Cult Insanity

by Irene Spencer

  When I initially learned that Joy had left, I was surprised. She had just shared with me how she had been a single mother for five years and had been smitten by Ervil. None of us had any idea why she had left so secretly and abruptly. I thought her suspicions about Anna Mae were completely unfounded, but then I learned she had cried to others, accusing Ervil of betraying her brother.

  I mourned for Joy as I cleaned my kitchen. In her short life, she had experienced two LeBaron prophets, first Ben and now Joel, both of whom claimed to be the One Mighty and Strong. I hoped that her leaving Ervil and the church would not interfere with her brother Nephi and Ervil’s lifelong relationship. Nephi was such a well-meaning servant. He had shown his love and respect by sharing his home with Ervil and his sister, and he had expressed his loyalty to Ervil on many occasions. In my presence he once proclaimed, “The sun rises and sets on that man.” I hoped he wouldn’t be hoodwinked by Ervil’s unscrupulous tactics.

  JOY WAS RIGHT. From the moment Ervil’s lustful eyes had peered into Anna Mae’s, he knew he’d have to figure out a way to marry her. Despite the fact that she was already married to Nephi, here was Ervil’s chance to have another American wife now that Joy was gone. Sure, he understood, along with every other Mormon, that marriage was for all eternity, but he wanted her now. Not even God was going to stop him.

  He knew he’d be punished, even demoted or excommunicated, if he took another man’s wife, for people would cry “adultery.” Everyone knew the Doctrine and Covenants said that after a woman had been married “. . . if she be with another man, she will be destroyed.” According to Mormon scriptures, there was no way a woman could divorce a man. Once she had taken her vows, they were binding throughout this life and in the life to come. No one dared challenge the doctrine. After all, it had been revealed by Joseph Smith himself.

  Ervil had to conceive a plan that would be justifiable and appease the people.

  Alone in turmoil, with burning passion for Anna Mae consuming him, Ervil decided to ask the Lord to solve his problem. The vision came; it was as plain as night and day. The Lord told him in no uncertain terms that if a woman had made a mistake, marrying the wrong man, she would not be held accountable if she divorced him. No wonder Nephi and Anna Mae had marriage problems. It was obvious that Anna Mae should have married Ervil in the first place. The fact that she was married legally to Nephi was now no concern to him.

  MY NEW FRIEND BETTY TIPPETTS, who had recently moved down from Salt Lake City, barged into my freshly mopped kitchen with all the decorum of a herd of stampeding buffalo. I could feel her rage.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  She led me into my bedroom where we could have privacy in case any of Verlan’s other wives had seen her arrival. Betty was still panting, and she looked so angry I could almost see smoke coming out of her nostrils.

  “Irene,” she said, “I cannot follow Ervil another minute.” Defiance and disgust marred her otherwise attractive features. She breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure. “I’m gonna tell you something, just because we’re best friends, but you can’t tell anyone. It would put my life in jeopardy.” She pushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes and looked toward the ceiling as if she were hoping to find the right words printed there.

  “I walked across the road to Anna Mae’s house to check on her, you know, just to see how she was surviving without Joy and Nephi. When I entered, she wasn’t in the kitchen, so I followed the sound of her laughter into her bedroom. I opened the door . . .” Betty shuddered and burst into tears.

  “Irene, I saw it with my own eyes. Ervil was having sex with her. He stopped pumping,” she said sarcastically, “when he saw me. I’ve never been so appalled or let down in my whole life. Our patriarch, second in command . . . the one who threatens our lives for lesser things than adultery. He’s a traitor to Nephi! A damn, f——ing traitor! My husband and I have disrupted our whole lives . . . given up a good job, everything! Here we’ve come to Zion to await Christ’s return . . . and now this!” Tears seeped through her long fingers as she covered her face with her hand.

  I went absolutely numb. I wanted to run into Verlan’s arms for reassurance, hoping beyond hope it wasn’t true, but Verlan and Betty’s husband, Harold, were away from the colony, both working in the States to support their families. After vowing me to secrecy, Betty rushed toward home, concerned for her small children that she’d left alone. I felt like throwing up, and I wasn’t even pregnant.

  Ervil met Betty on the road in front of her cinder block home as she was returning. He walked over to her sheepishly, offering her his hand, but Betty refused. “Aw, c’mon,” Ervil scolded her. “You thought you saw something illegal. Well, it’s not!”

  “I know what I saw,” Betty replied bitterly.

  Ervil grinned cunningly. “Yes, I know, but sometimes things aren’t the way you see them.” He grabbed Betty’s upper arm, his usual method of showing his superior strength with every woman in town. He held on to her as though she was a child who needed to be reprimanded. “Too begin with, I want you to understand that I have been married to Anna Mae for three days. You can ask Dan if you want; he performed our marriage.”

  Burning with anger and disgust, Betty said, “Sure, you marry another man’s wife as soon as he leaves town.”

  “Now, now, let’s keep the spirit of the Lord. She was never meant to be married to Nephi in the first place. Why do you think they’ve had so many marriage problems?”

  Betty blew up. “We all have problems! So shall we all get divorced as soon as our husbands leave town?” She continued her tirade. “What right do you have to steal Nephi’s wife from right under his nose?”

  “Well,” he continued, still rationalizing, “Anna Mae was born into this world for greater things. She made a mistake when she married Nephi. The Lord knew that in the preexistence, she belonged to me. In fact, for over a year, Nephi couldn’t convert her or even get her to attend a conference. The first time she laid eyes on me, she knew we were soul mates.” He boasted further. “When I preached the gospel to her, she believed every word I said. She is far more valiant than Nephi. In fact, he’s a pathetic excuse of a man. He allowed Anna Mae to wrap him around her finger. He’s no man! Do you think he is worthy to be her husband?”

  Fuming, Betty cut in. “Who gave you the right to give her a divorce? She is married legally to Nephi.”

  “Ah! It makes no difference . . . because as patriarch, I have authority over all marriages here on earth.”

  Betty felt crushed. She couldn’t tolerate such egotistical garbage. “Please, Ervil, leave me alone. I cannot deal with this,” she said as she pulled away.

  “Well, just do me a favor and don’t tell anyone what you saw earlier, okay? Can you do that much for me?”

  “I already told Irene,” she shot back. “I had to tell somebody.”

  Thinking he had settled things with Betty, he made a beeline to my home. He tried to hug me when he entered, but I turned away. “I can’t believe you, Ervil! You’ve just got to be the big chief, don’t you? Always doing what you want when you want. You continually step on everyone else’s toes on your way to the top. I loathe you for ruining Nephi’s life. You know he buried his five-year-old daughter not too long ago.” Then raging, I emphasized, “And now . . . you steal his wife.”

  “C’mon, Irene, wake up! Can’t you see what caliber of men we have down here? Most are worthless freeloaders; they’re unworthy of having even one wife.”

  “Nephi’s not in that class. He’s been your friend for years. He’s the one who’s been sacrificing his money to help you support Delfina and Mary Lou. You are a traitor, that’s what you are,” I cried, breaking down.

  “Let’s not have any tears,” he begged. “I love it when you fight with me. Nothing disappoints me more than a passive woman who never uses her brain.” Returning to his justification, he said, “For your information, Dan married me to Anna Mae. She is legally mine before the Lord.”

>   “What about Nephi?” I yelled.

  “Don’t get so bent out of shape. I’ll make it up to him.” He laughed, smirking. “When he comes home, I’ll give him two wives for the one he’s lost.” His eyes danced with mischief. “I’ve already lined up two seventeen-year-old Mexican girls who I know will be willing to marry him as soon as he returns. Remember,” he said, heading for the door, “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.”

  Nephi had been absent for two weeks when, through my living room window, I noticed his car drive by. I hurriedly left the house, hoping to get to Anna Mae’s before all hell broke loose. There I greeted Nephi as his kids ran outside joyfully to meet him. He took his small daughter Ramona and swung her into the air, then hugged the two older boys. “Now open the trunk and bring all the groceries in,” he told them.

  I entered the rock house just seconds before Nephi. He followed, walking toward Anna Mae with open arms. But, she pushed him away, preventing him from planting a kiss. I could see the hurt in his eyes. “Is that any way for a wife to treat her husband?”

  “I’m not your wife,” she snorted self-righteously and began putting away the groceries that the children had stacked on the kitchen table.

  Nephi walked quietly back outside, looking as dejected as a dog that had been kicked in the rump. I followed him as his boys entered the house with a few remaining things from the car. “Come on, Irene.” Nephi’s voice cracked as he spoke. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

  Nephi and I shared a special connection. I’d admired him since the first day I met him. When we were both seated in the car, he turned and looked me straight in the eye. “Tell me what’s going on. What does Anna Mae mean, she is not my wife?”

  I couldn’t hold back my tears as I responded. “Ervil married your wife while you were gone.”

  He stopped the car in my front yard, then jumping out, he leaned his convulsing body against the car door for support and wept like a child. I wondered if Anna Mae could hear his loud, pitiful, sobs from a block away.

  An hour later, Ervil found Nephi and made his offer. “Don’t feel so bad. All that woman ever did was give you hell.” He laughed, trying to make light of the situation.

  Nephi, numbed by the betrayal, listened to Ervil’s latest instructions from the Lord. “God has lined up two girls for you, Dalila and Oralia.” He beamed, no doubt hoping his enthusiasm would rub off on Nephi. “God is giving you a double blessing—two wives at once. Here’s your chance to do something great.” He continued with his flattery. “You can help bring forth white and delightsome children for the Kingdom of God.”

  Nephi, docile and complacent, seemed to smother his inner rage and despair. Unbelievably, he accepted Ervil’s words as from the Lord, determined to move on. If he rejected Ervil, he would be giving up his children and his newly converted father, Joe. He was bound by his beliefs to accept his leader without further questioning.

  Pregnant Mary Lou was not as complacent or understanding. When word reached her that Ervil had married Anna Mae without even consulting her or Nephi, she flew into a violent rage, striking out at Ervil in despair.

  No one saw the confrontation between the two, but several frightened neighbors listened to Mary Lou’s screams. It was evident that Mary Lou was receiving the whipping of her life, but no one went to her rescue. They knew better than to cross Ervil. Besides, no one wanted to interfere with another man’s kingdom.

  Ervil beat his wife so severely that he asked a neighbor and his wife to look after Mary Lou until she recovered. Two weeks later, she was still bruised. His fists and his belt had left their imprints on her body, reminding her that complete obedience was required.

  Surprisingly, Delfina handled the news about Anna Mae better this time. She did not lose her mind, but she sank into a deep depression that made it nearly impossible for her to tend her children. Ervil, unable and unwilling to tolerate weakness, felt justified in spending all his time with Anna Mae while others consoled Delfina.

  Ervil presented the new doctrine he’d received about divorces to the believers, revealing that he now had authority over every person on earth. To say people were disturbed and dismayed would be a massive understatement. We all knew the implications of Ervil’s words: since the laws of God superseded the laws of the land, Ervil had full control.

  In a women’s meeting, he informed us that nobody had the right to enter into marriage without his consent. Ervil made it his mission to enlighten the group, and his profound teachings seemed to be accepted by the women.

  During this private meeting, we learned of our new rights as women. He explained how God was going to free certain women who had wrongfully married inferior souls. Using the example of his and Anna Mae’s marriage, he minimized what we mistakenly labeled as sin. “If any of you are serious, I mean absolutely sure, about wanting out of your marriage, I’ll release you, and you’ll be free to marry anyone you choose—with my approval, of course.”

  ERVIL GLOATED IN HIS ROLE as a true servant of God. Now that new converts willingly appropriated monies apart from tithing, he was able for the first time in his life to dress like a professional. Back when I first met him in 1953, he looked like a typical country bumpkin, clad in a well-used white-going-on-gray shirt with sleeves rolled up to cover the fact that they barely passed his elbows. His Levi’s were five inches too short and split in the crotch. It was an embarrassment because he wore no undershorts. Baling wire served as shoelaces. He totally ignored the discomfort that came from wearing no socks, compounded by the holes in his shoes. I’ll never forget that scene. He was just a strikingly good-looking guy who reminded me of those pictures you see of Abraham Lincoln. He had long legs and big raw-boned hands.

  Now, with the help of a couple of converts he shopped for and bought expensive clothing, feeding his already-out-of-control ego. Ervil began running around in sixty dollar shoes and thirty-five dollar shirts. He also acquired a late-model, four-door Impala with a shiny tan interior and gold exterior. Ervil claimed that God had revealed that he should obtain the vehicle because it would be more impressive to potential converts. Firstborn members dubbed Ervil’s yellow car “the Golden Calf.”

  He was sure his new image would attract flocks of new converts. He had the good looks, plus he was armed with a few alarming scriptures that he would use to warn the people to flee to Mexico before the day of the final destruction.

  One day Ervil received a specific revelation aimed at one man: Darren (not his real name, changed to protect the guilty) had been chosen by God to do Ervil’s bidding and support him. His unspeakable joy overrode the fact that his finances were next to nil, and his wife was already suffering from neglect. But Darren believed that he would be rewarded a hundredfold for being obedient, so he accompanied Ervil to the Lamb Chevrolet dealership in San Diego. After Ervil completed the test drive, Darren signed the papers and the pleased patriarch drove his new possession out of the car lot.

  Ervil had purposely chosen a gold-colored car. It reminded him of one of the heavenly treasures he’d eventually be receiving. He imagined himself driving down the streets of gold.

  When prophet Joel heard the news, he was not at all happy. He felt Ervil needed to remain humble. It seemed to him that Ervil had forgotten the motto of one man not possessing that which is above another.

  Ervil’s earlier obsession had been to gather wives for his eternal kingdom. Now it appeared that his focus had changed to amassing monetary wealth.

  Ervil had just given Delfina’s and his fifteen-year-old daughter, Sara Jane, to Dan Jordan for his third wife. Dan was known throughout the church as Ervil’s right-hand man because he always obeyed Ervil without question. Ervil chose him to accompany him on a mission to gain converts. Though other men were outraged, Ervil could hardly wait to drive his “golden calf” into the mission field, thereby, he thought, creating an image of credibility and importance.

  At the inception of the church, Ervil had taught that missionary work was to be done accord
ing to the scriptures—with “neither purse, nor scrip.” In this way the missionaries would test unbelievers; those who fed and cared for the missionaries would be targeted as potential converts. Ervil’s use of his flashy car stood in direct contradiction to both his own words and the word of God.

  WHEN ONE OF THE NEW CONVERTS, Lewis Ray, wanted to return to Moab, Utah, he invited Ervil to accompany him. He knew that Ervil’s charisma and knowledge of the Mormon scriptures could persuade his children, Thelma and Vern Ray, to leave the LDS Church. Lewis was correct. Ervil convinced Vern in almost no time to join the church, and Vern and his wife and eight children moved to Mexico a short time later.

  Ervil felt that he was fulfilling his calling by making such spectacular conversions. He always felt God’s approval when receiving his daily promptings, and he was confident that no one else on earth was as capable of such an undertaking.

  Ervil felt led to remain in Utah when Vern and his father returned to Mexico. He had convinced Vern’s sister, Thelma, to join the church, but her husband, Bud Chynoweth, was a hard nut to crack. He quietly opposed his wife. He loved the Mormon Church and their lifestyle. He had worked for years to establish and maintain their standard of living, and he had no intention of uprooting his family and moving to a foreign country. Busybody Thelma worked incessantly to convince Bud to make the move, pointing out that since her two older sons had moved out and lived on their own, they no longer needed their large home.

  Lorna, Thelma’s teenage daughter, a tall brunette pursuing a career as a model, immediately attracted Ervil’s attention. However, to Ervil’s dismay, her busy schedule kept her away from home quite a bit.