Recent history Church of the Firstborn (LeBaron order)

1 recent history

1.1 succession
1.2 victimizations juarez narcoterrorists (2000s)
1.3 memoirs

recent history
succession

the church of firstborn has experienced ongoing leadership succession controversies following founder s assassination. joel succeeded brother verlan, killed in automobile accident in 1981. joel lebaron, jr. , sigfried widmar headed rival factions of church of firstborn of fulness of times. additionally new church of firstborn faction had arisen under alma lebaron, jr., referred economic government of god; , floren lebaron had helped form loosely organized faction recognizing no formal leader.

victimizations juarez narcoterrorists (2000s)

in 2009, lebaron enclave in mexico , received national attention in mexico within context of war against drug trafficking in mexico, in northwestern region of state of chihuahua. on may 2, erick le baron, 17, kidnapped attempted ransom amount of us$1 million. however, spokesman of entire lebaron community had announced decision not pay ransom instead seek release of young man, freed captors on may 10 without there having been made ransom payment. throughout event, community spoke out publicly, both in state capital, chihuahua, , national , international media against growing insecurity experienced in region , maintained intention continue policy of refusal pay ransoms in cases of possible kidnappings.

on july 6, 2009, erick s brother, benjamin, , order member, luis widmar stubbs, kidnapped , thereafter murdered on streets of colonia lebaron group of armed assailants, left written message victims bodies message stated crime in retaliation benjamin s activism against traffickers.

in immediate aftermath, mexican manned garrisoned in town. in 2012 chihuahua state legislator alex lebaron began campaigning change mexican gun laws legalize arming citizens self-defense.

memoirs

in 2006, susan ray schmidt, sixth wife of verlan lebaron published favorite wife (updated in 2009), in 2007 irene spencer, wife of verlan lebaron, published shattered dreams , in 2009, cult insanity, – rebutted in 2011 thomas j. liddiard in shedding light: observations of book entitled cult insanity – , in 2016 ruth wariner, daughter of joel lebaron, published sound of gravel experience in religious group.