of them):

"The guy sounds absolutely full of himself. AND he has a nasty pot belly. How on earth is he managing to keep all those women satisfied? Do they just feel they can do no better? I mean, if you've gotta share the guy, at least let him be Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt. Or filthy rich"

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History Channel's "Strange Rituals: Forbidden Sex" on TV Last Night; Also the TLC Show

So it was ironic that I was commenting yesterday on doing the TV show for TLC as a significant part of the last decade. I posted a link to the blog on my Facebook.

Later in the evening, an old friend from high school said they saw me on TV. I was confused and made some inquiries. TLC was showing a Forbidden Love marathon – exactly like they did last New Year, including the episode with my family. Twice.

We were sitting down to a ham dinner for New Year’s Eve when we found out. It was strange to realize that as we were sitting there, people all across the nation were watching us on TV while we ate.

Temple shook her head. “It’s like beating a dead horse!” she said. “How many times can they show that program? They need to come up with some new material.”

My daughter Sophie was out babysitting for the night. We looked at each other. It has only been recently since she has stopped being angry about being on the show (and so prominently featured). What would she think about being on again?

Several of my friends watched the show and commented about it to me. A high school friend said this about it:

“So Holy Hell Moroni - I hid the remote and would not let my husband surf during commercials lest I miss your segment and my husband says "um, you're really into this polygamy show, uuuh, do you want another woman in this house?", with this total look of confusion and a little bit of terror. I laughed soooooo hard, I almost peed myself, so thanks for that :) Guess I forgot to mention that I knew you hehe...”

To make matters more interesting, Temple got a text from her sister-in-law. There was a show called “Strange Rituals: Forbidden Sex” starting on History Channel within a few minutes. In the description of the show, it said (among other things): “In modern Arizona, the Jessop family continues to practice Mormon polygamy, at the constant risk of arrest.”

I knew what this was about. After Dawn left, Pascal – the director – stayed for an extra day, along with the cameraman and the sound guy. When Pascal was asked to shoot the show for Dawn Porter, he had a conflicting project he was working on. The compromise was that he could shoot an extra day worth of footage for a project he was working on for History Channel.

He told me that it would air sometime in January, 2009, and when it didn’t, I thought that the project had died. Apparently not. It aired twice last night as well.

I liked the way that shoot went. I was asked a lot of the same questions, but I felt like I answered them a lot better. It was also a lot more relaxed.

I didn’t get a chance to see it, but I was on the phone with my good friend Becca in Texas while she watched it. I could hear most of it on the phone. For the first segment, they focused on interviewing Martha and Temple. This pleased them, because they were none too pleased when their interviews got cut from the TLC show.

The second segment showed a little bit with me. And then they showed the infamous confrontation between me and my neighbor when he came up the hill and started yelling at me! They blurred out his face, and they kind of put an incorrect spin on it, that he was a neighbor with a chip on his shoulder because we are polygamists.

Becca commented: “BTW, they didn't mention what you told me about the neighbor... just showed him asking what you were doing up there while you walked down the hill reminding him he was actually on your property… *snicker* They blurred out his face and made him seem like a paranoid neighbor in general…”

There was a time when I was embarrassed by this exchange. Now I think it is kind of funny.

I only hope I have a chance to see this show. Just when you think it’s over…

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