It doesn鈥檛 look much like a church. In fact, it used to be a ski lodge. But deep in a valley, south of Owen Sound, Ont., is the Church of Jesus Christ Restored: A place where an old Mormon doctrine, polygamy, has been allegedly practised in the shadows for more than 40 years. A former church wife told W5 her story.
Carol Christie was 18 when she says her mother, an unstable religious fanatic, drugged and manipulated her into 鈥渕arrying鈥� a charismatic preacher more than twice her age. His name was Stan King. In the early seventies Stan broke from The Reorganised Church of Latter Day Saints, and established his own fundamentalist Mormon sect. His followers called him The Prophet.
One of his entitlements as 鈥淧rophet鈥� was the privilege of having plural wives: Women who were supposed to bear him special sons, princes to carry forth his teaching.
When Carol Christie moved into King鈥檚 farmhouse, near Sauble Beach, she says she joined his legal wife, and two other 鈥渃hurch wives鈥� -- one of whom, she says, was only 14. According to Carol, Stan had a fondness for group sex. And as time passed, she says King bedded three more 鈥渨ives鈥� ranging in age from 10 to 17.
But Carol was a favourite because she produced two sons in quick succession, James and Marcus. James was born in 1977, the same year the church started a printing company in Mississauga, Ont. Within five years, King and his followers bought a 200-acre property in his beloved Grey County. It was a bankrupt ski resort, simply rechristened 鈥淭he Property.鈥� They planned to build a temple there, high on a hill. But the temple was never built. Four years later Stan King, now living with a 20-year-old church wife, died of a stroke at the age of 58.
His followers gathered around his body, and prayed for the 鈥淧rophet鈥檚鈥� resurrection. A week went by. Carol says the stench became unbearable. Finally, without ceremony, his remains were put in the ground.
Stan King had fathered three sons with his legally-married wife Erna. Upon his death, his youngest, Fred, inherited his father鈥檚 mantle 鈥淧rophet鈥� and his illicit wives. One of them, Carol Christie, became Fred鈥檚 property. And briefly, his bedmate.
鈥淚t was horrible,鈥� she recalled in an interview with W5鈥檚 Victor Malarek. Carol didn鈥檛 like Fred, and couldn鈥檛 disguise it. So he ordered her to move to Guelph, Ont., where a group of church members could keep control of her.
Life in the church changed under the new Prophet, Fred. Carol says the first time he physically assaulted a church member, the congregation hung its head in fear. And that established a pattern of dread, violence and silence.
Growing up a son of the church, John Knisely says he took his share of beatings from Fred King. They鈥檙e actually half-brothers, sired from the same father, Stan King. But their shared paternity didn鈥檛 make life any easier for John.
Knisely was 15 when Fred pulled him out of school and put him to work at the church鈥檚 printing plant where he says he earned $10 or $20 a week, cash. Later, he got a paycheck, but says he had to turn most of it back to Fred and the church. Weary of beatings he and his family endured, or had to witness, he ran away 14 years ago.
It took Carol Christie longer. 鈥淚 got to the point where I thought he was insane. I thought he would kill me the beatings were so severe.鈥�
Four years ago she ran, but left her son Marcus behind. He was too afraid of the spiritual consequences of abandoning the church and the Prophet鈥檚 teachings to leave with her. It is Carol鈥檚 greatest regret.
W5 sent registered letters to Fred King requesting an interview to discuss allegations of polygamy and abuse. We also tried to deliver a letter to the property. At the door, Fred鈥檚 legal wife, Linda, would not accept it. She may have feared a summons. Within the past two years, Fred King and his church have faced lawsuits from six former church members like Carol Christie and John Knisely.
The lawsuits allege: 鈥淔red emotionally brutalized the plaintiffs鈥y systematically creating an atmosphere of fear, which was used to prop up absolute obedience to a ruthless tyrant.鈥�
King denied the allegations in filed Statements of Defence, but the lawsuits were settled quickly, with settlements believed to be worth several million dollars in total.
W5 did not manage to meet Fred King. But he may be aware of our inquiries. You can鈥檛 drive onto 鈥淭he Property鈥� anymore. There鈥檚 now a gate, complete with a heavy padlock and chain, and a sign warning no hunting or trespassing.
