I am flabbergasted.
This is a powerful interview which goes into specifics of how “ordinary” LDS families can get sucked into Julie Rowe and/or Chad Daybell, and find themselves slipping into a world of adultery, financial scamming and worse, all starting with the healthiest and kindest of intentions.
The interviewees use a pseudonym. They are facing shame for being susceptible. But I don’t think negatively of them at all. I think they seem to have an unusually strong marital bond- not held by coercion. The male in this couple spoke of male domination in marriage as archaic, and implied it is not desirable. Because of that strong bond, they were able to not get pulled apart and sucked into meeting the needs of what I would call a cult, rather than acting on their original intentions to engage in healthy and helpful community work.
The interviewees say that others can’t come forward due to the same shame they feel— and possibly more shame if they engaged in adultery (because of manipulation rather than because the marriage was a mistake), spent the family savings and/or gave up employment to support the cult with cash or labor, etc. I have to say, I do not think I have ever been as bound to a partner as these two sound- their commitment reminds me more of my commitment to my offspring. I do not think I would think badly of any person who faced the pressures they did, and made much bigger mistakes.
It also reminded me of a couple of local posters on this board, who were like, WTF??? (Or maybe more like “WHAT???”- my east coast crude is showing!) I know a name here! Because the interviewees were lovely, “normal” people who happened to be LDS. They did not seem to be extra vulnerable to me, as some players do. They seem if anything less vulnerable, due to their incredible marital bond.