LifeStyue irs SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 4, LIFE & STYLE EDITOR I Elyssa Andrus 2004 eandrusheraldextra.com 344-255- 3 Mysteries bf Til II SECTION If I " I ' paui jsf sp jfmmsNS I ..7'- . It ia ..:..-- ; . . ' Fundamentalist group stirs suspicion, mistrust in small Texas town Karen Brooks THE DALLAS ELDORADO, Texas v MORNING NEWS . The narrow dirt road cuts away from a padlocked metal gate with a "No Trespassing" sign and an infrared security camera. The road drapes like a ribbon over rolling green hills and seems to go nowhere. But at the end of the trail, hidden from the prying eyes of a judgmental world, immense log cabins and meeting halls rise above the West Texas brush. In their shadows, women h in dresses till soil in a garden the size of a football field as their husbands build a retreat for church members who believe "plural marriage" is the only way to eternal salvation. floor-lengt- JOSHUA BROWNDaily Herald sits in her Midvale home with her new book, "God's Brothel" a collection of vignettes about women in polygamy. . Andrea Moore-Emme- tt Author gathers stories ofhardshipin polygamy ' This group of polygamists Elyssa Andrus DAILY HERALD Utah-Arizon- ..." ' big-tim- e !- . Mormon fundamentalists apparently seeking an escape from an unholy mess in their longtime a homes on the border has raised a stir in tiny Eldorelirado, where gion may be welcome but multiple wives tend to rankle. Accustomed to gabbing about the local Eagles football team over the back fences this time of year, the townsfolk of Eldorado are suddenly the state's armchair experts on splinter religions, moral relativism and separation of church and state. Sisters often have to share. But for 37 years, Rowenna and her sister shared a bit too muck namely, the same husband. It's been a decade since Erickson left her polygamous mar-riage. In 1992, she was excommunicated from the Utah fundamentalist group the Kingstons for writing a stinging letter . condemning the church's leaders. orThese days, Erickson, of the Salt Lake-base- d ganization Tapestry Against Polygamy, doesn't mince words about the religious beliefs and lifestyle she says ate up some four decades of her life. "Well, it's just hell," said Erickson, 64. "But the hardest part of all of it is the day when you wake up ... and find that you did this, and you thought you were doing it for God. And God ' er See BROTHEL, The local library hasn't been able to keep up with requests for books about Mormonism after the breakaway group, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints, took up residence on the former game ranch north of Eldorado. "I don't think they're here to be our friends, and I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them," said Thelma Bosnians, 51, whose mother is on the City Council "Most of the people I talk to are like, 'We believe in God, and we believe that See ELDORADO, , B2 82 Seventeen magazine, the girls' fashion bible, gets religion But under editor-in-chiAtoosa Rubenstein, the venerable girls' publication Seventeen has added a faith secFaiza worships five tion that includes inspirational mesNEW YORK times a day, while Rhianna is as likely sages, personal stories of spiritual to believe in God as in the Easter Bunstruggle and testimonials on issues ranging from prayer to gay teens who ny. Kristin prays too, but to the God i attend church. , and the Goddess. V T This teenage religion debate can be ; - The content is serious. Verses from . found on the pages of a magazine bet- - ; the New Testament are printed beside ter known for explaining how to sayings from the Prophet Muhammad. match lipstick to blush not exploring The teachings of Pope John Paul Hand the Dalai Lama are also featured.. the concept of a higher power. Rachel Zolt THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ef v. : :: Rubenstein said she started the section not to spread a religious message, but to provide a forum on an issue she believes is important to this generation of girls. "I feel, and had sensed that my readers felt, that there was an entire magazine that wasn't speaking to a part of them, Rubenstein sakL "I just noticed more and more our readers were talking about their faith." Experts on religion and youth trends agree They theorize that teens are re teen fashion magazine with a religion belling against the broad, undefined r parspirituality of their ents, and are seeking out environ- section. Rubenstein, who was the founding editor of CosmoGirt!, said she first proposed a faith section several years ago when she was just starting out in magazine publishing. The response from the other editors, she said, was that a fashion magazine was no place for baby-boome- ments like those in church with clearer rules that help them cope with problems. In a recent study by Teenage Research Unlimited, a market research firm in Northbrook, HL, 58 percent of teens ranked faith as among the most important parts of their life, said Michael Wood, the company's vice president. Still, he knew of no other day-to-da- y . God. A year ago, she took over at . Seven-Se- e SEVENTEEN, 82