Polygamous Parents Confused In Court

SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) - Children from a polygamous church are
the only subjects on the docket at a west Texas courthouse where
five judges are handling hundreds of custody hearings.
Child welfare officials gave each of the more than 460 children
in state custody the same plan for parents to follow, and judges
made few changes. But parents wondered whether a requirement that
the children live in a "safe" environment means they can't return
to the Yearning For Zion Ranch.
Texas child welfare authorities argued that all the children
should be removed from the ranch because the sect pushes underage
girls into marriage and encourages boys to become future
perpetrators.
Members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints, which runs the ranch, say they're being persecuted for
their religion, which teaches that polygamy brings glory in heaven.