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99-449: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (abbreviated to FLDS Church or FLDS ) is a Mormon fundamentalist group whose members practice polygamy . It is variously defined as a cult , a sect or a new religious movement . The FLDS Church has been involved in various illegal activities, including child marriages , child abandonment , sexual assault and human trafficking including child sexual abuse . The sect

198-534: A curse of bondage . Men and women are forbidden to have any tattoos or body piercings. In general, women do not cut their hair short or wear makeup, trousers , or any skirt above the knees. Men wear plain clothing , usually long-sleeved collared shirt and full-length trousers. Women and girls usually wear pastel-colored homemade long-sleeved prairie dresses , with hems between ankle and mid-calf, along with long stockings or trousers underneath, usually keeping their hair coiffed. Mormon fundamentalism There

297-477: A $ 10,000 fine. On April 6, 2010, Arizona officials executed search warrants at governmental offices of the towns of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. According to one report, the warrants involved the misuse of funds and caused the Hildale Public Safety Department to be shut down. According to another report, city personnel and volunteers were ordered out of the buildings while the search

396-649: A 60-acre (240,000 m) parcel of land near Mancos, Colorado, (midway between Cortez and Durango ) about the same time he bought the Schleicher County property. Allred told authorities the parcel was to be used as a hunting retreat. In July 2005, eight men of the church were indicted for sexual contact with minors. All of them turned themselves in to police in Kingman, Arizona , within days. On July 29, 2005, Brent W. Jeffs filed suit accusing three of his uncles, including Warren Jeffs, of sexually assaulting him when he

495-440: A Schleicher County, Texas jury found Raymond Jessop, 38, guilty of sexual assault of a child. According to evidence admitted at trial, Jessop sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl to whom he had been "spiritually married" when the girl was 15 years old. The same jury sentenced Jessop to 10 years in prison and assessed a fine of $ 8,000. On December 18, 2009, a Schleicher County, Texas jury found Allan Keate guilty of sexual assault of

594-533: A background in the LDS Church, while others come from other Christian or Mormon fundamentalist backgrounds. Independents rely on personal inspiration and revelation to guide them; there is no ecclesiastical structure among the Independents, although Independents often socialize with each other and may meet together for religious services. Statistically, it is difficult to estimate how many Independents there are, but

693-479: A child. Keate fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl. According to documents admitted at trial, Keate had also given three of his own daughters away in "spiritual" or "celestial" marriage, two of them at 15 and one at 14, to older men. The youngest of the three went to Warren Jeffs. Keate was sentenced to 33 years in prison. His conviction and sentence were later upheld on appeal. On January 22, 2010, Michael George Emack pleaded no contest to sexual assault charges and

792-637: A figure of authority within the church by this time. The revelations in 2022 were to be distributed by Helaman Jeffs, and he was also given the authority to perform polygamous marriages. Helaman is using a P.O box in Ruso, North Dakota , close to a reported FLDS compound. As senior member of the Priesthood Council in Short Creek: As president of the FLDS Church: Warren Jeffs became head of

891-406: A gathering place for these Mormons. Members of the community believed a statement published in 1912 by Lorin C. Woolley , of a purported 1886 divine revelation to then-LDS Church President John Taylor , took precedence over the 1890 Manifesto , which had prohibited new plural marriages by LDS members. The community believed that in issuing the 1890 Manifesto, Wilford Woodruff sold his right to

990-454: A group of 2,000 male FLDS members voted unanimously to "uphold and sustain" Jeffs's authority. By that time Willie Jessop had publicly broken with Jeffs, putting himself forward as a challenger for the leadership, but he was subsequently declared an apostate and left the church. A 2012 CNN documentary confirmed that Jeffs still led the church from prison. In April 2008, acting on a call from an alleged teen victim of physical and sexual abuse at

1089-587: A hunting retreat". The property would be known within the sect as Yearning For Zion Ranch , or YFZ Ranch . Allred sent 30 to 40 construction workers from Colorado City–Hildale to work on the property, which soon included three 3-story houses, each 8,000 to 10,000 square feet (930 m), a concrete plant, and a plowed field. After seeing FLDS Church critic Flora Jessop on the ABC television program Primetime Live on March 4, 2004, concerned Eldorado residents contacted Jessop. Jessop investigated, and on March 25, 2004, held

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1188-541: A man and one of his polygamist wives lost custody of all but one of their children until the wife separated herself from her husband. The largest government effort to crack down on the practices of fundamentalist Mormons was carried out in 1953 in what is today Colorado City, Arizona , which became known as the Short Creek Raid . Other fundamental doctrines of the Latter Day Saint movement besides polygamy, notably

1287-513: A means of living the traditional Latter Day Saint doctrine of the " Law of Consecration ". In 2005, the UEP was seized by the state of Utah following a lawsuit by the Attorney General . The UEP was worth $ 100 million at this time. State control of the UEP ended in 2019, with the trust reformed into a "religiously neutral" entity benefiting the original donors and their heirs, including those who had left

1386-603: A member of the church, was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old and one count of bigamy for his marriage to and impregnation of plural wife Ruth Stubbs. The conviction was the first legal action against a member of the FLDS Church since the Short Creek raid. In November 2003, church member David Allred purchased for YFZ Land LLC the 1,371-acre (555-hectare) Isaacs Ranch four miles (six kilometers) northeast of Eldorado, Texas, on Schleicher County Road 300 "as

1485-882: A month as counselors in the Provo, Utah School of the Prophets in March 1984. Four months after being removed from the school, they committed their crimes. The continuing revelations were later named the Second Book of Commandments ; it has 275 sections, dating from 1961 to 2018. ( 2BC Website ) There is a small movement of independent Mormon fundamentalists. Independents do not belong to organized fundamentalist groups and do not generally recognize any man as their prophet or leader. Because Independents are not one cohesive group, they are very diverse in their beliefs and interpretations of Mormonism; therefore, their practices vary. Many Independents come from

1584-520: A nephew of Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to three years' probation on a charge of custodial interference after abetting the disappearance of the daughter of a former member of the church in 2022 in accordance with the revelations of that year. By 2023, investigators stated that the members of the FLDS Church had spread out to avoid the attention of authorities, some moving north into North Dakota , and were communicating regularly with Warren Jeffs over Zoom . Warren Jeffs's son Helaman Jeffs had also emerged as

1683-504: A press conference in Eldorado confirming that the new neighbors were FLDS Church adherents. On May 18, 2004, Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran and his Chief Deputy visited Colorado City, and the FLDS Church officially acknowledged that the Schleicher County property would be a new base for the church. It was reported in the news media that the church had built a temple at the YFZ Ranch; this

1782-507: A primary impetus for the 1890 Manifesto was the Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887, a stringent federal law that legally dissolved the LDS Church, disenfranchised women (who had been given the vote in Utah in 1870), and required voters to take an anti-polygamy oath before being permitted to vote in an election. With the selection of Latter-day Saint Reed Smoot to be one of Utah's representatives to

1881-519: A recent estimate indicates that there may be more independent fundamentalists than there are in any one of the formally organized polygamous groups and may number as many as 15,000. According to this informal survey, about half of Mormon fundamentalists, both those in groups and those outside of groups, currently practice polygamy. There are many Independents in Utah , Arizona , Missouri and Brazil . Two prominent figures among independent fundamentalists are

1980-557: A split between Mormon fundamentalists in Salt Lake City and those in Short Creek, Arizona. The AUB is one of the more liberal of the Mormon groups practicing plural marriage. The leaders of the AUB do not arrange marriages nor do they authorize plural marriages for people under 18 or for those who are closely related. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church)

2079-534: A split within the community in Bountiful, British Columbia, with an estimated 700 FLDS members leaving the church to follow Blackmore. Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states of the United States as well as Canada and Mexico. Attempts to overturn the illegality based on right of religious freedom have been unsuccessful. In 2003, the church received increased attention from the state of Utah when police officer Rodney Holm,

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2178-628: A term used only by outsiders. They also refer to plural marriage generically as "the Principle", " celestial marriage ", "the New and Everlasting Covenant", or "the Priesthood Work." The practice of plural marriage usually differs little from the manner in which it was practiced in the nineteenth century. However, in some fundamentalist sects it is considered acceptable for an older man to marry underage girls as soon as they attain puberty. This practice, which

2277-528: Is also called the law of placing or placement marriage . The land and houses formerly occupied by the FLDS Church on the Utah/Arizona border are owned by the United Effort Plan (UEP), established in 1942 as a subsidiary organization of the church. The UEP also owns most of the property of the businesses that were controlled by FLDS Church members in that area. The church viewed this " United Order " as

2376-400: Is estimated to consist of 6000 members. A succession crisis has been brewing in the church since 2002, when Warren Jeffs (convicted of accessory to rape and sentenced to life in prison in 2011), became president of the church. There has been extensive litigation regarding the church, as property rights of disaffected members are weighed against the decisions of church leaders who hold trust to

2475-651: Is illegal in most states, apart from polygamy itself, has generated public controversy. Examples include the Tom Green case, and the case in which a man from the Kingston Group married his 15-year-old cousin, who was also his aunt. Other sects, however, do not practice and may in fact vehemently denounce underage or forced marriages and incest (for example, the Apostolic United Brethren .) In addition to plural marriage, Mormon fundamentalist beliefs often include

2574-524: Is no single authority accepted by all Mormon fundamentalists; viewpoints and practices of individual groups vary. Fundamentalists have formed numerous small sects , often within cohesive and isolated communities throughout the Mormon Corridor in the Western United States , Western Canada , and northern Mexico . At times, sources have claimed there are as many as 60,000 Mormon fundamentalists in

2673-432: Is no such thing as a "Mormon fundamentalist", and that using the two terms together is a "contradiction." The LDS Church suggests that the correct term to describe Mormon fundamentalist groups is "polygamist communities". In rebuttal to this nomenclature argument, certain Mormon fundamentalists have argued that they themselves are in fact more correctly designated as Mormons in so far as they follow what they consider to be

2772-538: Is not connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the largest Latter-day Saint denomination. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) traces its claim to spiritual authority to when Brigham Young , then-president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), once visited the Short Creek Community and said, "This will someday be

2871-551: Is recognized as prophet of the FLDS Church by some 50 followers as of 2023. As of 2018: In direct contrast to the structure of the Short Creek Community , the FLDS Church teaches that God only works through one man who has all Priesthood keys . In operation the President cannot be a member of the Priesthood Council . Rulon Jeffs denied succession , making his son Warren Jeffs his father renewed . The FLDS Church teaches

2970-618: Is supported by evidence including aerial photographs of a large stone structure (approximately 88 feet (27 m) wide) in a state of relative completion. A local newspaper, the Eldorado Success , reported that the temple foundation was dedicated by Warren Jeffs on January 1, 2005. On January 10, 2004, Dan Barlow (the mayor of Colorado City) and about 20 other men were excommunicated from the church and stripped of their wives and children (who would be reassigned to other men), and expelled from town. The same day two teenage girls reportedly fled

3069-623: The Centennial Park group , another fundamentalist church. This group trace their authority through Alma A. Timpson and Frank Naylor. The church is estimated to have 200-300 members, most of whom reside in the Salt Lake Valley . Most—if not all—of the members of this group were previously associated with the Centennial Park or FLDS Church. The group is also known as the "Third Ward" or the "Naylor group", after Frank Naylor. The School of

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3168-461: The FBI named Warren Jeffs to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was captured on Interstate 15 on August 28, 2006, just north of Las Vegas , after a routine traffic stop. The mayor of Colorado City, Terrill C. Johnson, was arrested on May 26, 2006, for eight fraudulent vehicle registration charges for registering his vehicles in a state in which he

3267-563: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church), and the other half are members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc. The Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc. , is an FLDS-offshoot based on the teachings of Winston Blackmore , who split with the FLDS Church after concluding the president of the church, Warren Jeffs , had exceeded his authority and become too dictatorial. This group

3366-513: The Latter Day Church of Christ . The group is estimated to have approximately 3500-5000 members. This co-operative runs several businesses, including pawnshops and restaurant supply stores. The Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a group of approximately 100 to 200 people; most live near Modena, Utah , or Tonopah, Nevada . The Righteous Branch was organized in 1978 by Gerald Peterson Sr., who claimed that he

3465-624: The Priesthood , thereby making Lorin's father, John W. Woolley , his successor by the One Man doctrine . After being excommunicated by the LDS Church, some of the locally prominent men in Short Creek, including Lorin Woolley and John Y. Barlow , created the organization known as the Council of Friends . The Council, consisting of seven high priests that were said to be the governing priesthood body on Earth,

3564-470: The U.S. Senate in 1903, national attention was again focused on the continuation of plural marriage in Utah, which culminated in the Reed Smoot hearings . In 1904, church president Joseph F. Smith issued a " Second Manifesto ", after which time it became LDS Church policy to excommunicate those church members who entered into or solemnized new polygamous marriages. The seriousness with which this new measure

3663-647: The United Order (communalism), while equally important in the practices of some fundamentalist sects, have not come under the same scrutiny or approbation as has plural marriage, and the mainline LDS Church has mostly ignored this aspect of fundamentalism; in any case, no revelation or statement condemning it has ever been issued. Most Mormon fundamentalists embrace the term Fundamentalist (usually capitalized). Mormon fundamentalists share certain commonalities with other fundamentalist movements, but also possess some clear distinctions of their own. Fundamentalists within

3762-646: The president of the Northwest States Mission during Barlow's service there, served as witness in the disciplinary council that resulted in Barlow's excommunication. As a member of the Council of Friends , Barlow was involved in the succession conflict following J. Leslie Broadbent 's death. Elden Kingston claimed that Broadbent had ordained him as Second Elder of the Council of Friends. Kingston, along with his father, Charles W. Kingston , would separate from

3861-466: The "priesthood" (conceived in this abstract and individualistic sense) may continue via an alternative lineage. Mormon fundamentalists frequently assert that priesthood is prior to the Church. Unlike more prevalent Biblical (non-Mormon) fundamentalist groups, who generally base their authority on an unchanging and closed canon of scripture, Mormon fundamentalists generally hold to a concept of " continuing revelation " or " progressive revelation ," in which

3960-417: The 1890 Manifesto was not a real revelation of the kind given by God to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor , and others, but that it was rather a politically expedient document intended by Woodruff to be a temporary measure until Utah Territory gained statehood . They make their argument based on textual evidence and the fact that the "Manifesto" is not worded in accordance with similar revelations in

4059-493: The 1940s by LDS Church apostle Mark E. Petersen to refer to groups who had left the LDS Church. However, Mormon fundamentalists do not universally embrace this usage and many simply consider themselves to be "Mormon". Today, the LDS Church considers the designation "Mormon" to apply only to its own members and not to members of other sects of the Latter Day Saint movement . One LDS leader went as far as claiming that there

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4158-501: The Colorado City Fire Department under the open records laws. Chief Barlow indicated that there were no personal charges, therefore there were no records to disclose. Records obtained by subpoena from the banks involved showed a series of purchases made by Chief Barlow and Darger that are questionable, including diapers, child's clothing, and food, although the firefighters are not fed by the department. In November 2012,

4257-629: The Colorado City, Arizona/Hildale, Utah Marshal's Office and the appointment of a federal monitor over municipal functions and services." As the basis for the legal proceeding, the Arizona Attorney General stated that "[t]he disbandment of the Colorado City/Hildale Marshal's Office is necessary and appropriate because this police department has operated for decades, and continues to operate, as the de facto law enforcement arm of

4356-450: The FLDS Church has been popularized in the Netflix documentary, "Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey". The treatment of the wives of Warren Jeffs has been discussed by testimony from escapees, who established a women's refuge in Church property. The first member of the group that bought property near Lister was Harold (aka) Michael Blackmore, who moved there with his family in 1946. Other members of

4455-414: The FLDS Church in 2002. In the years immediately following Jeffs's imprisonment in 2007, the leadership of the church was unclear. Other claimed leaders in this period include: In 2011, Warren Jeffs retook legal control of the church and purged 45 of its members. Another FLDS member, Samuel R. Bateman, broke from Jeffs and declared himself prophet in 2019. Arrested in 2022 and charged with sexual abuse, he

4554-622: The FLDS Church. As an extension of the Adam-God teaching , it is taught that likewise there are literal children of Satan as there are literal children of God. Children of Satan were to be born with the Mark Of Cain as pay for his slaying of Abel in creation, and therefore justifying the Priesthood Ban . The seed of Cain survived the Flood through Ham's wife so that Satan would be represented, but with

4653-427: The FLDS Church." Documents presented to the media and state prosecutors in 2022–23 indicate that Warren Jeffs issued a series of revelations from prison in 2022 reasserting his authority over the church and calling its members together. In one document from June 2022, Jeffs instructed that fathers seeking "restoral" should reunite with their wives and children, while warning that God "cannot allow sin living to dwell" in

4752-514: The FLDS compound in Schleicher County, Texas, Texas Child Protective Services and Department of Public Safety officers entered the compound to serve search and arrest warrants and carry out court orders designed to protect children. Over the course of several days, from April 3 through April 10, Texas CPS removed 439 children under age 18 from the church's YFZ Ranch, while law enforcement, including Texas Rangers , executed their search and arrest warrants on

4851-511: The LDS Church's hierarchy, effectively setting in motion the development of Mormon fundamentalism. Most of the Mormon polygamous groups can trace their roots to Woolley's legacy. For the most part, the Utah state government has left the Mormon fundamentalists to themselves, unless their practices violate laws other than those prohibiting bigamy . For example, there have been recent prosecutions of men who belong to fundamentalist groups for marrying underage girls. In one highly publicized 2004 case,

4950-612: The LDS scriptures. This argument further holds that after joining the Union, Utah would have had the authority to enact its own laws with respect to marriage, rather than being bound by U.S. territorial laws that prohibited polygamy. Before statehood could be granted in 1896, however, the federal government required Utah to include a provision in its state constitution stating that "polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited." Fundamentalists (and many scholars of Mormon history) also believe that

5049-673: The Last Days (TLC) is headquartered in Manti, Utah . Membership is estimated at 300 to 500. Organized in 1994, the TLC was a new "restoration" for the "very last days" before the Second Coming of Jesus . While the church initially grew rapidly, it has since stagnated and declined in numbers and converts since it ceased missionary efforts in 2000. About 1,500 people are members of a group located in Centennial Park, Arizona , called The Work of Jesus Christ. In

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5148-601: The Latter Day Saint movement. The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) is estimated to have about 5000 to 10000 members throughout Utah, Montana , Nevada , Arizona , Wyoming , Missouri , and Mexico and is perhaps the largest Mormon fundamentalist group. Several of its towns are organized into United Orders ; the church has established a temple in Mexico, an Endowment House in Utah, and operates several schools. The AUB emerged when their leader, Joseph W. Musser , ordained Rulon C. Allred as an apostle and counselor, which led to

5247-407: The Mormon tradition do see religious authority as inerrant and unchanging, but tend to locate this authority within their view of " Priesthood ", which is conceived of as more of a charismatic authority and often physical lineage than an external organization. In this view, ordination lineage becomes all-important and an external organization such as a church may "lose" its theological authority while

5346-606: The Prophets has its headquarters in the Salem, Utah area. In 1968 Robert C. Crossfield published revelations he had received in the Book of Onias , which (among other things) chastised certain LDS Church leaders; he was excommunicated in 1972. In 1982 Crossfield established a School of the Prophets, overseen by a president and six counselors. Ron and Dan Lafferty (convicted of the July 1984 murder of their brother's wife and infant daughter) served for

5445-542: The Texas Attorney General's Office instituted legal proceedings to seize the FLDS ranch property in Eldorado, Texas. The basis for the forfeiture and seizure proceeding was cited as the use of FLDS property as "...a rural location where the systemic sexual assault of children would be tolerated without interference from law enforcement authorities", therefore, the property is contraband and subject to seizure. On April 17, 2014, Texas officials took physical possession of

5544-592: The Texas Supreme Court, in a written opinion issued May 29, 2008, declined to overturn the ruling of the 3rd Court of Appeals. The abuse hotline calls that prompted the raid are now believed to have been made by Rozita Swinton , a non-FLDS woman with no known connection to the FLDS community in Texas. Nevertheless, a court determined that the search warrants executed at the YFZ compound were legally issued and executed, and that

5643-421: The United States, with fewer than half of them living in polygamous households. However, others have suggested that there may be as few as 20,000 Mormon fundamentalists with only 8,000 to 15,000 practicing polygamy. Independent Mormon fundamentalist Anne Wilde investigated demographics and, in 2005, produced estimates that fell between the prior two sources, indicating there to be 35–40,000 fundamentalists at

5742-470: The Utah–Arizona border to reduce competition for wives, filed suit against the FLDS Church. "The [boys] have been excommunicated pursuant to that policy and practice and have been cut off from family, friends, benefits, business and employment relationships, and purportedly condemned to eternal damnation", their suit read. "They have become 'lost boys' in the world outside the FLDS community." On May 7, 2006,

5841-425: The canon of scripture may be continually augmented through the sermons and teachings of prophets whose preaching guides the community. Another of the most basic beliefs of Mormon fundamentalist groups is that of plural marriage , which many of them view as essential for obtaining the highest degree of exaltation in the celestial kingdom . Mormon fundamentalists dislike the term " polygamy " and view " polygyny " as

5940-524: The children. The court stated, "On the record before us, removal of the children was not warranted." The call that provoked the raid was a hoax. Despite this, investigations resulting from this raid resulted in charges against twelve men associated with the FLDS Church, six of which have resulted in convictions ranging from 5 to 75 years in prison. The considerable hardship faced by wives and children pursuant to state evictions has been reported, with testimonies of those affected. The story of Warren Jeffs and

6039-523: The church any longer; another, distributed in August, required that children be gathered back to the church over the next five years in preparation for the imminent end of the world. A group of mothers who had left the church stated in April 2023 that a number of children cared for by former members had gone missing since the August 2022 revelation, and were likely to have rejoined the church. In June 2023, Heber Jeffs,

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6138-460: The church who believed in the principles of plural marriages soon followed. After Winston Blackmore became the bishop in the 1980s, the group took the name of Bountiful. In 1998 the estimated population was 600 and has since grown to about 1,000. Most of the residents are descended from only half a dozen men. The current FLDS bishop is James Oler . In 2002 the Mormon fundamentalists in Bountiful divided into two groups: about half are members of

6237-524: The church's YFZ Ranch and removed 416 children into the temporary custody of the State of Texas. Originally officials from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services took 18 girls into temporary custody of the state, after responding to a phone call from the YFZ ranch alleging physical and sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl, who also claimed to have been married at age 15 to a 49-year-old man. On

6336-481: The church's spokesman, refused to name the incumbent prophet "out of fear there'd be retaliation by the government". On January 28, 2011, Jeffs reasserted his leadership of the denomination, and Nielsen was removed as the church's legal president. According to affidavits submitted by FLDS church leaders, Jeffs was acclaimed as leader at mass meetings of 4,000 church members in February and April 2011, and on April 10, 2011,

6435-419: The church, but merely addressed his resignation from his fiduciary post as president of the corporation belonging to the FLDS Church. According to a Salt Lake Tribune telephone transcript, there is evidence that, when incarcerated, Warren Jeffs named William E. Jessop , a former first counselor, as his successor or, alternatively, that Jeffs had told Jessop on January 24, 2007, that he (Jeffs) had never been

6534-464: The community. This group is led by a Priesthood council. The group was profiled on the ABC television program Primetime in a story entitled, The Outsiders , and also on The Oprah Winfrey Show . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God is based in the Salt Lake Valley , and has around 200 members. The sect was founded by Frank Naylor and Ivan Nielson, who split from

6633-503: The company and found that Fischer was not fired from his job, but quit instead. The district court ruling was overturned in part on the basis that Fischer was discriminated against on the basis of religion when he reapplied for his position and was denied employment because he had left the FLDS church. The parties eventually settled the case for an agreed payment of damages to Shem Fischer. In July 2005, six teenaged and young adult " Lost Boys " who claimed they were cast out of their homes on

6732-554: The contracting of plural marriages within the United States in 1890 after a decree by church president Wilford Woodruff . However, the practice continued underground in the U.S. and openly in Mormon colonies in northern Mexico and southern Alberta . According to some sources, many polygamous men in the United States continued to live with their plural wives with the approval of church presidents Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow , and Joseph F. Smith . Some fundamentalists have argued that

6831-586: The creation of multiple fundamentalist organizations outside Short Creek by 1954. These included the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) and Kingston group through Joseph White Musser . In the morning of July 26, 1953, 102 Arizona state police officers and National Guard soldiers raided the fundamentalist Mormon community of Short Creek, Arizona. They arrested the entire populace, including 236 children. Of those 236 children, 150 were not allowed to return to their parents for more than two years. Other parents never regained custody of their children. The Short Creek raid

6930-577: The doctrine ( One Man Rule ) strengthened. Rulon Jeffs succeeded Leroy, incorporating Short Creek as the FLDS in 1984 to reorganize to an Episcopal polity reflecting the One Man authority. With no clear succession, Warren Jeffs assumed leadership. Winston Blackmore , who had been serving in Canada as the Bishop of Bountiful for the FLDS Church, was excommunicated by Jeffs in an apparent power struggle. This led to

7029-432: The doctrine of plural marriage , which states that God commands in order for a man to receive the highest form of salvation to have a minimum of three wives. Connected with this doctrine is the patriarchal doctrine , the belief that wives are required to be subordinate to their husbands and placement marriage . The prophet elects to take wives from men as well as give wives to men according to their worthiness. This practice

7128-399: The doctrine of plural marriage without practicing it, Joseph Smith's teachings on plural marriage remain part of the scriptural canon of the LDS Church. The LDS Church prevents any of its members who sympathize with Mormon fundamentalist teachings from entering its temples . During the 1920s, a church dissenter named Lorin C. Woolley claimed a separate line of priesthood authority from

7227-416: The early 1980s there was a conflict of leadership in the FLDS Church. Some of the members were very unhappy with the changes being made by various influential men in the community. When the FLDS Church abandoned leadership by council and instituted a "one-man rule" doctrine, those who wanted to maintain leadership by a priesthood council founded Centennial Park in 1986, approximately 3 miles (5 km) south of

7326-417: The evidence seized could not be excluded on the grounds that the initial call may have been a hoax. In November 2008, 12 FLDS men were charged with offenses related to alleged underage marriages conducted during the years since the sect built the YFZ Ranch. As of June 2010, six FLDS members had been convicted of felonies and received sentences ranging from seven to 75 years' imprisonment. On November 5, 2009,

7425-593: The extreme practices of the FLDS Church. However, like the FLDS Church, they practice a form of arranged marriage. They dress in modern, modest attire. The Centennial Park group has built a meetinghouse for weekly services and a private high school . A charter school was built in 2003 for the town's growing elementary-age population. About 300 members of this group live in the Salt Lake Valley , where they hold meetings monthly. Members living in Salt Lake City often travel to Centennial Park every month to help in building

7524-491: The following day, Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st District Court issued an order authorizing officials to remove all children, including boys, 17 years old and under out of the compound. The children were being held by the Child Protective Services 45 miles away, north of the ranch. 133 women also voluntarily left the ranch with the children. On May 29, 2008 the Texas Supreme Court ruled that CPS must return all of

7623-466: The following principles: Mormon fundamentalists believe both that these principles were accepted by the LDS Church at one time, and that the LDS Church wrongly abandoned or changed them, in large part due to the desire of its leadership and members to assimilate into mainstream American society and avoid the persecutions and conflict that had characterized the church throughout its early years. The term "Mormon fundamentalist" appears to have been coined in

7722-586: The head and not the tail of the church. This will be the granaries of the Saints. This land will produce in abundance sufficient wheat to feed the people." In 1904, the LDS Church issued the Second Manifesto renouncing polygamy , and eventually excommunicated Mormons who continued to solemnize or enter into new plural marriages. Short Creek, located in what was then the Arizona Territory , soon became

7821-471: The land their homes are built on. A large concentration of members lives in the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona , and Hildale, Utah , as well as in Bountiful, British Columbia . The church built a temple near Eldorado, Texas . The members of the FLDS Church tend to be very conservative in dress and lifestyle. Beginning April 4, 2008, over a four-day period, troopers and child welfare officials searched

7920-588: The late writer Ogden Kraut as well as his plural wife Anne Wilde , both of whom maintained friendships with both independents and some members of the organized groups. John Y. Barlow John Yeates Barlow (also known as John Yates Barlow ) (March 4, 1874 – December 29, 1949) was a Mormon fundamentalist leader in Short Creek, Arizona . Barlow was born in Panaca , Lincoln County , Nevada , to Israel Barlow and his English-born wife Hannah Yeates. His grandfather

8019-452: The premises. The April 2008 events at the YFZ Ranch generated intense press coverage in the U.S., especially in the Southwest , and also garnered international attention. On April 18, 2008, following a two-day hearing, Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st Judicial District Court ordered all of the FLDS children to remain in the temporary custody of Child Protective Services. Judge Walther's ruling

8118-527: The property. In 2012, Warren Jeffs published a volume titled Jesus Christ Message to All Nations containing various revelations, including one proclaiming his innocence and others serving as warnings to specific countries around the world. In June 2014, the Arizona Office of the Attorney General filed a motion in U.S. District Court seeking to dissolve the local police forces and "the disbandment of

8217-552: The rightful leader of the FLDS. Many press accounts suggested that Merril Jessop , who had been leading the Eldorado compound, was the de facto leader of the church. Additionally, on January 9, 2010, documents filed with the Utah Department of Commerce named Wendell L. Nielsen as the president of the sect. The FLDS incorporation charter does not require the church president to be the church's prophet, but previous president Rulon Jeffs had also been prophet. In 2010, Willie Jessop ,

8316-420: The time. Founders of mutually rival Mormon fundamentalist denominations include Lorin C. Woolley , John Y. Barlow , Joseph W. Musser , Leroy S. Johnson , Rulon C. Allred , Elden Kingston , and Joel LeBaron . The largest Mormon fundamentalist groups are the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) and the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB). The LDS Church began prohibiting

8415-487: The town with the aid of Flora Jessop, who advocates for plural wives' escape from polygamy. The two girls, Fawn Broadbent and Fawn Holm, soon found themselves in a highly publicized dispute over their freedom and custody. After the allegations against their parents were proven false, Jessop helped them flee state custody together on February 15, and they ended up in Salt Lake City at Holm's brother Carl's house. In October 2004, Flora Jessop reported that David Allred purchased

8514-418: The true and original Mormon teachings as handed down from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Within this context, the LDS Church is often regarded by such fundamentalists as having abandoned several foundational aspects of Mormonism as noted above. The majority of Mormon fundamentalists belong to sects that have separated themselves from the LDS Church. As such, most are considered to be "Brighamite" sects within

8613-417: The twin communities of Colorado City, Arizona , and Hildale, Utah . (Location of Centennial Park) . The name "Centennial Park" is a reference to the 1886 movement led by Lorin C. Woolley , which serves as the basis for fundamentalist claims of priesthood authority. Members of this group (referred to by members as "The Work") denounce all violence and abuse, do not permit marriage of young girls, and disavow

8712-529: Was Israel Barlow . He grew up on his father's farm in Davis County, Utah . Barlow married for the first time in 1897. He took his first plural wife in 1902, the second in 1918, and the third in 1923 making a total of four wives (including his first legal wife). While serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Barlow defended his polygamous views and was dishonorably released. Later, LDS Church apostle Melvin J. Ballard ,

8811-557: Was a child. The suit also named the FLDS Church as a defendant. On August 10, former FLDS Church member Shem Fischer, Dan Fischer's brother, added the church and Warren Jeffs as defendants to a 2002 lawsuit claiming he was illegally fired because he no longer adhered to the faith. Fischer, who was a salesman for a wooden cabinetry business in Hildale, claimed church officials interfered with his relationship with his employer and blacklisted him. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of

8910-552: Was being conducted, prompting protests from Colorado City Fire Chief Jake Barlow. Despite these protests, public safety did not appear to be affected, as the county law enforcement agencies involved routed calls for emergency service through the county offices. A search warrant was also executed at Jake Barlow's residence. The search warrant affidavit states that the Mohave County District Attorney sought records relating to personal charges on an agency credit card from

9009-573: Was formed in September 2002, when FLDS Church president Warren Jeffs excommunicated Winston Blackmore, who was Bishop of the Bountiful, British Columbia group of the FLDS Church for two decades. About 700 people continue to follow Blackmore, while about 500 follow Jeffs. The Davis County Cooperative Society, known internally as "the Order" short for "the United Order," has a religious arm officially known as

9108-496: Was not resident, which is a felony . He was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah , and was released after paying the $ 5,000 bail in cash. On September 25, 2007, after trial by a jury in St. George, Utah , Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape and was sentenced to ten years to life in prison. This conviction was later overturned, but he

9207-449: Was ordained a High Priest Apostle by AUB leader Rulon C. Allred . Later, after he was murdered, Rulon C. Allred appeared to him as an angel to instruct him to preside over the keys of the priesthood. This church has built a pyramid-shaped temple and Gerald Peterson Jr. is their current leader. Like the AUB they are modern in their dress and do not allow girls under 18 to be married. The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of

9306-541: Was sentenced to seven years in prison. He married a 16-year-old girl at YFZ Ranch on August 5, 2004. She gave birth to a son less than a year later. On March 17, 2010, a Tom Green County, Texas jury found Merril Leroy Jessop guilty of sexual assault of a child after deliberating for one hour. The court found that Jessop, 35, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl while living at the FLDS Ranch in Schleicher County, Texas. The jury sentenced Jessop to 75 years in prison and assessed

9405-474: Was subsequently reversed by the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas in a ruling that Texas CPS was not justified in removing every child from the ranch. The 3rd Court of Appeals granted mandamus relief and ordered the trial court to vacate the portion of its order giving CPS temporary custody of the FLDS children. CPS petitioned the Texas Supreme Court requesting that the 3rd Court of Appeals' ruling be overturned, but

9504-504: Was subsequently sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years and fined $ 10,000 after being convicted on charges of aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault. From 2007 to 2011, the leadership of the FLDS Church was unclear. On November 20, 2007, following Warren Jeffs's conviction, attorneys for Jeffs released the following statement: "Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Inc." The statement did not address his position as prophet of

9603-555: Was taken is evinced in the fact that apostle John W. Taylor , son of the church's third president, was excommunicated in 1911 for his continued opposition to the Manifesto. Today, the LDS Church continues to excommunicate members who advocate early Mormon doctrines such as plural marriage, enter into or solemnize plural marriages (whether in the United States or elsewhere), or actively support Mormon fundamentalist or dissident groups. Although some LDS Church members continue to believe in

9702-522: Was the governing ecclesiastical body over the Short Creek Community until being incorporated as the FLDS Church under Rulon Jeffs . In 1935, the LDS Church excommunicated the Mormon residents of Short Creek who refused to sign an oath renouncing polygamy. Following this, Barlow led those in Short Creek who were dedicated to preserving the practice of plural marriage. Consequently, Mormon fundamentalists that didn't follow Barlow separated, leading to

9801-685: Was the largest mass arrest of polygamists in American history, and it received a great deal of press coverage. After the raid, polygamists continued to live there, and later the town was renamed Colorado City. Under John Y. Barlow , he claimed to be both head of temporal affairs and the Priesthood through his United Effort Plan . By 1984, a schism emerged in Short Creek who took issue with his One Man authority. These followers moved south of Colorado City to Centennial Park, Arizona and called themselves "The Work of Jesus Christ", or "Second Ward." Leroy S. Johnson succeeded John Y. Barlow , and stress on

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