#Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)

[psychotiicals]

luv seinfeld but elaines hair will never not remind me of the duggars/lds/fundamentalist christian hairstyles do u see what i mean

[xtruss]

The Twisted World of Warren Jeffs: Former FLDS Members Speak Out

Exclusive Interviews With Ex-FLDS Members Offer New Picture of Covert Community.

— By Grace Handy | February 27, 2024

When polygamy was outlawed by the Mormon Church in 1890, splinter groups formed, including the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, in which members could practice polygamy – or "plural marriage" – discreetly, without persecution.

The FLDS was able to flourish in a remote enclave nestled along the border of Utah and Arizona near Zion National Park in a community called Short Creek.

In the FLDS community, the most important person is the prophet, and members believe that God communicates directly through him. Among the core beliefs of the community is that the more wives a man has, the closer he gets to salvation.

Warren Jeffs watches his attorneys during a motion hearing before his trial, Sept. 13, 2007, in St. George, Utah. Douglas C. Pizac/AFP via Getty Images

From 1986 to 2002, Rulon Jeffs Served as FLDS Prophet and President.

As Rulon Jeffs' health declined, his son Warren Jeffs slowly took control of the FLDS community. Rulon Jeffs died in 2002, and Warren Jeffs succeeded him as prophet.

FLDS members were used to taking direction from Warren Jeffs but, over time, his orders became more restrictive – and, to some, alarming.

Jeffs banned television, movies, popular music, and fictional books. He also executed strict mandates on behavior, dress, and language. Women were told to "keep sweet," suppress emotions and feelings, obey their husbands, and above all, obey Jeffs — the all-knowing prophet.

Briell Decker, Jeffs' 65th wife, told ABC, "'Keep Sweet' meant you could have no emotions except for sweetness. That was the only emotion allowed."

Former FLDS prophet Rulon Jeffs pictured with many young FLDS members. Courtesy of Charlene Jeffs

ABC's new special, "Truth and Lies: The Doomsday Prophet," streaming now on Hulu, features exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with FLDS members filmed inside the community.

Beneath what appeared to be an attempt to present an ideal community of content and obedient followers, Jeffs allegedly used his power to pursue twisted exploits.

ABC sat down with Jeffs' daughter, Rachel Blackmore, who alleged her father sexually abused her for years during childhood. "When your parent does something like that, it feels shameful on you, too. And then it kept happening," Blackmore told ABC.

While Jeffs accumulated brides, some of them young teens, underage marriages were common in the broader community.

At the age of 14, Elissa Wall was married off to her 19-year-old first cousin. Wall said she had no choice but to go through with the marriage, which was officiated by Jeffs.

Short Creek today – a small community on the Utah-Arizona border near Zion National Park. ABC News

Ruth Stubbs, another member of the FLDS community, was married off when she was 16. Her husband, Rodney Holm, was 32. He was a police officer in Short Creek and was already married to two other women. Holm was arrested for bigamy and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and spent a year in prison.

Warren Jeffs with seventeen of his wives. Courtesy of Rachel Blackmore

Warren Jeffs' alleged involvement in facilitating marriages between underage girls and adult men led to him being placed on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list in May 2006. Criminal charges had been brought against him in Utah and Arizona.

Jeffs eventually fled Short Creek and went on the lam, hiding out in various cities around the United States per his journals – or "priesthood records" – that were later presented at his trial. While on the run, Jeffs had a compound built in Eldorado, Texas – where he would send hand-picked followers, telling them they were being called to Zion, or "heaven on earth." Jeffs named the compound the YFZ Ranch (or "Yearning for Zion" Ranch).

"People were slowly disappearing [from Short Creek] at that time," said Charlene Jeffs, a former FLDS member who was then married to Warren Jeffs' brother, Lyle. Several of Charlene's children, Ammon, Susie, and Thomas, were called to Zion, she said.

"It was supposed to be an honor to have them called forth. But all it was, was heartache," said Charlene Jeffs, who was exiled from the FLDS community in 2012.

Rachel Blackmore with her father, Warren Jeffs. Blackmore alleges Jeffs sexually abused her during childhood, starting when she was eight years old. Courtesy of Rachel Blackmore with permission

In August 2006, Jeffs' journey on the run came to a halt when his car was pulled over for a routine traffic violation outside of Las Vegas. Then, court proceedings began.

Wall testified against Jeffs in 2007. Wall told ABC it was an empowering experience: "I was forced to face him. I was forced to get on the stand, face him, and say 'you did this' ... I was no longer just an innocent little girl who just did everything out of fear. I had a voice and it was starting to become heard."

Jeffs was found guilty of accomplice to rape for facilitating Wall's underage marriage. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The charges would be overturned on appeal in 2010, and Jeffs was never retried. However, by that point, other evidence against Jeffs was found at the YFZ Ranch after law enforcement raided the ranch, leading to new charges.

The temple entrance at the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. FLDS members worked day and night for months building the structure. Courtesy of Angela Goodwin

"[Officers] saw scrapbooks and letters supporting the fact that these girls were being married off at a very young age and were having babies," said Angela Goodwin, a district attorney in Texas.

During the raid, officers found horrific evidence incriminating Jeffs – including an audio recording of him having sexual relations with a 12-year-old. Officials also discovered a pregnant 15-year-old at the ranch who was carrying Jeffs' child.

Former FLDS members allege Jeffs still runs the church from behind bars in Palestine, Texas, and releases revelations that his devout followers adhere to. One revelation from the summer of 2022 has been particularly concerning to former members, especially those with family members still in the religion.

"The revelations say that within five years, the children will be translated to heaven. But the problem is … you have to die first," Roger Hoole, a private attorney involved in many FLDS cases, told ABC.

Amid current concerns about Jeffs' revelations, Short Creek is moving on – and perhaps nothing is more indicative of the vast progress in the community than the election of Donia Jessop as mayor of Hildale, on the Utah border of Short Creek.

Jessop is the first female mayor and first former FLDS member elected to office. Jessop has implemented modernization in the community – for example, she is working with the United Effort Plan to completely transform the former FLDS meetinghouse.

"We want to recreate a place, a community building, where we can come together and celebrate in the things that we've always loved, the programs, the dance, the arts. We want to create a safe haven for the people," Mayor Jessop told ABC.

Former FLDS member and current mayor of Hildale, Donia Jessop. Jessop’s election as mayor in 2018 signified a major shift in the community. ABC News

Another major development in the community was the creation of the Short Creek Dream Center, a place of refuge for people transitioning out of the FLDS – and anyone fleeing oppressive or abusive environments.

The Dream Center, symbolically, was the former home of Warren Jeffs. Briell Decker, one of Jeffs' former wives, was granted the 28,000-square-foot home after escaping the FLDS – and she helped create the Dream Center.

The exterior of the Short Creek Dream Center, former home of Warren Jeffs. The Dream Center is now a safe haven for local people in need. ABC News

Decker, who experienced so much pain and trauma in her early life, says she is proud to now help others at the center.

"I feel like I'm safe. I feel like more lives are being touched than I could have ever possibly imagined," Decker told ABC.

Wall, now an activist and author, moved back to Short Creek several years ago and noticed an emotional shift in the community.

"The most important change that I think Short Creek has undergone in the last decade is healing. As people returned and came back, bringing all of their experiences, for them they were coming home," Wall said.

As veteran journalist Mike Watkiss tells ABC, "This is a story about a culture, a community, that has chronically oppressed women. The women are the victims, and the women have been the forces and instruments of change."

[as-flowers-by-rain]

It just fully set in that the fracturing of the Fundamentalist church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) Is a large part of the reason why I have the two cats I currently have (Teaberry (Mine) and Kimchi Fried Rice Boy(My wife's))

[morbidology]

Within the polygamist cult known as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), the practice of marrying within one's own family was distressingly common, purportedly to safeguard bloodlines. Predictably, the cumulative effect of years of such inbreeding has manifested in a disturbingly high incidence of birth defects among offspring.

Tragically, many of these children died shortly after birth, while others struggled to survive beyond their earliest years. Tucked away on an unassuming road in Utah lies a somber testament to this grim reality: a baby cemetery, bearing witness to the toll of incestuous unions and abuse within the community.

The desolate appearance of this cemetery is haunting, with overgrown weeds shrouding the tiny graves, many of which remain unmarked and anonymous.

Photograph Credit: Trent Nelson

[letsdocuboutit]

- Let's Docu 'Bout It -

Episode 11 - Keep Sweet Pray and Obey (Part One)

This week I recap and talk about the Netflix docuseries, Keep Sweet Pray and Obey, which is about the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, and its current leader Warren Jeffs. Survivors of this cult were interviewed extensively in this four part docuseries. This episode talks about parts 1 and 2 of the docuseries.

Listen here or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Spotify - Apple - Amazon - Castbox - iHeartRadio - RadioPublic - Google

Photos - (Row 2: Rulon Jeffs and some of his wives // Rebecca Wall now vs when married to Rulon at age 19) (Row 3: Alicia Rohbock when she married Rulon at age 20 // Alicia now) (Row 4: Short Creek, Utah // Warren Jeffs home in Short Creek)

Safe Passage

[vmod]

hi!! I wanna hopefully clarify some things for prev anon! (disclaimer: I’m not poly)

(warning for vague discussions of cults and abuse)

I’m from the states and polygamy is illegal mainly because of a religion that started in the US (church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints). Fundamentalists (the FLDS) are still around but milder sects are much more common nowadays.

Unfortunately, the flds has a history of abuse, forcing (often underaged) girls to marry men of status. Some leaders had dozens of wives. This is the big reason why polygamy is so frowned upon (and outlawed) in the US.

But I want prev anon to know that true polyamorous relationships are NOT THE SAME THING as the flds practice of polygamy.

They have a consensual, happy relationship, and they’re NOT HURTING ANYONE. Polycules can have multiple loving partners and maintain happy/healthy relationships with all members. It’s honestly not much different than a relationship between two people. Just more love to go around.

(ofc, there’s nothing inherently wrong with being part of the lds unless you’re actively hurting people. unfortunately, the fundamentalist lds group has a very dark history. if you want more information, there’s a great documentary on netflix called “keep sweet, pray, and obey.”)

[that-catholic-shinobi]

What does FLDS mean?

Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints. They’re a mormon polygamous cult. Their leader is in prison for sex crimes against a child.

There have been reports they’re moving up from Utah to the Dakota’s but it was the first time i’ve seen them

[morbidmemories]

Netflix true crime

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

Warren Jeffs saw himself as the spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), an extremist offshoot of mainstream Mormonism. In reality, he created a system of abuse and coercion, forcing members of his congregation — often underage — into marriage, blind obedience, and isolation. In this docuseries, former FLDS members and survivors come forward to share their stories. Using never-before-seen VCR footage from within the FLDS community, this series provides the well-known story with a deeply human and relatable face — told through current interviews with his wives and congregation.

Lover, Stalker, Killer

As the title suggests, Lover, Stalker, Killer is a story of a romance gone wrong. In 2012, Dave Kroupa created an online dating profile after just coming out of a long-term relationship. It’s there that he meets a single mom named Liz Golyar. Soon after, he encounters another single mother, Cari Farver, while repairing her car at his auto shop. It’s an instant connection for Kroupa and Farver, but what would unfold is a twisted love triangle that leads to harassment, digital deception, and murder.

Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

A tight-knit South Carolina community is ripped apart by a series of deadly crimes that all seem to involve one family: the Murdaughs. The two seasons of Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal delve into how a prominent family used and abused their wealth and privilege to the extreme.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

Yeah, you’ll want to lock your doors and windows for this one. Beneath the glitz and glamor of 1985 LA lurked a prolific serial killer. Richard Ramirez hunted, tortured, and murdered his victims in terrifying ways while evading capture for one long year. Night Stalker focuses on Ramirez’s victims and the investigators behind the manhunt.

The Keepers

Who killed Sister Cathy? In 1969, the 26-year-old nun from suburban Baltimore was murdered. Her sudden death stunned the town, especially her students at Archbishop Keough High School. As investigators dug into this mystery, they learned that her death may not have been the only injustice. Was Sister Catherine Cesnik murdered to cover up sexual abuse by a school priest?

The Staircase

In 2001, novelist Michael Peterson found his wife, Kathleen Peterson, dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home. Although it was reported as an accidental death, investigators believed Peterson bludgeoned his wife and staged the murder. The Staircase documents the case against Peterson and poses the question: Did he do it?

Credit:

[whole-yeet-potato]

flds. no not fundamentalist church of latter day saints. faramir lovers defense squad .. duh

[beardedmrbean]

The leader of small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border had taken at least 20 wives, most of them minors, and punished followers who did not treat him as a prophet, newly filed federal court documents show.

Samuel Bateman was a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, until he left to start his own small offshoot group. He was supported financially by male followers who also gave up their own wives and children to be Bateman's wives, according to an FBI affidavit.

The document filed Friday provides new insight about what investigators have found in a case that first became public in August. It accompanied charges of kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution against three of Bateman's wives - Naomi Bistline, Donnae Barlow and Moretta Rose Johnson.

Bistline and Barlow are scheduled to appear in federal magistrate court in Flagstaff on Wednesday. Johnson is awaiting extradition from Washington state.

The women are accused of fleeing with eight of Bateman's children, who were placed in Arizona state custody earlier this year. The children were found last week hundreds of miles away in Spokane, Washington.

Bateman was arrested in August when someone spotted small fingers in the gap of a trailer he was hauling through Flagstaff. He posted bond but was arrested again and charged with obstructing justice in a federal investigation into whether children were being transported across state lines for sexual activity.

Court records allege that Bateman, 46, engaged in child sex trafficking and polygamy, but none of his current charges relate to those allegations. Polygamy is illegal in Arizona but was decriminalized in Utah in 2020.

Arizona Department of Child Services spokesman Darren DaRonco and FBI spokesman Kevin Smith declined to comment on the case Tuesday. Bistline's attorney didn't respond to a request for comment, and Barlow's attorney declined to comment. Johnson didn't have a publicly listed attorney.

The FBI affidavit filed in the women's case largely centers on Bateman, who proclaimed himself a prophet in 2019. Bateman says he was told by former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs to invoke the "Spirit of God on these people." The affidavit details explicit sexual acts that Bateman and his followers engaged in to fulfill "Godly duties."

Jeffs is serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for child sex abuse related to underage marriages.

Criminal defense attorney Michael Piccarreta, who represented Jeffs on Arizona charges that were dismissed, said the state has a history of trying to take a stand against polygamy by charging relatively minor offenses to build bigger cases.

"Whether this is the same tactic that has been used in the past or whether there's more to the story, only time will tell," he said.

The office of Bateman's attorney in the federal case, Adam Zickerman, declined to comment Tuesday.

Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don't practice the beliefs. Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the mainstream church abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it.

Bateman often traveled to Nebraska where some of his other followers lived and internationally to Canada and Mexico for conferences.

When Bateman was arrested earlier this year, he instructed his followers to obtain passports and to delete messages sent through an encrypted system, authorities said.

"Bateman did so in order to obstruct, influence, and impede an investigation and prosecution in federal court," federal prosecutors said when announcing the indictment in September.

He demanded that his followers confess publicly for any indiscretions, and shared those confessions widely, according to the FBI affidavit. He claimed the punishments, which ranged from a time out to public shaming and sexual activity, came from the Lord, the affidavit states.

According to the Justice Department, Bateman was charged with destruction of records or an attempt to destroy records in an official proceeding; tampering or attempting to tamper with an official proceeding; and destruction of records in a federal investigation.

The children identified by their initials in court documents have said little to authorities. The three children found in the trailer Bateman was hauling through Flagstaff - which had a makeshift toilet, a couch, camping chairs and no ventilation - told authorities they didn't have any health or medical needs, a police report stated.

None of the girls placed in state custody in Arizona disclosed sexual abuse by Bateman during forensic interviews, though one said she was present during sexual activity, according to the FBI affidavit. But the girls often wrote in journals that were seized by the FBI. In them, several of the girls referenced intimate interactions with Bateman. Authorities believe the older girls influenced the younger ones not to talk about Bateman, the FBI said.

[captaingimpy]

Review of Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

Netflix’s Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is a four-part documentary that plunges viewers into the dark, disturbing world of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist sect ruled by Warren Jeffs. The series is relentless, not just in its portrayal of Jeffs as a calculated predator, but in the way it unpacks the systematic manipulation and oppression he enacted…

[shrinking-violetta]

respectfully, there are a lot of reasons to dislike the mormon church, but the lost boys aren’t one of them. that is something practiced by the fundamentalist church of latter-day saints, the flds, a cult run by warren jeffs and his brothers. there is no reason to kick out young men if you are not practicing polygamy. the article references mentions this. mainstream mormons (among others) actually welcome these boys and young men into their communities.

Fair enough. I'm still skeptical of the Mormon church though.

[davidpotash]

Triumph and Freedom - Fighting the FLDS

An American religious cult based in the far west, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) is a polygamist group that split from the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) more than a century ago. For decades the FLDS has attracted concern and attention from law enforcement, often because of its sexual abuse of girls and casting out young men. The FLDS believes…

[morbidology]

In the secluded realm of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist cult, the practice of forced familial marriages was distressingly commonplace. This grim tradition aimed to preserve bloodlines, but the repercussions of years of inbreeding have been devastating. Countless children born into this environment suffer from severe birth defects, with many barely surviving beyond infancy, and some tragically perishing during childbirth. Hidden away on an unassuming road in Utah, there lies a somber and haunting baby cemetery. Overgrown with weeds, the cemetery bears witness to the tiny graves that dot its landscape, some remaining nameless.

[letsdocuboutit]

- Let's Docu 'Bout It -

Episode 12 - Keep Sweet Pray and Obey (Part Two)

This week I recap and talk about the Netflix docuseries, Keep Sweet Pray and Obey, which is about the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, and its current leader Warren Jeffs. Survivors of this cult were interviewed extensively in this four part docuseries. This episode talks about parts 3 & 4 of the docuseries.

Listen here or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Spotify - Apple - Amazon - Castbox - iHeartRadio - RadioPublic - Google - Podcast Addict

Photos - (Row 2: some of Warren's wives with his photo // the YFZ, Yearning For Zion, ranch) (Row 3: Elissa Wall age 14 on her wedding day // Elissa outside the courthouse after Warren's sentencing) (Row 4: Warren Jeffs being led into the courtroom // Rulon Jeff's family tree)

Safe Passage