Crayolas – Part I

The tale first came to us as an illustration of how oppressive the YFZ community was; that children weren’t allowed to draw with crayons and didn’t even know what crayons were; that nobody was allowed to wear red clothing.

The Common Room has totally disproven the tale in 1, 2, 3, and 4 different ways, so I won’t repeat that. My intention is to dissect this fable, to hold it up to strong light, to let you perceive.

Like much other intolerance, it came buried in another stream of information; the slurs and slanders embedded into the narrative as if they were known truth.

“The mother was maybe 16, maybe 16, didn’t know what to do with Crayola. She said what are we supposed to do with these?” — Helen Pfluger, Church Volunteer, interview on CNN

“When we handed out the Crayolas, they just stared at them,” says Pfluger, who was volunteering at the church. “I think they were trying to decide if a crayon was something you were supposed to eat.” — Helen Pfluger, interview in People

“Another San Angelo church had brought some coloring pages and crayons,” she said. “They didn’t know what to do with them, and their mothers didn’t either.” Learning to color will be one of many challenges the children will face if they’re permanently removed from YFZ ranch. —Helen Pfluger on CNN again

Occam’s Razor —the logic indicating that the simplest explanation is the most likely— suggests this woman is part and party to the greatest assault on human dignity and worst US civil rights violation in this century. But I’m forced to admit there’s a coherent, if dismal, story to bolster Pfluger’s side of things.

We know that every mother she met was far, far older than 18 (at least among the FLDS, her own church and community may be different) but the statement establishes her pre-judgment once and for all. Pfluger had read ‘those books’ and believed every word.

What we have here is a matter of perception. After being interrogated all night long, (from 9 PM until daylight) the residents of YFZ ranch were forced out —at gunpoint— onto Eldorado First Baptist Church buses. From there they were driven —under armed escort— to Eldorado First Baptist Church itself, and compelled to go into its assembly hall.

Inside Ms. Pfluger met them, handing out crayons. Even then she couldn’t see herself as she was.

“They huddled together. It was very obvious they were scared. They were non-responsive. They looked like deer caught in the headlights,” said church leader Helen Pfluger Houston Chronicle

Helen Pfluger, who attends the Eldorado First Baptist Church, said, “They were afraid of us because they’d been taught that we are evil.” —WKSL TV

The problem is what she perceived; or more correctly, what she did not perceive. Nothing Helen Pfluger said indicates the least concern —nothing out of the ordinary— with forcing people out of their homes at gunpoint. She then acts surprised when these same folks don’t see the light of love in her face. Duh!

As ‘normal’ Americans, we often forget how far we’ve come (or gone) and despite our protests to the contrary, how strongly we arrange our appearance. To someone used to ‘plain’ human looks, it can be disconcerting to suddenly be confronted with people who paint their faces, put dried blood on their nails, and dangle shiny stuff from holes they’ve drilled in their skin.

These appearances combined with the blatant use of First Baptist Church buses, First Baptist Church facilities, and First Baptist Church members “embraced the opportunity to minister in Christ’s name” to people forced out of their homes. Lest we forget, these people were forced out of their homes in part due to the instigation of the First Baptist Church members:

“No one in our community has any connection to them, they were pretty much out by themselves. Up until yesterday or the day before, I was not even sure I had met a member of the cult,” said Pastor Andy Anderson of First Baptist Church, which temporarily housed some of the group. He and leaders of all the churches in town, which far outnumber restaurants, had been waiting for years for this chance to minister to them in Christ’s name. —Newsweek, emphasis mine

There’s no evidence any of the FLDS mothers and children actually felt Pfluger was evil. But for someone else forced into that building —under those same circumstances— they might well have looked at the situation and (quite justly) concluded that Pfluger was evil. She surely acted the part.

Can Pfluger see what she did, perceive what she and her congregation became? It’s a rhetorical question, but here are the facts: Her fears made her see things that didn’t exist.

• There were no crimes, no evidence of crimes.
• There were no child-brides, no evidence of child-brides.
• There was no abuse, no evidence of abuse.
• There was no harm, no evidence of any harm at all.
• The actions taking place were wholly rejected by every higher court.

Texas churches, especially Baptists involved in the debacle, should pay attention to Beth Newman, professor of theology and ethics at Baptist Theological Seminary:

“The FLDS makes an easy target. If the reports of child abuse are true, then of course the state has an overriding interest in intervention. But it seems to be a routine part of every discussion of the Texas situation to observe that among the sins, real or imagined, of that ranch was its prohibition of contact between the Mormons who lived there and something called the “outside world.” —Associated Baptist Press, April 22, 2008

Newman’s critique is that many Christians, along with their churches, have been taken in by this, a secular narrative. It has a compelling storyline —as natural as our prurient interest or morbid curiosity— and everyone from academics to fundamentalists have been offended by it. Unlike other narratives though, this one conflicts with Christianity; it contradicts the path Christ took and (subtly) defies what Christ instructed his followers to do.

“When police officers armed with weapons and protective gear descended on a West Texas ranch owned by a polygamist church, its members responded by going to their knees in prayer. Images released Tuesday show police entering the Yearning for Zion ranch on April 3 wearing body armor and carrying automatic weapons, backed by an armored personnel carrier.” — AP Apr. 16, 2008

‘They’ are different. ‘They’ have shown faithfulness in the face of adversity. We could all take a lesson from that.