4. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was a polygamous cult founded by Warren Jeffs, a charismatic Mormon leader. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, the founder and an early leader of Mormonism, believed that polygamy was necessary to produce as many offspring as possible. However, in 1890, the Mormons officially disavowed polygamy and, in 1935, excommunicated clergy who still advocated it. However, the polygamous faction of Mormonism never entirely went away. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) operated mostly under the radar of both federal authorities and the mainstream Mormon church.
Warren Jeffs was a leader, or “prophet,” of one of the FLDS groups. His father, Rulon Jeffs, had previously led the group and married a total of 75 women who bore him 60 children. Allegations soon began to spread that under Jeffs, underage girls were being forced into marriage, as well as reports of crimes such as rape and incest. In April 2008, Texas child services raided the FLDS compound and brought 439 children into protective care. Many of them had already been married, and some of the girls already had children of their own. Many men were arrested for sexually assaulting children, including children to whom they had been “spiritually married.”
