Elizabeth Smart Trial Begins


Melissa569
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Finally the Elizabeth Smart trial is under way.

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot all about this case! I think it was like 8 years ago. Little Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, by the homeless preacher her parents charitably hired as a handyman. He snuck in through the kitchen window and into her bedroom, threatened the lives of her and her family, and kidnapped her at knife point. Then made her follow him miles away to some kind of polygamist camp, where he and his "other" wife made her change into robes, and a forced "sealed" marriage was performed. Doesn't take a lot of imagination to guesss what Elizabeth said happened right after....

You know, its people like him who make nice families afraid to show charity.

She just served a mission in France, and it sounds like she may have had to come home from it for the trial..?? I feel so bad for her, but I really respect how she moved on. Here's the article:

Elizabeth Smart says she awoke to knife on neck | General Headlines | Comcast.net

Edited by Melissa569
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Anyone know if they've released her for the occasion? Or is she working with local missionaries when she's not required by the court?

Edit: Now that I think about it I don't see her working locally, at least not proselyting. I suppose they could stick her in the office.

Edited by Dravin
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No idea Dravin. Everything I've read in national and local news just states that she returned from her mission to testify. Also that she will return to France to finish her mission when no longer needed by the courts.

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No idea Dravin. Everything I've read in national and local news just states that she returned from her mission to testify. Also that she will return to France to finish her mission when no longer needed by the courts.

You know, if she's really into the spirit of her mission (and I have no reason to doubt she is) I kinda hope they released her. Otherwise this is counting as time served and she probably wouldn't be able to teach or proselyte during it. Essentially part of her mission 'wasted'.

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I have a friend that spent part of his time as the family spokesperson while she was missing. He stated she was EXTREMELY excited to be going on a misson and teaching the gospel. It is a shame that she is having to relive this again during such an important time in her life.

My concern would be, if still on her mission and working as a proselytizing missionary here in the area, that more would be concentrated on her experiences than on teaching the gospel since this will be quite public again. So I'm with Dravin, I hope they have her in an office or have released her so she doesn't lose her time.

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According to an October, 2010 Deseret News article, she will return to France to finish her mission once she's done testifying.

Elphaba

LOL thanks for backing me up with a link. I knew I had read that on numerous occasions.

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I've had a little more time to think about this, and of course I feel that Elizabeth is 100% an innocent victim. I also understand that Jesus Christ would teach us to be kind and charitable to the homeless, which I agree with.

But I also think this is a good lesson for drawing certain lines between kindness, and just plain unwise decisions...

Of course NOTHING excuses the absolute (in my opinion voluntary) guilt of the kidnapper, and the fact that it was HIS choice to commit a crime, and nobody else's. But I personally feel that the parents (as good and nice of people as they are) perhaps should not have been so trusting.

I for one would NEVER hire a non-professional stranger off the streets to come do work at my home, around my children. I wouldn't even do it if I were single. Perhaps giving them food, or a ride to a shelter, or helping them clean up and putting in a good word for them somewhere to help them get a job could be just as kind as inviting them home to work for you, if you really wanted to help them. But something about inviting them home just doesn't feel right, or safe to me. Even if they do seem like a kind person.

What really disturbs me about this case is how familiar the kidnapper seemed to be with the inner layout of the family's house, and where everyone's rooms were. They were a large family, having 6 children and probably a few bedrooms. How did the kidnapper know exactly where to go to find Elizabeth, when the entire house was dark, and all the family members were in bed, covered up with blankets?

I don't know, I'm just worried that they may have allowed a stranger to become too familiar with them. Again, it doesn't excuse the kidnapper. And no, they did not deserve for this to happen. NOBODY does. But it probably could have been avoided... So its a good moral for the future.

Edited by Melissa569
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The Smarts have been through a lot. Let's not turn this into a negative debate about the decisions the family made over 8 years ago. They are trying to move on..shouldn't we as well?

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Oh I wasn't trying to brow beat the family with "shoulda, coulda, woulda's" over the past, or anything (I was worried it was going to sound like that, lol). And I know they've been through a lot.

I was just making the point that this is a good moral for the rest of us in the future. We can be kind to our fellow man, but we gotta keep one eye on them too.

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You were brow beating. You yourself stated..the parents shouldn't have been as trusting..bringing someone home doesn't seem smart. You mentioned unwise decisions.

Sounds like brow beating to me.

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The Smarts have been through a lot. Let's not turn this into a negative debate about the decisions the family made over 8 years ago. They are trying to move on..shouldn't we as well?

Yes, and since the girl did not choose to have this happen and did not choose for the story to get out in the media, she deserves privacy.

Edited by HoosierGuy
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Edit: Now that I think about it I don't see her working locally, at least not proselyting. I suppose they could stick her in the office.

My concern would be, if still on her mission and working as a proselytizing missionary here in the area, that more would be concentrated on her experiences than on teaching the gospel since this will be quite public again. So I'm with Dravin, I hope they have her in an office or have released her so she doesn't lose her time.

I totally agree. There's no way that she could proselyte in Utah. I think that may be part of the reason she was sent to France. I'm sure she's much less well-known over there. It's kind-of like how I've often said (not here necessarily, but in real life) that if David Archuleta ever serves a mission, that they'll have to send him into the Kenyan deserts or something.

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is it possible all this happening now is a blessing in disguise for her. we all hear about how the mantel of being a full time missionary can change some ppl. maybe it will be the extra strength she needs to survive the trial and the emotional burden it brings with it.

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Well in those quotes, rather than "brow beating", I more consider it simply "disagreeing with execution of plans", which is not a bad thing, or wrong.

But we're getting side tracked here. The main focus was that its something we can all learn from in the future.

No actually the main focus which you yourself brought up was about the current trial. Not about what we can learn in the future.

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ok i was going to comment before about the whole letting ppl in the house and it being unwise etc before but refrained because it's a bit off topic. but i do want to comment on that.

i do get the point i think melissa is trying to make. but the fact that it's "unwise" is also a matter of perspective. i think it's a matter of where you live and how you were brought up. we have ppl show up at our door asking for work all the time. often if hubby is out in the yard he will hire them to help him out. this last summer i hired a few teens looking to earn some cash to help me do some deep cleaning in the house. my uncle picked up a man walking on the highway and took him to his destination (like a 13 hour drive). it took 2 days, he got the man a hotel and everything. do we have to be safe? yes. should that stop us from being charitable (and sometimes getting the help we need at the same time)? no. we never know all the details leading up to a situation. hindsight is 20/20 and arm chair quarterbacks always know best. but when you are on the field, in the game of life you make the decisions you do. i'm sure the family has gone back through their memory a thousand times kicking themselves with that hindsight. that's what i'd be doing. i think we have to be careful as ppl and as parents not to beat ourselves or each other up to bad over decisions we've made. if we were doing the best we knew how with what we had and when we know better we do better then that's all god asks. is it our place to ask for more than god does?

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