The FLDS, or Fundamentalists Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is an extreme fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon religion that began in earnest in 1929, and quickly took on a cult-like nature. Members of the FLDS church are told what to wear, where to live, whom to marry, and even with whom they can have children. Not only is it a creepy atmosphere, but it’s systematically built towards raising up a small number of men to the heights of kings, while they use their congregation to do their bidding. This was made national news in 2007 when FLDS cult leader Warren Jeffs was indicted for two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape, as well as multiple counts of sexual assault of a child. Even though he’s spending the rest of his life behind bars, it’s been discovered that he’s still leading the church while in Federal prison. Unfortunately, this is just one of the many creepy facts about the FLDS.
When FLDS news pops up, it’s always an interesting, but sick read. The church has a long and storied history of committing sexual crimes against children and women, often forcing young women to enter into marriages before they reach adulthood, and usually with men who could be their fathers (if not older). Despite their similarities in name to the Church of Latter Day Saints, the FLDS operates more similarly to a cult like Jonestown. If you’ve never heard of the FLDS, prepare yourself for some horrific information, because these are the most disturbing facts about the Fundamentalists Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Warren Jeffs Still Leads the Church from Behind Bars
You'd think that after your leader was convicted of aggravated sexual assault against minors that you'd be looking for someone else to lead your church, but that isn't the case for the FLDS. They routinely patch in Jeffs so he can confer with church leaders.
Women Are Forced to Marry Men Who Could Be Their Grandfathers
The systematic rape culture inside the FLDS forces women to marry men who could be anywhere from 10 to 66(!) years old than them. Rebecca Musser, an FLDS escapee, told the Daily Mail that she would be "destroyed in the flesh" by Warren Jeffs if she refused the sexual advances of her 85-year-old husband.
They Basically Run Two Towns - And Are On Trial For It
The small towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah are basically one 10,000 person town cut in half by a border. Both are almost completely controlled by the FLDS, to the point where non-FLDS residents are routinely discriminated against and harassed by church officials and police in the pocket of the church.
In 2015, the two towns were sued by the Justice Department, alleging numerous civil rights violations, and that the local police forces were more loyal to their religion than the law. The trial got under way in early 2016, and if successful, the towns will have to pay monetary damages, and possibly dissolve their police forces. While the FLDS itself isn't a party in the suit, the trial promises to blow the lid off secrets they've been keeping for decades.
Only Seed Bearers Are Allowed to Have Sex with Women
In a custody petition that was filed against Lyle Jeffs by his legal wife, Charlene, it was revealed that the FLDS practices something called "seed bearing" wherein specific men are chosen to have pure bloodlines - giving them the right to have sex with whomever they please. Even worse, the husbands of the chosen women must hold their hands while they have sex with the seed bearers.
