The most disturbing aspect to the case of Elizabeth Smart is that she would purposely want to hide behind that veil, i.e., that she was now completely accepting Mitchell as her "husband" and even trying to protect him from the law. Indeed, when the police finally did take her into custody, she denied who she was and only wanted to know what would happen to Mitchell and his other "wife."
A case a Stockholm syndrome? Perhaps. Yet it is not as if Elizabeth was imprisoned and tortured during all those months. One theory is that, having been indoctrinated in Mormonism since she was a child, she had already been primed to obey and revere male authority figures, the "patriarch" of the "family."
I harbor another suspicion about the case. It struck me as very odd that, once Elizabeth was released to her family, she went into complete isolation for several months. And if you look at the few photos taken of her when rescued, she certainly doesn't look like the delicate, thin young girl she was whenkidnapped. I could be mistaken, but it wouldn't surprise me if she was pregnant, carrying Mitchell's child. After all, he had sex with her repeatedly, without protection, during all those months. If that were the case, the Mormon church would consider it an "internal" problem and entrust its "LDS Social Services" to clandestinely see her through the pregnancy and delivery, and then place the child up for adoption.
I have witnessed similar situations "hushed up" among Mormons on several occasions.
It would, in my mind, explain a lot. Upon realizing she was pregnant, Elizabeth would more readily accept Mitchell as her "husband," being the father of her unborn child. And she would not want to be caught, knowing that her family, church, community, and friends would judge her as having "sinned" by getting pregnant outside of wedlock.
My heart goes out to her, not only because of the ordeal of her abduction, but also because she actually continues to be between a "church and a hard spot." I fear she'll never truly be free of the religious captivity.
A case a Stockholm syndrome? Perhaps. Yet it is not as if Elizabeth was imprisoned and tortured during all those months. One theory is that, having been indoctrinated in Mormonism since she was a child, she had already been primed to obey and revere male authority figures, the "patriarch" of the "family."
I harbor another suspicion about the case. It struck me as very odd that, once Elizabeth was released to her family, she went into complete isolation for several months. And if you look at the few photos taken of her when rescued, she certainly doesn't look like the delicate, thin young girl she was when kidnapped. I could be mistaken, but it wouldn't surprise me if she was pregnant, carrying Mitchell's child. After all, he had sex with her repeatedly, without protection, during all those months. If that were the case, the Mormon church would consider it an "internal" problem and entrust its "LDS Social Services" to clandestinely see her through the pregnancy and delivery, and then place the child up for adoption.
I have witnessed similar situations "hushed up" among Mormons on several occasions.
It would, in my mind, explain a lot. Upon realizing she was pregnant, Elizabeth would more readily accept Mitchell as her "husband," being the father of her unborn child. And she would not want to be caught, knowing that her family, church, community, and friends would judge her as having "sinned" by getting pregnant outside of wedlock.
My heart goes out to her, not only because of the ordeal of her abduction, but also because she actually continues to be between a "church and a hard spot." I fear she'll never truly be free of the religious captivity.