Here's Everything To Know About The FLDS Church From 'Keep Sweet'
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In the new four-part Netflix docuseries Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, survivors who escaped polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs share stories about their life and experiences in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS church.
The series covers everything from life in the church to plural marriages and child rape. It also describes how Jeffs, the FLDS leader, was able to come to power and brainwash thousands of people into believing that he was "The Prophet."
“The more wives, the more children you have, the higher in heaven you’ll be,” a former wife said in the trailer. “It was for our salvation. You did whatever it took,” another said.
In 2008, a raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Texas, led to Jeffs' arrest along with several of his followers on charges of child sexual assault and bigamy.
Of course, this new doc brings up a lot of questions about FLDS—what it is and how it differs from Mormonism. So, here’s what you need to know:
What is the FLDS Church?
FLDS stands for “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” And the "church" is really an offshoot denomination of the Mormon (or Latter-Day Saints) church. When the LDS church decided to end polygamous practices around 1890 to gain statehood for Utah, those who continued to practice polygamy were excommunicated and later joined together to form the FLDS community, per CNN.
Many of those who left or were excommunicated by the LDS church settled in Arizona and became part of the FLDS sect, which continued to practice polygamy. The fundamentalist group still lives on the Arizona-Utah border, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jeffs inherited the sect in 2002, when his father and 15-year group leader, Rulon Jeffs, died, the SPLC reported. Warren Jeffs then cut off his followers from the outside world, and doled out girls to his older male followers. He also had more than 60 wives.
The leader of the FLDS church is considered to be a prophet of God and is the only one who can perform marriages, CNN says. He may also punish his parishioners by “reassigning” their wives and children to other men.
FLDS mostly live in Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, according to CNN. The towns are, quite literally, a five-minute drive away from each other. Some others are located near Eldorado, Texas, and in South Dakota, Colorado, Nevada, British Columbia, and Mexico.
What’s the difference between FLDS and LDS?
They're not the same thing. At all.
FLDS is an offshoot of LDS, a.k.a. the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Mormon church. And while the Mormon church has not practiced polygamy for a long time, FLDS still does.
The FLDS church also has strict rules and dress codes for women, and devoutly follow their leader, Warren Jeffs. The SPLC has designated the group a "hate group" and the FLDS church is also frequently referred to as a "polygamous cult."
Plus, the LDS church has spent a long time trying to explain to people that the two are totally separate entities and that even calling FLDS "fundamentalist Mormons" causes confusion.
Who runs FLDS now?
Warren Jeffs was sent to prison more than a decade ago in 2011 on child assault charges, and remains there to this day. But his brother, Seth Jeffs, is apparently helping manage things in person, according to ABC affiliate KOTA.
A&E says that Jeffs is managing day-to-day operations from jail, though, and still dictates things like which men the women are placed with.
What rules does the FLDS Church follow?
For one, women aren't allowed to cut their hair and have to stay covered from "neck to ankles" because their bodies aren't allowed to be exposed, according to ABC.
Two former FLDS members also told the outlet that Jeffs had banned most forms of entertainment, including "dogs, toys, television, newspapers, the Internet, birthday and Christmas celebrations, festivals, parades, camping and fishing."
Wives are supposed to do two things: obey their husbands and have babies. And some have said they were forced to marry people they were distantly related to, per ABC.
How many FLDS followers are left?
It’s not entirely clear, but A&E estimates that about 6,000 to 10,000 people are still believed to be a part of the church. Some, however, broke away after Jeffs' arrest and are adjusting to their new lives.
In 2021, a judge ordered a 140-acre compound in Pringle, South Dakota, which is owned by the FLDS, to be sold, per ABC affiliate KOTA. At that time, authorities told the outlet there were only about 20 people living on the compound. It was bought by former members in February of 2021.
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