FLDS 101

FLDS 101 - Table of Contents

2009-05-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the FLDS 101 Blog. This blog tries to present the most comprehensive history and beliefs of the FLDS on the Internet. The intent of this blog is to provide this information in way that can be easily understood. The sources of information are many: primary sources such as transcripts of Warren Jeffs tapes, talks by Leroy Johnson and Rulon Jeffs, blog entries of current FLDS and former FLDS, published books, the FLDS scriptures, and records seized by authorities from the FLDS that are being made public through criminal trials.

There is now enough content on this site for a book. However, the author has no intent to publish this formally but does retain the copyright. There articles have been written over a two-year period. Many of the articles need to be updated since new information has been made available. The author intends to update these articles over time, so visit often.

Who is the author? The author chooses to remain anonymous. He is a historian and a writer. Is he FLDS, former FLDS, or neither? Who knows? He has been to Short Creek, Eldorado, and Mancos. He tries to be factual and fair, but also offers opinions. His email is berryknoll@gmail.com. So, sit back and read. Feel free to comment on the articles. The following outline may be helpful to read through the topics in a particular order.

History

The One Man Rule – How it all started

Splinter Groups – Navigating the different groups with similar roots

The Alta Academy – The FLDS school that was in Salt Lake City

Yearning for Zion – Why the FLDS went to Texas

YFZ and the other lands of refuge – the most current information about YFZ and other secret places

The YFZ Temple – What is it, and what it is used for

People

The 2004 Purge - 21 men kicked out. What happened to them?

Joseph Barlow - kicked out city council member

Dan Barlow - kicked out mayor

Louis Barlow - died of a broken heart

Nephi Barlow - kicked out

Roland Barlow, Hyrum Jeffs, David Jeffs, Brian Jeffs - others told to pack up

Mike Emack - Engineer and convicted felon

Allan Keate - Machinist and convicted felon

Beliefs

The Family – Getting to heaven

Gentiles – Non-believers are evil

Apostates – Former members are devils

Obey the Prophet – He is the only way to reach heaven

Prophecies - Strange unfulfilled predictions

Plural Marriage

Arranged Marriages – How it works

Force or Choice – Do it or else face eternal consequences

Role of Women – Do’s and Don’ts for the FLDS women

Keep Sweet – The FLDS mantra

The Good memories - The FLDS remember the happy days before Warren

Warren Jeffs

Self-proclaimed Prophet – How he came to power

Rulon Jeffs renewed - Warren's father leading the FLDS from the grave

Casting out Evil – Warren’s motivation for kicking out followers

Reassignment of Families – the sad destruction of families

The Lost Boys – Young men who are abandoned or leave

Warren in hiding – Where he went and what he did while running from justice

What are Warren’s strange “heavenly sessions”?

Warren’s first few months in prison – The torment he went through

Two days of truth – Details of the two days when he told followers he was not the prophet

Prophet again – Still in prison, but again leading the FLDS

Waiting for trail – The months leading up to his trial in 2007

After the trail – Justice served, settling in for years behind bars

Warren's warning to President Obama– From his jail cell he issues deadly warnings

Warren's Petition to the President

2009-05-31T23:53:00.000-07:00

On October 7, 2010, Warren Jeffs wrote down a purported revelation from the Lord to President Obama warning him that he should free Warren from prison, stop the legal prosecutions, and return UEP land and control to the FLDS. If these demands were not met, the wicked would be swept off of the continent.

After Warren was transferred to his Texas prison in Big Lake, he issued another revelation on February 5, 2011. Since no action had been taken by President Obama, this new purported revelation was in response -- a lengthy, rambling, repetitive warning to the entire United States if America.

I will attempt to analyze this revelation illustrating its rambling and repetitive nature. I will also show some great inconsistencies with this proclamation in comparison with a proclamation to the President of the United States under somewhat similar circumstances by church leaders in 1845 that Warren recognizes were true prophets.

Warren’s revelation to the country was simply a message that states: Warren is a prophet, he should be freed from prison and left alone, the FLDS are being persecuted and should be left alone, the entire nation is wicked, legalized abortion must stop, God is very angry, and great destructions are on the way very soon. Essentially, you better leave the FLDS alone and stop your wicked ways, or else. The FLDS are God’s chosen people and they have important work to establish Zion. Don’t get in their way, or else very nasty things will happen to you.

It took eight pages of rambling over and over again to get this message across. Let’s take a look at the repetitive points. At least 16 times warnings were given that judgments, earthquakes, and other nasty things would happen to the nation in revenge. Eleven times the issue of abortion was brought up as being a terrible sin. Each time it was mentioned in the same way without much further insight, just rambling repetition. Eight times it was mentioned that Warren was a prophet, the Lord’s servant and that he better be listened to, or else. Eight times it was mentioned that the FLDS were being persecuted, six times that they needed to establish Zion, Six times was an order issued to “Let my people go” the same statement used by Moses to Pharaoh.

Warren claims these words came from the Lord Jesus Christ. If this is true (even in just Warren’s mind) why isn’t this consistent with other published revelations that came through Joseph Smith who Warren recognizes as being his religion’s founder. It is simple to read such revelations side by side and see the great inconsistencies in tone, word usage, biblical parallels, and overall structure. The 2011 “revelation” is simply angry ramblings of a paranoid man in prison who wants to keep his iron-fist power over his little kingdom. The revelation passes no possible tests for a true revelation.

The FLDS claim authoritative roots back to 19th century Mormonism. In 1841-45, there is an interesting parallel situation and revelation to compare to Warren’s revelation. The Church had experienced intense persecution, leaders imprisoned, government oppression, and property loss. In 1841 Joseph Smith issued a revelation attributed to have come from the Lord instructing him to issue a proclamation to the President of the United States.

It is interesting to compare the words of Warren’s Lord with that of Joseph Smith’s Lord and their strategy for approaching a non-believing president. Warren’s Lord is boastful and threatening, “is over you and has all power.” He warns that he “shall subdue all His enemies under his feet.” Essentially this Lord is saying, I have all power, get out of the way or I will crush you. There is no love expressed and no invitation to come to Him. This voice sounds rather like a demanding Warren Jeffs who lived for years ruling with a demanding iron fist but now is behind bars.

In 1841 after years of intense persecution, Joseph Smith’s Lord instructed him to write a proclamation to the president and kings of the world. “Let it be written in the spirit of meekness.” The desire of this Lord is that He “will visit and soften their hearts, many of them for your good, that ye may find grace in their eyes, that they may come to the light of truth…” (see D&C 124) This Lord also warns there will be consequences “if they reject my servants and my testimony which I have revealed unto them.” But the major difference is that this Lord hopes to convert and save others. Warren’s Lord appears to only care about the FLDS and their mission. He considers all others as wicked and apparently beyond saving.

Warren’s Lord’s message to the president is: Repent and get out of the way. Joseph Smith’s Lord’s message to the president was: Repent and come unto Jesus, accept his gospel and work with us. The FLDS believe both Lords are the same and both messages to be scripture. If so, why the huge difference? Why in just 170 years has the Lord’s message changed so radically? In 1841 Joseph Smith’s followers believed they were building up Zion and that Jesus would soon return. The FLDS believe the same in 2011. However, their approaches are totally different. The FLDS have isolated themselves to the point where they believe no others can convert and join them, the rest of the world is wicked and lost. Their message is: Repent, get out of the way, and prepare to be destroyed. They now totally reject the teachings of Joseph Smith’s Lord instructing followers to proclaim his gospel, and seek to convert the rest of the world to the truth.

For reasons unknown, Joseph Smith never issued the proclamation to the president. He was martyred in 1844. However, his successor, Brigham Young and his quorum of apostles did issue the proclamation in 1845. It was a lengthy 16-page pamphlet. The message was inviting: “we send unto you, with authority from on high, and command you all to repent and humble yourselves as little children before the majesty of the Holy One; and come unto Jesus with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and be baptized in his name for the remission of sins.” Warren’s Lord would never give such an invitation. His doors are closed to converts.

The 1845 message to presidents and kings was, “man can be saved.” There was still time, clear until the second coming of Jesus to put lives in order, “and thus be prepared to escape all the things that are coming on the earth.” Yes judgments and destruction will come, but there was and invitation “to take an active part [in building up Zion] in it from this day forward.”

Warren’s angry Lord seems to have forgotten these invitations and only cares about the FLDS. “This earth is mine, and I have caused my people to receive a preparation work for my glorious coming on earth to establish my Zion, and they are my people. Let them go!” The implication here is that all others are not Warren’s Lord’s people. He accuses all others: “You deny me” and warns that they soon will be destroyed.

Near the end of the rambling revelation, there is an invitation to repent. This invitation even goes so far to invite the wicked to receive His message of salvation from authorized FLDS leaders. This is curious because these leaders are not seeking to help save anyone except those born within the FLDS Church.

It has now been several months since Warren’s rambling revelation. No doubt he has been delighted to hear about the tragedies of tornados, floods, and fires during the past few months. Just as he believed that Hurricane Katrina was sent by has vengeful Lord in response to Warren’s pleadings, he likely is also taking credit for the tragedies experienced during the spring of 2011. Yet we still are awaiting the great earthquake he predicts will hit Illinois.

FLDS People 101 - Allan Keate - machinist, convicted felon

2009-05-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

On December 17, 2009, Allan Eugene Keate was sentenced to 33 years in Texas state prison after the jury deliberated for only five hours. He was found guilty on a charge of sexual abuse of a child.

Allan Keate was born on May 12, 1952. He is the son of Eldon Keate. Allan is a machinist by trade. He was a well-respected machinist who worked with various businesses in Utah. Kelly Roestenburg, president of New West Machine Tool Corp, in West Jordan said Allan was always truthful and honest with him. He knew him for 28 years and had done millions of dollars worth of business with Allan over the years. He never had to make a contract, they just shook hands.

Around January 2004, he disappeared from Colorado City because Warren had him secretly go to help start building up the YFZ Ranch. Allan brought some of his family with him.

Not only did Allan help with the construction of YFZ but he also helped supply his girls for wives. He gave his 14-year-old daughter, Veda Lucille Keate, to Warren Jeffs to be sexually assaulted. On January 18, 2004, Warren married her and on the next day Allan transported her to Mancos, Colorado. She was still there in August 2005.(During the 2008 YFZ raid, Veda was recognized by CPS as being an underage mother. Veda gave officials a last name of Keate instead of Jeffs. Veda was forced to give three DNA tests as officials figured out the truth. In July, 2008 she was living in a rented home in Converse, Texas with her 2-year-old daughter, Serrena. Veda was uncooperative when official came with a subpoena for the third DNA test.)

In July, 2004, Warren assigned which families would live in the “big house” at YFZ during construction of other houses. The following families shared the big house: Warren Jeffs, Allan Keate, LeRoy Jeff, Nephi Jeffs, and LeRoy Steed. It is interesting to see that in just a few years Warren and Allan would also be sent to “the big house.” This one would have bars.

By September 2004, Allan had been set apart as a temple builder.

On May 5, 2005 Allan married 15-year old Merilyn Rose Barlow Jeffs. She was the previous wife of LeRoy Jeffs (Warren’s brother) who Warren had recently kicked out. Merilyn had married LeRoy at the age of 14. Allan also married another one of LeRoy’s wives, Joanne Steed, on that same day. Warren had decided to marry off all eleven of LeRoy’s wives to five men at YFZ. This marriage to Merilyn would later cost Allan his freedom.

Allan later brought young Merilyn in to meet with Warren because she had been unwilling to “get close” to Allan. Warren gave her direction and told her to hold hands with Allan on the way home. She was then to have a talk with Allan. It looks like Merilyn was sent away from YFZ for a time (probably to Colorado) and was instructed to write letters daily to Allan telling him how she was doing including how much she loved him. At one point Warren complained to Allan that she was acting silly. Merilyn would eventually return to YFZ and would give birth to Allan’s son, Robert in December, 2006.

Allan consulted with Warren regarding plural marriage challenges and how he should give proper attention to his wives. Warren replied, “Sometimes I rotate and stay with each wife in their room.” Allan also wanted guidance if he should still sleep with wife Nancy who was past child-bearing age.

On October 3, 2005, at the YFZ Ranch, Allan agreed to let his 15-year-old daughter Rachel Keate marry Lehi Barlow Allred Jeffs. Also on that day gave up another15-year-old daughter, Rebecca Keate to marry Keith Dutson Jr. Clearly Allan had no problems bringing his little girls forward to Warren for marriage.

On July 4, 2006 in Colorado, Allan was given another wife, Rosanna Barlow Nielsen, at least his sixth wife. He later brought her to YFZ Ranch. In March, 2007 he had six wives and 14 unmarried children living with him at YFZ. He had many other children elsewhere. His first two wives produced 18 children.

In May and June 2007, Allan Keate was a member of the YFZ High Council, and attended secret meetings to accept a series of Warren’s “revelations.” These revelations were the means Warren used to convince his followers that he was still the prophet from his prison cell and that his sins had been forgiven.

During the April 2008 raid, many of Allan’s family members were involved. His wife Merilyn gave her name to CPS as “Merilyn Barlow” and refused to name Alan as her husband and the father of her son, Robert. CPS first believed Merilyn was a minor but later agreed that she was 18. They suspected Allan Keate to be her husband but Allan was nowhere to be found. A hearing was held in May to consider Merilyn’s case. Merilyn’s service plan submitted (to be reunited with her son) to the judge called for her to identify her son’s father, undergo a psychological assessment and take parenting classes. A CPS case worker estimated that Merilyn only had an eighth or ninth-grade education. An attorney appointed for her 1 1/2-year old son, pointed out that Merilyn was underage when he was born and that this may lead to criminal charges against the father, depending on the father’s age.

Using the records seized in the raid, in July 2008, Allan was eventually charged with felony sexual assault. In August he posted a $100,000 bond and was not allowed to leave the county and had to stay away from his 18-year-old wife. He was indicted by the Grand Jury in August.

Allan’s December 2009 trial was very straight-forward. The defense had tried to get damning evidence thrown out that had been seized during the 2008 YFZ raid, but they were not successful. Allan chose to go with a jury trial. It was an open and shut case. The evidence was clear. DNA tests showed that Allan was the father of Merilyn’s baby. Records seized showed that Merilyn was Allan’s underage wife. Alan was convicted after only five hours of jury deliberation and then sentenced to 33 years in prison.

FLDS People 101 - Mike Emack - Engineer, convicted felon

2009-05-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

On January 22, 2010, Michael George Emack pled no contest to sexual assault charges and was sentenced to seven years in prison. This came about because he married a 16-year-old at YFZ Ranch on August 5, 2004. She would give birth to a son less than a year later.

Who is Mike Emack? Mike was born in 1950. He served in the Vietnam War and is a gifted Engineer. It is safe to say that he deserves much of the credit for the creation and construction of the YFZ Ranch. Mike is one of the most respected men among the FLDS, known as a man of integrity. But he was caught up in Warren’s twisted marriage doctrine, and now must face the consequences.

Mike has at least four wives including the underage victim (name withheld). He had married another 16-year-old, Sarah Hammon back in 1974 when he was age 23. His other two wives are Celia (age 45) and Alice Mae (age 59). In the YFZ bishop’s record he listed 12 unmarried children. He probably has at least twice that number and many grandchildren.

Warren Jeffs called Mike Emack on the mission for the redemption of Zion at YFZ in October or November 2003. None of his family were permitted to come with him and he was not allowed to tell them where he was going or what his mission was about. In fact, he had to lie to his family left behind in Short Creek (865 N Midway St., Hildale, UT).

Mike went right to work on many projects as construction started at YFZ. One early mysterious project was to build a furnace. (Some have speculated that it was for a crematorium, which is highly unlikely.) Robert Richter, who later left the FLDS wrote, “Charles Olds told me Mike Emack needed a furnace built and needed our help. I had no idea where Mike was at the time. It never crossed my mind it might be illegit because it came from Mike (I trusted Mike, but I was starting to get suspicious of Warren even then). Coming from Mike, I would have expected a steel mill before a crematory. . . . Mike's only comment to me through it all is ‘we are working for a good cause, but I can't tell you anything, except that I was called on a mission.’ What's odd is there wasn't as much secrecy on the furnace as there was on a silly rock cutting saw. I was admonished not to talk about it, but nowhere near the drilling I got on the rock cutting saw.”

In April, 2004, Warren mentioned Mike in his dictactions. "I told him to keep Mike Emack and Luke Jessop there at R23 (South Dakota) to finish the freezer room and the refrigerator room." By May 30. In May, 2004, Mike was back at YFZ and said the prayer at a general meeting where they had to listen to Warren chastise them for two hours.

On August 5, 2004, Mike was assigned to marry the underage 16-year-old girl. He didn’t refuse. This decision would later be the reason for him spending time in prision.

By September 2004, Mike was set apart as a temple builder.

In 2005, Winston Blackmore from Canada, who had been kicked out by Warren several years earlier, flew over YFZ hoping to get a glimpse of some family members. Winston wrote, “In my thoughts I could see Mike Emack, tired and worn out, trying to make any sense out of working 20 hour days while his children are home suffering for their father, and finally just going away because he is nowhere to be found. I actually thought I heard him sob from his hiding place.”

In June 2005, on the Texas blog, there was a discussion about Mike and whether he was at YFZ. “I would like to know the whereabouts of my good friend Mike Emack. Mike is such a sensible thinking guy that I can't imagine him being involved in such atrocities as seem to be happening to the people from Hilldale and Colorado City. Mike seemed to not know the existence of the Texas compound. He told his family that no place even existed. Mike is such an honest decent fellow I can't believe he would outright lie to his family. Mike spent time in the Vietnam war. I'm sure he would not fall into a communistic rule as seems to be practiced in FLDS compound in Eldorado Texas. On the other hand if those people are building something technical such as a creamatorium, they would have to have Mike to design the workings of such a thing. Mike is what I consider to be a genius in working with technology. Mike if you are still around out there, or if anyone knows his whereabouts. Please post a message to inform us.”

Another person wrote, “Mike Emack is not a liar. A cleaner, more Christ-like man could never be found! If he is in Eldorado, it is because his heart tells him to be. Leave this sweet, patriotic, innocent man out of this!”

Several other posters confirmed that he was indeed at YFZ Ranch.

In July, 2006, Warren, still on the run, again mentioned Mike in his dictations. “He [Merril Jessop] informed me that an FBI agent called Mike Emack right on Mike Emack’s mobile phone, asking him if he would testify against me. So there is that effort trying to come right among the people on this land. May the Lord deliver us from our enemies.”

During the YFZ Ranch Raid, Mike's daughter, Martha, was prominent in the media as she was separated from her two children. Martha gave her maiden name to media instead of her real name. Martha was the former wife of Guy Draper who had been kicked out of the FLDS in 2005. At least one of his wives stayed with him, but Martha stayed with the FLDS. By 2008, Martha had already been passed around to her third husband at the age of only 21!

In September 2005, she was brought to YFZ and reassigned to Joseph Steed (twice her age). He was "handled" in 2006 and lost his priesthood and wives. Martha was then reassigned to Keith William Dutson Sr. who was also twice her age. She had two children. Her children ages, 1 and 2, were taken to a Texas shelter for a few weeks. Draper is the father of here first child Dutson the father of her second child.

Using the records seized in the raid, in July 2008, Mike was charged with felony sexual assault. In August he posted a $100,000 bond and was not allowed to leave the county and had to stay away from his 19-year-old wife. He was indicted by the Grand Jury in August. In January, 2010, Mike, now age 59, moved into his new home, prison.

FLDS History 101 - The 2004 Purge

2009-05-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

On December 24, 2003, Warren Jeffs received a “revelation” warning him that there were many FLDS men who were conspiring against him. He was warned “that if these men didn’t repent they would be instruments in the hands of the devil to lead many astray.” He needed to take against this dangerous threat facing him.

On January 10, 2004, in a Saturday morning prayer meeting at the LSJ meetinghouse in Short Creek, Warren Jeffs stood before a gathering of 1,500 FLDS and said, “I seek unto the Lord that only his will and purpose be done this day. The Lord has placed upon me the mission to search for the pure in heart. Whom the Lord loves he chastises and grooms. I come with a message of correction and an invitation of repentance." His voice was shaky and he continuously cleared it throat. He looked uncomfortable. He then made a starling announcement. He first had four sons of John Y. Barlow stand and also four sons of Rulon Jeffs. All eight were sons of previous prophets. He denounced them all as “master deceivers.” “Verily, verily, thus saith the Lord to this people, all those who join with these deceivers and hypocrites will be darkened and will have to be cast out.” Addressing the Barlows, Warren said, “You judged and criticized legitimate authority.” He turned to their wives. “All you ladies married to these men are released from them and will remove yourselves immediately from their presence. If you don’t I will have to let you go.”

The congregation was in shock. Nothing like this had ever occurred before. He had thirteen additional men stand. They were told they were also being cast out. Twenty-one men total. They must immediately remove themselves from UEP property and leave the community. Warren looked at them and said, “You know what you have done.” But they didn’t. He asked those standing to show by uplifted hand that they accepted this action as the word of the Lord. They all raised their right hands. He next asked the congregation to raise their hands in favor of this action that he called “the will of God.” He then asked, “Does anyone oppose? Raise your hand and stand up if you do.” No one had the courage to show what they truly felt. “I am calling for a fast for the next two days. All of the families are to keep to themselves.”

He then asked the audience to all kneel while he led them in prayer. In the prayer he instructed those who were being sent away to repent and continue to support the FLDS financially. They were told to send him letters of confession. If they changed their ways, they may one day be permitted to return.

What happened to these men? Did Warren let them back in? Did he keep in contact with them? Were they helped? Read about some of these men including four brothers, Louis Barlow, Joseph Barlow, Dan Barlow, and Nephi Barlow.

Winston Blackmore later honored the Barlows: "Uncle Louis, Dan, Joe and Nephi have been famed for many things, including leadership, inspiration, and dedication, but perhaps the most outstanding being their faithful stand for the teachings of Uncle Roy and John Y. Barlow, who
stood almost single handedly against a whole church and state, bent on totally wiping out the fullness of the celestial law of marriage. They stood with Uncle Roy who stood for Uncle John who stood for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was said by Warren that their father John Y. Barlow directed the proceedings of their excommunication. What a crock! Smells like a vulture to me."

Winston also noticed a similarity between the 1953 Raid and Warren's Raid. "'Women leave
those men.' They all left. 'Children take on you a new identity.' They all turned into someone else. 'Men go imprison yourself in solitary confinement'. They left to be in lonely exile. The raid was accomplished at last."

A daugher of one of the Barlows commented, "I am a daughter of one of the 'Barlow boys' and it is absolutely amazing to see what has happened to my heritage. It's sad, but like someone said, 'They are being devoured by the very monster that they created.'"

One of the brothers of Warren, Brian Jeffs apparently was allowed to return a few months later.

FLDS People 101 - Louis Barlow: died of a broken heart

2009-05-31T23:46:00.000-07:00

Louis Jessop Barlow was the oldest son of John Y. Barlow (former leader of the polygamist group). Louis was both loved and despised by many, but made a huge impact on the community of Short Creek. He was among those who Warren Jeffs kicked out of the church at the public meeting on January, 10, 2004. Some people believed that Louis Barlow should have been the next FLDS prophet instead of Warren. Who was Louis Barlow? Why was it so shocking for him to be kicked out?

Louis Barlow was born, reared, and educated in Salt Lake City. After graduation, he worked at Woolsey's Ranch near Cedar City, and later moved to Short Creek. Shortly after his move, he joined the U.S. Navy, from which he received an honorable discharge.

In 1948, Louis (age 24) was involved in a controversy surrounding a plural marriage. A 15-year-old daughter of Joseph Lyman Jessop visited Short Creek from out of town for a dance. Before she returned home, she was secretly married to Louis as his third wife. (Louis had previously married two girls who we would consider underage today.) The girl returned home and admitted to her father that she had been married. When Louis came to get her, Lyman Jessop refused to let her go since he did not consent to the marriage and he believed her daughter was pressured into it. This turned into a controversy among the priesthood council. Louis’ father, John Y. Barlow, had authorized the marriage and maintained that it was valid. Time passed, John Y. Barlow died, and Joseph W. Musser became the senior member of the council. In 1950 the issue was brought before the council. The girl still did not want to be married to Louis and had not yet lived with him. Louis stated that he didn’t regret his actions and would do it all over again the same way. Musser replied, “You’d better not.” The council decided to annul the marriage. Within a couple years there was a split among the followers, and soon the group that Louis followed started to adopt more openly the concept of assigned marriages without consent of parents. (Marianne T. Watson, Dialogue 40:1)

In 1949, Louis received a teaching certificate from the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. That year, Louis was hired by the Short Creek School Board as principal. He also taught 7th and 8th grade. The school property was in poor condition and Louis went to work to improving the building and utilities.

One person recalls working on the school, “I like to remember the old school days, when Louis Barlow was principal, he got an old war surplus generator and some of the guys hooked it to an old car engine. We actually had electricity at the school! Lou had us dig a well by hand. Someone would be in the hole digging, while others would pull the buckets of dirt up on a rope. We put in the well, put in a pump that was powered by the generator, and planted grass in the square that was between the three school buildings. I believe that was the first lawn ever planted in Short Creek! We put up a tall flag pole in the center of the lawn. It was a power line pole that Lou got from somewhere. He had some of the kids WHITTLE ... a ball, out of wood. It was about six to eight inches in diameter. The ball went on top of the pole.”

Because of the school, a tax levy was increased on neighboring cattlemen. They criticized Louis for buying a 1946 truck for the school. Louis’ brother Truman ended up driving the truck all over town for any reason using school money or gasoline. The ranchers complained to the school board but it did no good.

Louis was in Short Creek during the 1953 Raid and went on a radio show later which helped sway public option. He said, “The following Sunday, July 26th was a terrible day of this invasion, this Raid, this abuse that came upon our fair community! After the invasion and the fear that was put into the lives of every mother and child in that community, followed mock trials, Juvenile hearings, and imprisonment! They desecrated the day! The places where we held Sunday School and meetings were made prisons the men were put in there and held by sheriffs all the way around- not allowed to talk to their families, treated just as if it was a movement of Adolph Hitler or some movement like that out of the last war! Since that day, we have been put in prison in Kingman and held three days beyond the time the money had been raised for our bonds, specifically, we know, to give time for the evacuation of our women folks and our children. So that by the time we were finally released on bonds, we came home to empty homes! Where those children slept that night of July 19, I found empty beds! I don't want to be emotional about this thing, except that it does touch my heart. But I want to say that this is an experience of a lifetime!”

During the radio interview, Louis then made this statement: “There have been no forced marriages. Everyone is free to leave or stay as he [or she] chooses.” That was a curious statement from a man that participated in a forced marriage just a few years earlier.

In the early 1960s, Louis worked under Uncle Roy’s direction to get control of the land in Canada owned by Harold Blackmore. Harold was asked to move to Short Creek and then Louis used some trickery to eventually confiscate Harold’s Canadian land for the UEP in 1965. This land, now settled by the FLDS, is called Bountiful, Canada.

Louis did the ground work and negotiations to bring telephone service to Short Creek in the 1960s. A telephone line was built from Hurricane to Short Creek and the first telephone, a single toll station was put in front of Louis’ house. It was put in operation in April 1964. Soon an automated telephone exchange building was constructed and work began on running underground lines to all the home in the community.

About 1985 after the Priesthood Split, an anonymous letter revealed that Louis had purchased a cache of guns that were stored in a cave above Fred Jessop’s home. Louis was said to have bought 100 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifles and tons of ammunition. The sheriff looked into the matter and the anonymous letter was confirmed. Louis claimed to have purchased the guns for survival kits to sell to those who believed the end of the world was coming. Louis eventually sold most of the guns back to the dealer he bought them from. 50 other guns were unaccounted for. The ATF got involved but eventually dropped the whole matter.

On August 8, 2002, three of Louis’ grown sons were killed in an airplane crash. John, Ronald, and Michael left behind at least six wives and 50 children. Their plane crashed near the summit of Delano Peak. At the funeral in the LSJ meetinghouse there was a large display of photos in the hallway of Louis’ huge family. One observer said the photos “showed ample evidence of a proud, happy, and close-knit family.”

A few months later, A non-FLDS relative met with Louis in the lobby of a Salt Lake City hotel. She commented, “we briefly discussed Utah’s intention to pass a law making it a felony for men to marry underage girls in plural marriage. When I voiced the idea that it wasn’t necessary to marry underage girls to live plural marriage, Louis expressed adamant disagreement. It was apparent that he emphatically supported placement marriage, which he thought included the right of the 'one man' to arrange marriages for underage young women. For him, the issues were inseparable.”

On January 10, 2004, at the age of 80, Louis tearfully was forced to move away and never see again his huge family, including at least seven wives. He felt he had no choice but to turn away from the community that he spent nearly his entire life building up.

After the purge, an anonymous letter mailed throughout the community created a big stir. The author of the letter included a dream that proclaimed that Louis would received the mantal of prophet, that it was time for him to step forward claim his birthright. Louis’s brothers were told to defend that birthright and support Louis. Well, Louis did never step forward, but Warren sure worried that one of the Barlows would try.

Warren received a letter informing him that “since Louis Barlow was handled . . . he has deteriorated in spirit.” He also was told that Louis was angry that Sidney Barlow had been placed over his family to “teach and train” them. Warren commented, “His spirit has deteriorated. Louis Barlow’s expressions to me in his letters are that he has upheavals of feelings, up and down, and in the last letter that I received, that I read yesterday, Louis Barlow expressed that all he wants in Priesthood and he can tell by his feelings being so uncontrolled that perhaps his family and wives were his darling idols.” Warren had preached for years for people to give up their “darling idols” that distract them from obeying him.

Warren went to work to marry Louis’s wives to other men. He gave them to trusted leaders. He performed two marriages at a secret ceremony at the Holiday Inn at Flagstaff, Arizona. Loana Silvester Broadbent Barlow was married to Stephen Parley Harker. Abbey Kay Wightman Barlow was married to Donald Ward Richter.

Sam Barlow, Louis’s brother, who had not yet been kicked out, asked Warren how to deal with his grieving brothers. Warren replied, “I strongly explained to him that these men had not repented and that I have not sent Sam Barlow to go comfort those men and to not run ahead of me. Those men still haven’t repented and I don’t have sympathy for sin. The word of the Lord is the word of the Lord to me and it is not debatable.”

On May 17, 2004, Warren wrote, “I was shown specifically that Louis Barlow was turning against me and Priesthood and also many of his sons. I saw in my dream how these sons would rise up in the strength, they felt they had, to oppose me, put me down, one after another. . . . Several of these sons of Louis Barlow were either indifferent or they were threatening. Louis Barlow in this dream showed a great religious zeal of righteousness, and yet I saw him turning people against me and Priesthood in the midst of his religious zeal.” Warren now had some new targets, Louis’ sons. Thomas Barlow would be the next to go.

Louis’ tithing donation had recently been sent back to him through “Big Willie Jessop.” The FLDS no longer wanted his donations. Willie reported that Louis had been angry about is. Willie's statments have proved to be very unreliable. Perhaps Louis instead was devistated. This was a further signal that he was being totally cut off from the faith, people, and community he loved.

Just one week later, Louis Barlow, the patriarch of the Barlow clan, died on May 24, 2004 at the St. George home. Louis had experienced heart problems in recent years. It was said that he had stopped taking his heart medication. He was in his early 80s when he died. He left behind seven former wives, 60 children, and at least 400 grandchildren.

Doug Cooke, who had also been kicked out told the media the Louis died a broken-hearted-man and accused Warren of killing him. Doug had met Louis a week earlier at a restaurant. Louis still professed his faith in the FLDS and refused to shake Cooke’s hand, who he considered an apostate. “We have nothing in common.” Ross Chatwin, also considered an apostate by the FLDS had recently visited Louis. Louis told him “I have nothing to talk about,” and refused to shake his hand. Chatwin believed Louis lost his will to live.

FLDS attorney, Rod Parker, had met with Louis three weeks earlier and said “he sounded normal and upbeat.” (However, Parker has a long track record of deception in his statement to the media).

Surprisingly, Warren allowed Louis’ funeral service to be held at the LSJ Meetinghouse in Colorado City. He also allowed him to be buried in the FLDS cemetery in Colorado City. However, Warren did not allow Louis’ grave to be dedicated, an ordinance usually performed.

His obituary included, “He had the ability to make everyone feel special. He was a dynamic, gracious, prayerful, and dedicated man ... a real gentleman's gentleman. Louis was loved by all who knew him.”

A few weeks after Louis’ death, Warren believed he now had proof and justification for his harsh treatment of Louis. "Two of Louis Barlow’s former sons testified to me in their letters that yes, Louis Barlow had been in disagreement with father (Rulon Jeffs) and I on certain doctrines, and that happened clear up until the week before he passed on. So it was the Lord’s mercy taking him before he turned bitter. A man cannot oppose the Prophet and the teachings he gives and still hold Priesthood.” (Priesthood Record, June 13, 2004) Warren still believed that Louis would have turned apostate. He felt that it was a blessing for Louis to die before this happened.

In late June, 2008, Warren performed some secret marriages at a motel in Mesquite, Nevada. He married one of Louis’ widows, Kayleene to Nathan Jessop. Other wives married at other times: Isabell to Donald Richter, Lucy to Richard Allred, Loeona to Steven Harker, Ireta to Kevin Barlow, Kayleene to Nathan Jessop.

Those who loved Louis are still bitter about his cruel treatment by Warren. When Louis' wife Lucy died in 2005, her obituary stated that she was an Allred and made no mention of living her full live with Louis. One former member posted an alternated obituary to the Internet that included:

“She was the loving wife of Louis Barlow, who with him had a large and beautiful family. She was predeceased by two infant sons, and her lifelong companion Louis, who was murdered in cold blood by his church. Louis was a son of President John Y. Barlow, but spent most of his adult lifetime under the direction of President Leroy S. Johnson."

“Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2:00 at the L.S. Johnson meeting house, where everyone that speaks will praise the villain that ruined this woman and her family, and destroyed her husband, and where not one person will recognize her lifelong husband, friend, and companion, Louis Barlow. There will be a great pretension that she and her family belongs to Mayor Richard Allred, an accomplice in the destruction and murder of the husband of the family that he has stolen."

“Friends wishing to make a comment should send a prayer to the God of Heaven and wonder to Him how long this wickedness and destruction will be allowed to continue among the people. Donations can be made at the pharmacy for the purchase of some Prozac that can be administered orally so that you will be able to stand attending the funeral service. Remember, smile and keep sweet.”

Louis’ son Tom tried to attend the funeral at the FLDS meetings house. This report was given: “Tom Barlow tried to get in the building with his Father's Military US Flag to place beside his Mother. The Colorado City cops jumped him and there was a tussle and in the process Tom punched one of the officers, but he was quickly subdued and spirited away. It happened in the North doorway I think.”

What a twisted sense of values. Where else in the USA would city police be standing at the door of an old lady’s funeral, turning relatives away? Tom was released from jail the next day.

A former FLDS member commented: "I remember when Louis Barlow was faced with the decision of letting his family stand by him and go with him or not and how he sent them back to do what Warren told them to do. He could not admit that for all those years he had been used and deceived. His whole life would have looked like a lie and he probably could not bare the pain he felt for having been so manipulated. He died a lonely man and so will the rest of those kinds of men, and women."

Louis Barlow is gone, but still remembered. Sadly as years go by he will not be remembered by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren because his family tree was destroyed by a man who lived in fear that someday Louis would organize opposition against him.

FLDS People 101 - Joseph I. Barlow

2009-05-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

One of these men who was kicked out of the FLDS during the January 10, 2004 meeting was Joseph I. Barlow. Let’s examine who he is and what happened to him.

Joseph I. Barlow was a long-time residents of Short Creek. In 1941, he witnessed Leroy Johnson’s (Uncle Roy) ordination to the priesthood council by John Y. Barlow (his father) at the Woolsey Ranch. He was involved in the 1953 Short Creek raid. An arrest warrant issued for him, but he avoided arrest by staying in the Utah side of the community.

Joe was said to have worked with other Barlow brothers in bringing about the priesthood split of 1984. He spread rumors about priesthood council member, Marion Hammon, telling others that he “has always been a problem child of the Priesthood.” Joe helped set up Leroy Johnson has “the one” prophet.

In 1984 at a priesthood meeting, Uncle Roy had Joe stand up and presented him to be ordained a patriarch. He then ordained him. He didn’t know in advance that he would be made a patriarch. This was a shock to some because they considered him to be a dishonest man. In 1985, Joe was given a newly opened store with $52,000 to get going. Under Joe’s management the store was completely broke in less than one year. A plea went out to the people to raise money to bail him out and restock the store. But within another year, the store was broke again. The management was then turned over to Art Blackmore who made it a successful venture. (Bistline, The Polygamists, p. 244)

After the 1984 “Priesthood Split,” the followers of Leroy Johnson made many efforts to evict the other group from UEP property. Prior to Uncle Roy’s death in 1986, Joe convinced him to transfer many UEP assets to a secret trust, “The Majestic Security Trust.” The reason for this was to keep the assets at “arms length” from the reach of any who might fall away from the group and try to claim some property. In 1989 this was revealed during a deposition of Rulon Jeffs. Joe’s son Jethro had transferred several of the UEP companies to this secret trust. A lawsuit stopped these transfers. If they would have continued, Joe and his sons would have eventually drained the UEP. (Bistline, p. 298)

In 1989 Joe was very influential with the people to stir up hatred towards the “Second Warders” who were not following Rulon Jeffs. In a speech on December 24, 1989, Joe proclaimed, “We’ve got a group of men who will not listen to the servant of God because they’ve already compromised . . . morals . . . ingenuity . . . initiative. Everything they’ve got that was good, they’ve compromised on it. May we stand by those principles and give Uncle Rulon our total support, not just when we’re in meeting, not just when we’re enthused, but when we’re in our moment of temptation. Our golden moment comes to us, may we make that right choice and not compromise.” (Sermon of Joe Barlow)

By helping to firmly set up Rulon Jeffs as the one authority, Joe didn’t realize at that time that he was also setting up his son, Warren, in later years to establish a firm grip over the people. It would all backfire on him. On January 10, 2004, Joe lost everything he loved when Warren had him stand up in that meeting and cast him out of the community. He immediately resigned from the Hildale City Council. He had served on the City Council for 41 years since the city had been incorporated! His brother Dan Barlow, the mayor for 19 years had also been kicked out. He also resigned. When Joe was asked by a reporter how he was doing, he said, “No comment.”

On the day after the purge, anonymous letters criticizing Warren’s actions started to circulate through Short Creek. One of these letters discussed a dream and mentioned Joe. “I witnessed a great patriarch, Joseph I Barlow, raised up unto God’s work under the direction of Leroy S Johnson. And I did witness this patriarch apply himself with a fervor to the defense of God’s work and God’s sacred lands and to the institution of the UEP. And I saw that some were fearful of his fervor and did resent him.”

Joseph I. Barlow, in his late 70s, now was on his own, cast out of Short Creek, the community that he spent his entire life building up. He moved to St. George, Utah.

Four months later, Warren received a phone call from William E. Jessop, the bishop of Short Creek. He told Warren about a phone call he received from Joe. Joe told the bishop, “We, down here at St. George, are grieving. We need you to come and comfort us.” Warren told William, “Don’t touch it! If those men have the true Spirit of repentance they will have a prayer of rejoicing for the privilege to repent.” Wow! What a statement. Warren felt that he was doing Joe a favor by stripping him of his of this church membership, his family, his home, and his 41 years of leadership on the city council. Warren believed Joe was feeling despair because of his iniquity. He strongly warned the bishop if he went to comfort Joe and the other men, he would go against authority (him) and against the will of God. William promised to be very careful.

Warren was also mad that the men were meeting together and teaching each other. He said they had no authority to teach. He didn’t want them comforting each other and feared they would band together to conspire against him. In future “handlings” Warren would instruct men kicked out that they could not meet together. Since January he had continued his purge and had kicked out 19 more men in the past few months.

Warren was not happy that some of his followers were visiting Joe and these other men. “They are deceived to think these men have a humble spirit of repentance because they firmly declare loyalty to God and the Prophet, but they haven’t repented. They haven’t made it right with the Lord. So people need to be careful or they will find themselves losing Priesthood and Priesthood blessing through sympathy against authority, sympathy against the Lord’s will.” Above all else, Warren hoped that these men wouldn’t “turn traitor.”

Warren commented, “In the many letters I have received from some of these men they have declared that they are on a mission and going through a test. The Lord showed me . . . that many of these men are putting on a show of repentance to me but among themselves they don’t see why they are being handled.”

Four days later, Warren took Joseph’s former wives and married them to other men. “Richard Allred received Janice Smith, the former wife of Joseph I. Barlow.” Ten day later, “I told Aunt Alice Zitting, former wife of Joseph I. Barlow, that her former husband could not exalt her and the Lord had a place for her and she was willing to go forward.” Warren married Alice to his brother, Leroy Jeffs. (Later Leroy would be kicked out, so Alice was passed on to yet another husband. Three husbands in two years.)

On May 17, Warren got a report from Sam Roundy Jr. who had visited Joe and the other men in St. George. He reported that they were “voicing bitterness” against Warren because he had married their wives to other men. It bothered Warren so much, that he gave his family training that night, telling them about these “unworthy men.” He warned his family that if they had sympathy for any of those men, they would be turning against Priesthood.

Warren mocked Joe’s most recent letter. It “was a rehearsal of his little . . . profession of righteousness.” Joe wrote that the Barlows were not trying to take over. Warren was indignant. He was certain that the Barlows were conspiring against him. “I had told them on January 10, in public meeting, that they had established themselves as authority over the people by joining together and judging the people without authority. I had told them straight out what the Lord had told me and they still deny it.” He described Joe’s current state as “the mourning of the damned.”

Warren revealed a twisted principle that he believed in. When a man lost priesthood (was kicked out) the man had to make an atonement. Part of the atonement was to lose their wives. Warren couldn’t do anything for them and thus didn’t try to reach out to them to help them. But, they needed to stay true to Warren. Warren mocked these men’s belief that they were just going through a test. “In reality they have received a judgment and lost their blessings.”

As instructed by Warren, Joe sent letters to him. On June 19,2004, Warren revealed his true reason for kicking out Joe, “The Lord has shown me. . . that Joseph I. Barlow [and two others] DO know why they were handled (kicked out), do know their disagreements, even quietly with my father, and yet they claim they don’t know why they are handled. “ He believed they conspired to elevate Joe’s brother, Truman, to be first counselor to his late father, Uncle Rulon. If they would have been successful, Truman would have challenged Warren for leadership over the FLDS. They were still a major threat to his leadership and he needed to get rid of them.

“Some of these men had already sought the Apostleship from father in their aspiring efforts. It wasn’t yet time to correct those men during father’s administration, so he bore with them and carried them and yet the Lord worked around them, not even giving them new wives . . . which made them jealous and critical in their hearts, at least against the Prophets. . . . Now the judgment of God has come upon those men and the Lord has judged them unworthy of their own families. They are not able to exalt their families. Their aspiring nature has led them to lose the confidence of God. And the Lord warned . . . that if these men didn’t repent they would be instruments in the hands of the devil to lead many astray. That is working now as these men write me letters and say to me they don’t see why they are handled.”

Warren revealed an astonishing accusation. He believed that Joe was involved in pulling life support off of Parley Harker without the prophet’s permission and thus killed him. (Parley, the First Counselor in the FLDS Church died at age 85 in 1998 at the Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George Utah. Warren became the new counselor)

Warren believed that Joe and the others killed Uncle Parley because they “had in their hearts to put Truman Barlow in a position of authority and he would raise them up into authority as well as other evils of disagreements against the Prophet.” Warren believed Joe knew why he was kicked out and that he wasn’t repenting and holding on to his pride.

On June 28, 2004, Warren’s paranoia continued. He believed that Joe and his brothers were conspiring against him and that one of them, probably Joe, would soon claim to be a prophet. A couple of days earlier, Bishop William E. Jessop reported to Warren that one of Joe’s sons had told him how “Joseph I. Barlow was discouraged and down in his feelings and had declared, 'They just want me to stay out here and die.'”

On July 6, 2004, Warren learned that the men in St. George were still meeting together. “Joseph I. Barlow is in emotional up and downs of despair . . . ‘Poor me, why me?’” Warren’s paranoid mind started to churn again, “I can see that these men gathering together is the beginning of a movement to destroy the work of God. . . . None of them have the strength of heaven or the authority to teach, yet they are turning to each other.” Warren mocked their efforts, “It reminds me of two fallen beings trying to lift each other up to be exalted and they don’t have the power or authority or knowledge to do it.” Warren’s cruelty kept him even from considering sending men who did hold power to give them comfort and teachings.

In 2008, Joe was still away from the FLDS, but still a believer. When the United States Senate held a hearing regarding the FLDS Church and the polygamist lifestyle, Joe signed an online petition to legalize polygamy. “This sounds like a hearing before Judge Zane in 1885 during the "crusade" against the Mormons. It's a shame on the integrity of the senate. They don't want the facts they just want a way to create more animosity against the good people of Colorado City and Hildale.”

FLDS People 101 - Dan Barlow: kicked out mayor

2009-05-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

Dan Barlow was another one of the 21 who were “handled” in the January, 2004 meeting. He lost his family, home, and position as Mayor of Colorado City. Dan Barlow, Joe’s brother, was a very influential resident of Short Creek both in industry, local government, the school board, and UEP activities.

Dan was one of the heros during the 1953 raid. One observer wrote, “I witnessed the Fifty-three Raid. I watched in tearful reverence as Dan Barlow ran himself near to death to warn of the police cars he saw coming. Dan, age 21, was arrested and taken to jail in Kingman, Arizona, for a week.

In 1970 Dan was appointed manager of the new Barco sewing plant in Colorado City. This gave many women an opportunity to have some employment in the community.

During the early 1980s, with his brothers, Dan worked against the two priesthood council members who opposed the idea of the “one man rule.” Leroy Johnson, the senior member was incapacitated with illness and the Barlows gave him slanted reports regarding what the other priesthood council members were doing. On one occasion in 1983, Alma Timpson, one of those leaders, accused the Barlows in a public meeting with pestering Uncle Roy so much that it was destroying his health. He said, “Keep your ungodly presence from Uncle Roy’s midst. “ Dan Barlow stood up and said, “That’s a lie.” The defiance surprised Timpson. He stood speechless, staring at Dan. Soon others also stood up until almost everyone in the building was up. Timpson finally said, “If that’s the way you want it, then dismiss yourselves at home.” He then walked out of the building. By the end of the year, the Barlows were successful in breaking up the priesthood council causing the 1984 Priesthood split.

In 1985, Dan Barlow was appointed mayor of Colorado City when it was incorporated. As major he took his orders from the religious hierarchy. Fred Jessop called many of the shots in the community. Dan also filled the role as the unofficial spokeman for the FLDS and was effective with the media.

In January 1999, the LDS Church came to town and met with Dan to discuss constructing a branch of their Church in Colorado City. Dan’s answer was, “we want you to build your church house in Cane Beds; we don’t want it here. If you attempt to build here, we will condemn the property and build a road through it.” The LDS Church put an indefinite hold on any future church activity in Colorado City.

In 1999, when rumors were flying that the FLDS believed the end of the world was coming, Dan tried to dismiss these rumors. "The media and the apostates have made a big issue of that... and have tried to paint us as a cult or something like the Heaven's Gate or something like that. It's just not true."

In January 2000, Dan met former President Bill Clinton at a dedication ceremony for the Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument. He had his picture taken with him.

In August 2000, Warren ordered that all school children be pulled from the public schools. Dan, started up a private school called Morningside with 280 students grades 1-10. He said, "We stick to the basics and to the things they need to know."

When Rulon Jeffs died, Dan was the FLDS spokesman for the media. 5,080 attended the funeral. Dan said, “This is by far the largest crowd we have ever had in this building. The size of this congregation is a testimony to the type of man that he was. Rulon Jeffs was a perfect example and a simple teacher. That's why the people loved him so much."

But Dan went too far in being friendly with the media. On July 26, 2003, the 50th anniversary of the 1953 Short Creek raid, a dedication ceremony was held for the unveiling of a monument on the grounds of the old schoolhouse. The event had been approved by Fred Jessop.

The event was sponsored by Dan and attended by 350 local residents. A museum was also opened funded with community donations and an Arizona State grant of $20,000. He had invited media to the event. At the ceremony, Dan narrated the account of the 1953 raid. Recorded music of "God Bless America" filled the air and those in attendance began singing. One or two of the older women stood up, a few men placed their hats over their hearts, and children were still.

This event really angered Warren Jeffs. He claimed to receive a “revelation” the next day which stated, “my people have sinned a very grievous sin before me in that they have raised up monuments to man and have not glorified me.” Well, probably the real problem was that they didn’t glorify Warren.

The community was in big trouble. Warren said a “scourge” would be sent on the people to “purge the ungodly” from among them. This monument event was the catalyst Warren used to start justifying the purging of men out of the FLDS. Short Creek would be cursed and Warren would look elsewhere, to Texas for a new land of refuge. Warren ordered that the monument be destroyed. It must be broken into many pieces and scattered among the hills where no one could find it and restore it. He condemned the wickedness of those (Dan Barlow) who sponsored the monument. The city government had done with without his permission and this was unacceptable. Warren was now in charge and must be obeyed in all things.

Dan had to explain to the media why the monument disappeared. He put a spin on the story. "It's gone. We just talked it over and came to the conclusion that we should back off, let things settle down. There's just too much publicity right now. We closed the museum and gave those things back to the people. Someday they'll be on display again. We'll use that building for something else."

Warren probably never forgave Dan for not respecting his authority. He read off his name during the January, 2004 meeting. Dan would be cast out with the other 20 men. A few days later someone wrote an anonymous letter that included some praise for Dan. “I beheld, in particular, Dan Barlow apply himself to the building up of this kingdom onto God. And I saw that he was given great wisdom to understand the workings of government and man and that he did use his understanding to bring peace to this community, that he cultivated many important relationships of respect with the world.” Warren had no interest in such relationships anymore. The rest of the world was wicked and he wanted nothing to do with it.

As with his brother Joe, Warren expressed no compassion for the state of Dan after he was sent away. Warren mocked the letters his brothers sent pleading to be let back into the FLDS. But he was angry that Dan had stopped writing him. “Dan Barlow has cut off all communication with me. The Lord showed me that man was the most indifferent of these men toward me. . . the Lord has already shown me Dan Barlow's heart many times. He is darkened and indifferent. His letters are very empty."

In July, Warren told his counselors that “Dan Barlow is bitter and is turning his brothers against me, that the Lord has shown me this.” He became convinced that one of the Barlow brothers would step forward and claim to be the prophet.

Alvin Barlow said this of his brother, Dan: "All is well. His love of the gospel guides him. He said this experience has only strengthened and verified that love."

In 2005, Dan was still in St. George working as a welder with Don Holm.

During the 2008 YFZ Raid, Dan, now age 76, while enjoyed a two-week tour of Jerusalem, read in the newspaper about the raid. He was contacted by several of his sons who lived in Texas and asked if they could list him as an appropriate relative to take their children. He quickly agreed and made his way to Texas. He said all of the emotions of the 1953 raid came back to him. He did not have to worry about Warren’s long arm from prison stopping him, so he went to see if he could gain custody of his children in Texas. He finally visited four children, who ranged in age from 4 to 13, after being unable to contact them in over four years. He still said he still didn’t know the reasons why. The oldest child recognized him. The younger three only knew him from pictures. "They kind of grew up," he said, sounding neither sad nor angry despite having every right to be. "The little ones didn't even know me. When you get older, things are all supposed to smooth out, but sometimes when you get older, your greatest tests are still ahead."

Dan was very outspoken in Texas opposing the YFZ raid. "Even though I am no longer a member, I still believe in America. There must be due process for these families. This is so much like an ethnic cleansing, to persecute these people. I can't sit quiet, I don't know of any time or place where government has so abused the rights of people."

Dan didn’t end up taking custody of his children. Since then, he said he has not had a lot of contact with his family. “I let them do the things they think they need to do,” he said.

Dan was back in the public eye when he testified in 2009 against the sale of Berry Knoll. He had originally bought the land years ago and donated it to the UEP. He testified against the sale. Some claimed that the plot of land was sacred to the FLDS and that a temple would someday be built there. That was all a pack of lies because Warren had several years ago cursed Short Creek. Warren didn’t believe any temple would be ever built there.

FLDS People 101 - Nephi Barlow

2009-05-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Nephi Barlow is the fourth Barlow brother who was tossed out of the FLDS by Warren Jeffs during the public meeting on January 10, 2004. Many people thought the Barlows would rally together to oppose Warren, but they didn’t. The Barlows had wielded so much influence in past years, but on that day they were stripped of everything. The Barlows could be classified as zealots. They believed in a cause and often used unscrupulous means to benefit what they considered a greater cause.

In the early 1980s, Nephi Barlow was a member of his brother Sam Barlow’s “goon squad.” Sam was the deputy sheriff in town. Uncle Roy became determined to start cleaning up the town. He used Sam and his squad to evict some of the undesirables. Sam would use harassment tactics to influence people to leave. One of the early and despicable cases is when he tried to evict a widow and her children. In October, 1982, When the widow was away in Salt Lake City, paying her tithing, Nephi Barlow and others moved her things out of her house, onto the curb, changed the door lock and moved in to guard the house. When the widow returned she refused to be intimidated, got in the house, and confronted Nephi and others. She was accused of not paying taxes, so she got help to pay them, but still harassed to leave and finally did.

Nephi and the others on the goon squad were especially despised by wayward boys. There were reports how the squad would even burst into a home uninvited and beat up a boy who was not obeying the rules. Nephi and the others were viewed by many as being self-righteous bullies.

Nephi worked with his brothers to convince people to accept Uncle Roy’s “one-man rule” which would enable him to eliminate the priesthood council model that had governed the group for decades. Nephi worked at the J&B service station and would spend hours of his work day over at Fred Jessop’s “Early Bird Cafeteria” sharing his views to any one who would listen. One of his favorite topics was, “The Gospel in a nutshell is Uncle Roy.” He explained that whatever Uncle Roy said could not be questioned.

As the 1984 Priesthood Split unfolded, Nephi even went so far to take down the license plate numbers of the cars of people who attended a meeting at the home of Uncle Roy’s detractor, Alma Timpson. As the split unfolded, the Second Ward group began holding their meetings in Timpson’s home. Nephi began making threats that they were not going to be allowed to hold religious meetings on UEP property. This led to great contention between the two groups over property use.

During 2001, Nephi Barlow poured the concrete for the huge floor of his industrial building in Colorado City. It was the biggest single concrete pour even performed until Wendell Nielson’s Western Precision moved there from West Jordan a few months later during the big “Olympics” move. (Rulon Jeffs had predicted the Games would bring cataclysmic destruction to the Salt Lake Valley. It didn’t happen, and must have just been a test.)

Nephi hoped to build a block factory that would make blocks of Styrofoam/cement to make houses. It seemed to be a good idea for desert homes. The people in the city office over-engineered the footings and it took more than three-times what was expected to get the floor and footing done. Nephi worked hard to get everything together, but the effort was sunk when Western Precisions came a few months later.

In 2003, Nephi was in charge of work projects. Nephi was criticized by some for exploiting his position as work leader to further his own interests, including building himself a big house. That duty all came to an end when Warren kicked him out of the church, took away his family, property, and career. Nephi didn’t fight back and claimed that he did not know what he did wrong. Warren’s bizarre treatment of booting people out without letting them know what they were charged with was totally contrary to the procedures outlined in his FLDS scriptures. But the “one man” rule seems to trump everything, including the scriptures. If the prophet says something, it is done and can’t be criticized.

Nephi had many ups and downs and took it very hard. He met with his brothers and others who were kicked out, trying to encourage each other. But this stirred up the wrath of Warren who believed that these men were conspiring against him.

In August 2005, Warren still was getting reports about Nephi. “I have been shown the falling away, the opposition of many peoples who have been handled, the people joining together against me. People like Nephi Barlow. . . . Would to God they would repent.”

In November 2007, five cranes and more than 100 men gathered at Nephi Barlow’s steel building in Colorado City. By nightfall the building was completely gone. Most likely it was shipped to Texas and reconstructed at YFZ.

In 2008 a former wife of Nephi’s ran into trouble with the CPS when she lied to authorities during questioning about her children. She had been reassigned to Merril Jessop in 2004, during a ceremony in a Cedar City, Utah motel room.

FLDS People 101 - Others told to pack up

2009-05-31T23:01:00.002-07:00

Besides the four Barlow brothers, there were 17 others who were publically berated by Warren on January 10, 2004, and stripped of everything they possessed. Here is a little information about some of these men.

Roland Jay Barlow

Roland was the son of Dan Barlow, the mayor. It is unclear why Warren threw him out, but he probably believes Roland was conspiring with his father and uncles for power.

Warren soon remarried Roland’s wives to others. At the Ramada Inn at Mesquite Nevada, Warren performed some marriages. “I told the former wives of Roland Barlow that their former husband could not exalt them and the Lord had another place for them for time and eternity and they received it.” He married Patricia Ann Holm Barlow to Joseph Steed. Edmund Barlow Allred was married to Linda Fay Darger Barlow and Bonnie Jean Darger Barlow. Warren wrote, “These ladies were so happy at these weddings. There was not a mourning of looking back that they have lost. They had a living gratitude of faith exerted that the Lord was blessing them and their children. It was very pleasant to witness.

Two days later Warren got a report that Roland was “most bitter” after learning that his wives were sealed to other men by Warren. In July, he received another report, this one from his brother Hyrum who had visited Dan and Roland who were living in St. George. He reported that they were “strong and have firm testimony, were doing well. They had been gathering with others to encourage each other.” Warren hated to hear the men were gathering together and he wanted to see it stopped.

By July 2005, Dan and Roland were working with Don Holm, doing welding.

In March, 2007, two of Roland’s wives were listed in the YFZ bishop’s record as wives to Edmund Lorin Allred. These two wives, Linda and Bonnie were still living in Hildale, not at the ranch. Linda had 12 children 18 and under and Bonnie had three children 6 and under. All their names were listed as “Allred” with no indication that they were really Barlows.

In 2010, Roland had a facebook page and was employed by Ivins City Fire Department (northwest of St. George). He was a training officer, firefighter/paramedic, and emergency management coordinator staff. On his facebook relationship tag (married, single, etc), he put: “It’s complicated.” No doubt it is.

Hyrum Jeffs

Hyrum is Warren’s older brother. It is unclear why Warren tossed him out. Did he feel threatened by his older brothers? Did they know something that could challenge his leadership?

In May after Hyrum went to visit the Barlow brothers, Warren was critical of Hyrum’s assessment of the Barlows. It appeared that Hyrum was trying to put a good word in for them. Hyrum expressed “loyalty” to Warren, but Warren’s harsh conclusion was that it was obvious that Hyrum hadn’t repented yet and wasn’t “submissive.” Warren demanded that all his followers be “submission” and never question him about this decisions or actions.

David Jeffs

David is also an older brother of Warren’s. A few months later, on April 27, 2004, Warren said the Lord showed him that David Jeffs could not exalt his wives, had lost the confidence of God, and it had been revealed to him who he should marry his wives to. He traveled to Mesquite, Nevada and performed these marriages in a motel. He first talked to the ladies over a phone and asked them if they were willing to go forward with the marriages. They all said yes.

But when Madeline Barlow Jeffs found out that she was to be married to Merril Jessop, she wasn’t very happy. “There was some emotion but she acted on correct principle and at least put on an outward show of a smile.”

Susanna Barlow Jeffs, David’s first wife, was the next to be married. Warren was very displeased with her. “I asked her again if she received the Lord’s message. She hesitated a long time. She asked if there was any hope for David Jeffs. I said, ‘I love my brother, but I love God most and I will tell you the truth, what the Lord as shown me, that David cannot exalt his ladies, but if he will continue in his repentance, he can earn a degree of salvation.’ Every step was a long hesitation for her. She finally said, almost in a whisper, ‘I want to do what the Lord want me to do.’ I said to her, ‘I have told you what the Lord want you to do.’” Warren then released her from being sealed to her husband David.

Warren explains further, “I then brought Jim Allred in and she would hardly look up. She would hardly take his hand. As the ceremony ended he was smiling and she was looking down, and I said ‘You may kiss the bride,’ and she would hardly do it. She would hardly handshake for congratulations and she would hardly take his hand to go out to the car. So she showed a great spirit of resistance, yet she went through with it.” Warren believed that she had been living like a gentile for many years. “Now she needs to learn to submit to Priesthood and the ways of God.”

Poor lady. Clearly she was forced into this marriage. She was a little over 50 years of age and the sister to Madeline.

In October, 2005, a story broke that Warren, a fugitive, had been spotted in a wheelchair both at Cabala’s in Lehi, Utah and at Colorado City. Someone from Colorado City later wrote, “The man in the wheelchair was David Jeffs, Warren's brother. He was accompanied by a few of his sons and their wives. One of his sons is very tall and does bear a resemblance to Warren. The white SUV belongs to him. And David and Warren are not very close, David being the victim of Warren's familial genocide.”

Brian Jeffs

Brian was believed to be allowed to return to the FLDS within a couple months. However, in August 2005, Warren had a dream with Brian in it. “The Lord showed me Brian Jeff’s heart in this. He was weeping and doubtful and fearful about himself how he had not raised his family right, and this son and that son was falling away. And the Lord showed me through his doubts, fears, and worries, he was without the Spirit of God, and thus without Priesthood. He was involved in some sort of business with Priesthood people, but he was becoming darkened.”

FLDS History 101 - Two days of truth

2009-05-31T23:01:00.001-07:00

For at least two days in January, 2007, a dramatic change came over Warren Jeffs. His jailhouse confessions have been seen all over the Internet. The cause for his unusual behavior is unknown, but he started to tell the truth, and attempted to undo some of the damage that he had caused to people over the previous nine years. Unfortunately this “mighty change of heart” didn’t last. Three months later he was back to his usual self.

Let’s analyze the comments he made in ten phone calls from prison on January 24-25, 2007. He didn’t just say these things once, he said them over and over again in these many phone calls during those two days. He referred to all of this as “a great testament.”

“I am not the key holder since Father’s passing.” “Brother William E. Jessop is the key holder.” To William: “I know of your ordination, that you are the key holder and I sent a note with my signature verifying it.” “Brother William is an apostle, ordained by Father.” “I am not the prophet. I never was the prophet.”

It had been rumored that Warren’s father, Rulon had ordained William Timpson (later named William E. Jessop) an apostle. Rulon, while ill, was supposed to ordain William to be an assistant bishop to Fred Jessop, but he slipped and gave William the whole package, including apostleship. At that time, William was told by Warren to ignore the other things, he was just a bishop. However, now Warren was finally admitting the truth. William was an apostle and thus the valid successor to Rulon.

Please don’t confuse Willie E. Jessop with big Willie Jessop (son of Glade). Willie Jessop who the news media calls an “FLDS spokesman” is a different person. He is not William E. Jessop. Big Willie holds no leadership in the FLDS, makes no decisions, he just does as he is told to.

Warren felt it was important for him to follow the scripture in D&C 43:4 “one key holder appoints the next.” The scripture actually reads, “But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.” So even though Warren said he wasn’t the key holder (the gift taken from him), he believed that he needed to follow D&C 43:4 and appoint another in his stead, William E. Jessop.

“The Lord does not speak to the key holder through a woman.” This statement likely refers to two things. Many times during his “heavenly sessions” Naomie would later tell him what he said. So Warren figured out that the Lord doesn’t work this way. He would not use a woman to communicate things to the key holder (prophet). Another likely reference where Warren abused this principle was when he had Naomie stand up on December 1, 2002 to testify that Rulon had appointed Warren as his successor. This again violates this principle.

“There’s many men that are sent away that DO hold priesthood and their families will need to be put back.” By 2007, Warren had kicked over 200 men and many women out of the FLDS and reassigned their wives to other men. With this new directive (if it would have been followed through) these poor women would have been jerked from one husband to another and back. Some were even on their third or fourth husband because of these reassignments. And don’t forget about the children. They had been told that their real father was “dead” to them and they even had their last name changed. So their father wasn’t really “dead” and they should get their name back? All of this was couched as being God’s will.

In a phone call to his family, Warren released his own wives (more than 80). They were no longer married to him. Those who had previously been Rulon’s wives would now be widows again. However, he also instructed that they all would all be given to be wives of William E. Jessop.

“Leroy does hold priesthood and will be restored.” Warren’s brother Leroy was kicked out in 2005. Before then, Leroy was an influential leader, but Warren had felt threatened by him.

“Wendell Nielson DOES hold priesthood and needs to come back with his family right away.” Recently Warren had made a stunning declaration that his First Counselor, Wendell Nielson did not hold priesthood and was to be kicked out of the FLDS. It looks like Warren had recently sent a note of instruction along those lines. “The note will say he doesn’t [hold priesthood], so I was corrected and the Lord stopped me in my progress.”

“I am one of the most wicked men on the face of the Earth since the days of Father Adam.” On the follow day, Warren back-tracked on this statement. “That part is from the powers of the Evil One that were trying to influence me.” So Warren believed that some parts of his experience were from the Lord and some were from the devil. Several minutes later he said “I have been the most wicked man in this dispensation, in the eyes of God.” So, apparently he is not one of the most wicked men who has ever lived, but just the most wicked in the last 170 years. At least he figured out he was very wicked.

“I was immoral with a sister and a daughter when I was younger.” “I hadn’t held priesthood since I was twenty.” “I’m just a damn soul, damned soul.” Presumably he was immoral with a sister at age 20 and later with at least one of his daughters. There have been rumors that he has been immoral with others. On the phone he was asked, “Is it okay to ask what the sin is . . . the sin that you did?” Warren only replied, “a sister and a daughter.” Three months later, when he back-tracked on his statements, it does not appear that he backed off this confession, he still considered himself unworthy.

“I’ve just been deceived by the devil who was an angel of light.” For all these years, the devil had been deceiving him, giving him false revelations, and Warren had thought those things had been coming from the Lord. Warren told Naomie that all or most of those heavenly sessions were the devil’s deception. All those heavenly session that showed him how evil the world was, how to build the temple, who should be kicked out. . . all of this was deceptions from the devil.

“All the ordinance work of all the people, since Father’s passing, that I’ve done has to be done over.” What about things after Rulon’s stroke, before his passing? No, “Father was there.” This would have been a massive undertaking. Hundreds of marriages would have to be performed again. Imagine the feeling of the couples realizing that they weren’t really married.

“David Fischer should move to Short Creek and trade houses with Lindsay Barlow.” This was an odd directive in context of all his other statements at this time. Why was this so important to Warren at this time? Lindsay Barlow, who was at Short Creek, was to move to YFZ. David Fischer, who was at YFZ was to move back to Short Creek. For some reason David Fischer was no longer worthy to be at YFZ. David Fischer would later go back to YFZ in June and then later be sent to a house in hiding. Lindsay Barlow was also at YFZ in June and was a trusted leader on the High Council.

Nephi Jeffs did not need to be in St. George, Utah near the prison anymore. He could move back with his family. Warren was planning to break off contact with everyone. “I will not be calling anymore.” (Three days later Warren tried to take his own life, but failed.)

The Lord told him all these things because “I was in a key position.” Apparently what this means is: While he wasn’t the valid key holder, he was filling that position, and thus the Lord had to work through him for some valid things. A few valid revelations were issued. How did he know which ones were valid and which ones were false?

Warren instructed Naomie to destroy all the dictations (many are now public) because they are not of God. There are a few exceptions: A revelation about himself on June 20, 2003, and revelations given during October 2004.

“This is not a test, this is a revelation from the Lord.” When unfulfilled things are predicted by the FLDS prophet or unreasonable things are demanded, many times these are only tests of faith. Warren declared that this was not one of those times. But there was something that was a true test. Warren said that when Rulon “pointed his figure at him” (which Warren claimed was the event when Rulon appointed him as the next prophet.) -- that event was a huge test on the entire FLDS. So Warren’s reign of terror was the huge test on the FLDS.

But hold on now! Just three months later, Warren would explain that all of these January statements were just a big test. Wow, this is really mind boggling. Tests, that aren’t tests, that really are tests. All this collectively is a test. This is a fundamental flaw in the FLDS teachings. They never really know what is true, even when the prophet says it is true. They just have to do whatever Warren says today, no matter how outrageous.

During those January, 2007 phone calls, Warren left his followers stunned with these declarations and directions. Merril Jessop, his second counselor asked, “Is is alright to ask you a few questions?” Warren’s reply was, “No. Read a note I sent to you and follow through at a point according to proper order. . . . Brother William [Jessop] will tell you much more, okay? He’s the one you talk to. Thank you and goodbye.” For two weeks the YFZ Ranch didn’t turn on a single light.

Where did this all end up? Warren explained:

“Finally in the early morning hours of Monday, April 16th, (and even many times before) [The Lord] directly intervened, and directed me to call and give His message that I am to continue on and stand in my place and do His will.” Warren claimed he was over-anxious in proclaiming that he was unworthy and that others were more worthy. “Then the Lord intervened and showed me to rely on Him through these greater trials.” So it was all a huge test. “Whatever the Lord requires and allows us to go through, may I and we stand faithful and true.”

Warren finally believed that he had been “tested and tried beyond measure by the powers of darkness.” He flip-flopped.

Confused? The test on the people (of having Warren as an invalid prophet) wasn’t really a test afterall. The experience in January (that Warren said wasn’t a test) was a test afterall. But this whole flip-flop experience WAS the big test on the FLDS.

What about his poor brother Leroy Jeffs. Did he flip-flop in letting Leroy back in? Yes. He explained to his mother in a letter written in May. “I have yearned over LeRoy and the Lord still directs to leave him in the Lord’s hands.”

Those January experiences weren’t from the Lord, they were from the devil. Throughout this whole experience it shows that clearly Warren is very confused what things come from the Lord and what are from the devil. Those who are persons of faith can easily conclude that Warren is taking his instruction from a dark source, not from the Lord.

Is Warren still the prophet? Yes, most likely, but one can only wonder. It may vary day-to-day. On June, 11, 2007, he had another temporary bought of sanity when he called Merril Jessop and stated, “I am not the one to be the prophet, and I am not the one to continue.” On the next day he called Merril again and he apologized for any distress he caused the previous day. He needed to be more careful about his “expressions of unworthiness.”

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Rulon Jeffs "renewed"

2009-05-31T23:01:00.000-07:00

One of the strange doctrines introduced by Warren Jeffs to his FLDS followers relates to the status of his father, Rulon Jeffs, the former FLDS prophet. It seems that Warren has elevated his dead father to a status almost on par with a member of the godhead. This strange teaching seemed to make its appearance after Uncle Rulon had his stroke on August 6, 1998. After that event, Warren took the opportunity to start usurping FLDS authority.

Winston Blackmore, one of Rulon’s trusted leaders explained: “Shortly after Uncle Rulon had his stroke, I had on a weekly basis, the happy experience of traveling to Salt Lake City. On one occasion, Warren and I were seated with Uncle Rulon. Warren asked me if I wanted to hear the vision which father had seen in the night. I said sure. He then pulled out a small note pad which he had been using to write down everything that his father had said and commenced reading. He stated that about 2:30 that morning, his father stirred and woke him up. He supposedly told Warren that he had beheld a large and beautiful valley which was literally filled with young women and children, and that he understood that this great posterity was his own. He understood that this event was 300 plus years into the future and he beheld that he was renewed without tasting of death. After Warren read this ‘vision’, Uncle Rulon whispered, ‘Did I say that? I don’t remember a thing of it.’ Very soon Wendell [Nielsen] came and Warren asked him if he wanted to hear the story. Warren read it to him. Uncle Rulon again asked, ‘Did I say that? I don’t remember a thing of it?’ LeRoy [Jeffs] came in and Warren asked him if he wanted to hear the vision that father had in the night. After hearing it again, Uncle Rulon again stated, ‘Did I say that? I don’t remember a thing of it.’ The following week when I went down, Uncle Rulon had Warren read the vision a couple of times and made his same remark that he did not remember it. Very soon it was all that he [Warren] wanted to talk about. We heard it in Church, we heard it in private. There soon became a great fever in supplying Uncle Rulon some of those young women that would live the 320 years into the millennium with him. He privately confided to me that ‘these women are being thrust upon me by their fathers.’”

Warren constantly preached that Uncle Rulon would be “renewed” and lead for the next 320 years. He would be the last prophet. Believing in this strange doctrine became a condition of faith. If it was discovered that you doubted this, you could be called in and questioned by Warren and risk losing your membership, family, and home.

Warren wrote a song about Rulon’s “renewal,” entitled, “He Shall Be Renewed.” The chorus contained, “For he shall run and leap on Zion’s streets of gold. . . . His body will then be renewed, restored as in his youth. His handmaidens shall be increased and great will be his seed. . . . The Lord has worked a miracle. Our prophet has been healed.”

To the skeptical, this was an interesting strategy. Warren used this “renewal” doctrine to gain more control. It became heretical to wonder if Uncle Rulon was getting old and feeble-minded. As extreme commands came through Warren, he presented them as if they all came from Rulon, the prophet who wouldn’t die. You had no reason to question it.

During the summer of 2002 as Rulon’s health failed, his wives would spend hours praying for his renewal and even sewed baby clothes in anticipation for the day that Rulon would be renewed and could father children with them.

But Uncle Rulon died on September 8, 2002. As Warren gained control, he introduced an interesting twist. Rulon may be dead, but he was still with them and in contact. Warren explained that Rulon would be renewed like Jesus Christ was, but he would remain with them. Warren was still his spokesman. At Rulon’s funeral the printed program showed that Rulon was presiding over his own funeral service. Warren explained that Rulon was “in the next room” and could see all that was unfolding from the world of spirits. A song, “He Has Been Renewed” was sung. Warren was a speaker and was listed in the program as “Elder Warren S. Jeffs for President Rulon T. Jeffs.”

The next day, speaking to Rulon’s widows, Warren told them to “live as if father is still alive and in the next room.” Within days, Warren married many of these widows who used to be his mothers.

On December 1, 2002, Warren made a case for his leadership at a general meeting. Naomie, now his wife, implied that Rulon Jeffs had returned to the people in the form of his son, Warren. As Warren firmly took over the leadership he would continually claim that his father, Rulon, was “in the other room” and was giving direction. Warren claimed that his actions were in accordance to his father’s will, and thus God’s will. Somehow Warren elevated the late Rulon into some sort of mediator between the FLDS and God.

In 2004, he said, “Father is here. This is his anniversary today, September 8th and yet he hasn’t been gone. The Lord has corrected me if I started to miss him because he is right here. . . . The previous Prophet becomes the connection with the heavens, he is always close by, or his influence is. Father directs the angels to go check on this family member and that Priesthood person all in oneness with the Priesthood over him.” (Priesthood Record, September 8, 2004)

Warren appeared to pray to Rulon. “Thank the Lord and father . . .” He believed that God sent him guidance through the Lord’s Spirit and “through father.” “I am here to do the will of Heavenly Father through my father.” When Warren gave commands, he would say, “The Lord and father want all of you to…” During his “heavenly sessions” he felt the presence of Rulon.

Warren taught that his followers need to have a oneness with “me and mine father and the Lord” an unusual trinity. He believed that Rulon was near constantly guiding his work every day. He believed that the Lord and Rulon were telling him which men to be expelled from the FLDS. He believed that Rulon instructed him to not cooperate with the government. If they did they would be a “traitor to father.”

Warren had some of his wives sealed to him “in behalf of father.” This was a very strange arrangement. Warren married these women (or girls) but they would be sealed to Rulon. They had never been married to Rulon in life. On one occasion, Warren kicked out a man and intended to marry his wife. Warren recorded “I informed her that she belonged to my father for time and all eternity and a sealing would take place by proxy and the Lord and father directed me that I should receive her for time and this very night we would do it if she was ready.”

Warren taught that Rulon was still having offspring through his widows. One of these widows was remarried to Richard Allred and they had a baby girl. Warren wrote, “So I put on record . . . this girl belonging to my father, President Rulon Jeffs.” When Warren would bless babies that were born by Rulon’s widows, he made a firm point that “the children belong to my father.”

In his relationship with Rulon’s widows who Warren had married, he explained that he was their link with Rulon. In correcting one of Rulon’s widows who Warren was now married to, he recorded, “She needed to be close to me to see father again. . . . She accused me of taking away her closeness to father, saying how she loved him and wanted to die now and go to him.” He told her “that she would never see him if she went in her present condition, she wasn’t prepared.” Warren didn’t like her behavior. “She was accusing me of not loving her. I have not called her since. I haven’t even talked to her.”

With Warren away in prison, he reminded them of this odd trinity. To his children he said, “Live as though the Lord and father and I were right by your side, knowing we are smiling with approval at you.”

In 2008, as Warren sat in the jail in Arizona he prayed to allow Rulon and other of the Prophets to come among the people at the YFZ Ranch and other lands of refuge. He was still seeking his father’s approval in all the he did. He told his family that Rulon wanted them to be with him in heaven. He would always tell his wives and children to “smile father’s (Rulon’s) smile.”

FLDS History 101 - Warren Jeffs' torment in prison

2009-05-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

On August 28, 2006, Warren Jeffs’ long flight from justice ended. He turned in his Priesthood suit and gentile disguise for a prison jump suit. However, his days of leading the day-to-day activities of the FLDS Church were far from over. His dictates would continue to have far reaching effects from Short Creek to Eldorado, Texas. He would give specific instructions to the leaders on the lands of refuge including his counselors Wendell Nielson and Merril Jessop. He would also issue directives to Bishop William E. Jessop looking after the Church’s assets and money in Short Creek.

Warren only remained in a Nevada prison for a few days. On September 5, 2006 he was transferred to the Purgatory Correction Facility in Utah. He would be in lock-down for 23 hours each day, given just one hour for showers and phone calls. He would receive visitors for two hours each week. He was held without bail, awaiting his trial to face rape charges.

After four months in prison Warren believed things were starting to unravel. He began to have a series of intense and violent “visions” that eventually led up to his stunning declaration that he was “the most wicked man in this dispensation” (for the past 170 years).

On January 16, 2007, he saw a “vision” of his family falling away in unbelief and that the Lord would punish them with great trials. He saw great persecution coming on his followers who would even be murdered and defiled. Many who fell away from the FLDS would become bitter apostates and even resort to human sacrifice in satan worship.

He saw that his wife Naomie would die in two days “without blood being shed, and without a police investigation.” She would be honored as a faithful witness of the work and of Warren.

The next night, more strange “visions” came to Warren in his prison cell. The FLDS would be driven from their homes by violence, scattered, destitute, driven to starvation. They would have to hide among the wicked. Warren would come to the rescue to gather those who were really faithful. They would then travel to Jackson County, Missouri to start building a temple there. He offered more prayers and then received a revelation that Naomie was near death.

On the next night, he work up at 3:30 a.m. in his quiet, dark, cell and believed the Lord told him that Naomie Jeffs was dead. “He allowed me to hear her voice how happy she is and how beautiful father (Rulon Jeffs) is, and that the record she had with her was hidden in the lining of her luggage.” He was told by the Lord to hold Naomie’s funeral that Saturday and that she would be buried in the YFZ cemetery. The Lord told him Naomie was “enveloped in Celestial fire and will be a ministering spirit to her kind.” Well, things didn’t quite work out the way Warren saw in “vision.” Naomie was alive and fine.

On January 18, 2007, he compiled his strange visions into King James scripture form, making it read like a revelation from the Lord. The Lord looked upon all the nations of the earth and found “none that doeth good,” except, of course, the faithful FLDS. The world was now ready for destruction. His revelation revealed that wicked men, through conspiracy had taken Warren captive. But Warren had already accomplished a great work by visiting all the stake capitals and cursing the entire country to be destroyed. But Warren’s work wasn’t done. He would be delivered from bondage and continue to prepare Zion for the second coming of the Lord. Things wouldn’t go well for those who persecute the FLDS. They would see “a heavy hand of judgment.” The Mormon Church was in big trouble for giving up polygamy in 1890, “an agreement with hell.” They would experience “overflowing scourge and desolating sickness” with “devouring fire.” Wow, clearly Warren blamed the Mormon Church for all his miseries. They “imprisoned” innocent ones (including himself) and caused that laws be established “to persecute my people who seek to obey my laws.” The revelation goes on and on about how wicked the Mormon Church is. The revelation then railed on the government officials for persecuting the FLDS and taking away their lands (UEP). The Lord was very angry and would humble them all with his “Almighty power.”

On January 19, 2007, Warren received more strange “visions.” Some of his family members would be taken and offered as human sacrifice in satan worship. There would also be attempts on his own life. But, he would be delivered from prison in a “miraculous way” which would make his enemies become even more angry. All those things would happen before September, 2007. (None of it did). Nations would then send representatives to the USA to demand Warren’s destruction and the destruction of the FLDS. This would justify the Lord sending destruction to other nations. Warren would stand before the world at a news conference and deliver a message to the world, calling down the judgements of God. This would cause even greater persecution against the FLDS. They would be hunted and driven, but angels would be sent to provide them with necessaries of life. Warren would be given great power from God to lead those who survived the destructions that would come. “The Lord showed me that I would be that sacrifice of blood atonement to earn the glorious appearing of the Lord to the nations of the earth, and that I will be caught up in the cloud when He descends to earth in glory.”

During the next day, in his cell, Warren compiled this strange vision into King James style scripture. It reads of great violence and destruction for everyone except those who followed Warren. “Let there be a place prepared for my servant, Warren Jeffs, that shall be called holy . . . and provide for him and those appointed to assist him with every needful thing for their support; that I may have a place to visit and guide my servant, to reveal to him the revelations of my will.”

On January 20, 2007, Warren’s visions started to become even more personal toward himself. He was chastised for being too “earthly minded” and weak. He was shown that he would be taken by the government officials and be “unsexed and be beaten and starved.” He would be taken to watch his own family ravished and killed before his eyes. He would then be put in prison to die. But, he would be healed miraculously and would still father more children. He would then call down judgments from God upon his enemies who would be swept off the earth. Warren was shown that by September 2007, he would be back performing work in the YFZ temple. Those who had been slain would be raised from the grave to continue their mission at the YFZ Ranch. (None of this happened.)

Everything came crashing down upon Warren. He started a three day fast and on January 23, he claimed Lord appeared to him in his prison cell. He gave Warren a test and he failed it. He would rather defy the Lord than obey him in this test. “Tests” seem have a strange prominence among the FLDS beliefs. Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, the FLDS seem to believe they are given frequent unreasonable tests to see if they have enough faith to go ahead and obey. When one of Warren’s prophesies fail, it is proclaimed just a “test” to see how the people would respond.

Warren’s brother Nephi came to the prison two days later on January 25, 2007. The conversation was recorded.

Warren Jeffs: “Okay, just a minute. I am not the prophet. I never was the prophet, and I have been deceived by the powers of evil and Brother William E. Jessop has been the prophet since Father's passing, since the passing of my father.”

It was rumored that Warren’s father, Rulon had ordained William Timpson (later named William E. Jessop) an apostle. Rulon, while ill, was supposed to ordain William to be an assistant bishop to Fred Jessop, but he slipped and gave William the whole package, including apostleship. William was told by Warren to ignore the other things, he was just a bishop.

Warren continues: “And I have been the most wicked man in this dispensation, in the eyes of God. In taking charge of my father's family, when the Lord, his God, told him not to because he could not hear him, could not hear his voice, because I did not hold priesthood. And I direct my former family to look to Brother William E. Jessop and I will not be calling today or ever again. Get rid of the former message. Write this down also.”

Nephi Jeffs: “Okay.”

Warren had called William E. Jessop by phone the previous day and said, ““I have not held priesthood since I was 20 years old, having been immoral with a sister and a daughter. And father [Rulon Jeffs] pointing his finger to me was father's test on all of us. I know of your ordination, that you are the keyholder and I have sent a note with my signature verifying it so that there is no question. . . . All the ordinance work since father's passing has to be redone and there's many men that were sent away that do hold priesthood and their families will need to be put back. . . . I am one of the most wicked men on the face of the earth since the days of Father Adam.”

Warren continued his conversation with Nephi:

Warren Jeffs: “As far as I possibly can be, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. And write this. The Lord, God of Heaven, came to my prison cell two days ago to test and detect me and he saw that I would rather defy him than obey him because of the weaknesses of my flesh. I am hesitating while I'm giving this message as the Lord dictates these words to my mind and heart. The Lord whispers to me to have you, Nephi, send this message everywhere you can among the priesthood people and get a copy of this video, letting anyone see it who desires to see it. They will see that I voice these words myself. I ask, write this down. The Lord told me to say, and I yearn for everyone's forgiveness for my aspiring and selfish way of life, in deceiving the elect, breaking the new and everlasting covenant and being the most wicked man on the face of the Earth in this last dispensation. Farewell all of you, for the Lord has promised that I would be, I would have a place in the Telestial Kingdom of God, if I had my brother Nephi write these words down. The Lord came yesterday, no, two days ago and bestowed upon me the gift to understand his words. Then he spoke to me, without the powers of evil interfering, so that I could have this opportunity to undo what I have done. And I ask for everyone's forgiveness and say farewell forever you who are worthy for Zion, for I will not be there.”

Nephi Jeffs: “Yes you will. This is just a test.”

Warren Jeffs: “Give this to all the priesthood people, this message to you, alright?”

Nephi Jeffs: “Okay.”

Warren Jeffs: “Let everyone see the video who wants to. The Lord wants me to . . . (crying) that he finally shed a tear for the Lord, his God, who has redeemed his son. He whispers that you, Nephi, need to get a copy of this video before you leave, if you can or order it. You can tell he's still dictating to me to tell you, Nephi, before he leaves me to my punishment. To Nephi, you can tell anybody who wants to read this message, or see the video, that they can see it, even apostates and gentiles. That they may know that I have been a liar and the truth is not in me. Tell the family I will not be calling anymore, not even today. Thank you.

Nephi Jeffs: “We love you. This is a test. You are the prophet.”

On that same day, the YFZ Ranch went completely dark. For two weeks they didn’t turn on a single light.

Three days later, on January 28, 2007, Warren tried to take his own life by hanging himself in his cell. He was interviewed the following day and his mood was described as “somber and dull.” He complained that he was feeling “anxious.” The prison put Warren on suicide watch and on January 30, and February 2, saw Warren throw himself against the wall and bang his head on the wall.

On March 27, 2007, Warren tried to present a note to the court proclaiming that he hasn’t been a prophet and wasn’t a prophet.

In April during an examination Warren said he wasn’t really trying to kill himself.

Somehow during April Warren figured out that this whole experience had only been a test. He claimed that for over 45 days that he was attacked continually by evil powers. He compared his experience to that of Jesus Christ when the devil tempted him for 40 days in the wilderness.

“Finally in the early morning hours of Monday, April 16th, (and even many times before) [The Lord] directly intervened, and directed me to call and give His message that I am to continue on and stand in my place and do His will.” Warren claimed he was over-anxious in proclaiming that he was unworthy and that others were more worthy. “Then the Lord intervened and showed me to rely on Him through these greater trials.” So it was all a huge test. “Whatever the Lord requires and allows us to go through, may I and we stand faithful and true.”

Warren was back in charge. He immediately started to write letters of specific instruction to families and leaders and then went back to issuing doomsday revelations.

FLDS History 101 - Becoming a prophet again

2009-05-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

After a short two-plus months of stepping away from being the FLDS prophet, Warren Jeffs was back in charge and communicating with his loyal flock again in May, 2007. In prison in Southern Utah, awaiting his trial, Warren still believed that he would be freed. He quoted from the Bible in Isaiah, “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered.” He was convinced that “none can stay the Lord’s hand.” He asked his leaders to pray night and day that a “desolating sickness and other whirlwind judgments will be sent forth by the Lord” on everyone except the faithful FLDS.

He started to set his sights on the upcoming rape trail and planned to just sit silently through the trial, “whatever the Lord allows to be said or done, His will be done.” He was firm his determination to defend the “Celestial laws” (plural marriage). He believed he was being attacked by the “powers of evil” through this court trial, but “I am exerting faith and hope that I will be delivered.”

One thing that really concerned him is that his private Priesthood Record for 2004-2006 had been seized when he was arrested. These had many of his secret thoughts and actions. Most of all he worried about having his followers read those things without being prepared. It would be devastating if they learned those things from the news media or apostates. He was also very worried that the prosecutors in Utah were going to make public the “Redemption of Zion trainings” recorded on February 21, 2005. These are the trainings that are given to those invited to move to the XFZ Ranch.

In early 2007, Warren gave strict instructions to his followers that they should only get “truth” from “authority” (Warren) and not from their enemies (anyone else). One FLDS member observed, "When all the documents and dictations were released to the public, they got up in meeting and pretty much said you’ll lose your salvation if you read some of the things in those “sacred documents.” It appeared that after this directive that there were fewer FLDS defenders making comments on Internet blogs. The FLDS must have been ordered to stay off the Internet.

Back in the saddle again, Warren started again to micro-manage his followers from his prison cell. He determined who should move to YFZ in Texas and the compound in South Dakota, what houses they should stay in, and what their duties should be: kitchen, storehouse, sewing, garden, canning, upholstery, etc. There appeared to be no input on this, Warren’s edicts far away in prison must be followed.

On April 30, 2007, Warren ordered that FLDS member, Vivian Barlow Musser, get a legal divorce from Wendell Musser who he branded as an apostate. Wendell had just filed a lawsuit against Warren to force him to reveal where Wendell’s wife and son were. He hadn’t been allowed to see them for months. Warren had previously taken Vivian and his son away from Wendell against his wishes and married her off to another man. It took months of legal action for Wendell to finally see his wife and son at Short Creek for just a short time. Warren sat in prison condemning the evil people who were keeping him from his family, yet he saw no parallel towards his own actions of ripping other men away from their families. He showed no compassion towards those who still loved their families and wanted to see them. Wendell was “like the other apostates . . . demanding to find his former family.” He referred to these men as enemies. Warren had a dream where he was being chased by wolves, but was given power to strike them down. He wrote, “I was shown this first attacker was Wendell Musser, a traitor. . . He has knowledge of the houses of hiding.” That was Warren’s great worry about Musser.

Warren sent orders to hold conferences in May at the lands of refuge (YFZ, Mancos, Colorado, and Pringle, South Dakota) and the “houses of hiding” scattered in Colorado and Nevada. Families of the First Presidency (Jeffs, Nielson, and Jessop) were in the houses of hiding. Many of those families would be invited to come to the lands of refuge. Preferential treatment was still being given to these chosen families as others were being ignored back at Short Creek. Those back in Short Creek were still financially supporting all these people in hiding or on the lands of refuge.

His important objective now was to undo any damage made because of his declarations and letters in January that he wasn’t the prophet and was one of the most wicked men ever to have lived. How could he regain the confidence of his followers? He needed to give them revelations as proof.

On May 1st, Warren, now a prophet again, issued a new revelation that he put into Kings James scripture language. The revelation confirmed that Warren had been “tested and tried beyond measure by the powers of darkness” during his two-month torment when he thought he wasn’t the prophet. The revelation promised that Warren would be delivered from his enemies and that those who fight against him would be wiped off land. He was coming to grips why he was in prison “among my enemies.” He was going through this to put a curse on them all, to bind them up to be destroyed because they were fighting against the “work and people of God.”

Warren worried about all the things he said or wrote during his two months of torment when he said he wasn’t the prophet. He realized that those words may have “tested or tried” his most loyal followers. He instructed to have those letters and transcripts gathered, and sealed away “until I can write the true history of those experiences.” Apparently Warren again wanted to alter FLDS history as he had done before. He told Naomie to not include any of those items in the official Priesthood Record.

One strange difference in his writings during early May, 2007 is a more humble tone. He admits his imperfections and even recognizes the faithfulness of his loyal followers. Prior to his two-month torment, his words were only full of condemnation for the weakness and sins he saw in others. Now he was inviting more people to go to YFZ and had a much more humble and kind tone in his letters. He expresses much more thanks for support and prayers in his behalf. He even signs his letter to his counselors, “your unworthy brother.”

Since Warren had been put in prison, all general meetings and ordinances were again taken away from his people. But in May he instructed that meetings be held on the three lands of refuge and five houses of hiding. His followers were told that “this is the day of final preparation” for the end of the world. “We must be full of the Holy Ghost to survive.” Ordinances in the temple had not been performed because the Key Holder (Warren) was locked up. He asked his followers to exert faith “for the doors of deliverance to open” so that the work could continue. The rest of the meeting instruction involved quotes from past leaders describing the terrible destruction that they believed would soon come to pass.

On May 4, 2007, Warren received yet another revelation. In it, he claimed the Lord told him, “I have allowed you, my servant, to be taken by mine enemies that you may be a witness against them” because they are “seeking to destroy my Church and Kingdom from off the face of the earth.” All this was a conspiracy against the FLDS to stop the progress being made in the “redemption of Zion” effort at the YFZ Ranch, and to hinder performing the temple ordinances there.

Warren’s revelation told him that the Lord had forgiven him. Warren had passed the test of torment during these past three months and didn’t deny the Lord. He was promised that he would be delivered “out of the hands of thine enemies in a manner you know not, through your faith.” He was told to stay in his holy calling as prophet. His revelation then turned dark, condemning his people, instructing him to send forth judgments down on the “ungodly” among his people. But then there was good news. Ordinances could again be performed. Warren’s most chosen leaders should hold sacrament meetings with their families with a few others invited. Baptisms could again be performed. Young men could receive the Aaronic Priesthood. However, no ordinances or meetings could be held back at Short Creek.

This revelation was read twice at a special priesthood meeting held at YFZ on May 11, 2007 attended by 24 selected men. All present voted unanimously to accept the revelation. In this way Warren had them accept a revelation that he was their chosen leader, despite his claims to the contrary three months earlier.

Warren wrote a letter to his mother explaining that his two-month behavior was only a test and training from the Lord. He knew that many accusations would come against him because of his experience. He also knew that his Priesthood Records that would be made public would be used to attack the FLDS. He knew the “half-hearted” would fall away, but the faithful would be loyal to him. “My declarations of January and later were declarations of feeling unworthy and an anxiousness to not hold the work of God or individuals back from qualifying for eternal blessings. The Lord has given me a great deliverance in encouraging me to carry on in this mission of the redemption of Zion.”

FLDS History 101 - Warren Jeffs waiting for his trial

2009-05-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

In May 2007, Warren Jeffs was again in control over his followers. He stayed very busy as he waited for his trial and still had faith that he would be delivered miraculously from jail before the trial. He spent his hours in prison writing directives and revelations to his family and very dedicated followers.

Warren asked for lists of unmarried girls and women to be sent to him with their ages. He was ready to again start to make marriage assignments. However, it is likely that these marriages couldn’t be performed until he was freed from prison. He asked Naomie to inform on any slackers in his family, including those who “are being too social in the kitchen.”

Warren worked on an appeal document to the Utah Supreme Court asking them to disallow evidence seized by the FBI when he was arrested to be used in his trial. In it, he stated: “I am already guilty in the eyes of the people of the world, and they would ‘crucify’ me if they could.”

Warren’s next hearing was on May 25, 2007 to hear motions to let evidence be made public. Warren ordered that all the people on the lands of refuge and houses of hiding go on a three-day fast starting on May 23. Despite the fasting and prayer, the sealed items were released to the media.

Near end of May, Warren spent his time composing lessons, calling the YFZ Ranch, and issuing orders. He wrote letters to his wives living on the compounds at Mancos, Colorado and Pringle, South Dakota. They revealed a little of what life was like there. He told his family to make sure they stayed separate from the other families of chosen leaders living there. “Do not just carry on in socializing and light-minded talk. Be busy in caring for the house, sewing, gardening, and kitchen and other duties. . . . Keep to yourselves as a family, and do not start to gossip or mingle where you could compromise yourself around men or boys on the land. Keep focused on your Priesthood head (Warren in prison) as though he was right by you.” He told them to send to him letters of confession “concerning troubles in morals and other sins or weaknesses.” “In the garden, work as a family group. . . . Conserve on food. Do not demand expensive things. Do not live on tinctures and health food extremes requiring purchase of expensive supplements. Have what you need.” He tried to say “Howdy” and list all his family living there, but “If I missed any names, send me a letter.” He did really know all members of his huge family -- an obvious challenge when you have more than 60 wives.

Warren worked hard far away in prison to keep his wives in line. His directives frequently included motivations of fear. For example, writing to one of his very young wives, “Work on not talking so much. A woman who cannot keep the Lord’s confidence and the privacy of her husband secret and sacred will never be allowed in the temple. . . . Write a brief daily report to me, that you keep for now, listing the jobs done each day by you. Stay busy! Stay prayerful. Read a good book each day. Be on time to the trainings. You are no longer a little girl.” Sadly, she likely was still a little girl in her teens.

Writing to his wives living at YFZ, he instructed them to do something that seemed mentally cruel, to put in their minds a threat if they didn’t stay in line. “The Lord directs that all of you have your bags packed as you were instructed, along with the children’s, and stored in your closets without the children realizing what you are doing. . . . These packed bags will be a daily reminder to each of you what could happen if we do not do our part in qualifying for the promised blessings, even to be scattered among the Gentiles.” The threat put in their minds is if they didn’t stay totally loyal to Warren, they could be turned out into the wicked world which was about to be destroyed. Only on the lands of refuge could they be protected.

Warren wanted to keep his family away from any news reports about him with the approaching trial. “Our enemies think they have destroyed the 'One Man Rule' and thus the work of God by holding me prison and joining in their secret combinations to bring evidence against me to hold me in prison until they can do with me as they planned. Do not listen to the news reports or reports from apostates or the halfhearted, or government officials to learn what they say about me or what I have done. “

He let his wives know that he had gone through a great test in prison, but the truth behind this is explained in his recent “revelations.” “I verily believed I was unworthy of the key position I hold . . . I called in January, and many of you went through the test you know about; and thus far all of you passed the test of going to the Lord and confirming your testimony of where the keys of Priesthood are.” (Still with Warren). “This was the Lord’s test upon us.” He explained that the FLDS back at Short Creek still don’t know about the new revelations that declares he is still the prophet. The last thing they heard was his declarations that he wasn’t the prophet. Warren just didn’t seem to care that the thousands left at Short Creek even knew he was back in control. They were the “half-hearted” that he frequently condemned.

Warren wanted to do some doctrinal research. He instructed Rachael Nielsen (Warren's sister) to do research and send him quotes about such topics as Plurality of Gods, Baptism for the Dead, Temple ordinances, and eternal judgment. He wanted the research to be done in secret.

Warren was very concerned about a hearing to be held on June 13, 2007 in St. George to hear a motion to not allow the revelations and records seized during his arrest be used during his trial. “All my private doings, marriages, travels, and revelations will be accessible to the prosecution.”
Warren instructed that a special meetings be held during the week of June 10 on the lands of refuge. His counselor Wendell Nielson would travel to Mancos and Pringle to reveal the recent revelation that proclaimed that Warren was still the prophet, that he had only went through a test. There should also be another three-day fast June 11-13 to pray for success in the upcoming court hearing about the records. He didn’t let his people know about these records, he only told them that they should pray for deliverance “from the revelations of Satan that soon will be poured out upon this people by the world.” Interesting that he would refer to his own records as “revelations of Satan.” He appeared to be preparing their minds for the day when those records could be made public and he could deny them as evil lies written by his enemies.

Warren was so worried about the recordings being made public by the courts that he even issued orders for those not on the lands of refuge, who lived in Short Creek and Bountiful, Canada to join in the three-day fast. The purpose for the fast wasn’t revealed, but it would be a test to see who was with the Lord.

He wrote to all his followers, “I have been imprisoned now for these nine months because of the acts and influence of traitors and apostates bringing the world upon us, which has brought a test upon all the Lord’s people. The Lord has had me answer them nothing.” “Answer them nothing” was Warren's mantra in relation to the government. He believed if any of his followers answered charges they would be traitors.

To start things over again, he instructed that everyone on the lands of refuge be baptized again by total immersion in water while wearing white clothing. They were then reconfirmed as members of “the Holy United Order.” This was a renewal of their covenants, “and to give them confidence that the Lord has forgiven them their sins, and to not look back, and to put everyone on equal standing before the Lord as cleaning up their lives and living clean and pure from this time forth.”

On June 6, 2007, Warren wrote a curious message to his counselors, “The Lord has shown me that there is a secret combination organized to take my life. The Lord directs that this be kept quiet, and that we now seek unto the Lord for Him to open the way of deliverance.” He asked them to keep this information secret.

Warren sent an amusing directive to YFZ. He banned cold cereal from the land. “It is usually white flour and sugar. Please have it removed.” Perhaps he had a bad experience with Captain Crunch while in prison.

With all his time in prison, he had plenty of time to write letters to micro-manage the building projects on YFZ. The most important project going was building a “Printing Establishment.” Workers weren’t allowed to eat their lunches on this sacred site, they had to eat them elsewhere. He ordered that a 10-foot high cement wall be built around the entire lot, with a two-foot-high railing on top. The inside needed 7 coats of white paint. The doors should be 9-feet high and thick. An incinerator would be needed to burn papers that could have sacred print on them. This may explain the mysterious furnace that people have wondered about.

Warren fully intended to personally use this printing building once he was freed from prison. “Have a large desk for me and a small desk for a helper, with a 7-foot couch, a recliner, and 12 arm chairs besides the desk chairs.” This appeared to be a setting for his future “heavenly sessions.” His office would be similar to another one already built in the temple annex. He even sent details about how the garbage cans should look and the need for white garbage bags

On July 1, 2007, the judge ruled against the FLDS motions. It was ruled that the Nevada traffic stop of the vehicle carrying Warren was legal and that evidence subsequently discovered by police can be used in his criminal trial. Defense attorneys had challenged the traffic stop, stating that Nevada's laws require license plates to be completely visible only if the plates are for Nevada vehicles. The license plate on the car in which Warren was traveling had a temporary Colorado registration tag that was partly covered by the license bracket.

The traffic officer (Dutchover) revealed some interesting facts about the traffic stop. The trooper noticed the driver's hands were shaking and inside there was a radar detector and global positioning device. Possessing such devices is legal in Nevada, but Dutchover knew from experience they often are used by people transporting illegal drugs. Dutchover became more suspicious when the driver, Isaac Jeffs, said he lived in Hildale, Utah, but the car was registered to a Colorado company and a John Wayment of West Des Moines, Iowa. The trooper also found it unusual that Isaac Jeffs was in front, Warren was seated behind him and in a row behind that sat another passenger, later identified as Naomi e. In addition, Isaac and Warren gave conflicting accounts of where they had been and were going. Dutchover also was suspicious of the fact that Warren would not make eye contact, was quickly eating a salad and his demeanor was so visibly nervous that the trooper said Warren was making him nervous. Warren at first refused to give his name and then denied he was Warren Jeffs, which alone subjects him to arrest in Nevada, the judge stated in an 11-page written ruling.

Warren was also very worried about another hearing to be held on July 18,20, Warren knew there would be a hearing for the judge to decide if his prison phone and video recordings could be made public at the trial. He was especially worried about the January recordings when he confessed his sins and proclaimed that he wasn’t the prophet and didn’t hold priesthood. He has for prayers. Finally he was very worried that Bruce Wisan (UEP fiduciary) would be allowed to look at his private records. “If he gets hold of them, they will trace the Church assets, tithing and consecration use, and all the other activities I was involved with.”

On July 13, 2007, an Arizona Grand Jury indicted Warren with 8 more counts of sex offences. On July 18, the Judge ruled that Warren’s jailhouse recordings would remain sealed (not available to new media) so allow for a fair trial. However, the prosecution still hoped to use the evidence in Warren’s upcoming trial. A week later the Judge ruled that these recordings would not be allowed as evidence for the trial. This was good news to Warren.

The court ordered Warren to provide information that would allow Wendell Musser to have continuing contact with his former wife and child. Warren refused to provide the information as ordered. Warren considered Musser to be an evil apostate and had no desire for him to have contact with the family that Warren had reassigned to another man. On July 27, 2007, Warren was questioned by attorneys about the matter, but Warren took the Fifth Amendment on all of their questions. The attorney commented, “I asked him if he would meet privately with Wendell if he came to the jail to see him, and he wouldn't answer the question. He seemed almost like a lost boy, looking to his lawyer for guidance. It's sad that he has to invoke the Fifth Amendment. I don't think it even applies; this is a civil matter."

Utah court documents show that Warren lost 30 pounds fasting while in jail awaiting trial, and that he was hospitalized for treatment of fasting, dehydration and sleep deprivation.

On Septembere 7, 2007, Jury selection started on Warren's trial.

FLDS History 101 - After the trial

2009-05-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

On September 26, 2007, Warren Jeffs was found guilty of being an accomplice to rape. He showed no expression with his hands folded as the verdict was read.

Warren left the courthouse under heavy security. A helicopter ferried him from the Courthouse back to the Purgatory Jail where he remained in isolation. Deputies checked in on him frequently to make sure he was OK.

On November 1, Warren’s January jail recordings were unsealed and the world learned about his confession and that he renounced being a prophet. What people didn’t know yet was that he back-tracked on all this in April. It was all a test.

On November 9, Warren was again again kicking men out of the FLDS and taking their families away, even men at YFZ. “There is a conspiracy on the land R17 (YFZ).” He sent orders that one man had to leave YFZ and go to live in Oregon, “to have no contact whatsoever with his former family, with apostates, with his relatives, or with any Priesthood people.” If that wasn’t enough he sent orders that the man should keep the YFZ mission secret. So, he loses his home, wives, children, career, and friends. Then he is thrust out to Oregon, at state that Warren cursed to be destroyed. And finally he orders the man not to tell anyone about their secrets at YFZ.

Warren still needed to see money flow from the “half-hearted” people in Short Creek who weren’t yet prepared to have a place on a land a refuge. He ordered that his henchman, Big Willie Jessop, go around Short Creek and get people to write the judge involved in the UEP case demanding that their home rights be protected. Notice how Warren was still behind all policy decisions involving the government. If he would not have issued this order, Short Creek residences would have done nothing. But he was careful, he didn’t want to expose any of the Church leaders to have to testify in these cases, that way they could follow “the Lord’s will” in “answering them nothing.”

Warren had received another one of his revelations on October 4. He had Nephi Jeffs travel to Mancos Colorado and Pringle, South Dakota to read the revelation to them.

Warren was still involved in every detail even when to seek medical help. The FLDS needed his permission to send their sick children to the hospital for treatments. Warren was sent a question, “The hospital is pressing for his son to have immunization because of his Leukemia condition. What is your directive on this?” The answer, “Do what is needed.” (November 9, 2007)

On November 20, Warren was sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years to life in prison. That evening, he was taken by plane to his new home, the Utah State Prison at the Point of the mountain. The Sheriff said, “We were able to get him changed out of his suit into prison clothes, moved him up to the airport, put him on a fixed-wing aircraft and flew him out.” From Salt Lake airport he was drive to the Utah State Prison. Authorities described his mood as “down.” His communications both by phone and letter would be monitored. His first parole hearing would not be until November, 2010.

On December 4, Warren’s attorneys filed an appeal for a new trial, arguing that “error and improprieties occurred during the trail. They also objected to some of the jury instructions given.
On December 5, a statement was issued by Warren attorney. "Mr. Jeffs has asked that the following statement be released to the media and to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," according to the complete statement. "Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Inc., on November 20, 2007."

It is believed that this resignation was just a legal maneuver to detach Warren from the business arm of the FLDS. Warren’s picture remained prominently hung in FLDS homes. He also continued to issue teachings from prison as if he were the prophet.

On Feburary 22, 2008, Warren was sent to Arizona and booked into Mohave County Jail in Kingman. He was given his own cell and would be in it for 23 hours a day. He would be allowed outside for one hour of exercise and fresh air. He was given access to meet with his attorney and visitors. On February 26th he was brought to court charged with counts of sexual conduct with a minor, incest, and conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor. Warren pleaded not guilty to the charges. He wore a standard orange jumpsuit.

On March 23 Warren was visited in jail by family and friends. He preached to them the usual things, preparing for the redemption of Zion. He didn’t talk about somehow being freed from prison by miracle. Instead, he seemed to be consigned to the fact that he was in there to stay for a very long time. He said he prayed to allow his dead father and other prophets to come among them since he couldn’t. His family replied, “We need you, we cannot go on without you.” He even talked to them about their future opportunity to help the returning Ten Tribes. But he made no mention that he would be there with them. It had the tone of a farewell message. He said that he didn’t want to be a burden.

He mentioned that he had been through a lot but recently has been singing songs that they had been sending him on cards. “I have been praying fervently for deliverance. . . . we will see what the Lord does with me.”

They asked him about his meals. Breakfast: oatmeal or cornflakes with bread. (Oops, he had banned cold cereal from XYZ earlier). That morning he had potatoes and eggs. Lunch is bologna sandwiches. Dinner is either noodles or beans. Once a week he had chicken or hamburgers. He didn't get bottled water but he is given a cup. He weighed 150 pounds, up from 143.

His cell was 7 feet by 12 feet. His bed was soft enough and he used pillows to kneel on when he prayed. His knees were bandaged because of the sores from kneeling so long. He was allowed to walk outside in a yard about 40 feet by 40 feet. The sun shined on part of it. He was allowed to shave every other day. A camera was videoing him all the time in his cell.

Apparently his phone calls and visits were much less frequent than it was the previous year in the Washington County jail. He was only allowed to have soft-bound books and only a few of them.

He told them, “Oh if only I could tell you what I have been through.” He kept talking about his dead father Rulon as if he communicates with him. “I yearn to be among you, to teach and train, as the Lord allows.

Three days later he gave another lesson to family and friends visiting him who he spoke to through a glass barrier. When he said hello, he showed them his mug shot attached to his wrist. During this visit he gave counsel to his children, telling them to behave. To his daughters he asked them to pray for the privilege of being a plural wife someday. He then gave the usual preaching about preparing for the end of the world. “Great blessing await the faithful; thus great tests and trials and great experience is coming upon the people. . . . Pray night and day for deliverance, asking the Lord to open the way that we can be together again in the Lord’s time and way. . . . I love you all and ask the Lord to bless you. Be encouraged. Keep sweeter and sweeter. I say this with a smile. Smile father's (Rulon's) smile. Live in the law of sacrifice."

It is clear that Warren had now delegated things to “presiding brethren” because his communications to them was probably less frequent. He mentioned several times that they should get their instructions from the Presiding Elder.

He was able to read the newspaper at times and was convinced that times would get very tough, “your conveniences may not be around soon." He had wanted to sing a song to them, but the guards had not let him bring a card to the visiting area. A guard came in to take him away. He smiled and winked at his family members.

Just three days later, on March 29, 2008, “Sarah” made the phone call which provoked the YFZ raid on April 3, 2008. The FLDS were paraded before the world as they experienced their greatest “test” in history. They believed their children had been taken into homes of wicked gentiles who would poison their minds with worldly evil. Most likely when Warren heard about this he believed it was the Lord pouring his wrath upon the FLDS for their unworthiness.

FLDS History 101 - The temple

2009-05-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Around December 2003, Warren Jeffs announced to his most trusted followers on the lands of refuge that a temple would be built on the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. This was the first time the FLDS had made any serious plans to build a temple. The scriptures they believe in and the words of Joseph Smith make it clear that a prime reason for gathering followers together is to build a temple. The FLDS temple would not be a meetinghouse, but it would be a place for sacred and secret rites to be performed, including marriages.

A prime motivating reason to build a temple at this time was their belief that they would soon be asked by the Lord to return to Jackson County, Missouri to build a temple there when Jesus Christ returns for his second coming. They needed to prepare for this by learning how to build a temple. The FLDS claim roots back to the early Mormon era when temples were built in Kirtland, Ohio, Nauvoo, Illinois, and in Utah: St. George, Manti, Logan, and Salt Lake City. It seemed reasonable to assume they would have similarities to those buildings.

Manti Temple

Warren found the YFZ property in 2003. He claimed that the Lord directed him to the spot and told him to purchase the 1,691 acres. They purchased the property claiming it would be used for a hunting retreat. But on March 25,2004, the truth was learned, the FLDS was building a community. Warren had identified the locations for both the temple and the quarry. Just as Brigham Young had done for the Salt Lake Temple, Jeffs had walked around the property and put down a marker to identify where the temple would be built.

In early 2004, the cornerstones were laid for the temple. Warren patterned the procedure and dedication roughly after the procedure used by Joseph Smith for the Nauvoo Temple in 1841. First the southeast corner stone was laid and dedicated, most likely by the First Presidency (Jeffs, Jessop, and Nielson). Next the Southwest corner stone, then the northwest and finally the northeast, probably by the Bishop (Merril Jessop). In Joseph Smith’s day one of the stones was dedicated by the apostles, but because of the FLDS “one man rule” doctrine, there is no need for apostles.

The YFZ property and the temple construction were funded by liquidating some valuable UEP property within ten miles of Short Creek. (Priesthood Record, May 15, 2005)

Before starting to do any work on the temple, Warren instructed that all the structures built by former owner must be removed. They burned the wood deer feeders and removed the ashes from the property. The barn was removed, loaded up and hauled away. They tilled the ground to show no traces of it. Apparently they wanted no traces left from the former unworthy land owners.

As construction began, Warren ignored laws regarding permits and protecting the environment. On May 11, 2004, a representative from the Environmental protection department was turned away at the gate. He was told that this was their land and that he would not be allowed in. They claimed that authorities had shown a “spirit of persecution, looking for any so-called infraction against the rules” to try to stop them. They were willing to communicate with authorities, but were determined to go forward with the building project. (Priesthood Record, May 11, 2004).

Later, because of government pressure, the FLDS did start seeking some permits. But in 2006, the FLDS assessed $34,000 in fines for environmental violations. These were for failing to get permits or approved plans for a sewage system, an injection well, a concrete plant, waste dumping, disposal of used oil and bulk mineral storage. The FLDS are very experienced in doing commercial construction and knew the laws well. In this case, they apparently felt above the law, and just did what Warren pleased.

Warren did not have a complete design in mind in the beginning. He believed he needed to received that from the Lord and he recorded struggles to know details about the temple design. On May 11, 2004 he recorded: “I described how there would be four levels – a full basement where the baptismal font would be, then there would be a first floor, the telestial floor, the second floor, the terrestrial floor, and the top floor a celestial floor; and in the celestial floor would be the rooms for the school of prophets and that even many of them could be allowed to be part of the school of the prophets. I described to them that a school of the prophets is a training for men how to come into the presence of God, and this is what they were earning.” (Priesthood Record, May 11, 2004)

The reference to telestial, terrestrial, and celestial levels have reference to the levels of heaven in FLDS beliefs. Levels in the temple have some consistency with the early Mormon temples, however those temples did not have floors representing each level, so this is a new FLDS departure. Texas Ranger Aaron Grigsby described the interior of the completed YFZ Temple. He said the first level was earth-tone and the second level was white and sky blue with blue furniture. The third level was all white with white carpet and walls.

The idea of having a room for a School of Prophets has parallels to the first Mormon temple in Kirtland, Ohio, which conducted a School of Prophets in that temple in the 1830s. The scriptures that the FLDS use, named Doctrine and Covenants, has sections that give instructions about the Kirtland Temple and of how to conduct the school of prophets. (See D&C section 88).

The importance of this section of scripture to the FLDS even led them to engrave D&C 88:119 on the eventually completed temple. It reads: "Organize Yourselves, Prepare Every Needful Thing, And Establish A House, Even A House of Prayer, A House of Fasting, A House of Faith, A House of Learning, A House of Glory, A House of Order, A House Of God."

During May, 2004, Warren continued to reveal more about the temple design. “The Lord is showing gradually how He wants the temple to be build, the color of the flooring on each floor, the chairs. The celestial room [holiest room on the top level] will have chairs that are separate from each other. As far as I remember it was the telestial room [room on the first floor] the chairs would be connected and fold up and down, almost like benches. They would be like the theater chairs, they fold up and down, like the choir chairs in the meeting house at Short Creek, in the telestial room. The terrestrial room [room on the second floor] has not been revealed except that the furniture, the carpet and chairs should be a light green in the telestial room In the terrestrial room, it should be a light blue, in the celestial room, it should be white.”

"Besides the circular staircase in the design of the building like the Manti temple, where is to be another staircase in the building. From the telestial to terrestrial room, it is to be light blue flooring, or carpet. From the terrestrial to the celestial the staircase is to be a white carpet. So once they step toward the celestial room, it has white flooring.” (Priesthood Record, May 20, 2004) The design implies that participants in the FLDS temple rites would make a progression between these rooms using stair cases.

“On the telestial floor there should be four other rooms besides the large room – two records rooms, one office, and one sitting room, like a praying room.” (Priesthood Record, June, 2004)

The lowest level, basement, would include a baptismal font. The font would be used to perform both baptisms for the living and the dead. The FLDS decided to start doing proxy baptisms for the dead as described in their Doctrine and Covenants. “The baptismal font should rest on three foot cube blocks and the bowel should be made out of cement, six inches at the top and one foot thick down in the bottom middle, which dips down between the blocks. And the platform walking into the font will be five feet off the floor and the ceiling above would be seven and a half feet above that making the ceiling there twelve and a half feet.” (Priesthood Record, June 2004)

This is another departure from the early Mormon temples. All those temples (except Kirtland) had baptismal fonts resting on twelve oxen. This departure is probably because the FLDS just didn’t have the time or skills to do ornate sculptures such as oxen.

Ground was to be broken on May 16, 2004, but it was apparently posponed. By June, the men were still searching for the right rock to build the temple with. They explained to Warren that they had searched the entire property but had not found clear white rock, free from voids, seashell, or marble patterns. Warren was not satisfied and told them to dig deeper, that the Lord had told him that the white rock was there. When they took a look at the southeast cornerstone again, they observed that by being in the sunlight, it had become more brightly white.

In June 2004, Warren started to give specific instructions about the foundation, allowing them to make plans to start construction. “The foundation would be fourteen feet tall, seven blocks of two foot size each." The foundation would be six feet thick. "Since then the Lord showed me there would be a vault build in the basement also. I gave him [Edmund Barlow] the details that the stairs should be between twelve and eight feet wide – twelve feet at the bottom, eight feet wide at the top, a circular stairway, like an arch, not a true circle.”

Apparently the vault was later moved to an annex building, a small building that connects to the temple with a bridge walkway. Warren gave instructions to build the annex in August, 2005.

As utility lines were planned for, Warren instructed that no utilities should be buried in the road base. He explained that the future city of Zion (in Jackson County, Missouri) would have streets paved with gold, so they shouldn't disturb the roads in this city either. One big difference for YFZ: In this city, the roads would be paved with cement, not gold.

Warren believed that the Lord had revealed to him a new secret formula for cement that would be stronger and last far longer than the world’s cement. He ordered that this should be very safe-guarded secret because if the formula was discovered by others, it would “disrupt all the money making in that industry.” In this secret formula there would be no sand used. Warren showed what the secret formula was: “One part pumice, two parts lava powder, and one part cement – that was the grout we did. Then we went further and mixed the gravel.” He placed the worker under an oath and covenant to “keep sacred and secret this mixture and also that we must keep it private for our very life’s sake because . . . the world, in its greed, would come against us and try to take it or stop the development of these better materials.”

Well, the secret cement formula was a failure. Warren then says the Lord told him the missing ingredient was white sand near the gulf of Mexico. But still, he couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. Finally, in typical Warren fashion, he blamed others. He charged Jim Jessop for betraying the secret formula to three other workers. Finally, as is typical with Warren’s failed revelations, he declared that this was just a test. “I can see that in the cement mixture test, the Lord gave us a formula that was not the true formula, just to see if we would keep confidence, to test us to see if we could be trusted with the right formula. And I don’t know if He has even told us the right ingredients or not, but He tested us, and that confidence has been betrayed. . . . I now see more clearly why the Lord has not revealed the design of the temple because we would betray Him and His secrets.” Warren blamed the entire “Zion’s Camp” at YFZ for being sinful and demanded that they all repent and send him letters of confession. “I have felt the Lord’s displeasure towards the New Zion’s Camp. I pray the Lord to forgive them as far as they can repent and allow this mission to go forward.” (Priesthood Record, July 12, 2004)

It appears from this incident that Warren was copying an event in history from the first Zion’s Camp back in 1834 when Joseph Smith had to call his camp to repentance because of their rebellion and fault-finding. He warned that the camp would suffer a scourge, and they did when cholera broke out. Cholera didn’t break out on Warren’s Zion’s Camp, but some did have to suffer the courge of Warren after he read their letters of confession. Several would have to return to Short Creek.

In July 2004, suitable rock had still not been located. Warren, away in hiding, ordered that a three-day fast be held pleading with the Lord to perform a miracle. On July 25, 2004, back at YFZ, Warren was still struggling with the temple design and finding the temple rock. He took a four-wheeler and drove to each corner of the YFZ propery. At each corner he knelt down, and offered a rededication prayer, “rededicating this land as a sacred place for the Lord to dwell and a temple to be built.” He visited Allen Steed at the temple site quarry who showed him cores drilled from 50 feet below ground. The rock was all broken up and not solid. He felt that the stone had to be found by August 1st. On July 26, Warren believed the Lord told him where the quarry should be on the west side of the property. He gathered the leaders to dedicate the spot with a circle prayer. Hard rock was found at that location.

Twelve men were named to be called on a special mission as temple builders at the end of July. Edmund Allred was named the temple architect. At the beginning of September, Warren called additional temple builders, some who were young men as young as 13-years old who were expected to put in many hours of labor each week. They started work pouring footings, hauling rock, working in the sawmill, and putting water and power lines in. October 1, was the goal to start laying the stone.

The young temple builders were given grave warnings about their work: “Before you receive
this setting apart on a mission, you must understand the importance of this work that to be allowed to participate to build the temple you must keep sacred things secret, even to where you don't inquire all the details unless you need to know. The penalty of breaking this covenant is the loss of Priesthood and of your eternal blessings. To even know where the rooms are, the size of the rooms, and what goes into a temple, the furniture, the placement of the decorations, the colors and so on, to even name that where you are not appointed, you could be a traitor unto God and lose your place.” (Priesthood Record, September 8, 2004).

Warren explained somewhat about other ordinances the temple builders would need to one day have a higher calling as a temple worker. 1. Having the love of God sealed in your mind and heart. 2. Become acquainted with the all consuming fire from heaven in oneness with the Keyholder (Warren). 3. Holy anointings. “That prepares you to go into the temple and be a temple worker. So to be a temple worker where you can go inside the temple and administer the temple ordinances is another calling that you must earn.” (Priesthood Record, September 8, 2004).

Warren gave strong warning about never allowing wicked people (unbelievers) on the temple site which explains why the men formed a human chain in front of the temple when government officials came to enter it. "If any wicked person goes on the temple site . . . he will reject us and he will destroy this place. He will not come into unclean temples, so it will be your responsibility to defend that which is sacred." (Priesthood Record, September 8, 2004).

Warren taught that contrary to what the Mormons do, they would not open their temple to the public to come and look at it before it was dedicated. It must be kept sacred and secret. No one must know how it was constructed, the position of rooms, furniture, decorations, colors used, etc.

On January 1, 2005, author Jon Karkauer flew over the temple site and observed what looked like a dedication meeting. The foundation was complete, ready for the building walls to be raised. As the plane flew over, the crowd quickly huddled together around the speaker as if to protect him. Close up photographs show a man that looked like the fugitive, Warren Jeffs.

On January 10, Warren was traveling in Southern California. He called in to check on the progress with temple architect, Edmond Barrlow. "'Surely the foundation is finished now?' He said, 'No.' The equipment broke down. At least 300 yards was not poured and they now have a cold joint in the cement foundation. . . . They were just starting the pouring again." Warren blamed the delay on unfaithfulness, lack of unity. "Zion's Camp fell short again." I called up Wendell Nielsen, his counselor there, to crack the whip.

It is believed that Warren originally hoped to have the temple complete by April, 2005, but construction and adjustments were still being made after that. The inside of the temple was complete on August 13, 2005. Warren reviewed every detail about the temple planning, even looking at carpet samples and approved chair designs. Warren hadn’t liked the drapes uses, so they were replaced. “The new white drapes replacing the old ones, the new ones have a more majestic, beautiful look. I told him that the old drapes should not be used elsewhere. They should be burned. I told him where to put the extra arm chairs that were blue in the second floor hallway, scattered about neatly for people to sit and wait for their training sessions. (Priesthood Record, August 13, 2005)

Another building, the meeting house, a white building across from the temple also started contruction in May 2004. It would include an “an upstairs ordinance area” (44X35), a meeting room (44x80), with a little “sound room” probably used to record meetings and lessons. Building the meeting house was a test to see if they would be worthy to be called as temple builders. Once completed, the ordinance room in the meeting house was used to perform some temple ordinances before the temple was complete.

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Is Warren Jeffs the "marred servant?"

2009-05-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

It appears that Warren Jeffs believes he is the “marred servant” referred to by the ancient Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. During his years in hiding, Warren gave secret training to select wives to assist him in “heavenly sessions” during the night. During these sessions he would experience intense suffering and received supposed dreams and revelations. What is this all about? What explanations are possible for this experience or behavior?

The prophet Isaiah prophesied that in the last days when Zion would return and Israel would be redeemed that a marred servant would come forward. “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.” (Isaiah 52:14) The Book of Mormon explains some more about this servant: “But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.” (3 Nephi 21:10).

Most Christian scholars believe the marred servant is Jesus Christ. Mormon scholars believe there is a dual meaning, referring first to Jesus Christ, but with the Book of Mormon passages included, there is also a symbolic reference to Mormon founder Joseph Smith who was martyred in 1844. However, this subject is debated, and the servant could yet be another person. Some believe it could be John the Revelator returning, who was marred toward the end of his mortal life. Warren Jeffs appears to believe that he is this servant, but he was careful to keep this teaching secret.

During Warren’s travels around the country, while in hiding, at night he would experience “heavenly sessions.” He explained that sometimes he was conscience during these sessions, other times unconscious. During these sessions he would feel the “all consuming fire from heaven.” He would at times experience severe trembling and suffering. Sometimes he would come out of it paralyzed for awhile. At times he would vocally say things during these sessions that would be recorded by one of his wives who was trained. Other times he would remember intense dreams that he believed were from the Lord.

Evidently he needed to have someone assist him during these sessions. He was very careful to only allow a most trusted wife, full of faith and loyalty to him, assist him. This assistance involved "the ordinance of comfort and renewal." Usually it was his young wife Naomi, but Ida also was trained.

He recorded, “I went into session, conscious at times and unconscious at times, with Ida sitting against the wall watching. She was so determined to do this right, she was writing down the times certain things happened, and I would have her report to me every hour or two, and I marveled what the Lord was allowing her to see. The physical twisting and turning and suffering was more than she had seen before and brought her to tears many times, yet in her reports she rejoiced in the Lord and prayed for me to be strengthened and knew I was in the Lord’s hands.” (Priesthood Record, July 2004)

Warren gave some more clues as to what he believed these sessions were when he trained Ida to assist. “I took her into immediate training. I read her about the marred servant out of the Book of 3rd Nephi chapters 20 and 21. I read to her from four revelations, some of them the private revelations about my suffering and blood atonement. I explained with a lot of detail what I went through and how Naomie had learned to conduct herself. . . . I then had her lean toward me and I laid my hands on her head and set her apart on the mission to be a witness and helpmate and strength during the heavenly sessions and in every way and also to be able to endure the presence of God through her faith, calling on her to be more fervent.” (Priesthood Record, July, 2004) It seems clear that Warren believed he received private revelations from the Lord revealing that he would be the marred servant. He therefore believed that he would be go through intense suffering and would be physically marred by his enemies, but he would be healed.

But Warren took this even further. During these heavenly sessions, he believed he was atoning for sins of his followers, similar to the way Jesus atoned for the sins of mankind. He actually believed that if he went through suffering during these “heavenly sessions” that he could make an atonement, allowing his followers to be forgiven for particular short-comings. He referred to this as the "marred servant principle of atoning for the people."

“I retired, and Ida lay to the side of the bed, very determined to do this mission right. And I went through the heavenly sessions through Saturday night into Sunday morning, and in Ida’s reports she said she witnessed greater suffering physically than she had ever witnessed in her life. She has been with me through some heavenly sessions, but they have generally been mild or after the severity is complete. I can see at times, though our experience with her Sunday, that she was in tears watching me go through what I was going through.” (Priesthood Record)

Eventually, Warren told his counselors, Fred Jessop and Wendell Nielson about these sessions and invited them to witness and feel the “all consuming fire from heaven.” “[The Lord] is taking me through a change through these heavenly sessions. . . . The most severe physical shaking I have experienced in a conscious state was Tuesday afternoon when the First Presidency came into my bedroom. Just before they entered the room, I went through the most severe suffering and shaking, asking the Lord to not hold back, but to give these brethren a witness as they desired, that I was in the Lord’s hands.” (Priesthood Record)

Once, Ida fell asleep during the session which angered Warren. “And all through that early Monday morning through the night, Ida just slept. I would go through, I could awake from a heavenly session, with that severity upon me, to wake her up to pray more fervently for me, but she did not do it. And by 5:00 a.m. in the morning I saw it was enough. Even she had failed me and offended the heavenly powers.” Notice the parallel between this experience and the experience of Jesus Christ in the garden when experienced great agony. His disciples also fell asleep when they should have been on watch (see Luke 22). It makes you wonder if Warren believed he was having similar experiences as Jesus Christ. Perhaps to be the marred servant, he needed to have these similar experiences.

Coming out of this session was intense. “When I came conscious I was nearly completely paralyzed, unable to move, and I cried unto the Lord to deliver me and strengthen me and then He took me through the most severe shaking until I was thrown out of the chair onto the floor, and stood up and I was able to move around. He answered my prayers immediately.”
Apparently these sessions at times involved some sort of physical touching by those assisting. Warren describes going into these sessions, having wives rub his feet, hands, head and back, sometimes four at once. In his writings he never implied anything of a sexual nature was part of these sessions.

“The Lord allowed Millie and Ida to come and feel the all-consuming fire of heaven again at the end of the heavenly session as I had them touch my hands and head. I was in an atoning session. And they went through a training and felt the difference of the spirits of the world, compared to the heavenly powers.”

Naomie once left a recorded testimony of one of Warren's heavenly sessions. "The Lord took you into session last night at 12:30. Your boddy started to tremble. I could feel it coming on you for about an hour before that. . . . You body tembled and jolted and jerked. You turned on your right side in your chair. You were in that position for most of the night until about 4:00 this morning." Naomie recorded detailed sleep-talking. For example: "At 4:00 you said, 'Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir . . . The Lord wants them to make sure the footings on the temple are exact before they are poured that they can make sure that their wall are straight.'" Warren also mentioned during this session who should called on temple missions and who should move into different houses. (Priesthood Record, September 8, 2004)

When he trained another wife for these sessions, he would always ask them if they felt the “all-consuming fire of heaven.” If they waivered in their answer, he concluded they lacked faith and were not ready for the training.

With the notes taken down by and his memories of dreams, he would react and make decisions. Frequently they involved decisions to “handle” men who he believed were unfaithful and needed to be removed from their family. Other times he had violent dreams. Evil people in his dreams were usually of the black race, and they were trying to kill him. He also had vivid dreams of people like the Barlows who he believed were traitors seeking his downfall. His dreams were always about wickedness and destruction in the last days. One has to wonder why his dreams seemed to never be centered around love, kindness, and forgiveness. Warren apparently believed the time was past for that. Even doubters who were half-hearted could no longer be tolerated. The time was short. The end was soon.

What can explain these sessions? Several alternatives seem to be possible:
1. They were indeed heavenly sessions from God.
2. They were sessions when he was possessed by evil spirits.
3. They were faked.
4. They were self-induced, perhaps related to a physical ailment.

After reading through many of these sessions, I’ve concluded the answer is likely #4. I appears that Warren sincerely believed that he was going through a heavenly experience. What can explain the trembling, twisting, paralysis, in a conscious or unconscious state?

Self-induced seizures seem to be the answer. This condition is experienced by many people. “Self-induction is a mode of seizure precipitation employed by entirely normal or mentally impaired patients to produce seizures for themselves.” It involves jerking and twisting. “The objective of self-induced seizures is relief of tension and anxiety, and escape from a disturbing situation.” The attacks may be pleasurable.

People who are able to do this, usually bring on this condition through visual stimulation of lights, blinking eyes, flickering, etc. However, others are able to trigger these seizures through somatosensory stimuli (touching). “Typically this it triggered by tapping, rubbing, or prickling part of the body. A localized or regional hypersensitive trigger zone can often be defined.” This could explain why Warren needed assistance and often mentioned rubbing. “Consciousness is preserved at least on the onset.” Self-induced seizures can also be triggered by thinking, usually “by a task requiring a spoken answer to an orally presented arithmetic or spatial problem.”

Does Warren have a physical condition causing this? Consider his aversion toward the color red. (He banned the color red from Short Creek, explaining it was the color of Satan). For those who experience photosensitive epilepsy, “the color red is particularly dangerous due to its longer wavelength that stimulates cones in the retina.” Red flickering is far more likely to cause seizures than other colors.

Also interesting to consider are common characteristics for those with an aversion to red: “A person who has an aversion to red may be over-active, too impulsive, hot-tempered, aggressive and egocentric, or have difficulties with people with such characteristics. It can also symbolize deeply hidden fears and rejection of his own assertiveness.” For those who know Warren, this seems to fit his personality.

Is Warren the “marred servant?” It seems certain that he believes he is. To make this a reality he has had to self-inflict suffering, but also no doubt believes the suffering he is experiencing in prison is all part of this mission.

“The Lord showed me that I would be that sacrifice of blood atonement to earn the glorious appearing of the Lord to the nations of the earth, and that I will be caught up in the cloud when He descends to earth in glory with the faithful saints of all generations.” (Warren Jeffs journal in prison, January 19, 2007)

“[The Lord] showed me that I would be taken and scourged and tortured by the officials of the government, and that I would be unsexed and be beaten and starved to stand as a witness against this generation of their wickedness and abominations; and that I would be taken by my enemies and made to watch my own family ravished and killed before my eyes. They would then put me in prison and hold me there to die. The Lord showed me that I would be healed and renewed by His miraculous power.” (Warren Jeffs journal in prison, January 20, 2007).

One final theory. The bed found in the temple could have been used by Warren for these heavenly sessions, attended by kneeling wives.

FLDS History 101 - Warren Jeffs in hiding

2009-05-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

On August 20, 2003, Warren Jeffs withdrew from the public eye, even from his own people, after he condemned his followers in Short Creek for their sins. No more public church meetings were authorized to be held and no baptisms would be performed for two years. Warren taught that because of their unfaithfulness, the Lord had withdrawn him from the people. “If I had stayed, many of them would have been judged and found unworthy, so instead the Lord withdrew me to give them a little more time to repent.”

For the next year, Warren would spend most of his time at the “lands of refuge” code named by R1 (Mancos, Colorado) and R17 (YFZ, Eldorado, Texas). (See article on the lands of refuge). He would keep in close contact with his most loyal followers and oversee the massive building efforts in YFZ.

At first, his main reason for taking precautions to hide was due to a fear of being killed by those who he had “handled.” He had kicked out of the church over 100 men, and taken away their homes and families. He feared the Barlows the most, who he was convinced were conspiring against him. He also believed that government officials were trying to gather evidence against him.

On July 30, 2004, Warren received word that his nephew, Brent Jeffs was including him in a lawsuit involving sexual abuse. Warren decided that it was time to go into deeper hiding. He recorded, “I can see more clearly why John Taylor went into hiding as the government and the courts would demand he betray the Lord’s trust and also to take his life as they did Joseph Smith, as the world did against Joseph Smith, and the Lord has shown me this, that my enemies don’t just want me to be taken prisoner, but they want me dead. But the Lord has directed that I go into deeper hiding, and continue to gather the faithful, develop the lands of refuge and keep the redemption of Zion mission progressing. I have been instructed of the Lord to have my scribe and helpmate Naomie, get better disguise clothes. And we are working on whatever the Lord directs.” (Priesthood Record, July 30, 2004)

On August 28, 2006, Warren’s hiding came to an end when his car was pulled over on I-15 in Clark County, Nevada. Naomie, (his father’s young wife who Warren married at his death) was still with him to the end, after traveling tens of thousands of miles with him.

Where was he during those years of hiding and what did he do? How did he avoid being detected? Who helped him?

Warren started to spend more time on the move in cars. During his three years in hiding, he visited every one of the lower 48 states of the union. To blend in better, he traveled in disguise. This involved wearing “gentile” clothes, short sleeves and even shorts at times.

In 2004, Warren showed his disguise to his counselors in the First Presidency. “They wanted to see me in my costume, or rather my disguise, that I dress in different clothes as I travel among the gentiles. It weighs upon me to make sure I am not partaking of the spirit of the world, but the Lord has directed that I be careful. They were pleasantly impressed as they saw that I didn’t look like I normally do. But our bodies are covered, we just wear a hat and dress in clothes that don’t draw attention to us.” (Priesthood Record)

In May, 2004, Naomie wore disguise clothes for the first time. “The Lord’s Spirit keeps pressing me to make sure that she and I are disguised when we are among the gentiles. Among our people she wears a dress over those gentile clothes until she gets in the car. I just depend on the Lord to blind the eyes of everyone to not recognize us, and we have been doing some effort of shopping for clothes that will keep us covered. The Lord has warned me to do my part in being careful, as there are people seeking to kill me.” (Priesthood Record, May 4, 2004)

Warren and Naomie would also often visited tanning solons to further help their disguise. “The Lord directed that I go to the sun tanning salon and get sun tanned more evenly on their suntanning beds that have the lights so Naomie and I went and did that in the afternoon.” At times Warren would also have Naomie dye her hair.

Naomie’s devotion to Warren and tireless service was impressive. She was scribe for him on his long dictations and recordings. At night, she would watch by his side as he went into “heavenly sessions” that involved some sort of seizers, trembling and suffering. She had to sit by him for hours praying for him during these sessions. But in July 2004, when she was worried about her mother, Ruth Jessop, who had wanted to leave her marriage with Merril Jessop, Warren became angry with Naomie. He released her from her duties as scribe and sent her back to Short Creek. “’Naomie, you are guilty of having bad feelings, and you have sinned against knowledge.’ She weeping said, ‘I know.’ She acknowledged she let her feelings concerning her mother turn her from the Lord. After sending her away, Warren tried using other wives to assist him, but he missed Naomie terribly and pled with the Lord to let him atone for her. Finally after only a few days, Naomie was allowed to return.

Naomie would carefully manage the recordings and records. Many of these montotone recordings would be sent back to YFZ for instruction and to be safeguarded. “We have sent one of the disk drives holding the sacred record with Patricia back to R17 (YFZ) to be put in the temple. It holds the computer files of my testimony and dictation and Naomie’s testimony up to that point. I carry on my person two other small disk drives containing the sacred record, and thus we put it into our luggage when it is guarded. We keep the computer and record, and disk drives and the books with any revelations printed in it always under guard.” (Priesthood Record)

During his travels during 2004, in disguise he visited sites related to Mormon Church history, including Nauvoo, Illinois, Palmyra and Fayette, New York, and Sharon, Vermont. At each of these places, he felt a closeness to Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith, but he mocked the Mormon Church’s efforts to “commercialize” their religion in seek converts. “I walked through the Sacred Grove with Naomie. We sat on the bench deep in that forest area, away from everyone, and I offered a dedication prayer with my arm to the square and in the authority of the Priesthood. . . . I offered a dedication prayer, being in the place where the Godhead met in the spring of 1820 and yearned for the blessings of God to roll forth now.” (Priesthood Record, June 12, 2004)

The building of the YFZ and its temple took a lot of Warren’s personal attention. “My mind was awakened to the reality that I was on that land of refuge almost constantly from October 12, 2004 to June 12, 2005, only taking a few short trips away. And most of the time I was at R17 (YFZ), the Lord withheld me from the family and the people.” (Priesthood Record, July 28, 2005)

In July, 2005, Warren felt the need to get false identification. “I had sent Ben Johnson with $51,000 to go and get the false identification two weeks ago. “ (Priesthood Record, July 28, 2005) On another occasion, “I told these brethren what their mission was, and handed to John Wayman disks that contained digital pictures of Isaac, myself, and Naomie, and sent John Wayman on the mission to get our false identification. I am yearning unto the Lord to protect him and us in that mission. I told him that I would be traveling to foreign lands, and perhaps he would even be traveling to foreign lands to help us.”

Warren’s long miles traveling by car also involved a mission. “[The Lord] is now sending me on the mission to bind up the law and seal up the testimony against this wicked nation.” Beginning in early 2003 and ending in mid 2005, Warren visited the 48 continental states, stopping at most of the state capitals. He would perform the ordinance of dusting off the feet, declare that “none doeth good here,” raise his arm to the square and leave a curse on the people of the state. “I performed the ordinance, arm to the square with Naomie sitting beside me holding the recorder. I delivered the state of New Hampshire over to the judgments of God and asked the Lord to remove the Spirit of protection from that state, and that the state and people would not be a stronghold against Zion. Always in these ordinances I kick the dust of my feet against them as a witness and testimony on earth, binding the law, sealing up the testimony against this wicked generation.” (Priesthood Record, August 2, 2005)

“As of now, the Lord has had me go to every state of the United States on the main land; forty eight states, in kicking the dust of my feet off as a witness against them, and also through prayer, arms to the square. . . . This work has been done, binding up the law and sealing up the testimony against this nation.” (Priesthood Record, August, 2005)

Later in prison, Warren received a "revelation" on January 18, 2007. Verse 9-12 relate to this mission he accomplished. "I have sent him throughout the nation where the Zion of our God shall be built; and I have caused that he perform the work, in my name and by my power, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony against you; and to witness continually before the heavens against all your corruptions and abobmination. . . . And he has, by my word and authority delivered the nation of the United States of America over to the judgements of Almighty God."

Warren seemed to never tire in riding in the cars for hour after hour. He spent much of his time reading letters from his followers. Once he had all his loyal followers gathered at the places of refuge send him letters of confession. He would spend hours pouring over those letters. His replies would be by phone. When in cell phone coverage, he would spend hours on the phone with leaders and family members. After reading letters he would make phone calls to instruct leaders which men needed to be “handled” and removed from their families. At times he believed he could avoid having his calls traced by having them be transferred by another person. For example, when he wanted to call YFZ, once he had a man travel 40 miles away to receive his call and then transfer it to YFZ.

With the long hours on the road, Warren would even avoid bathroom breaks. “The Lord strengthened me to not have to get out to a restroom or for any other reason, removed the need. Just didn’t have the need to get out of the car. Every time we stopped for Naomie to get out, I was shown I should not get out of the car at the rest stops, and the Lord kept His word that He showed me that He would open the way that we could pass through our enemies and not be seen.” (Priesthood Record, August 27, 2005)

From June 12 – August 27, 2005, they traveled 26,800 miles by car. As Warren spent months on the road he would observe the wickedness of the world both in person and on television. “I obeyed the Lord’s directive and went out in the sunshine for one and a half hours. I witnessed some things on the television what the world delights in, and it was a marvel, shocking – open promotion of prostitution, sowing full nudity and corruption on the television.”

Night after night, Warren would watch violent and sexually provocative movies (R and likely X-rated) with his wives in motel rooms. He claimed that the Lord directed him to do this to see the wicked state of the world. While in New Orleans he went slowly down Bourbon Street, in the French Quarter to observe wickedness and then watched dirty movies on television that night with his wives until 2 a.m.

At one point, Naomie became visibly upset. “She acknowledged that this morning, as she witnessed some things this week, she wanted to just get away from it. I gave her a training. I reviewed the training with the ladies that we must be at perfect peace and keep Zion growing no matter what we witness, and the Lord has a purpose in us witnessing this wicked world, that we will be at peace while He sweeps the wicked off the land through the whirlwind judgment, and also that we will be at peace as Priesthood people are persecuted, driven, and some killed.” (Priesthood Record)

Warren recorded disturbing and callus reactions after viewing news reports about Hurricane Katrina. As the massive hurricane approached New Orleans, Warren recorded, “New Orleans was that wicked city where the Lord sent me three times to witness that place. And each time, by ordinance and prayer, delivered that city over to the judgment of God. . . . I yearned that the Lord would sweep that place clean.” As Warren watched news reports of the destruction and many deaths, he reacted, “The Lord performed a work here. I thank Him for answering prayers and fulfilling His purposes. . . . It is a marvelous experience to witness, and yet it is very small compared to what is about to happen. . . . I ask the Lord to particularly destroy the French Quarter of New Orleans. . . . Praise God from whom all blessing flow.” On that day, Warren was in St. Louis and bought a TV with a DVD player and watched with his wives “immoral videos” late into the night as part of their training. (Priesthood Record, August 30, 2005)

Warren was convinced that his efforts caused this Katrina’s destruction. “[The Lord] specifically had me deliver that city again over to the judgments of God. About the time I left was when this hurricane began to form in the Atlantic Ocean. The Lord sent me on other errands.”

When Warren visited YFZ, he gave instructions to increase the security. Guards had to stay alert, awake and active. More guards were placed around his house and around the perimeter of the property. He would tour the property and identify spots for additional houses to be built. The Lord had told him to build 25 homes. On his visits he would really crack the whip and push the workers to put in longer hours and work harder. He put a stop to those who were wasting money by buying “four hundred dollar boots and bottles of fifty dollar cologne.” (Priesthood Record, September 7, 2005) On these visits Warren would also conduct plural marriage ceremonies.

Warren was in frequent contact with his families who were in places of hiding and refuge. He would call them so he could instruct them by his voice and at other times he would send messages. “I told him to call the men that are watching over the family in the scattered houses in hiding (in Nevada and Colorado) . . . and tell them to read from the book Priesthood Articles and read the article called ‘Prepare for the Day of Visitation.’” (Priesthood Record, August 22, 2005). Warren would also call in frequently to Sunday School meetings at YFZ. Through his letters he obtained information at times that would lead him to believe that some women at YFZ were on the verge of committing adultery. He would then order special lessons to be given to warn his followers that they would be destroyed if they gave into temptation.

On one particular occasion, he received word that a wife had been wavering. He ordered an unusual punishment for this naïve and sheltered young woman. “I told him to take her and she was to walk down the Las Vegas strip where all the casionos are. I named the places she should walk, and that he would drop her off and then pick her up at the other end of the street. I estimate it was a two-mile walk, and that would be Saturday night. I told him that she had to dress as a gentile and she will experience what it is like to be away from the Priesthood. . . . She was a spoiled, protected girl that was not grateful unto the Lord. . . . I called her three times as she walked down among the wicked.” Next he had her locked up in a room at Mandalay Bay. “I told her to watch and go through the channels and look at what the world glories in, in their entertainments and ways and news.” She had to do this for about two hours and then stay in the room alone until morning.

Somehow Warren got in his mind that he needed to learn how to ride motorcycles. “I thank the Lord for this next mission as He is having us travel west and be trained in how to ride the motorcycles. This is a preparation for a future experience.” (Priesthood Record) He took lessons and enjoyed riding in Wyoming.

Warren would receive reports that the authorities were searching for him and that he had been placed on the FBI most-wanted list. It amused him when he heard reports that he had been spotted in Salt Lake City airport or in Florida. That gave him an idea. He ordered Willie Jessop to “travel to Florida and Georgia and put on a diversion for me, for the government would watch him. He would actually look for certain lands, but not buy them. Just part of the diversion so I can go into Short Creek.” (Priesthood Record, August 22, 2005)

Warren made a rare visit to Short creek in August 2005 to perform plural marriages. He did it under strict secrecy and was only there for three hours. He believed that the Lord blinded the eyes of those looking for him.

He knew that authorities were trying to gather information about underage marriages. “I told him about these men that were being brought into trial for marrying so-called underage girls. The ones that were arrested I said, ‘The general council is answer the courts nothing. Do not testify in your own trial. If you testify, you could be found a traitor against God and Priesthood.’” (Priesthood Record, August 25, 2005)

On October 28, 2005, Warren’s brother Seth, was arrested in southern Colorado after a traffic stop. It became obvious that Seth had been harboring a fugitive, Warren. Seth had $142,000 in cash and $7,000 worth of prepaid debit cards. Worst of all, he had many of Warren’s personal records. Seth was probably on a trip from Colorado Springs to YFZ. On a previous occasion, two months earlier, Warren met Seth at the home in Castle Rock, Colorado, to send Seth as a courier to YFZ. “I had Seth take a package of moneys with him. I put on record that he took $130,000 with him. I told him to put $10,000 in the safe at his house for future directives. I told him to take $5,000 out of his safe to give to Jonathan Allred in Albuquerque as he passed through. He took $120,000 to R17 (YFZ).”

Hundreds of thousands of dollars were continually collected from the people in Short Creek and their businesses to fund Warren’s travels, support his families in hiding, and fund the various projects on the lands of refuge. In Warren’s record he never expressed appreciation for the sacrifices made for this money. To him, it was the Lord’s money and Warren could use it however he wished. A budget report for a period showed 1.2 million dollars collected from Short Creek. $700,000 went to YFZ, $40,000 went to R23 in South Dakota, $15,000 went to R1 in Colorado, and $150,000 went to scattered houses of hiding in Nevada and Colorado.

Warren’s days of freedom on the run came to an end one night on I-15 in Nevada, on August 28, 2006. He had been on the FBI’s top 10 Most Wanted List since May. A trooper pulled over his red Cadillac Escalade that had been bought in Colorado. Among the items in the car were: 27 stacks of money, each containing $2,500, two wigs, 14 cell phones, three Ipods, and a picture of Warren with his father Rulon. But the item that Warren worried about most was his Priesthood Record for 2004-2006. He prayed and hoped that these records would not be made public, especially seen by his faithful followers without being prepared. About a quarter of it has been made public.

Warren and Naomie in disguise at the time of his arrest.

FLDS Beliefs 101 - YFZ and other lands of refuge: The mission for the Redemption of Zion

2009-05-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

In 2004, the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) “Ranch” began to be constructed by the FLDS in Texas. FLDS told local officials that the land was purchased for a hunting lodge. But these were false reports and the FLDS took great strides to keep their true purposes secret from everyone except the most loyal followers of Warren Jeffs.

On August 10, 2003, Warren had declared that the blessings of the Priesthood had been removed from the community of Short Creek (Colorado City and Hildale). This community was once believed to be a blessed gathering place for the faithful followers of the true Priesthood, but those blessings had been lost. Warren even went so far as to curse the community by performing an ordinance of dusting his feet off against the community on June 15, 2004 which in FLDS doctrine is a most severe curse of the Lord. He removed “the Spirit of protection” and prayed that “the Lord would send the whirlwind judgments upon that place and upon this nation beginning at Short Creek when the righteous are driven from that community and only the wicked remain.” Warren taught that this June 15, 2004 revelation was very important and must be kept secret. It was that the judgments of God upon His people and this nation were now coming in full force.

Warren taught that because of their unfaithfulness, the Lord had withdrawn him from the people. “If I had stayed, many of them would have been judged and found unworthy, so instead the Lord withdrew me to give them a little more time to repent.” Warren had suspended all public church meetings and all ordinances, such as baptisms. He believed that the terrible judgments of God against the wicked would begin in Short Creek. “Short Creek will be without any faithful and only the wicked will be there eventually, and the judgments of God will begin there. They have already begun with the withdrawal of ordinances and meetings from the people.” (Priesthood Record, May 11, 2004)

Warren left the community but he did not remove his influence. Short Creek was his financial lifeblood for higher purposes. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were continually collected from those left behind. He kept in close contact with his family and with local leaders who remained there, including Bishop William E. Jessop and his brother Lyle Jeffs. These men carried out his directives.

Warren turned his focus to what he called, “lands of refuge.” These were secret communities that he had started to build up. David Allred had made the purchases of many acres of land in various states. Wareen taught to only his most loyal followers, that as their scripture taught, these locations would be “for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.” (D&C 115) Warren claimed he had seen a vision in 2003 of the “all-consuming fire from heaven” that would pour out among the wicked. But these places of refuge would be strongholds in that day of judgment. There would be no deliverance except for the faithful who would be lifted up.

The lands of refuge were given secret code names so their locations would not be revealed to gentiles (unbelievers), and apostates (former members). They were even kept secret from faithful followers in Short Creek who had not yet been trained and invited to gather to these lands of refuge. These code names included the letter “R” standing for “Refuge.”

The lands of refuge included:

R1 – located in the Southwest corner of Colorado. It is 4-5 miles north of the rural community of Mancos, near Cortez and Mesa Verde National Park. The address is 15252 Co Rd 39. It shares a road with a neighbor. This became Warren’s new headquarters and he brought a number of his wives and children to this location. This included several homes including a large log home with green roof. (two parcels, 120 acres total)

• R17 – YFZ ranch in Eldorado, Texas where children were removed in April, 2008.

• R23 – Compound in South Dakota, outside of Pringle. 140 acres fenced with several log buildings including a massive 15,000 square foot building. It is very remote with ten miles of dirt road to get to it.

Other "houses in hiding" include:
• Roy Allred’s home in Las Vegas, NV
• Jonathan Allred’s home in Albuquerque, NM
• Robert Allred's house in Henderson, NV
• Sam Allred's house in Henderson, NV
• Houses and land in Westcliffe, CO
• Shem Jeffs’ home in Colorado Springs, CO
• House in Fort Collins, CO
• Tom Cox purchased 35 acre secluded ranch outside Fort Collins, CO
• Nathanael Allred's home in Castle Rock, CO, south of Denver
• Home in northern CO
• Home in southern WY
• Farm near Pioche, NV
• Home and 35 acres on B25 road south of Crawford, CO

The houses in hiding weren't set up necessarily to hide from government authorities. Because of Warren's paranoia, he set these up to protect his family from his perceived enemies. "I need to move my family out of Short Creek as quickly as we can, out among the wicked cities, finding houses here and there as it will be more dangerous for them in Short Creek. Yet I know all of this will not satisfy my enemies. They want my blood and to destroy anyone who is part of me and the work of God." (Priesthood Record, January 15, 2005)

These houses in hiding were typically crowded with Warren's wives and children, overlooked by at least one man. For example, at Shem Jeff's home in Colorado Springs at one time in July 2006, there were 14 women, nine children, and Shem Jeffs, for a total of 24. Life in those houses must have been challenging because they stayed indoors in order to not be seen by others. Their time was spent in sewing, house cleaning, scripture and lesson study, and storing up food.

Warren explained in a letter to his family about the difference in holiness between the houses in hiding and the lands of refuge. "When people did not live their covenants on a land of refuge, they were allowed repentance and time at a house in hiding. Now you have been gathered to a consecrated land appointed by the Lord for the fulness of Zion to be established there, no matter which land of refuge you dewell on, it was dedicated unto the Lord for the fullness of Zion to be established there." They were expected to live the laws of plural marriage and the Holy United Order (all things in common). (letter, May 30, 2007)

R17 (YFZ) is the most sacred land of refuge, the place where the temple was built. This was the location where the most faithful, by invitation from Warren, would prepare for the fullness of Zion and live with all things in common in the United Order.

By May 2004, 40 men had been called on a mission to R17 to start building up the new community. Jeffs had also relocated some of his family. Preference seemed to be given to Jeffs family members and family of his counselors in the First Presidency (Fred Jessop, and Wendell Nielson. Later Merril Jessop replaced Fred Jessop).

Warren was the only one to decide who could move to R17. He would call them on the mission for the “redemption of Zion.” This was also referred to a “New Zion's Camp.” The first Zion’s Camp was formed in 1834 by Mormon Church founder, Joseph Smith, to march to Jackson County, Missouri (Zion) with the mission to reclaim the lands after the Church members had been driven away by the mobs. Warren taught his most loyal and faithful followers that they were being called on a similar mission to prepare themselves for the future redemption of Zion before the second coming of Jesus Christ. Their ultimate goal was to be worthy for the “fullness of Zion” or to be in the presence of God.

Prior to being allowed to journey to R17 (YFZ), followers had to first receive special training about establishing Zion on the places of refuge, the mission of the redemption of Zion, warnings of the final preparations, and instructions about oneness (unity and loyalty to Priesthood). This training usually lasted about three hours and would be given by Warren in motels (such as Page, AZ) or by phone. Before the training would be given, Warren would dedicate the room for the sacred training. Later the training would be taped and he would give permission to leaders for chosen individuals to listen to the training.

Some of the training included, “I explained to him that those who are qualified to go and build the New Jerusalem (in Jackson County, Missouri) and build up Zion there, before they get there they have to show they will sacrifice their very lives for this mission and cause of Zion and that will be how severe the tests and trials will be upon this Priesthood people, but the doors of deliverance will open up as we prove ourselves faithful and there will be a people preserved who will be used to redeem Zion and those times of severity are upon us.” (Priesthood Record, July 2004)

After the training, they would make serious covenants related to the mission. They were put under covenant to obey the "first two great commanments": to live the law of plural marriage and to live the fullness of the United Order (having all things in common). They also made a covenant of secrecy. They were warned that if they revealed this mission to anyone, even their families at Short Creek, that they could lose their Priesthood. Losing Priesthood involves being stripped of church membership, loss of wives and children, and being turned out the community.

Warren became very paranoid about members who were against him. He worried about their influence on the rest of the faithful so he started to do a massive purge. He called this process “handling,” or “pruning the vineyard.” He would call the leaders still in Short Creek and give them lists of men to inform that they no longer had Priesthood. They were not usually told why, but were invited to send a letter of confession to Warren. They were told to leave the community immediately, have no contact with their family, and not meet with others who had been handled. By mid-2004, over 80 men had been handled. By 2005, the number was well above 100.

Warren believed that this purge was part of the work of gathering for the redemption of Zion. By reassigning women to worthy men, “those ladies are sealed for time and eternity to other worthy me. This is a work of gathering for the redemption of Zion by placing beside these worthy men these families that need a Priesthood connection for the next great trials.”

Eventually, Warren even became frustrated with those at R17 for lack of faith, laziness, missing deadlines, yearning to be with family members back at Short Creek, and revealing secrets to them. To keep these loyal followers under his tight control he threatened them that they could be sent away from this mission back to Short Creek. Many were sent back in tears, thinking that they had lost their chance to help redeem Zion. They also knew they were no longer living at a safe place of refuge. In one instance, Warren ordered all those at R17 and other places of refuge to write him letters of confession. He would read through those letters and use them to identify those struggling with unclean thoughts or other sins and then and then name “certain people to be corrected and removed from the places of refuge.”

Warren recorded, “My great concern is how few are prepared. And even those called into the new Zion’s Camp, how few have been prepared for this mission. They all come with great anxiousness, but not with a full preparation in place. So the Lord in His loving patience and kindness is pruning us and working with us, raising up a people in the midst of this mission.” (Priesthood Record, May 9, 2004)

Warren condemned those who were yearning for their families away instead of focusing their efforts on their Priesthood Leader (Warren.) “For some men, their yearnings are constantly for their families so they are distracted from their mission here and from their oneness with me, their Priesthood head, and thus the Lord.” (Priesthood Record, May 9, 2004)

Warren’s focus was to root out any disloyalty or wickedness. Soon even those who had any doubts were referred to as “halfhearted.” “The Lord is cleaning up this people. The day of the halfhearted people is past. Some have wondered why they can’t have it as it was. It is because the Lord’s schedule, the Lord’s time table is progressing and only the pure in heart can be called forth in the redemption of Zion.” (Priesthood Record, May 1, 2004)

For those who were allowed to remain on R17, he would further explain their mission. “I explained to them that before the Lord would let us go to [Jackson County, Missouri] we must learn how to be temple builders on this land. . . . Our work at R17 was a training to prove worthy to draw from heavens how to build temples and receive ordinances to bring us into the presence of God, and they need to realize that what they are doing on these construction projects and meeting the time schedule through the power of oneness exerted is earning us the greater privilege and blessing to be temple builders and temple workers, and if necessary the Lord would prune this group of men and allow those who qualify to participate in the building of temple.” (Priesthood Record, May 11, 2004)

So, yet another higher class of worthiness evolved – Temple Builders. Men and women were called and had hands laid on their heads to be temple builders. They were put under strict orders of secrecy to not share information with those who were not temple builders.

Thousands of FLDS in Short Creek were left in the dark as to what was happening. Rumors were heard that Warren had cursed the community and that those left behind would be destroyed with the wicked. They longed to be with Warren. They observed families who would disappear in the night (brought to lands of refuge) and they hoped that they too would be chosen. They lived in fear as they saw other families who were ripped apart because the father was “handled” out the Church. The wives and children were assigned to other men and families were moved around to new homes.

Warren expressed very little compassion for these people. “There are many people writing me letters yearning for Zion, ‘yearning to come where I am,’ they say. ‘We want to be where you are’ is what many of the letters say. The Lord has shown me what was happening in Short Creek, that there was a great falling away and that complacency, light-mindedness, and thus the evils of the world were growing among the people in a social religion, and I warned the family (at R1, Colorado) to stay home and not drop in with the relatives (in Short Creek) but that this was a time of fervent final preparation.” (Priesthood Record, July 11, 2004).

“The Lord has warned me there will be men who I have handled who have lost Priesthood that will return to Short Creek and claim they hold Priesthood, and promote great deceptions among the people, causing many halfhearted to fall away.” (Priesthood Record, July 29, 2005)

By 2008, there were several hundred loyal followers living at R17. Their temple was complete and they had received temple ordinances. During the 2008 raid on R17, the most sacred records were taken by government authorities from the secret Temple Annex Vault. Among these records were Warren’s private Priesthood Record revealing his thoughts, motives, and many illegal activities. They also presented a much clearer picture of the true purpose of YFZ. Warren remains in jail. In 2007 he claimed he was not the prophet and didn’t hold Priesthood. However, that was just a test. By 2008, still in prison, he retained his leadership over the people and continued to issue revelations and directives.

FLDS History 101 – Splinter Groups

2009-05-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

During the history of the FLDS there have been at least three major splits where a significant number of families have broken off from those who have remained. One can easily argue that it was the FLDS group that split off from the others. In all three cases there was much contention and the major issue centered on who had the legitimate right to lead and policies being enforced.

The three splits were: 1. The Allred Group in 1952, 2. The Centennial Park Group in 1984, and 3. The Winston Blackmore group in 2002. The fourth group later became known as the FLDS about 1990. The circumstances involving these splits are highly debated depending on the point of view and all four resulting groups feel that the others have fallen away from the truth. The FLDS go as far as to consider these other groups as apostates. Warren Jeffs has ordered his followers to shun members of these groups and have no contact with them even if there are family members in the other groups.

All of these groups trace their roots back to a small group of men who were excommunicated from the Mormon Church around the 1920-30s for continuing to promote and practice polygamy. This wasn’t really a “Mormon Splinter Group” because these men didn’t form another church. They simply believed that God wanted them to keep alive the principle of plural marriage. Families involved referred to this group as “The Work.” Eventually they were lead by a Priesthood Council composed of seven men with Lorin C. Woolley at as the senior member. More families joined “The Work” and they lived in several communities. A few families eventually settled in the Short Creek near the Utah/Arizona border. In 1945, the members of the priesthood council were arrested and served some time in prison for polygamy.

After John Y. Barlow became the senior member of the priesthood council, he appointed others to fill vacancies dues to deaths and to expend the council into a larger group. There eventually were 12 members of the council.

The 1952 Priesthood Split

After Barlow’s death, Joseph Musser became the senior member of the council. Musser suffered from a series of strokes and was in poor health. In 1952 he announced to the other council members his intention to appoint Rulon Allred to the council. The other members of the council could not accept this ordination and several claimed that they were under covenant from the previous leader, John Y. Barlow, to never allow Rulon Alled into the council. Musser went ahead and with this ordination. The council could not support this action. Faced with open rebellion, Musser demanded that those who supported him accompany him out of the meeting where he announced the appointment. Only a few followed after him. He eventually released all the other council members and appointed a new council. A major split occurred and families took up sides. One of Rulon Allred’s own wives refused to follow the Musser group.

The end result was two groups, one that followed Musser and one that followed Charles Zitting who was the next senior member of the original priesthood council. Musser died in 1954 and Rulon Allred became the leader of this group. They met in Murray Utah. By 1959, they had over 1,000 members. They later became known as the Apostolic United Brethren. Today, many of their members live near Bluffdale, UT, between Salt Lake City and Provo. They also have a large group in Pinesdale, Montana. Rulon Allred was murdered in 1977 by followers of the violent Ervil Lebaron Group. Today the AUB has an estimated 8,000-10,000 members.

1984 Priesthood Split

In the remaining group, LeRoy Johnson took over leadership in 1954 after the death of Charles Zitting. During his leadership there were power struggles involving the “Barlow Boys” who were sons of the former leader John Y. Barlow. These Barlows included Louis, Truman, Joe, Dan, Alvin, Sam, and Nephi. Some have referred to their efforts as the “Barlow Conspiracy.” They gained favor with “Uncle Roy” and increased in influence over the people. Among their activities was to push hard for the acceptance of a “one man rule” doctrine that had been discussed for several years. This was a doctrine of infallibility with one-man, a "prophet." The prophet had to be honored and obeyed no matter what. The doctrine would essentially take most of the power and influence away from the other priesthood council members and centralize all the power with one man. This one man would be the one who would make assignments for marriages, the most valued decision within the community.

By 1978, there were only five members of the priesthood council still alive. Three did not support the one man rule doctrine. Many claim, as LeRoy Johnson became ill, that the Barlows fed lies to Uncle Leroy (who was confined because of shingles) about the activities and sermons of council members Marrion Hammon and Alma (Del) Timpson.

Finally in 1984, after council member Guy Musser died, Johnson removed Hammon and Timpson from their positions of leadership. Hammon and Timpson refused to go away quietly and the community took sides. On one side were those who believed LeRoy Johnson was the one man prophet. On the other side were those who believed that the priesthood council should continue to lead, that they all held the same authority, a doctrine consistent with what had been taught by former leaders. The first group became known as “The First Ward” and the second group (about 1/3rd) became known as “The Second Ward.” Finally, in 1986 the Second Ward group broke away. Intense disputes continued, especially over property and the UEP. Law suits were fought for years. The Second Warders eventually moved off of UEP property a couple miles south of Colorado City, in Centennial Park.

Warren Jeffs’ stated his version of this history: “In 1978, three men, apostles, turned traitor to Uncle Roy. Marion Hammon, Guy Musser and Alma Timpson. The Lord allowed those three men to continue from 1978 until 1984. For around six years, they would come and control the meetings because Uncle Roy wasn't here (in Short Creek). They talked against him. He allowed them to take charge of our meetings. Some of the men who were with Uncle Roy went to him and complained and criticized those three men. . . . He wouldn't even let us criticize these men who were talking against Uncle Roy. He said for us to have patience and endure well. He wept over Guy Musser, and in his suffering and his patience, he gave those men, who turned against him, six years to repent, but they would not. When the Lord sent him in 1984, he then put them down and told them they could no longer teach this people.”

The Barlows completely changed the UEP Trust, by a series of amendments, until the original document was totally discarded and in doing so, they successfully took over the UEP Trust. Now they had the leverage they needed to quash any resistance. They continued to wield influence during the administration of Rulon Jeffs and they unwittingly helped to secure Warren Jeffs’ firm one-man leadership. But in 2004, Warren turned the tables on these influential men by excommunicating many of them and taking away their families. Jeff accused them: “You judged and criticized legitimate authority.”

A person stated, “I am a daughter of one of the ‘Barlow boys’ and it is absolutely amazing to see what has happened to my heritage. It's sad, but like someone said, ‘They are being devoured by the very monster that they created.’”

2002 – Winston Blackmore split

Rulon Jeffs appointed Winston Blackmore as bishop over the colony in Bountiful, Canada. He was given authority to forgive sins and to perform marriages. (Winston married several underage girls). The Barlows and Warren Jeffs knew this would be a problem because Winston wasn’t intimidated by them. There were nearly 1,500 members in Canada under Winston’s leadership. Before Rulon Jeffs died, as Warren started to step into his father’s role and make changes, Winston resisted the changes that didn’t make sense. This frustrated Warren.

Winston saw that Warren was being dishonest in his communications with his father concerning the people and the church and manipulating him and decisions being made. They disagreed on how Warren was treating members that he deemed unredeemable; he sent them away, while Winston often refused to give up on them. Warren went so far as to send Winston a list of people that he wanted cut off the church completely, but Winston resisted.

This finally came to a head. A serious dispute arose over a girl who rebelled against Warren Jeffs’ dictates. It is rumored that he asked her to marry one of his brothers when she was sixteen, but three weeks later she left the community with a different brother. The two began living together but after a short time their consciences began to bother them, and perhaps they were afraid, so they decided to seek forgiveness from someone other than Warren. Winston contacted Rulon Jeffs (the prophet) by telephone, seeking his permission to perform the forgiveness and Rulon agreed. Warren was infuriated that Blackmore had bypassed him in the chain of authority. In defending himself, Winston claimed that the commission given him by Rulon entitled him to authority equal to Warren.

Warren called Winston to inform him that he was being removed as bishop. Winston later stated: “Uncle Rulon did not even know who was on the phone and had to ask Warren what was going on. Warren dictated to him what he should say.” Later a public meeting was held in Colorado City with a conference call connection to the membership in Canada. Warren announced, “Winston Blackmore has been aspiring to position. He is pushing his own words beyond that of the prophet.” The people were instructed to destroy or turn in any tapes or writings by Winston, in particular any stories of priesthood history. Rulon Jeffs, still the prophet, but ill, said “If you people in Canada just stand behind Elder Winston Blackmore, it will be okay.” Warren quickly said, “No Father, that is not right.” Rulon replied, “Oh yes, do what Brother Warren has told you.”

Winston refused Warren’s demands to leave his family and get off UEP property. The end result is that half of the members in Canada followed after Winston and half remained with Warren. Allegiances were even spilt within families.

Winston later wrote: “I am in no competition with Warren Jeffs. He is all I never want to be. I am only one of a hundred or so Elders who are thankful that we still have the testimony of the decency of the gospel of our fundamental faith. We also still have our families, thanks to the God of our fathers, and it is not because their families haven't tried to get them to leave. One of my ladies had two or three calls a day from her family members for over a year pleading with her to leave me.”

Winston was once among the trusted inner circle of Rulon Jeffs. Winston wrote, “I could not understand why it was that we could not just be honest with the people. No, we had to pretend that Uncle Rulon was doing it all. Uncle Fred [Jessop] pretended, Warren [Jeffs] pretended, Wendell [Nielson] pretended, Allan [Steed] pretended, LeRoy [Jeffs] pretended and I pretended. To my everlasting shame I sat among the dignitaries of our church and watched the ruining of peoples lives, and heard the reasoning. I knew that appointments were being recorded, files were being made, and people were being spied upon.”

A member loyal to Winston wrote, “Here in Canada we have always been taught to think for ourselves. When warren first started telling people to pray for the end of the world to come, most of us started thinking that was way too weird. One of the things we have been taught is that if it seems weird it probably is. Then when he tried replacing our bishop in Canada, the main reason he gave was that our bishop said the world wasn't going to end and that God was the only one who could predict the end, we decided we had about as much as we could take. When warren and his followers left our church to start their own we stayed believing the same as we have all our lives.”

A neighbor observed, “Those that follow Winston Blackmore appear to enjoy a lot more freedom as evidenced by their dress (modest but colourful and more contemporary), school curriculum and freedom to come and go into the town nearby.”

The destruction of families continued in Colorado City as Warren kicked out men who had associations with Winston. One former member wrote: “There was a time in my life when I had some questions, after a few visits to see Uncle Rulon, he asked if I new Winston Blackmore. I said I have been up there before and my father knows him well. He told me to go see Winston and he could answer my questions. My question now is? Why am I kicked out for having an association with whom Uncle Rulon sent my to in the first place??? This Warren guy must not have been as one with his father as he said he was or he would have understood, why I was talking to Winston. His father told me to. What gives?”

Each of these three splits took a huge toll on many lives. One member observed, “Every time there has been a major split within the group such as in the '50s and the '80s there have been women who did not follow their husbands one way or the other. Some of them were remarried on both sides. At each split there were people that used the circumstances to fulfill their spite against certain individuals. Sometimes against a family. Charges were leveled, politics were played and unfortunately there were men railroaded out of the community. In some of the cases the leaders were influenced by designing men and the leaders were responsible for 'booting'. In some cases the men being railroaded just got tired of the lies and left on their own.”

FLDS Life 101 - The Lost Boys

2009-05-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

In recent years, several hundred young men who had been raised in the FLDS culture are now former members, no more welcome to even associate with their former families. These young men have been coined as “the Lost Boys.” FLDS faithful claim that these boys left the FLDS by their own choice. Others claim that these boys have been tossed out on the streets against their choice.

The facts show something in between these extremes. Under Warren Jeffs’ leadership, the FLDS culture and rules has been a hard environment for teen boys to cope with. Absolute acceptance of all the rules is difficult. The injustices and inconsistencies seen cause these youthful minds to question. Teen rebellion is unacceptable and there is no longer a good support structure within the FLDS to help teens through these difficult years. Parents understand that if FLDS leaders hear of problem children in their families, that the father can be charged for not having control of his family. He risks losing his priesthood, which means losing his home, wives, and children. Warren Jeffs wrote, "I am to give a warning to the parents that they must watch over their young people or the parents will be removed out of their place." (Priesthood Record, July 29, 2005).

Boys understand well the rules and the consequences. These rules include: No association at all with girls, no talking, no dating, no kissing. No music. No sports. No TV. No movies. No video games. No Internet. No late-night hours. Their life is only religious school and work. The temptation is huge to test the limits and experiment with some of these “evil” gentile pursuits. Many of these boys have the additional added challenge of being assigned to new fathers. The father they knew has been taken away from them and their new father doesn’t understand them. Life is very difficult for these wayward boys and eventually the choices are few. They can leave on their own or continue to live in a “hell” to them and watch the people they love be hurt by them or the FLDS leaders. The vast majority of these boys choose to leave on their own.

Some of these boys have family members on the outside to turn to for help, but most do not. Many joined together and lived in apartments in the St. George area. Hurt because they are were not accepted by their families anymore, they turned to a life without the rules and strict oversight. Many of them, for a time, turned to drugs, sex, and alcohol abuse. Most of them have a good work ethic and construction skills. They try to make a living, but their education is lacking and they are naïve about the “outside” world they are now in.

Let’s back up and examine the role of the young man in the FLDS culture. An FLDS member explained: “At age 12, the young men usually receive the Aaronic Priesthood. To honor this Priesthood, the young men must keep themselves morally clean, honor their Priesthood father, and be teachers of the gospel. They can’t have a wife until they receive the Melchizedek Priesthood (higher authority). The Aaronic Priesthood holders, if they have a job, are also to turn over their money to their Priesthood head, which is their father. Once a young man is considered ‘worthy’ (these days it is total submission to those over them) they can receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.”

“When a young man is ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood, his father is no longer his Priesthood head, it is now the Prophet. The young man may still live in his father’s house, and must obey the rules of the house, but his father is now his “brother” in the Priesthood. The young man now shows his worthiness by his loyalty to the prophet and those in position of authority that act under the prophet’s direction. Most are asked to turn in their monies to the storehouse, except what they need for their “just wants and needs.” If the Prophet feels they are loyal enough, he will give them a wife.”

This is the only acceptable path for a young man. Any deviation and he will be viewed as unworthy for a life among the FLDS, including having a wife and family. A man cannot obtain a wife on his own, she must be assigned by the prophet. The prophet will not assign a wife to a man who isn’t 100% loyal to the prophet.

“Many boys have been sent away from their father’s homes and the community. Many others have left without being sent away. In all cases, if they don’t profess total loyalty to Warren and complete submission to him, the family will cut of all ties. If the family does not, they risk being sent away because they are talking with an ‘apostate’ son.”

“Why do they get sent away or leave? As is often the case, it is because they won’t obey their father’s and/or the Priesthood authorities exactly. What I mean by that is they may do any of the following “sins”: talking to girls, watching movies, listening to “gentile” music, not following the FLDS dress code of long undergarments and being fully clothed to the neck, wrist, and ankles. With these “sins”, they are usually counseled to do better, but if they don’t change their ways, the father must remove them from the house or risk losing his own Priesthood.”

“Why would a young man want to rebel? More often than not it is because they don’t feel like they are loved unconditionally. The only love and sense of belonging in the FLDS household is conditional. They feel a lack of freedom. You see, in the FLDS, as a loyal young man, you are to check in with the Prophet and be told what to do and become (profession wise). In the past, the young men could get a building lot and build themselves a house. This gave them something to work towards, a goal, an identity, a place to raise a family. Under Warren, they are to simply turn in all their money over to the Prophet, and they may get a house, or a trailer, or who knows what.”

“We all make mistakes as we grow up, and we need someone who loves us and will listen to us, without judging, to guide us through to manhood. With recreation removed, there are fewer ways to channel the energy and emotion that all of us go through in the change from a boy to a man, when we have more hormones than brains. Many of the young men, at least at first are not trying to be rule breakers, they are simply trying to deal with adolescence. Many of these young men badly want to open up with their fathers and confide in him, but don’t dare. If they do try, instead of listening, the father starts to lecture about ‘keeping sweet’ and ‘doing the will of your Priesthood head’ and ‘never questioning authority.’ You must understand the father often doesn’t dare have a one on one with his son because some of his own (the father’s) questions may come out, and you can’t ask questions about why you should or should not do anything. If you do, you will lose Priesthood, and therefore your family. ‘God and the Prophet always do right.’”

“Because the young men feel that they are only loved and listened to if they are perfectly obedient and without sin, they begin looking for an identity, a friend, someone who will listen. Who do these confidantes end up being? Usually other young men with questions and a poor relationship with their fathers. This is usually not the best source of guidance through the troubled teenage years. The real problems start when the relationship between father and son gets so bad that the son turns to alcohol and drugs to try to escape it all. When this happens, the father has no choice (if he wants to keep the rest of his family) but to send them away, sometimes as young as 13 years old.”

Girls are under similar constraints, but far fewer rebel. For the few that do, the solution is reform tactics that may even include assignment to marriage at a young age. The theory is if she marries, has a child, she most likely will be faithful to the FLDS for life.

Under Warren Jeffs’ leadership, there is no longer is a support system for “problem” teen boys. Prior to Jeffs, there were only a “normal” number of runaways. It has only been in recent years that so many of these boys have been flowing out of the FLDS culture. There is no firm evidence that the motivation is a “numbers game” to reduce competition for wives. It is more about control and the unwillingness to tolerate anyone who will not accept this control.

In August 2005, while Jeffs was in hiding, he received a report that of the 900 boys in Short Creek, there were 49 boys who were known to be involved in beer parties with girls and some involved in illegal drugs. 34 of those boys were not allowed to attend priesthood meetings.

One FLDS father explained the difficulty in his home. “In my case, one son left on his own, but not after a lot of turmoil. I am still working with other children in the home who have been influenced by him as well as others in the home. Three more were asked to leave, but they had a place to go.”

A former member shared their view: “It's a sad commentary that the parents’ responsible for these children allowed Warren Jeffs to intimidate them to act with such indifference regarding their charges. Teenagers are at times difficult to deal with, but patience and lots of nonjudgmental love generally prevail in dealing with the temporary [rebellion] of some teenagers.”

Once gone, these boys are shunned if they are seen or try to return. Gideon Barlow said, ''I couldn't see how my mom would let them do what they did to me.” When he tried to visit her on Mother's Day, he said, she told him to stay away. When he begged to give her a present, she said she wanted nothing. ''I am dead to her now."

It is sad that these boys are never accepted back into their families. “I believe that some of them would have made their way back to home after ‘testing the waters’ had they been welcome and loved. Some parents tried to show love to their wayward sons and were threatened publicly with losing their families and being kicked out themselves if they continued to welcome back their sons.”

A young man wrote, “I don't even consider myself a ’Lost Boy.’ I've never even touched drugs, and I've been off alcohol ever since I left Colorado City. And yet FLDS kids who still live there will go out and drink, watch disgusting movies and then come to work the next morning down here (St. George) and look down upon others and put themselves so high above everyone else on earth that they can't even give a friendly smile, or ‘lower’ themselves enough to shake my hand when offered.”

Many of these “lost boys” now blog on the Internet. Here is a story from one of them. “I was 18 when I was told that I had to be out of town by nightfall, and had no financial assistance whatsoever. It was like being abandoned in a new world. Some boys have been asked to leave there at 14-17 years of age, which makes it harder to get jobs out in the real world, or get around, or do anything with courts or schools because you have to have your legal guardian there. Some parents are more caring though and will help their sons find a place to stay, or at least talk to them once in a while and ask them if they are doing OK. But for the most part the people that still live in Colorado City and are still controlled by Warren's radical fanatical behavior and treat the "Lost Boys" with disgust and won't even talk to you when you walk up to them to just give them a friendly ‘hello.’”

“My offense was stating my opinion of how I felt about what Warren was doing to the people that I grew up around and cared about. My offense was owning a cell phone. My offense was talking to a girl on my cell phone. My offense was listening to Phil Colllins. My offense was watching the DVD sets of the series of "Friends" on a 4 inch dvd player in my closet, because that was my only private retreat. My offense was wanting to make more of myself and go to college after it was deemed ‘unholy.’ My offense was hanging out with my friends. My offense was talking to girls once in a while just to be social, nothing more. My offense was treating the people that live ‘over the hill’ (Centennial Park Group that split off from the FLDS in the 1980’s) as normal people, and not shunning my relatives from there and ‘treating them as snakes’ as Warren wanted us to do. I could go on and on about these ‘offenses’ I committed while living in Colorado City. All the good I ever did there will never be brought up, because I was just a pawn on Warren's chessboard, and any good I did was his doing, and he was the only one who deserved praise for it. I have nothing against the people of Colorado City. They indeed are good people for the most part, but there are the fanatical leaders who are poisoning the place. I am not looking for any hand outs whatsoever. Some of the "lost boys" do though, and I think it's sad that their parents will just let them rot away like they never existed, not give them any encouragement now that they live on their own, and chose a different lifestyle. A parent's love should never be conditional. It doesn't end when the child moves from the home, and neither should communication. I know that parents of some of my friends won't even answer a phone call from their son.”

Another boy wrote: “I was also kicked out of the communities of Hildale and Colorado City. I am not bitter, in fact it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I am getting an education and moving on with my life. The only bad thing is I can't see my family. I hope that one day they will see the light on the things that are happening. “

Many have tried to reach out to these boys, but it is difficult. This person explained, “We tried to help my nephew who's dad told him to pack his bags and get out....any way he is running as fast as he can to the drugs and alcohol and sex...For right now he is so blind with selfishness because of his "last name" that he expected us to facilitate him in this maddness...We used tough love and he hates us for it. Well, I hope when he has children of his own he will understand why we couldn't or can't help him until he wanted(s) to help himself.”

“Safe Houses” were set up by former members in St. George, Hurricane and La Verkin. Sadly at times these homes evolved into “party houses” attracting other troubled teens to visit from nearby Colorado City.

Dan Fischer, a former FLDS member, for years has been assisting FLDS who have left or been forced out of the culture. The FLDS view him has an evil, bitter, apostate and have charged him with bribing members to speak out against the FLDS. (Dan did offer rides and missed wages for a boy to come to Salt Lake City to make a statement). They say he provides boys with alcohol, and involves them in other evil practices. Fischer certainly has had his share of problems working with these troubled teens, many who don’t want to even follow rules set by Fischer. One boy defends him, “Dan Fischer did not even know those boys had access to alcohol. Should they have been watched more closely? Of course! He seriously is trying to help these boys, even though he can be a little pushy at times.”

Fischer set up the Diversity Foundation, which focuses on helping boys coming from the FLDS. Diversity Foundation helps them get into a house, get an education and generally get balance in their lives.

Here is an example from an FLDS defender regarding their feelings about the Lost Boys. “The ‘Lost Boy's’ term and the ‘dropped off’ stories came from Shem Fischer and his brother Dan Fischer. Dan left the church over a decade ago, and was rather bitter but not until Shem came running to him claiming to having been unjustly fired from his job (his resignation letter said otherwise), did he decide to join the crusade. They filed four lawsuits at the same time, and this was one of them. After the big media campaign and the lawsuits, the underage boys now had a place to hide behind to avoid going home. Just say ‘I'm a lost boy’ Instead of making them go home, the crusaders would ‘protect’ them from the polygamists.”

Are the “Lost Boys” kicked out or do they leave on their own? Both cases happen. The sad part is that a framework of control exists within the FLDS that does not accept boys who question or may waiver in their obedience.

FLDS Life 101 – Reassignment of Families

2009-05-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

As Warren Jeffs increased in power over the FLDS, when his father was ill, he introduced an alarming practice, the reassignment of women to new husbands. In previous years, women would remarry after the death of a spouse or divorce, or when a man left the church for serious reasons, but these reassignments were now made at the whim of Jeffs. The rationale used is that the prophet owns the children and women and if the husband loses his priesthood (standing in the church) the women and children need to be sealed to a faithful man in the church who can take them to heaven.

This break-up of families has shattered the lives of hundreds of FLDS men and in most cases made the lives of the women and children worse as they have had to adjust to life in the homes, new families, and new household rules. The women are not given a choice, are assigned to a man who Jeffs chooses, and must obey or risk losing her standing in the faith. Some women refuse to leave their husbands and instead leave the church, but most choose their religion over keeping their husbands.

The family is instructed to destroy all pictures of the man, never see him again, and never speak of him. As they are reassigned, the mother marries her new husband and the children take the name of the new man. They must now call him “father.” Many of the children who were at the YFZ Ranch are children who have been reassigned to new fathers.

What religious justification would Warren Jeffs have for breaking up these families? For years, Jeffs believed that his people needed to be cleansed and that the wicked should be cast out. With time so short, his people needed to be worthy to be lifted up when the apocalyptic destructions started. He no longer had patience for men to repent and change their ways over time. Instead he would cast them out, take their homes, reassign their families to stronger men, and prepare his people for the second coming of Jesus Christ. He believed he had this right because the women and children belong to the priesthood (prophet) not the man.

Many times the men are given no reason why their families are being taken away. They are told that the Lord revealed the reason to the prophet (Jeffs). They are told to “repent from afar,” (away from the community). They must send a list of their sins to Jeffs, and he would decide if the man could return. After sending the confession of sins in, the man usually never hears from Jeffs again and in the meantime, his family is moved, reassigned, and he never hears from them again.

In July 2005, several conversations were recorded. At that time, Lyle Jeffs, brother of Warren delivered the tragic news to numerous men. "Uncle Warren has sent me to give you a message of the Lord thru the Prophet. The Lord has judged that you do no hold the Priesthood and by so doing your family is automaticaly released and will come under the immediate care of the Prophet thru the Bishop. If you will receive counsel you will remove from a distance and avoid settling in apostate element. If you desire to have Priesthood in you life, repentance is available is to get your letters of confession in as soon as possible.... This is the message of the Lord to you in the spirit of love, in a gathering effort, to protect your family." (7/12/2005 - message to Richard H. Cooke, Short Creek Assignments).

Men were told to move away further than St. George and Cedar City because of apostates in that area, but certainly another motivation was to gain seperation between the man and his former family.

Sometimes the man is given reasons for having his priesthood removed. Reasons can include:
- Immorality: adultery, incest, viewing pornography, “immorality in your heart”
- Speaking ill of the prophet
- Not having control over his family (bickering wives, rebellious children)
- Abusing wives, unhappy wives
- Having sex with wives at times other than ovulation
- Not paying assessments to the church
- Alcohol abuse
- Living like the gentiles (viewing TV, movies, music)
- Not living the dress code
- Not obeying directives from the prophet
- Associating with apostates (former members, kicked out family members)
- Refusing to give up a child for marriage
- Viewed as a threat to the leadership of the church
- Any other reason the prophet can think of

In one sad case in 2005, a man at the YFZ ranch confessed to Warren that he was attracted to other men's young wives in his thoughts. He had not acted on those thoughts. Warren decided the man would lose his Priesthood, his wives and children, and had to move away.

Contrary to clear procedures specified in the FLDS scriptures, the man is given no trial or a fair chance to defend himself. The word of the prophet is enough.

The families are usually reassigned to chosen bloodlines. There is a lot of nepotism involved. Jeffs believes that certain families have unworthy blood running through their veins. “Warren preached that when a family remarried to another man, God changed their blood and DNA to match that of the priesthood man they now belonged to. If we did not have worthy blood running through our veins, we could not gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven.”

The procedure for reassigning wives was done quickly without any input from the wives. Warren recorded on such occurance in 2005: "I first sat Alice Black and Ramona Steed down and told them,I said these words, 'I have a message from the Lord for you two ladies. Truman Barlow, your former husband, has lost the Lord's confidence and is not able to exalt you. And the Lord has revealed where you belong for time and eternity. Do you receive this message?' And they both said, 'Yes.' I told them that when a man loses Priesthood like Truman Barlow did but I told them for their piece of mind I would give them a release. And I first had Alice Black stand up. . . and said 'Sister Alice Black, in the authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, and by the keys and powers thereof I release you from your sealing for time and all eternity with Truman Ianthus Barlow, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.' Then I did similar with Ramona Steed releasing her formerly. Then Tom Cox came in Alice Black was sealed to Thomas Alma Cox, and then Ramona Steed was sealed for time and all eternity to Alma Thomas Cox." (Record of President Warren Jeffs, p. 451, August 25, 2005).

Warren Jeffs referred to men who were kicked out as men who had "been handled." Those on the outside referred to these men as being "kicked."

One son removed from his father wrote, “Very few of the men that have got kicked out did anything to warrant the punishment they received. I think it is just Warren's sick way of maintaining control over the people. Pretty soon, the only last names out there will be Jeffs, Steed, and Jessop. He is totally obliterating any other family lines. It's only a matter of time before only those with "pure blood" can reproduce and have a family.”

One example, Fred Jessop was a counselor to the prophet. He had four wives but no children because he was sterile due to mumps as a child. Before he died, he had about 18 wives and nearly 100 children, all children of other men.

The number and frequency of these reassignments has been stunning in recent years. This practice never happened expect under extreme cases during the leadership of LeRoy Johnson. One former member wrote: “[LeRoy Johnson] believed that anyone that was still alive could repent, thus he left a man with his wives to work out their salvation. When a group decided to stop coming to meetings in the early 80's President Johnson left their wives alone. Many men along the way that stopped coming to meetings, he left their wives alone. After many years some of these men came back, had President Johnson stripped them, they never would have come back and been a joy to him. Now Warren can't seem to leave anyone's wife alone and they don't even have to leave [the church] first. Warren moves more wives around in one week, than President Johnson was forced to handle, because of moral issues, during his whole administration.”

The impact of the reassignment on children can be severe. Most of them dearly love their father and they are told to forget him and now love a new man, often a much older stranger.

“I had the experience as a child of my mother remarrying several times. I got to feel first hand what it was like to be told "He is not your father any more. This is your Priesthood Father, your only father." As a child, I was willing to adapt; I accepted it and pretended it was so. Then my father changed, again and again. The whole experience hurt me very deeply.”

A son wrote: “I saw it firsthand. I was there when Warren started ripping families apart. I met with him (Warren) the day he took my dad's family away from him, and he read me some phony, psychotic "revelation," in which he accused my dad of aspiring to the leadership of the church.”

“One young boy told of how his Dad gathered the family together and told them he was leaving and that he didn't know if he would ever see them again. He packed up his books and bed and clothes and left three years ago and has not been seen since.”

Another story: “My friend lives next door to a man who has taken several wives of other men. One evening while working in her yard, she stopped to watch a group of children. One little boy sadly said ‘I don't like that man in there, I want to go back to our father.’”

The merging of families introduce new difficulties. “It is one thing to get a new wife, it is a whole nother ball of worms to get a family. Instead of love and warmth, the boys are separated from the girls and the girls are never to be left alone and double duty for each mother. Don't let the girls talk to the boys and yet you are supposed to be family?”

“I could never believe in a God that would enforce such organized adultery and destruction of families. I do believe that the young children now will be known as a fatherless generation. I believe that their psyche is being damaged and that when they grow up they will believe in nothing. A child has a lifetime history with their parents and to try to break that off for no just reason is extremely dangerous to the minds of children. The true victims here are as elsewhere, the children.”

This “musical families” can happen over and over again. “Several women are on their third husband and there have been those who have had as many as five. Whatever happened to being married for 'all time and eternity'?”

Amazingly, most of the men go away without fighting. One explained, “I never want anyone to lose their family, but when I had to choose, I chose to separate from them. I did not want my wife to have to choose between me and her religion. But I did that, and I cannot change that. I accept the correction, and I will let God decide. I love them enough to want them to stay in the religion I know is true, with or without me. I would rather die than to see my mistakes hurt someone else ever again. That is much more manly if you ask me.”

Another repentant believing man wrote: “Everything Warren Jeffs does, he does to help and improve the people. Even I who have been sent out, it was done to improve me, and the people I left behind. Although it definitely has been painful, I feel it was the best thing to happen to help me, if not to my family. Everything is a growing experience. I know it hurt him to need to do it, and I take full responsibility for it.”

The wives are victims of this process too, and some don’t leave their husband. One son told. “My family was ripped apart because my mother was told to leave my dad and they gave her a new husband. My new father was a good man and treated his wives with great respect. Six years after their marriage Warren told my mother that her present husband didn't have priesthood and if she wanted to be under the direction of the priesthood, she had to come from Idaho to Colorado City to live with her father. She obeyed but mourned and ached and tried to get the Spirit back. She was torn to the bone because she knew that she had made covenants with her husband and went against them. Back in Colorado City, her sister came to her one day and said, ‘That was a wonderful sacrifice you made.’ She replied to that comment, ‘I am going back to my husband!’ She told me, ‘Those words just came out as if the Lord had put them there for me.’ So you see she is a victim.”

Other men have fought back and refused to leave without their wife. In these cases, leaders would be sent over to try to coerce the wife to leave her husband. In some of these cases, the “priesthood” has resorted to trying to kidnap the wife away from the man. One man told how he had “to hide my wife for awhile to keep the FLDS goons to keep their distance. There was a failed attempt to steal her behind my back while I was at work that failed simply because the goons didn't know where she was. I had to get home to hide her elsewhere before the goons got there. I don't know what would have happened had not an insider leaked out to me what was going on.”

This woman explained why she refused to leave her husband. “I was once one of those fanatical women who lived and breathed every word that Warren spoke. I would have followed him to the ends of the world, sacrificed everything to recieve his approval. Lucky for me, my husband gathered his family around; and slowly began to read the Book of Mormon, and the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. My husband carefully began to ask us the questions he had, about Warren's teachings when they were not matching up with these two books. For two years, my husband diligently taught his family the simple truths of the gospel; and then he was excommunicated. His family was left with the decision to stick by his side, or follow Warren. Nothing could have prepared us for the extreme pressure we faced at that time. Thanks to my husband's patience and diligence in teaching us the true gospel. I went, with the Lord's help, and found a testimony of the true gospel of Jesus Christ for myself. Not Warren's gospel. What my husband did to keep his family together worked for many of us. He helped us to think for ourselves, and see the light.”

Why do other women leave so willingly? One woman explained: “These women have chosen the love of Warren's principles above the love of their husbands so it is not a lack of love per se as much as it is the object of their affections. They are convinced following Warren's principles is the only way to heaven. They are in their minds choosing salvation above their husbands. Many can truly say it was heartbreaking to lose their husband and be reassigned but they convinced themselves they were making the only choice available to them.”

The stress on the FLDS people who are not 100% faithful is incredible. One member wrote: “You know, 25 years ago marriages that were done in Short Creek used to mean something. The men would show love and compassion. The women were happy and showed love back. Both parties know this was for all time and eternity, the bonds of love grew strong. Both parties knew that if they would honor their marriage vows, they would be together forever. Warren has removed all this. Many women are so scared that they are going to be moved that they are slowly losing all their love and affection for their current husband. Don't you think you would lose all affection if every morning you wake up, you feared you would get a phone call and be instantly released with no further contact allowed with your husband. Then the horrible fear would continue knowing that tomorrow, or in a week, or a month, you would be placed in another man's bed with five minutes to say yes ‘Uncle Warren’ or be damned.”

Wendell Musser was one of Jeff’s trusted followers. He was even believed to be among those who cared for some of Jeff’s wives while he was in hiding in Colorado beginning in 2005. Wendell fell from favor after a DUI in Colorado Springs. Musser was sent away to repent from afar and his family was taken away from him and given to another man. Musser was not allowed to see them. He didn’t even know where they went. Later, Musser filed a civil lawsuit against Jeffs in St. George's 5th District Court. The lawsuit asked the court to force Jeffs to disclose his wife and child’s whereabouts. Finally, after a year, fearing the courts, the FLDS allowed Musser to see his wife and 18-month-old son in an auto parts store in Hildale. She wouldn't look at him at first. He said she was like a robot. She was very well coached. She wouldn't let him hold the baby. After refusing to meet privately, his wife peppered her husband with questions and accusations. She asked, “why are you persecuting the prophet?"

Thankfully, the reassignment practice has declined since Jeffs has been in prison. But the broken families have not been repaired. Hundreds are left to ponder, “Why has he taken men who were honest, decent family men and ripped them all to pieces and scattered their families to the four winds?”

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Prophecies

2009-05-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Prophecies are an integral part of the FLDS theology. They believe they have a prophet and that he has the spiritual gift to prophesy about the future. To understand what drives the FLDS, it is very important to understand their belief about the future, because it drives their day-to-day behavior.

The prophecy that is discussed the most, is a prediction about the end of the world. The FLDS believe that before Jesus Christ returns for his second coming, there will be a terrible destruction. The wicked will be destroyed, wiped off the face of the world. The most faithful FLDS who have been living their religion and obeying the prophet will be lifted up, protected from the destruction and then returned to the earth. All faithful FLDS want to be numbered with those who will be lifted up because they believe that day is very soon. They believe they will be still alive when it happens.

The FLDS prophets have identified timeframes for the important date. In fact they have predicted a specific date several times. This point is contended and denied, yet it is very evident in Warren Jeff’s taped teachings that there were specified times predicted. Let’s examine this prophecy in more detail.

Destruction

From the teachings of Warren Jeffs: A great destruction will occur. There will be a great war that will kill two billion people. Blood will flow in the streets of Salt Lake City, it is “the wickedest city on Earth” and will be destroyed. Following that, there will be a massive earthquake that will “kill quite a bit of those that are left - besides diseases and other things.” Fire will come down from heaven. “This land has to be cleansed of all the [wicked] people.” All the gentiles (non-FLDS) will be killed. Jeffs continually preached that “the Lord is about to wipe the wicked off this land.”

It was said that Rulon Jeffs prophesied that a great earthquake would hit the Salt Lake Valley and the two lakes (Utah Lake and Great Salt Lake) would come together. (Utah lake is currently about 250 feet higher and 30 miles away.) LeRoy Johnson reportedly predicted that Hoover Dam would burst and the waters of Lake Mead would flood Las Vegas. (Pretty amazing because Las Vegas is 900 feet higher than Lake Mead.)

Lifted Up

The important exception to this apocalypse is that that the righteous FLDS will be spared from this terrifying destruction.

“Everybody is going to be wiped out except the priesthood people under president Jeffs, who have kept ‘sweet.’ They will be lifted up while the judgments and destructions wipe the wicked off this land – then they will be set down again.” “Your only survival (from the large earthquake) will be to be lifted up. It will be the greatest earthquake ever to come on the earth. . . .Only those who obey President Jeffs will survive.” “We will actually be lifted up. The spirit of God will come from Heaven and take hold of any person who is filled with that spirit through their own obedience. The fire from Heaven will protect us. I yearn that you will believe. Don't doubt. This is real and it will happen in our day.”

Not all FLDS will be chosen

A chosen 2,500 has been mentioned that will be lifted up. This of course creates stress among the followers. If they aren’t picked by the prophet, they will be left behind to be destroyed. Warren Jeffs taught, “five wise priesthood people, out of the ten, will be lifted up. We have another story, how there will be two walking in the field. One will be taken and lifted up, and the other will be destroyed.” “But among us, the priesthood people, not all of us will survive. It will only be those who keep sweet. We don't want to go down with the wicked. We want to remain with our prophet.”

Obeying the prophet is the key

“You must have the faith, the trust in God and in His prophet, to go and do anything the prophet says. Even if we have to face mobs, even if destruction faces us, if we're obedient, the Lord will fight our battles. This time, the Lord will actually lift us up to protect us, as the destructions take place – or fire will surround us to keep the mobs away, if we live by faith, trust the word of the prophet and we obey. The Lord won't protect a disobedient people.” (WSJ 12/28/95)

“There is coming a time, young people, that we face, that we have to be worthy to be lifted up and protected. The Lord promised this would happen. When that moment comes, when whatever the destruction is that faces you, you have to be able to say, ‘Heavenly Father, I have been obedient to your prophet, to my parents. Will you protect me now?’” (WSJ, 2/5/96)

“The angels from heaven, with fire and power from heaven, will come to our homes one day, and all those who are prepared will be lifted up. Those who didn't see what is wrong with this and that in the world - those who are like the gentiles - will be left behind.” (WSJ 11/2/95)

When will this happen?

The FLDS prophets have stated narrow timeframes when this will occur, but officially the leaders state: “The Fundamentalist Church and its officers have not made any predictions in regard to the exact date of the Second Coming. It has long been the teaching of the church that no man knows the hour or the date of that event."

But evidence seems to point to these specific predictions. Leroy Johnson said to followers on Feb 3, 1980 in Creston, British Columbia, “We only have about 20 years until the Lord has to accomplish his work in this dispensation.'' In 1984 he prophesied: “We only have until the year 2000 to do this work.” “As to the year 2000, there will be a period of peace upon this continent for a thousand years.”

One member stated, “We started getting heavy sermons in 1989 that the economy was going to fail within 2 years and that we were to have at least 3 months of food storage. In 1994 we were told the calendar was off 4 years and the great millenium was actually going to be in 1996. Then in 1998 the Great destructions were going to be any day now. There has been so many Destruction Prophecies with the dates come and gone I cannot relate them all.”

In 1993 Warren Jeffs told the students at the church school, Alta Academy, that they this would be their last year in school because the destructions would arrive. Warren Jeffs' taped teachings indicate that in 1996 he taught the students at Alta Academy that they only had four years left. “We only have four years left, young people. The time is so short.” (WSJ 2/8/96)

In 1998 the Alta Academy in Salt Lake City was closed and followers were told to move to Hildale/Colorado City. Jeffs taught, “The main gathering for this people is in Short Creek. We know it as Colorado City. The people will gather - those that survive the destructions.” (In later years he stated that Colorado City was cursed, so this prediction may no longer be taught.)

Writer John Llewellyn wrote: “On three occasions before Rulon Jeffs died, he called a select 2,500 from his 10,000 members and instructed them to buy food and clothes and prepare to be lifted up. A plot of ground had actually been set aside designating the exact place of the gathering and expectant lifting. Before and after the ‘lifting up’ the faithful would need food and clothes. The utmost faithful purchased food in loyal anticipation, but the day before each gathering, Rulon called it off with the excuse that the Lord was giving them more time.”

The last of these three occasions occurred on 12 June 1999, a date set by Rulon Jeffs. “When the day came, the people gathered in the parking lot of the LSJ Meeting house at 6:00 a.m.” After an opening song and prayer, the group was addressed by one of their leaders. Then “everyone formed a prayer circle and held hands as a prayer was said. Forming a procession, they then made their way to Cottonwood Park, a distance of about two blocks, and engaged in a day long celebration. During the day, people went to the store to buy a supply of groceries to take with them. However, before the day ended, word came down from the prophet [Rulon Jeffs] that the people lacked the faith for this event to take place. They were told that another date would be set for it to happen, thus giving them a little more time to repent.”

FLDS have countered that this never happened, for example: “the bit about the people ‘gathering in fields and parking lots, awaiting the lifting up’ is fictitious. . . . a lot of people were told that by people trying to make fun of the FLDS, but that never happened.” However others say, “It is a truth, they believed that the only reason they were not lifted up was because they had failed in their faith. There are many more who spoken of this event.”

As 2000 approached the FLDS were observed stockpiling food for the big event, which dissidents in town derisively labeled ``the pickup.'' Also there were a flurry of marriages taking place. But Colorado City Mayor Dan Barlow, who also acted as a spokesman for the FLDS Church, called the ascension story “absolute foolishness'” and denied that Jeffs has made any such prophecy. “I see where you're going with this. You're trying to make us look like those nutcases in San Diego who committed suicide waiting for the flying saucer. . . . It isn't coming from anybody who knows. I don't know who's making it up.''

But a former member countered, "We were told in meetings that the year 2000 . . . it's been prophesied that's when the destruction will come."

In the five-page pamphlet, Warren Jeffs advised members to “sharpen up our preparation'” for the return of Christ, and he equated his father's move to the border communities as a final step. “Our prophet is so concerned that we be prepared. He is wondering if there is time for the things he is having done right now, in moving and building. He knows all the evil powers are concentrated against us.''

Most versions of the story have the righteous members lifting off from the base of a juniper-covered hill south of town known as Berry Knoll, which is said to be the site for the temple the church had hoped to construct one day.

One member wrote, “I do believe Rulon Jeffs did predict the world was going to end in 2000. Workers were called back to Shortcreek and equipment and jobs in California and Salt Lake were left behind. I believe some families where financially strapped afterwards, too. . . . Something to ponder, because the count has gone to 500 instead of 2500 last I heard.”

Well, nothing happened in 2000. No destructions, no lifting off. Warren Jeffs explained to the people that God had blessed them with more time to prepare. Next, there were predictions that there would be a massive terrorist strike during the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. This could be the start of the destruction. Jeffs explained the "time was short" and had all the FLDS pull their children out of public school. They instead attended "priesthood schools," various private schools that were organized or home schools.

“During the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT, the people were literally banned from Salt Lake City because it was told that it would be bombed and/or destroyed. This was where the great destructions were to begin. . . . for about the 6th time. After the World Trade Centers were destroyed the FLDS trucks were also banned from Los Angeles because the west coast cities were going to be nuked or great earth quakes were going to drop the cities on the west coast into the ocean. Most of the truck drivers from here haul from between Los Angeles and Salt Lake and other surrounding areas.”

As the FLDS started building in Eldorado Texas, and as 2005 approached, there were rumors that April 6, 2005 would be the “lift off” date. But officially, the FLDS denied that there was a 2005 end-of-time prophecy. Nevertheless, many eyes were looking at the YFZ Ranch in 2005. Former members pointed to a secretly recorded audio tape in which Jeffs told a group gathered for a weekly “work day” that the church would be “lifted up” on that day. The lift-up was to be followed by world-wide “destructions.”

One member disillusioned by all these predictions wrote, “Warren has predicted the end of the world a lot more than 3 times though. The final destructions are usually timed to come just before a request for a major contribution.”

And even more recent, “Warren had a revelation that the destructions can't start until the temple is finished and his people are lifted up.” Jeffs has even gone so far as to tell the people to pray for the end of the world. "Warren has been enforcing perfection. That is why people have been getting kicked out. It used to be we worked with each other to help and improve. Warren says there is no more time to repent Warren has been enforcing perfection. That is why people have been getting kicked out. It used to be we worked with each other to help and improve. Warren says there is no more time to repent."

Are these near-term predictions part of a control strategy by FLDS leaders? By keeping them in fear are they keeping them in line? Or is the end of the world really just around the corner?

FLDS Life 101 – Alta Academy

2009-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Alta Academy, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, was the school where an entire generation of FLDS children were taught by Warren Jeffs who served there as principal for 22 years. The school was located at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon on the Rulon Jeffs compound. This unusual place could be seen from the road above by skiers as they drove by it on their way up to Alta or Snowbird. The 30-thousand square-foot academy building had 44 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, two full kitchens, two half-kitchens and two laundries, all wired with a PA system.

Location of Rulon Jeffs Compound

now being taken over by development

In 1972, the school was converted from a large home and Warren Jeffs became the principal in 1976 despite having only a high school diploma. Jeffs’ rise to power and influence started in this school. A generation of FLDS faithful spent most of their childhood at the school and look back with both fond and bad memories of the place. The school was closed in 1998 after the FLDS moved to gather at Colorado City expecting that the end of the world soon arrive. The school was finally demolished for modern development in 2008.

In the 1990s, there were about 90 FLDS families living in Salt Lake City who had children attending the school. These families did not live together in a compound, but were in various homes in the neighborhoods. They were careful to not draw attention to themselves and enjoyed backyards with privacy allowing their children to play without being watched by neighbors. The school also housed a birthing center where midwives could deliver children.

Jeffs teaching Chorus Class

The curriculum included fairly standard subjects. Jeffs taught most of the math classes, all of the history classes, accounting, geography, computer science, chemistry, and chorus. Each day began with an hour-long devotional that included hymns, scripture reading and sermons. The school's motto was: "perfect obedience produces perfect faith." The devotional was held in an enormous room on the ground floor. Those in grade 4-12, attended, while the lower grades listened over the PA system in their classrooms.

One former student shared these memories of Alta Academy:

“I am an Alta Academy graduate. I rather enjoyed going to school there. It was the only school I ever knew, so it is hard to compare it to other schools. I didn’t like the strictness of the school. We could not wear hats on school property. We could not wear shirts with any writing on them. We could not wear collarless shirts or pullovers. We could not throw snowballs, and if we did, we could be expelled for it. We were not supposed to talk to the girls. We could not wear red clothing or neon colored shoelaces.”

“In Junior High the boys and girls had separate classrooms, and they had their P.E. at different times of the day. Footballs were not allowed on school property. In Junior High and High School, the boys and girls could not play any sports together. The boys would play one sport and the girls another. Warren confiscated my football in 7th grade and told me that ‘it is a sport that only causes contention.’”

“My third grade teacher would always pull me out the classroom by my ears, every time she heard me talking when I wasn't suppose to be. She also tried to slap our hands with rulers, whenever we tapped our fingers on our desks. Of course we did everything we could to upset her. So to many of us boys it was just a game to see what we could get away with.”

“Warren did ask me personal questions, like, 'what I did after school,' and if I have ever listened to the radio, or watched TV or movies, but that was as personal as he ever got to me.”

“Overall I rather liked going to school there, despite the fact that it was so strict. They did have a very good curriculum, and we were given lots of homework. The thing I hated the most were the destruction sermons we were given every few months or so. They scared the hell out of me, and many, many of the other students. He would go into great detail describing how they would happen and what would happen. I also hated the boy-girl sermons he would give. They made you never ever want to look, or even talk to a girl until you were married. So girl friends were definitely out of the question.”

Others also hated Warren Jeff’s destruction lectures, as he described what would happen to the wicked gentiles in a few years. “Several times a year he would give us the ‘death and destruction’ sermons and some of the stuff he would tell us would scare us to death. Many of us had nightmares because of his description of the destructions. He would tell us about the blood and gore of all of the dead people in the Salt Lake Valley, and many other gory and gross details. He said many things that should have never been taught to young children.” Several times he would tell the children that “this will be our last school year” because the destructions were going to happen.

Jeffs’ history classes are of particular interest because several dozen tapes of those classes have become public. Warren started taping many of his classes so students who missed the lectures could hear them. As the collection became vast, he sold copies to members who could listen to them for hours. These history classes were actually priesthood history classes. Jeffs would tell a biblical story and then relate FLDS teachings to it such as, obey the prophet, live plural marriage, don’t touch girls, blacks are evil, the world will be destroyed, and other topics.

“Warren taught math, history and church history and led devotionals every morning. Some of our lessons were slightly modified versions of the truth. We were taught that man had never landed on the moon; it was all a staged show similar to the movie Capricorn One. Why teach us this strange fiction?” Another student recalled, “At Alta Academy, Warren told us that men have never been on the moon. He told us that the Lord would never allow man on the moon. He said that the Lord allowed them to land on a little no name planet in space but he would never allow them to land on the moon.”

The science books were doctored so that parts of the human anatomy were covered. "They would just cut little pieces of paper and stick it over the private areas even if there wasn't a private area there just to make a point."

This former member listened to excerpts of the tapes recently on the Internet. “Listening to his voice brings back so many memories that I would like to forget. Now recognizing him for what he is, his voice literally makes me nauseous. For me it is a mental trigger that brings back all the crap we had to believe in or be damned to hell, the risk of our souls being destroyed because of our unfaithfulness. The weight of unbearable guilt that his teachings put upon us made us all walk around as sinners so we were continually condemning ourselves and beating ourselves up for our failures, for our humanity. We had to constantly hurry up and be perfect before the end of the world so that we were not destroyed along with the wicked and the rest of the world while our families and loved ones were saved. When I hear his voice now it reeks of evil to me. I don’t know if it is because he is and/or that in my mind I feel so betrayed. I truly believed with all my heart. I wanted to believe.”

Jeffs even taught home economics classes to the girls. “We girls were made to dress like women on a wagon train heading west and were constantly being groomed for marriage. ‘Learn how to keep a house, behead a chicken and cook it up for your husband.’” The rules Warren laid down for us were always changing. Wearing certain colors was evil one week but perfectly OK the next.”

Jeffs’ held personal interviews with children. They were something they feared and left bad memories. They climbed long stairs to reach Jeffs’ upstairs office. Caroline Cook recalled that Jeffs counseled her nearly once per week from 2nd grade on. It is believed that Jeffs was keeping tabs on one of his favorite students. Many of his brides came from his former students. Jeffs got involved with many personal aspects of the student’s lives. “Anytime there was a supposed problem he would call the parents of the student in and literally interrogated them in very personal details of theirs’ and the student’s life. It’s almost like he gets some sort of energy release by dealing with peoples intimate problems. Maybe that’s a feeling of having power over other people.”

One girl recalled being called to Jeffs' office when she was in first grade. "Warren had been told that I was holding the hand of my seven-year-old male cousin while playing outside earlier in the day. This was true, but I had no idea why he was bringing it up. As he explained, what I had done was absolutely not to be tolerated. I was never to touch boys; I was to treat them as poisonous reptiles, as 'snakes.'"

Jeffs and the rest of the staff implemented strict discipline with some rather harsh punishments. Sloppy handwriting, an untucked shirttail, a bad grade — all were signs of a personal flaw that needed to be confessed, corrected and often punished.

“Both girls and boys were whipped so badly for minor infractions that they could hardly sit down.” Even a faithful FLDS admitted these occurred. “I was once in line for one of these beatings that you have mentioned. I did not receive one, but a very nice correction and a punishment that fit the crime.” Another student wrote, “My little brother got the paddle once when he attacked his teacher in second grade. I had a yardstick broken over my desk in seventh grade when I wouldn't be quiet. But neither of these were done by Warren Jeffs.”

One female student recalled being schooled by Jeffs "We all feared him. He beat the boys and used humiliation to gain submission. He once hauled a second grader to the front of the class, grabbed him by the ankles, and began to shake him up and down, yelling, ‘I'm shaking the evil out of him!’ Each morning at devotionals Jeffs chanted, ‘Keep sweet! Perfect obedience brings perfect faith!’ Then, he gave us a new list of rules to obey: We couldn't wear stripes. We must not wear red. Some days we weren't allowed to eat. He changed the rules daily to keep us in constant fear. One steadfast rule stated girls were never to talk to boys. If you looked or smiled at one, you were a Jezebel—a scorned woman. Since I often looked and smiled, I was in constant trouble.”

“As I got more and more rebellious, he would come up behind me while I was in a group and seize me by the back of the neck and lean down and whisper in my ear, 'Are you keeping sweet or do you need to be punished?'” After getting caught passing notes to a boy, and instigating a water fight with boys at the water fountain, she was expelled from Alta Academy. She began working in an FLDS-owned factory full of other youths who openly questioned their religion. It was a common destination for FLDS kids kicked out of the school.

Brent Jeffs, Warren’s nephew alleges that when he was five or six years old, that Jeffs and two other uncles repeatedly sexually abused him in a bathroom at the school. Brent Jeffs was backed by his father, also alleges the men abused two of his brothers; one brother committed suicide in 2001.”

This former student has fond memories of Alta Academy and of his prophet, Warren.

“All of the teachers at Alta were volunteers, and only a few of them were actually certified. To make a living Warren Jeffs was a very good accountant, and also a computer programmer. He created quite a few computer accounting programs for businesses in Utah and Idaho. I remember very well the times in class when he would be interrupted by a phone call from one of his customers. Once in Geography class, I remember him speaking to a customer in Idaho over a speakerphone, and they offered him any amount to fly up there to fix their system. We, the students of the class started to cheer him on. ‘Go, go!’ (We did this get out of getting home work) But he very carefully explained to the customer on the phone how to fix the problem. ‘Darn!’”

“One thing that I remember most about Mr. Jeffs (as we called him) besides his sincere empathy; was his incredible ability to remember names. Many times after morning devotional class, one of the younger grades would go up with their teacher to show him some of their work. He would shake their hands and call each of them by name, almost every single one, even when there was a hundred. He was always pleasant and soft spoken, you could hear in his voice the anxiousness he had for all of us to succeed.”

“Warren Jeffs became a master teacher, unlike anyone I have ever met. He wasn’t mesmerizing, he wasn’t captivating, he was engaging, and he could teach any subject. In teaching Math, History, and Geography classes he would always engage the whole class, and make us ask and answer tough questions. In Geography, he would read the Salt Lake Tribune to us and make us take notes. My senior year he was my teacher in all but two classes.”

“How I wish I could go back to the days and shake Uncle Warren's hand again. To hear him talk. To see him tease a little with that sparkle in him eye and a little grin on his lips. To feel so nervous just knowing he is going to call on you to talk in morning class. He saved me from some bad mistakes I was going into as a teen. I couldn't see at the time, but he saw and helped me pull through. My own parents didn't see, but Uncle Warren did. He even called me to make sure I was okay. To make sure the choice I had made, I felt good with. He never made me do anything. He just showed me what was happening, and what I could do to get out of the mess I was in. I owe him my life.”

At Alta Academy, Jeffs put on many skits with the children. Some videos of those skits have been made public, even a scene where Jeffs wore Groucho Marx glasses. Yearbooks show him joking around in school plays, sledding with students and playing softball.

The children never said the Pledge of Allegiance. Jaleena Fischer Jessop once confronted this fact with Jeffs in a world history class, he gave her a stern look and answered "It's because we answer to a higher power," Jaleena Jessop recalls him saying. "He didn't want us to get confused about who our allegiance was to."

In the late 1990s, Jeff instituted many changes in the school. "He decided to physically separate the two sexes into different classrooms and different buildings on the compound. The curriculum for sixth-grade girls' class was wholly unlike that of the sixth-grade boys. Our scheduled recess times and grade-level activities were different, and there was no longer a time during the school day when boys and girls had any contact." The coursework was rewritten. "Books by authors outside the church were destroyed and replaced with church-approved books. Subjects such as science and current events became less important, and instead the focus was on our religious teachings." Students were told that the unapproved books at been burned. Warren said that those who read the unworthy books would take on the evil spirits of their authors.

The Alta Academy was closed in 1998 and later sold. Warren Jeffs moved to Colorado City where he had thousands to indoctrinate with his teachings. In 2000, Warren Jeffs told FLDS faithful to remove their children from public schools in Hildale and Colorado City. Two-thirds of the students disappeared overnight from the Colorado City Unified School District. At Phelps Elementary School in Hildale, enrollment got so low that the Washington County School District was forced to close it.

FLDS Beliefs 101 – Yearning for Zion

2009-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

The FLDS Ranch in Texas is named “Yearning for Zion.” What is the significance of the name and what is “Zion.” What are they yearning for?

The FLDS refer to Zion as “heaven on earth.” Before the second coming of Jesus Christ a city of Zion will be built by the righteous and Jesus will reign from this city. The FLDS believe that the righteous among them will have the opportunity to build that great city.

In Mormon and FLDS theology, Enoch, during the days of Noah, was a great prophet who built a city of holiness that was also referred to as Zion. Zion was a place of safety for the righteous. The people of that city were so righteous that the entire city was eventually taken up into heaven before the flood.

The FLDS yearn for the day when they can live in such a righteous city, be protected from the wicked world, and be lifted up to greet Jesus Christ. Several times their prophets predicted that they would be lifted up, but those prophesies went unfulfilled and the leaders blamed it on the unrighteousness of the FLDS people.

Building YFZ was likely an important preparatory step where they could learn to live in righteousness, and either be taken up into heaven or prepare for the time when they could help build the city of Zion.

Warren Jeffs taught: “Now, we are to become a united people that will build a city called Zion, heaven on earth. First, we must have a heaven in our heart, body and mind. Then, by keeping the spirit of God, our homes will become pure. Gather families together, build a city, then build more cities - the people having children and those children keeping sweet, getting married and having families. Then there are more cities on the land where there's a heaven on earth and it will grow and grow until the earth changes.” (WSJ 2/8/96)

So YFZ is likely one of those cities in Jeffs’ plan. He taught over and over again to the young people that they must obey the prophet perfectly, prepare to live plural marriage, and keep away from the wicked Gentile (outsider) ways.

“You are preparing to make a heaven on earth. The Lord is about to wipe the wicked off this land and He will only protect and preserve those who can make a heaven on earth. You want to be part of it, young people. You must come out of the world - set aside the ways of the world. You must study the priesthood way of life, love it and live by it, for if you become like the world, you must be left behind. You can't be part of the heaven on earth unless there is a heaven in you.” (WSJ 2/8/96)

Jeffs placed fear in the people’s hearts that they could be left behind if they weren’t perfectly obedient. They wouldn’t be chosen. “The Lord will clean up this people and will choose from among us, those who will prepare. Be warned, if you hear these truths and do not apply them to your life - be warned, the Lord won't use you.” (WSJ 2/8/96)

Jeffs likely truly wanted YFZ to be another “city of Enoch.” “Anyone who was righteous enough to live with Enoch's city in Noah's day was lifted off this earth and taken up to that other earth. Believe, young people, that we live in the day like unto the days of Noah. Let us be good and clean, is what I'm trying to convince you to do.”

An important part of his plan was to only invite the most righteous to YFZ, those who were the most loyal followers. Also, he knew that he needed to cast out the wicked FLDS. He believed that Enoch did this in his city -- that he threw out those who weren’t righteous or doubted his authority. "The only reason that Enoch was able to perfect a people was simply because he labored hard to cast out of the midst of his, men and women who would entertain in their minds, a doubt. . . All you need to do to be removed from this work is to just think what president Jeffs says, can't be done. You can't be used. The Lord is choosing now, who will go forward with complete faith that what the prophet says, can be done. Enoch had to cast men out because they persisted in leaving people with a doubt in their minds.” (WSJ 11/19/95)

In Jeffs’ efforts to cleanse his people, he forced people out of Colorado City and took their families away from them. (See Casting out Evil). "Warren has been enforcing perfection. That is why people have been getting kicked out. It used to be we worked with each other to help and improve. Warren says there is no more time to repent."

The FLDS believe that the original city of Enoch will one day return to the earth during a 1,000 year period of righteousness when Jesus Christ returned. Jeffs promised his people, “You can live to see Enoch's people.”

Where will this ancient city return? It is possible that the FLDS believe a questionable third-hand quote that originated with Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. He is quoted as saying that after the City of Enoch was taken into heaven, that it left behind a huge gulf – the Gulf of Mexico.

One FLDS member seems to believe that the City of Enoch would return to the Gulf of Mexico and that the YFZ Ranch will be nearby. “Yearning For Zion, which city will come next door in the great Gulf when Enoch returns. So they are in the exact right location for the yearning.” Perhaps that is a theological reason for Jeffs choosing Texas for YFZ.

Warren Jeffs wrote words to a hymn he named, “Yearning for Zion.” In that hymn are the words:

Imagine the people of Enoch of old, trained in the order of heaven
A beautiful city the Lord called his own and forever made his abode
Coming to join with the Zion on earth when finally the earth finds its rest
A kingdom established in celestial laws, a people the Lord can accept
A New Jerusalem it will be, a land of refuge, a city of peace

The FLDS believe that if they continue to live plural marriage and have all things in common, that one day their city of Zion can be joined with the people of Enoch.

Even Warren’s father taught that this city would be built. "The call of God Almighty is on me to establish the holy united order in Zion and that's what I'm about to do...God being my helper....I am going forward and . . . God is going to handle anyone who fights against it." (RTJ, 2002)

It all sounds so wonderful, but the kicker is, that the people are taught to greatly fear the consequences of not being perfectly obedient. If they didn’t, they would be left behind.

First, people in Colorado City who believed all this were constantly worrying that they Jeffs would leave them behind. If they didn’t live up to every one of Warren Jeffs edicts, they were not only in jeopardy of being left behind but also of being cast out of the Church as he cleansed the community.

The invitations to move to YFZ started coming. Homes full of families one day, would go empty the next. Complete structures would disappear. For example, this home turned up empty, thought to be among Jeff’s families: “A 19-bedroom, 23-bathroom mansion in Hildale with three kitchens, one stocked with commercial-grade equipment. The bathrooms have oversized or Jacuzzi tubs. The living room is large enough to accommodate an orchestra, maybe two.”

Imagine the feelings of the hundreds and thousands who weren’t invited to go. Surely they would push their families harder and harder to obey the prophet’s words. “Warren had everyone playing 'musical houses' and buildings started to disappear into thin air and No one knew (or would say) where they went or why. I even heard rumors that the apostates (recent ones) had taken them - and I knew that was a complete lie. I read in the newspaper about the land that had been purchased in Texas. I didn't believe it at first- not until I saw pictures of the temple as it was being constructed. And I felt SO BETRAYED.”

The greatest fear about being left behind is that they might receive the same fate as the rest of the world. “All the gentiles will be killed, but among us, the priesthood people, not all of us will survive. It will only be those who keep sweet. We don't want to go down with the wicked. We want to remain with our prophet.” (WSJ 11/15/95) The streets of Salt Lake City would flow with blood.

When Warren Jeffs taught school at the Alta Academy, he really put fear into the hearts of the children. “Several times a year he would give us the ‘death and destruction’ sermons and some of the stuff he would tell us would scare us to death. Many of us had nightmares because of his description of the destructions. He we tell us about the blood and gore of all of the dead people in the Salt Lake Valley, and many other gory and gross details. He said many things that should have never been taught to young children.”

The FLDS built a temple in their secluded city, invited only certain people, Jeffs’ most favored, and believed they were yearning for Zion. But then the “wicked” gentiles intervened and crushed their hopes and dreams. Their prophet is in prison, their temple desecrated, and so many of their children are in “captivity.” YFZ now stands quiet and mostly empty.

What is next for the FLDS Zion? Will Rulon Jeffs’ words come true? “God is going to handle anyone who fights against it."

I believe in a former member’s prediction several years ago: “Some of the zealous young people within the FLDS organization need to be made aware of the implications of acting in a rash manner. Anything you do that might harm another individual will bring down a thorough investigation of this people. The very religion you are trying to protect will be exposed beyond your wildest imagination.”

FLDS History 101 - Self-proclaimed Prophet

2009-05-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Warren Jeffs has been referred to in the media as being a self-proclaimed prophet. His rise to leadership has always been controversial. Jeffs in prison, even admitted that has hasn’t been the valid prophet. What is behind all of this?

Many years ago, the group that eventually became known as the FLDS were led by a group of men in a “priesthood council.” The man who had been in the priesthood council the longest, was recognized as the senior member. The senior member on occasion ordained additional members to the council to replace those who died before them. They were ordained as high priest apostles.

In the 1970s, there were five members in this council, with LeRoy Johnson as the senior member. During the late 1970s, Johnson and Rulon Jeffs (also on the council) pushed the rest of the council to accept a “one man rule” doctrine, to recognize LeRoy Johnson as the single person who held all the groups’ authority from God. The other three members would not go along with this concept. Finally when one of the three died, the split was two to two. LeRoy Johnson removed the other two men from the council and this resulted in the “priesthood split” where 1/3 of the followers could not accept LeRoy Johnson’s one man rule and followed after the spurned former council members. This group became known as the “Second Ward” or Centennial Park Group.

For those left, LeRoy Johnson was recognized as the prophet. Rulon Jeffs was the only other high priest apostle left in the group. Johnson never ordained others, and when he died, Rulon Jeffs became the prophet because he was the only remaining “apostle.”

Rulon Jeffs prophesied that he would live until Jesus Christ came again, who he would turn the keys of authority back to. He didn’t feel the need to ordain others to the apostleship. This left the group without a clear successor if Uncle Rulon really did die. Around 1990, Jeffs finally organized this group into a formal church he named the FLDS. He had two counselors (assistants), Parley Harker and Fred Jessop.

Where was Warren? Warren was an elder in the church and the principal at the Church’s school, the Alta Academy, in Salt Lake City.

As Rulon Jeffs became elderly, he had a stroke and Warren stepped in to be his father’s spokesman and controlled access to him. In 2000, when Parley Harker died, Warren became the 1st Counselor to his father in the presidency. Prior to this Warren always taught the people that if the prophet died, the counselors were dissolved and no longer held leadership in the hierarchy. However, after he became a counselor, he stopped teaching this.

Warren implemented many changes, demanded that the church members recognize his leadership and started to excommunicate and evict members from the community who couldn’t accept him or were suspected of immorality. He claimed that Rulon Jeffs supported all these actions.

In 2002, Rulon Jeffs died, despite his prophecies to the contrary. He was the last High Priest apostle in the FLDS. Who would be the next leader? Most hoped for Fred Jessop, who was like a father figure to the church. But with the loss of the President, the councilor positions were dissolved. Warren was only an elder in the church again and Fred was a bishop.

At a meeting with about 2,000 members, Fred Jessop understood that he wasn’t an apostle and didn’t have the right to take over church leadership. He said, “I look Warren for guidance in these uncertain times.” Warren said, “Uncle Fred is the better man.” Warren seized the opportunity and proclaimed himself the leader. He made it clear that the men should “keep their hands off father’s wives.” Within a week, Warren moved right in and secretly started to marry many of his “mothers.”

This greatly confused the people. Had Rulon Jeffs appointed Warren to be the next leader? And if he had, why didn’t Rulon ordain him to be an apostle? For several years Rulon was so ill, that he really couldn’t function much. Warren had been running the day-to-day operation of the Church. But where was his authority?

During October 2002, in general meetings, Warren invited up speakers who stated that Warren should be their leader. One was Isaac Jeffs, Warren's brother. He told the people that Rulon had "confidence" in Warren and wanted him to be his successor.

On December 1, 2002, Warren made his case to the members in a general meeting that Rulon had chosen him as the successor. Interesting that Warren supporters were at the doors of the meetinghouse and only let in those who professed support. Warren said at the podium, "Unbeknownst to me, Father has prepared witnesses for this time." As witnesses, two of Rulon’s wives Naomi and Mary, who had nursed Rulon, testified that Rulon wanted Warren to be the next leader. (Naomi had already became Warren’s wife and was with him when he was arrested several years later.) Naomi implied that Rulon Jeffs had returned to the people in the form of his son Warren. Rulon had prophesied that he would never die, that he would be "renewed." Naomi claimed, "He (Rulon) told me many times before and after his stroke that I would be called as a witness, and he told me many other things that are too sacred to repeat." She recalled in instance when she, Warren, and Mary were in Rulon's room. "Warrn walked out into the hall and I looked upon him and I saw Father's holy light shine on him. I felt the same feeling on Warren that I had felt on Father. . . . I bear witness that Warren Jeffs is the prophet."

This was a tough claim to swallow for many, because for years the FLDS blasted a previous ordination of an apostle many years ago, Rulon Allred, who was ordained by the senior council member (Joseph Musser) who was ill from a stroke. A woman also testified of that ordination. For years the FLDS preached that a woman’s witness couldn’t be used, and that Allred’s ordination was invalid because Musser was ill. Now history was repeating itself. How could it be valid in this case? A member commented, “Somehow we got to the point that ‘God and the prophet always and only do right. Don't question what God does.’ We allowed that doctrine to blind us to the point that we did the very things we found fault with in others.”

To further muddy up the waters, it was rumored that Rulon had ordained at least one other man to be an apostle, Willie Timpson (later named Willie E Jessop). Rulon, while ill, was supposed to ordain Willie to be an assistant bishop to Fred Jessop, but he slipped and gave Willie the whole package, including apostleship. Willie was told by Warren to ignore the other things, he was just a bishop.

So Warren claimed to be the new prophet, and claimed apostleship. One former member wondered, “At least he knows that's what's required to administer gospel ordinances. I wonder who he raised from the dead to ordain him?”

Moving ahead in time, Warren Jeffs removed many of his rivals from the church and community, and was later was captured and arrested. While in prison he started to make some incredible statements.

“I am not the prophet. I never was the prophet, and I have been deceived by the powers of evil and Brother William E. Jessop has been the prophet since Father's passing, since the passing of my father. And I have been the most wicked man in this dispensation, in the eyes of God."

And in a phone call to Willie E. Jessop, Warren said: “I have not held priesthood since I was 20 years old, having been immoral with a sister and a daughter. And father [Rulon Jeffs] pointing his finger to me was father's test on all of us. I know of your ordination, that you are the keyholder and I have sent a note with my signature verifying it so that there is no question. . . . All the ordinance work since father's passing has to be redone and there's many men that were sent away that do hold priesthood and their families will need to be put back. . . . I am one of the most wicked men on the face of the earth since the days of Father Adam.”

So there we have it. Warren Jeffs admitted that he was a self-proclaimed prophet. Has this changed anything? Apparently not. The FLDS don’t believe in these statements, still have Jeffs’ picture on all the walls of their homes, and still believe he is the prophet.

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Force or Choice

2009-05-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

“There is no force in our religion” is a mantra that has been heard over and over again from the FLDS women who have been put in front of the media. They deny that anyone is being forced to marry or forced to do anything. Yet, we hear experience after experience from both former and current members about coercive tactics that have been used in recent years to keep the FLDS members in line and do the bidding of Warren Jeffs.

It appears what we have here is a definition problem similar to “It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is.” Well, I guess it depends on what the meaning of the word “force” is to the FLDS.

Are force tactics used by the FLDS?

One FLDS member explained: “We tell the world we don’t force marriages. Is what we do is invite people to obey. The prophet then tells them which guy to marry. There’s no force involved. People choose to disobey. They have the right…. When they disobey they make a choice and the Lord tells the prophet to tell them to leave town. He has the right to forbid them to ever speak to even their families again. If a family chooses to disobey the prophet then they choose to disobey. If they choose to disobey then they make a choice to leave. They weren’t forced because they made that choice.”

This sounds like coercion rather than persuasion.

Certainly most Christian religions have rules. All would probably agree that Jesus Christ doesn’t force people to obey the rules. Are there consequences for breaking the rules? Yes. Does Jesus in the New Testament use coercion or persuasion? Does he still love those who break the rules?

A big difference among the FLDS is that the rule-breaker appears not to be truly loved anymore. They are branded as apostates. They are cast out, shunned, and there is no effort to seek after the “lost sheep.” They lose membership, property, and family.

One person explained: “Most religions have that theology (obey rules). The difference with the FLDS is they are told what to do in a lot more areas than most other religions from to they way to comb their hair in the morning down to the private thoughts they think. They always have that choice before them where most other people are given more options to choose from on a daily basis and that particular choice is all encompassing the little choices.”

It is important to realize that the FLDS didn’t always use these coercive tactics. Under leader LeRoy Johnson, the disobedient were cared for and given help. Under Rulon Jeffs the disobedient were tolerated. Under Warren Jeffs the disobedient were kicked out of the Church, evicted from UEP property, and families reassigned to other “more faithful” men.

One former member described the immediate changes felt as Warren Jeffs took over leadership: “I could smell rats right as soon as Uncle Rulon [Jeffs] passed away. Everything just started getting real cloudy when they started telling us to not ‘question authority.’ I mean to me that sounds like He didn't trust people to believe him when he self proclaimed himself as his fathers successor, I never heard his Father or Uncle Roy (LeRoy Johnson) say that kind of stuff.”

Another member: “President Johnson would not marry any girl that did not come and ‘turn herself in’ first. This was basically her saying ‘I am ready to be married and want you to do it.’ Warren has done away with this process and they have 5 minutes to decide or they are considered ‘Half-Hearted’ and not for the Prophet.”

An FLDS member counters with an opposing view: “No one is forced to marry at any age in the FLDS. The girls go to their good fathers when they want to get married. If he and their mother approve, then they would go see the Prophet. Every one of my sisters actually waited a while after they turned themselves in for marriage. Even after they seek the prophets council they have the option to say who they want to marry, or they can say yes or no to the man the prophet suggests without any recourse whatsoever. I saw it many times. The FLDS people seek to be inspired from heaven in all things, and most especially when it comes to this, the most important act in life. In heaven there is only peace. There is never force, ever. It is the opposite of the FLDS religion to force. We were taught that the devil was cast out of heaven because he wanted to force us to be good.”

Perhaps that was the way things were before the Warren Jeffs era.

What are the coercive FLDS rules? Here are some.

1. You must obey the prophet in all things. “The prophet is God with us and God over us. To obey the prophet is to obey God.” (WSJ 11/20/95) “We should consider any disobedience to the prophet as though it was death.” (WSF 12/21/95). With Warren Jeffs, those who didn’t obey the prophet lost their membership, property, and family.

2. All marriages must be arranged by the prophet. “You can only get married and be a priesthood family if he (the prophet) says whom you should marry." (WSJ 10/31/1995). “If a boy and girl agree to get married and just go do it, they can never be gods, because you must be married by revelation through the prophet.” (WSJ 11/1/95). Under Warren Jeffs, any who are not married properly they most likely lose their membership and are shunned by their family. They have no hope of going to heaven. There is no freedom of choice as to who to marry.

3. Boys and Girls must not date or interact together socially. “Don't date secretly with boys, you're just tricking yourself, ladies. You want a husband who is close to the prophet.” “I have been instructed that any young man who will not leave our girls alone is to be sent away and not allowed to be among us, even before they destroy the girl.” (WSJ 11/97)

A current member explains, “I did have a 17 year old cousin who did not want to get married but was very heavily pressured by her parents to enter the relationship. She did but left a couple months later."

Finally here is a sad story told by a former FLDS woman about herself. She remains anonymous, hasn’t written any books, and hasn’t gone before media.

“There once was a girl born of a good family who was good, obedient and prayerful. She loved her prophet, and yearned above all things to become a mother in Zion as the wife of a good priesthood man. But this girl was also mortal and she beheld one day a boy who was good and kind and perfect. Now, the good girl knows she is to have no contact or even thoughts about this boy and every time she thinks of him pushes the thought aside and thinks of her prophet instead. She wants to be good and do what is right. But, somehow, no matter how hard she fights it, the girl finally has to admit she loves the boy. Her only hope is to be good enough that maybe, someday if it is the Lord's will, she may be given to the boy as his eternal wife.”“But time wears on and the good girl is weak. She knows in her heart if the boy would only ask it of her she would leave with him forever. Her parents are suspicious and watch her and guard her in the name of protecting her and her salvation. Finally, when she can not take it any more, she asks her Father how to stop loving someone. Her father asks who she wants to stop loving, and the good girl tells him she wants to stop loving the boy so she can give herself to her husband- whomever he might be.”“The good girl's father uses her confession and plea for help as a weapon against the boy, taking the matter before the prophet. The girl's father pleads and pleads with the prophet to marry his daughter off soon for he fears she will be lost.”“So, the prophet sends a man over for the good girl. A man who is well known by the family for he is also married to her sister. The family knows he has been cruel to the sister- starving her into obedience when she was obedient already in the name of priesthood, yet they hope he has changed. He has been kind to the sister in recent years. Maybe he will be kind to the girl, too.”“The good girl marries the man, with the glory of heaven in her mind's eye, and when at the end of the ceremony she turns her head away from his kiss, she is greeted with laughter for her pure and innocent ways. The man grasps the good girl's face in both his hands so she cannot turn away from his kiss. The audience looks on happily as they seal their vows with this kiss. After all, the good girl said the words "of my own free will and choice," didn't she? It must be true. She gave up the boy to do what was right, didn't she? This must be what she wanted.”

Force or choice?

Prior to her marriage, here is how her parents treated her once they found out she loved a boy. “I was nineteen and I was living in near lock-down. My parents refused to let me get my drivers' license and no one else would help me get it. If I wanted to go anywhere, I had to first ask for permission, and then be accompanied by an older married adult (preferably female.) If none were available, I could not go. I could not use the telephone without permission, and my Father answered all incoming calls. There was no radio, Internet, or TV. My parents kept my social security card and my birth certificate locked away in a file cabinet and the key was hidden. So, I could not leave even if I had wanted to. I was also terrified of anything or anyone that was not FLDS.”

Force or choice?

A current FLDS member proclaims: “If a woman wants out, then she can leave, as parents, when they are still minors, we have to be responsible for them, but even then I have never seen any of the people I know force them to stay. . . . There is no force in our religion!!”

It depends on what the definition of “force” is.

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Role of Women

2009-05-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

The FLDS trace their roots back to the Brigham Young era in the 19th century. Despite being in the Victorian era, the women of early Utah were surprisingly outspoken, had their own women’s organization, pushed for the right to vote, taught self-sufficiency, and encouraged education and trades. In the FLDS today, especially since the 1970s, the role of women in their society has become a role entirely focused on pleasing their husband and having children. Girls are taught from an early age to prepare themselves for plural marriage when they will be placed in a marriage arranged by the prophet. After marriage, women must conquer their feelings, work together with their sister wives to please their husband, and to raise their children for the prophet to use as he wishes. They love their children but are always subject to the whims of their husbands and the prophet.

Recently, an FLDS women, Maggie Jessop, from the YFZ Ranch, wrote into the Salt Lake Tribune. She sarcastically wrote that the world thinks “that I belong to an uneducated, underprivileged, information-deprived, brainless, spineless, poor, picked-on, dependent, misled class of women identified as ‘brain-washed.’”

Well, let’s turn to Warren Jeff’s teachings to the FLDS girls and women to discover what they have been taught by their recent prophets.

1. Your whole purpose is to have children. “When you get married and have children, your whole purpose is to have children for the Lord to use.” (WSJ 1/2/96)

2. You belong to the prophet. “The reality of our family is that all our children belong to the prophet. You ladies do also.” (WSJ 4/3/98)

3. You must live plural marriage. “The purpose for entering into plural marriage is so that a man can raise up more children to the Lord. In heaven, there is no monogamy – no man with just one wife. . . . The only way she can be married is to be married to a man who has more than one wife.” (WSJ 1/10/96)

4. You must obey your husband. Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden cursed them. “The curse placed on Women was that when they had children, they would suffer nearly to death. The blessing on the woman was – and the only way she could ever be happy was – that she would let her husband, a faithful man, rule over her. That was the only way back to Heavenly Father for the woman.” “The woman is to obey her husband as he obeys the prophet.” (WSJ 11/8/95)

5. You must please your husband. "Knowing you're pleasing your husband, your head, brings you a heaven." (WSF 4/3/98)

6. Do not tell the husband what to do. “The wife is not supposed to command the husband.” (11/28/95)

7. Do your housework. "A mother has the responsibility for the housework and for children. You should start long before the baby is born." (WSJ 12/97)

8. Do not have girlfriends. "Do not hold on to your friendships with other girls, because then you will fall short of your eternal blessings. If you hold on to friendship with your girlfriends you will not love your sister wives. Your sister wives must be your best friends because they are part of your husband. Your preparation for this is in your father's home. A girl learns to love all her mothers. And you must love every mother and call them 'Mother.'” (WSJ 11/97)

9. Teach your children. "If the mother does not teach her child properly in those first few years the sins of the children will be on the head of the mother, not the father." (WSJ 11/97)

10. Teach your children to do what father wants. "It is the mother's duty to teach the children that everything in the home belongs to father, and that all that you are doing in the home is to build up father. (Mothers) say, ‘This is what father wants,’ and she is always turning the children to those over her." (12/97)

11. Avoid socializing. "Brigham Young names one weakness in women....When they get married they are always wanting to party, or go visiting, attend socials, do everything except the training of their children, and that is why so many children have struggles and fail, because the mother attends to everything but this duty of working with the children. (WSJ 12/97)

To make this system work, it is essential to prepare and train young girls to accept and look forward to this way of life. When FLDS girls are ready to marry, they "turn themselves in" to the prophet, to arrange a "celestial marriage." Warren Jeffs taught FLDS girls:

1. Pray to be prepared for marriage. "I hope you understand that very often a girl is given to a husband after her own likeness. You should be praying that you will be prepared and that you will be given to a husband who will prove faithful to the end."

2. Your assigned marriage will be a test of faith. "Your testimony will be tested by how you get married. If you exert your faith and obedience so the Lord can speak through the Prophet on your behalf, that will give you an anchor to your soul, that whatever you go through in that new family you know you are doing the will of God in overcoming the dross within." (WSJ 4/3/98)

3. Conquer you feelings – keep sweet. "Ladies, suppose you marry a man with another wife or wives. The family is already used to their doing things a certain way and then you come in. You have to come in as a little child and be humble and submissive, and learn the ways of that husband and that family. If a sister-wife speaks up and says, ‘Husband, she doesn't know this or that’, or says to the wife herself, ‘This is how WE do it,’ and maybe they won't be so pleasant....that's because their own feelings aren't right in themselves, and then there might rise in you certain emotions. You thought people would treat you kind and suddenly here's a hard word, or an insinuation. You're just learning to get close to that man you don't know very well, and that is why you must have the fight of faith. You have to have the fight of faith! The surety that you have is that you know your marriage is appointed of God through the Prophet. That gives the anchor to your soul. It is God's will. He will help you and you will conquer your feelings.” (WSJ 4/3/98)

4. Do not socialize with boys. “Don't go that sad road, young ladies. Don't be wooed and tricked by the cute and cool and cunning boys or men that try to get you to like them. I have been instructed that any young man who will not leave our girls alone is to be sent away and not allowed to be among us, even before they destroy the girl.” “Don't date secretly with boys, you're just tricking yourself, ladies. You want a husband who is close to the prophet. A girl who wants eternal life will want this kind of man. You must be a family in heaven, you can't get there alone, so don't play around with your eternal salvation, turn to the prophet who can read the hearts of the men. The prophet will lead you to a man who will exalt you, and when temptation comes into your mind you must pray to the Prophet." (WSJ 11/97)

Starting in the 1970s, the FLDS women discovered the book, “Facinating Womanhood” that taught that that subservience and helplessness is the real secret for a women to be attractive. That book by Helen B. Andelin, published in 1965, was used as a joke material by comedian Roseanne during the 1980s, but is still taken seriously by the FLDS. Karen Barlow taught a course in the FLDS school using this book as a text book. She said, "You can't change your husband...only...yourself''

The course taught girls to “be skilled in the feminine arts of the household, caring for children, handling money wisely and doing more than is required. Get out of the leadership role. Stop giving him suggestions. If you obey your husband, even if you disagree, things will turn out all right. Adapt to the conditions your husband provides for you, and don't have preconceived ideas about what you want or plan for your children.”

FLDS women are told over and over to “keep sweet.” To them, it means: Swallow pride, swallow emotions. Suffer silently regardless of what concerns you might have. Don’t show any emotion, don’t rock the boat, don’t make any trouble, don’t ask questions, don’t criticize, don’t find fault. Girls should accept the polygamist lifestyle and the men's wishes without complaint. Don't flinch when you're told to do something that doesn't quite feel right. Just be nice, don't complain because complaining disturbs the spirit of God.

FLDS Beliefs 101 – Obey the Prophet

2009-05-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Absolute obedience is a cornerstone of the FLDS faith and it is endlessly preached to the people. Most religions preach obedience to commandments, but the FLDS leaders preach not only to be obedient to commandments, but even more importantly to be obedient to the prophet. The prophet is the only one who can receive revelation from God for the people and if he isn’t obeyed in all things, eternal death will result. He should be looked to for all important decisions in life. His decisions should never be questioned or criticized. He is God on Earth to the FLDS.

Prior to the 1970s, this concept of absolute obedience to the prophet wasn’t part of the groups’ dogma. The people believed their leaders were men of God and they gave inspired counsel, but they didn’t fear being cast out or being eternally damned if they questioned the leader’s words. As the FLDS shifted to a “one man rule” doctrine, the prophet became the absolute authority figure. (See One Man Rule). Warren Jeffs took this to a new level after he took over leadership under questionable circumstances. He couldn’t tolerate being questioned or criticized. Penalties for doing so eventually became severe. He preached, “Perfect obedience produces perfect faith, which produces perfect people.”

What is the role of the prophet in the FLDS? Let’s take look at Warren Jeffs' teachings on the subject.

The prophet is God on earth to the people. “Each Prophet stands as God to the people. When he speaks, it is the Lord speaking.” “ When you're in the presence of our prophet, you're in the presence of God.” “The prophet is God with us and God over us. To obey the prophet is to obey God.” (WSJ 12/26/95, 1/4/96, 11/20/95)
The prophet owns the people. “Man actually belongs to [the] prophet, willing to do what is directed.”
The prophet is the most powerful person on earth. “We know the man who has the greatest power on earth. At the command of President Jeffs, he can control the weather. He can cause earthquakes to come. He can cause our enemies to be destroyed. He will not do it unless the Lord tells him, and he will not do it unless we are worthy.” (WSJ 1/16/96)
The prophet decides who can enter heaven. “You only get to heaven through the living prophet in your time. Because of this great power President Jeffs holds, he is everything to us. All your happiness comes through him.” (WSJ 11/20/95)
The prophet does not make mistakes. “He sets a perfect example and you can feel his spirit if you're praying.” “The one man - the prophet - will never teach you wrong. He will always lead you right.” "The prophet doesn't make mistakes as far as marriages are concerned. . . .If ever a marriage fails, it's not the prophet's fault. It's the people who lived it wrong if their marriage failed." (WSJ 1/4/96, 4/2/96)
The prophet’s decisions are always fulfilled. “But when. . . the prophet commands, there are angels round about him who will go and do as he commands, as the Lord inspires that man. The heavenly beings around President Jeffs, when he says a prayer and speaks, they go and make sure it happens because the Lord has promised him that when he blesses a person, that person will be blessed if they are obedient.” (WSJ 1/29/96)
The prophet is in constant communication with God. “The Lord puts something inside the prophet - enough of His spirit so that prophet can talk with Heavenly Father, even while he thinks.” “The Lord speaks in the prophet's mind. His spirit is always there in the prophet's mind). The prophet just thinks a prayer and the Lord's spirit puts the words in his thoughts. He talks with the Lord in that way.” (WSJ 12/26/95)
The prophet has a special gift of discernment to know who has sinned. “I see many of you go through the line on Sunday, to shake his hand. After meeting, sometimes I've sat with father, and he starts naming a few families. He says, ‘This person or these children have a good look in their eye and I feel a good spirit.’ Others I have heard him say, ‘That family - those children, are dark. They don't have a good spirit, a good feel, a good look in their eye.’ Did you know that's what is happening when you are shaking his hand? He is feeling your spirit. Now, shake his hand and look him in the eye, but if you feel guilty about something, you'll have a hard time doing it, or if you look him in the eye, your spirit will be felt by him, that you've been disobedient.” (WSJ 1/4/96)
The prophet is the only one who can receive revelation for the people and has the right to rule the people in all areas of their lives. The early FLDS prophets taught their people that they had the right to receive personal revelation from God for their lives. Recent FLDS leaders changed this teaching. Revelation for individual lives only comes through the prophet. He is the one who will reveal whom they should marry. (See Arranged Marriages). He will be the one to determine a person’s occupation in life. Parents can receive inspiration for their family, but revelation will come through the prophet.

“That one man is as God over the people and has the right to rule in all areas of life”

“No father, can go off and make up his own rules. For him to stay a faithful father, he must live the prophet's rules. Nobody can be their own big boss and get to heaven, right up to our Savior, direct. You only get to heaven through the living prophet in your time. Because of this great power President Jeffs holds, he is everything to us.” (WSJ 11/20/95)

“The Lord tells us if we do what He says, He is bound to bless us. . . . How do you know what He says? It is called revelation. The Lord speaks through His prophet. When your parents tell you to do something, they are prayerful. They have inspiration what you should do. . . . For you to be called an obedient person, you must listen to those over you. Every blessing you will ever get in priesthood, you must listen to those over you and do as they direct, not you commanding them.” (WSJ 1/4/96)

An FLDS member explained. “You see, in the FLDS, as a loyal young man, you are to check in with the Prophet and be told what to do and become (profession wise). In the past, the young men could get a building lot and build themselves a house. This gave them something to work towards, a goal, an identity, a place to raise a family. Under Warren, they are to simply turn in all their money over to the Prophet, and they may get a house, or a trailer, or who knows what."

There are a couple important rules to follow in obeying the prophet.

Do not alter an anyway the prophet’s counsel. “You cannot change what the prophet says and think you're obeying.” (WSJ 1/4/96)
You must not recommend things to the prophet. If you do, it will be your own ideas, not revelation from the Lord.
Answers to prayer come through the prophet. You must have a prayer in you heart when you meet with the prophet. “when a person prays, the Lord answers them through the prophet I want you to believe that when you go to President Jeffs with a prayer in your heart, the Lord talks to you, through him. His word is the word of God.” (WSJ 2/5/96)

What are the penalties for not obeying the prophet? Under LeRoy Johnson, the disobedient were cared for and given help. Under Rulon Jeffs the disobedient were tolerated. Under Warren Jeffs the disobedient were kicked out of the Church. Here is what Warren Jeffs taught would happen to those who disobeyed the prophet.

Death. “We should consider any disobedience to the prophet as though it was death.” “Truly, rebellion against the prophet is death.” “Obey the prophet when he speaks and you'll be blessed. Disobey him and it is death.” (WSJ 12/26/95, 12/21/95)
You will start acting like a gentile. “If you forget what the prophet says and don't turn to him and don't love him, you will turn to the world - automatically, it will happen.” (See Gentiles). (WSJ 12/21/95)
You will become an apostate. “An apostate is a person that turns against the prophet. They turn away from him at first then they turn to fight him in the end. People who criticize the prophet will eventually turn against him.” To became an apostate is worse than death. (See Apostates.) (WSJ 4/2/96)
You will lose your Church membership and lose your family. An FLDS member explained, “A man loses the Priesthood by being morally unclean, or doubting the prophet in the smallest detail. Loyalty to the Prophet has now become more important than anything else, even treating others with love and respect.”

For the FLDS today, everything flows through the prophet. A chain of obedience exists. The man must obey the prophet. The woman must obey the husband as he obeys the prophet. If a woman disobeys her husband, she is disobeying the prophet, and disobeying God. An FLDS member explained: “When it comes to choices you have to choose to do what the prophet wants even if you are sent to prison. The thing here is obedience. We’re obedient to our prophet and in turn our wives and children are obedient to us.”

A former FLDS member explains “THERE IS NO LOVE. The only motivation out there is FEAR. They live in fear of having all that they hold dear removed from them. They live in fear of going to hell because they do not implicitly obey the fiendish dictates of a man in a desperate power struggle, who just can't seem to get enough.”

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Gentiles or “outsiders”

2009-05-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

During the leadership of Leroy Johnson, Rulon Jeffs, and Warren Jeffs, the FLDS became more isolated, keeping their families more and more apart from those not of their faith. Fearing persecution and believing that there were conspiracies against them, leaders instilled walls of fear in the minds of the people in an attempt to keep them distant from mainstream society. They no longer accepted converts and married only within their closed society. Leaders prophesied that the end of the world was very close, and members eventually were ordered to gather in the Hildale/Colorado City area. Harsher rules were put into place to keep the FLDS from being corrupted by the outside world.

All those who are not FLDS members (outsiders) are referred to as “gentiles.” Jeffs has taught the FLDS that gentiles are very evil. “The main description of the people today is, they have only evil in their mind continually. Look how easy it is to think evil. Television and radio are fulfilling this in our nation today. If you turn on the television, you will only think evil. If you listen to the gentile music, you will start to only think evil.” (WSJ 11/15/95)

The FLDS are taught that gentiles are idol worshippers because of their objects (TV, jewelry, carvings, pictures, etc.) that they desire. “Whatever you love is what you obey. If you love anything more than Heavenly Father, more than keeping sweet, you are an idol worshiper. . . . you're not supposed to have little trinkets on your dresser, or the image of anything in your home that is useless - things hanging on your wall that are just useless - images of people or animals or whatever, those are idols. . . . If you went into the gentile homes, there you would find idols all over their houses.” (WSJ 11/22/95)

Jeffs taught, among the most evil gentiles in the world are the African Americans and the Mormons. “How has the devil used the Negro race in our day? Today, the big, neat thing among the young people is the rock music, heavy metal music, the rap music. Even the white people that play it were taught through the Negro. The music from the gentile world, with the fast beat and bad words, is from the black race. . . . If you partake of the ways of the world today, you are partaking of the ways of the black race.” (WSJ 11/15/95)

The FLDS believe that the Mormons became “the great and abominable church of the devil” when in 1978 they allowed blacks to receive the priesthood. FLDS leader, Leroy Johnson taught his people that the devil appeared to Mormon prophet Spencer W. Kimball in the Salt Lake Temple when he received a revelation allowing blacks to receive all possible blessings in the Mormon Church. “Uncle Roy, the true prophet at that time, knew what had really happened. He said the personage was Lucifer, sitting in the temple of God, as God, deceiving the people. The revelation that he wrote was that the blacks had the right to marry whites and they could go in the temple and receive the priesthood and blessings of the church. Uncle Roy said, when that revelation was received, that Mormon Church became the great and abominable church, the most wicked church on earth. . . . All churches have joined together and are doing what the Mormon Church is doing in today's world. All churches have done the same.” (WSJ 11/15/95)

Jeffs taught that punishments from God would be severe if the FLDS allowed gentile ways to creep into the families. “The angels from heaven, with fire and power from heaven, will come to our homes one day, and all those who are prepared will be lifted up. Those who didn't see what is wrong with this and that in the world - those who are like the gentiles - will be left behind.” (WSJ 11/2/95)

Jeffs taught the FLDS that all outsiders or gentiles are wicked and would eventually be destroyed. “All the gentiles will be killed, but among us, the priesthood people, not all of us will survive. It will only be those who keep sweet. We don't want to go down with the wicked. We want to remain with our prophet.” (WSJ 11/15/95)

A more real-to-life punishment is greatly feared by the people. If they accepted gentile ways, they would be cast out of the community.

Jeffs eventually had the FLDS pull all their children out of public schools. He believed in church controlled schooling. Many years earlier he taught “[The prophet] even provided this school so you wouldn't hear all the gentile garbage, and partake of the gentile ways.” (WSJ 11/2/95)

FLDS children are promised great blessings if they stay true to their beliefs and stay away from gentile ways. “If you pass the test of obedience, keeping sweet, then you will be given great blessings - even the privilege of living celestial and plural marriage, the greatest law that will exalt you to become Gods and Goddesses.” (WSJ 12/13/95)

An FLDS member sums up the feeling about gentiles when he explained, “Our children must be protected from the evil ways of gentiles. We can’t have people hanging around giving our children stupid ideas…. You gentiles don’t have a right to get in the way with the way we raise our children or our women. The way we do things here is part of our religion and the constitution guaranteed freedom of our religion.”

FLDS Life 101 – The Good Memories

2009-05-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Some have developed to a skewed view that all FLDS are scheming, evil predators. The vast majority of the FLDS are good, hardworking people who are full of faith. Not all families experience abuse. One former member wrote: “Another good thing I have witnessed is that no matter how few or far between, there are several families I know that have had 'perfect' moments. I am not talking about the ‘smiling to keep sweet even though your heart is breaking,’ but true happiness. Moments where every wife is truly happy and for a little time they are the idealic plural family.”

Life for the FLDS hasn’t always been the way it has been in recent years under Warren Jeffs’ rule. Prior to Warren Jeffs’ reign, things were much different. Before Warren Jeffs banned community events, dances, sports, church meetings, and other activities, the people interacted with each other in kind and neighborly ways.

Holidays were a favorite time in the small rural towns of Hildale/Colorado City (Short Creek) nestled below redrock cliffs. Rulon Jeffs establish a three-day Harvest Fest celebration that was attracted members from as far away as Canada. One person recalled fondly, “How fun was it to go on the hay rides at the Harvest Fest? My friends and I went mostly for the rides and to google over the Canada boys that came down.”

A July 24th celebration was also a grand event. This was “Pioneer Day,” a holiday in Utah to commemorate the arrival of the first pioneers in 1847. “I remember Uncle Fred [Jessop] riding a black stallion at the head of the 24th of July Parade every year. The stallion would be all decked out with tassels and silver, and everyone would cheer. Someone would usually throw candy from one of the floats, and the children would go wild after it.”

“I lived in Salt Lake and I always looked forward to going down south for October Fest, April conference, 4th and 24th of July and any other reason I could find to go down there. I loved to go down to the basketball court and I would play basketball from morning until dark. I would only quit long enough to grab something to eat. Everyone down there was so friendly and I miss those good ole days a lot.”

A former FLDS member wrote this touching memory when life was so different among these people: “Oh, back to the good things about [Short Creek.] I loved the community programs! And the Harvest Fest, and the Park fundraisers, and the 4th and 24th of July, doorbell ditching on Valentines Day, and going for walks on summer evenings, and drives with the family on Sunday evenings, hiking in Water Canyon, baseball in Maxwell Park, homemade everything (yummmmmmmy food!!) talking with the family and any friends came at dinner time, (no TV!). Singing for everything, the dances, taking turns staying up all night to make the sorghum, helping out anyone and everyone on Saturday work projects, oh, and when someone lost a loved one, even if it was a baby or small child, 4000+ people came to the funeral. Oh, and not having to lock my doors at night, and being able to leave my keys in my car!! These things I truly miss! But most of all, I MISS MY FAMILY THAT ARE STILL OUT THERE!! I have tears running down my cheeks, I miss them so much! You know, I just realized....that is what it is! Everyone was family out there.”

Activities included dances, movies, plays, ice skating, and swimming. A dance was held every other Friday night and a movie on alternate Fridays. Fred Jessop would usually stage a play production about every year or so, using the same scripts over and over again. “I looked forward to dances, plays or whatever special entertainment was planned for the weekends before returning to school on Monday mornings.” “Another great thing I miss were the dances and afterward singing ‘Give Me A Home In The Heart Of The Mountains.’ A sweet warm fuzzy memory.”

“When I was a kid, all of the ponds, sumps, and reservoirs would freeze over from about Thanksgiving to the end of February. We were constantly in search of good ice, not all of them had ice thick enough to skate on. When we found good ice, every one with a pair of skates would show up. Someone would build a bonfire using old tires (stunk like hell, but gave good light, just don't stay downwind for too long) and we would skate for hours. When we got home my mom would put us in the tub and run cold water on us to thaw us out. That sure hurt, but it was worth it just to skate all night. During the summer, all of the ponds, sumps, and reservoirs would turn into swimming holes. Water Canyon was the greatest as long as you could make it through the sand spots in the road. We usually had someone's mom's car, and would let the air out of the tires to make it. That water was cold!”

Here’s another fun Saturday activity: “I know this isn't a big thing for city folks, but my dad let my brother and me take the garbage to the dump on Saturdays. That meant we got to drive...and we were only 11 or 12. We used to make a day of it and bring more treasure home than trash dumped.”

At times, a Monday morning devotional was held. “One of my favorite things was the way Monday Morning Meeting used to be. I loved to wake up early in the morning when the sky was still tinged pink above the mountains. The people would gather in a line forming a hollow square, and shake hands with everyone else. And, MJ would say "Good morning everyone!!" to which there was always a rousing reply and then we would sing hymns and listen to the musical numbers.”

“I like to remember the old school days, when Louis Barlow was principal, he got an old war surplus generator and had some of the guys hook it to an old car engine. We actually had electricity at the school! Lou had us dig a well by hand. Someone would be in the hole digging, while others would pull the buckets of dirt up on a rope. We planted grass in the square that was between the three school buildings. I believe that was the first lawn ever planted in short creek! We put up a tall flag pole in the center of the lawn. One evening I was playing around at the school, it was about dusk, Merril and Truman came along and grabbed me ,they jerked my pants off and ran them up the flag pole.”

In days gone by, the many acts of kindness were common place. “I remember Uncle Parley [Harker] distributing spuds around town. I also remember Uncle Fred [Jessop] bringing groceries to the house one time when I was laid up, and couldn't work.” Another act of kindness: “I remember whenever there was a funeral, Uncle Alvin would gather up his boys and go rake the family's yard. People would bring over food and offer support to the family.”

One former member who wasn’t strictly obedient recalled: “I remember ditching 1st period devotional, ditching 7th period study, easily outrunning the nightwatch night after night (later called the godsquad), hiking every mountain around town, falling asleep at the cannery at 3 in the morning on the second day, playing basketball at Holms' and pretending we weren't there to flirt with the girls, patching the holes in my bike tubes every week, having a hundred best friends, riding my minibike down to the gas station and draining all the hoses into the tank, then topping it of with 10 cents, stealing my dad's beer out of the fridge, and kissing the neighbor girl.”

But life radically changed until Warren Jeff’s leadership. In July of 2003, Jeffs got up in front of the people and told them the Lord was displeased with them for building a monument of the 1953 Short Creek raid. He told the people that the blessings of the Priesthood would be removed. There would be no more meetings. He said that Colorado City was cursed.

Under Jeffs, there were no more dances, plays, or movies. Boys and girls could no longer associate together socially. One former FLDS member sadly misses the culture that used to exist “The only culture left is cold as an Alaskan winter. Basketball, Harvest Fest, dances, plays, and now church [meetings] even are all bad, wicked of this world activities that have been crossed of the ‘list’ to do in the FLDS social life.”

With Jeffs is jail, in 2007 many nearby residents decided to hold an Easter celebration at Cottonwood Park in Colorado City. About 700 people attended from all over. “We had the BEST time. They opened up the zoo, made the whole place kid friendly. The egg hunt was great too. Barbeque chicken to die for!! Thank you everyone for helping with the side dishes and the great company.” But….there wasn’t any FLDS followers of Warren Jeffs there, even though they were welcome to attend.

FLDS Beliefs 101 – Casting out evil

2009-05-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Under Warren Jeffs' leadership, many men, women and boys have been cast out of the FLDS Church. Many of them have been forced out of their homes and away from their families.

Excommunication of unfaithful followers (removal of membership) is part of most religions. But the FLDS took this practice to unprecedented severity as they stripped people not only of their membership, but also of their homes and families.

What could be the justification? How did this come about? During the early years of LeRoy Johnson’s leadership, members who doubted or criticized leaders were mostly tolerated with some degree of patience. But in the 1970’s, divisions, contentions, and power struggles arose among the leaders.

In 1976, the first member was forced out of his house in Colorado City. Jim Blackmore was no longer permitted by LeRoy Johnson to live in the house he built in the late 1960s. Jim didn’t back down and filed a lawsuit. Never before had the FLDS leadership taken a man’s house from a man. In the past if someone apostatized, they would get discouraged and leave, but LeRoy Johnson made the decision to start forcing members out of the society if they were out of harmony with him. Blackmore eventual dropped the suit and left because of the legal fees needed.

Sometime in 1980, LeRoy Johnson received a revelation in which the Lord told him to clean up the town. He commissioned local law-man Sam Barlow to make things happen. The first eviction attempt was against a widow with eight children. After much hardship, she finally agreed to leave. Other evictions followed and Barlow stepped up to new levels of intimidation by using a “God Sqaud” of young men to beat up people judged to be apostates.

Things really heated up because of the “Priesthood Split” during the 1980s when 1/3 of the families refused to recognize LeRoy Johnson as the “one man” to rule over them. Fierce legal battles involving the United Effort Plan (UEP) took place lasting many years. The FLDS lost the suit and the ruling confirmed that they did not have the right to evict people from the homes that they built.

Rulon Jeffs, the next prophet, blamed the defeat on the sins of the people. Warren Jeffs later explained, “Uncle Roy told us, all it takes is one or two covenant breakers, in order for the Lord to curse this people. In the midst of the court case where the apostates have tried to destroy the United Effort Plan, one or two years into the lawsuit, President Jeffs called on this people to fast and pray. We were so completely defeated at that certain court hearing. The spirit of the Lord told President Jeffs why... there were many immoral people among us. He stood up in meeting and said, ‘I am calling for this people to confess their evils. If you've been immoral, come and confess and let us clean up this people.’ Within about three years time, there were over sixty cases of immorality that were confessed to him. Because of the sins among this people, we have not triumphed in the courts. I hope and pray that we are cleaning up now, and our prophet will have a people the Lord will protect. By the lifting up process, this people will finally be cleaned up. Those who are not pure will be left behind to be destroyed.” (WSJ 12/26/95)

The FLDS “yearn for Zion,” to live in a society free from sin and contention, where all things are held in common without jealousy -- a heaven on earth. As the FLDS leadership continued to prophesy that the end of the world was quickly approaching, they taught the people that wickedness needed to be purged from their society. Jeffs taught, “One or two covenant breakers can cause the Lord to stop blessing this people. As long as we have evil doers among us, the Lord's blessings will be withheld. Zion must be pure. We can't have evil people among the priesthood for the Lord to appear and bless us like He would like to. Be this a warning.” (WSJ 12/26/95)

Jeffs laid the doctrinal groundwork to justify a cleansing of the FLDS. Their theology teaches that an ancient city led by a prophet named Enoch, was taken up into heaven because of their righteousness. The FLDS believe they can be taken up too as the wicked world is destroyed.

Jeffs stated that LeRoy Johnson taught, “"The only reason that Enoch was able to perfect a people was simply because he labored hard to cast out of the midst of his, men and women who would entertain in their minds, a doubt." (LSJ book p. 1053)

Who should be cast out? Jeffs explained, “whenever there was anybody who said ‘We need to go out and be like the world a little bit,’ those were the people that Enoch cast out and didn't let be among his people,” and “Enoch had to cast men out because they persisted in leaving people with a doubt in their minds.” (WSJ 11/19/95)

Two reasons were clear: Those who wanted to live “gentile” ways and those who doubted the prophet and would be a threat to the faith of others.

In 2004, the FLDS purge reached new levels as Jeffs removed many who, in his mind, were in opposition to him. During a meeting with 1,500 members, he read off a list of 20 men, asked them to stand, and told everyone that they had been excommunicated from the Church. They were told to immediately remove themselves from UEP property and leave the community. They must leave their wives and children behind to be reassigned to other men.

Isaac Wyler was one of these men. He explained, “Warren looked at us and said, 'You know what you have done,'" Wyler didn't know why. "He told us to keep working, keep sending him money, and to repent from afar. I sent him a 25-page letter of repentance listing anything I might have done. He never answered my letter."

As Jeffs started to build his Zion community at YFZ Ranch in Texas, the purges continued, even while he was in hiding from the law. Leaders would use informants and spies to seek out those who should be cast out. One man wrote, “Isn't it indecent for FLDS grown married men to be spying on my wife and child for 3 hour shifts at a time while I am at work?”

Another member cast out explained: “When we were asked to leave two years ago, some of the brethern were sent to our house to ask if what they had heard about us was true. I was gone, but my husband answered the door. They gave him a chance to admit or deny before quietly asking him to leave as soon as we could find a place to live.”

Warren’s brother Lyle Jeffs, continued casting out members while Jeffs was in hiding. Many men are still “repenting from afar” hoping that they can some day return.

The families they leave are ordered to have no more contact with the person because they are now apostates. (see apostates) “When my father got kicked out, they took all the pictures and burned them. ‘Take the pictures down,’ forget the past acquaintances, and carry on with your life like nothing ever happened. Act like your loved ones never existed.”

After Jeffs' conviction and sentencing, the purges appear to have ceased. But his efforts to build Zion has left behind a trail of tears.

“Who will be Zion, filled with his love, laboring now with the hope of a glorious day, when Zion shall rise, and the words of the prophets unfold. When Zion shall flourish upon the hills, the wilderness blossoming fair as the rose.” From Yearning For Zion by Warren Jeffs.

FLDS Beliefs 101 – The Family

2009-05-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

The family unit is highly valued by the FLDS. It is the foundation of their belief system. Unfortunately in their leaders’ zeal to protect the family, they have highly restricted freedom of choice, and destroyed hundreds of families along the way as obedience to the prophet in all things takes precedent.

The FLDS believe families can be eternal, that is, that they can exist after this life. “Here, you earn the right to live as family in the next life. In time, you will be raised out of the grave and live in families in heaven” (WSJ 10/31/95)

But families are only eternal under certain conditions.

The family must be FLDS.
Men must receive the Melchizedek priesthood. (Authority bestowed by the prophet).
A family must be created by the prophet. (see arranged marriages). “A family can only be a family by appointment of the prophet. You can only get married and be a priesthood family if he (the prophet) says whom you should marry.”(WSJ 10/31/95).
The family must live plural marriage.
Families must be faithful and obey the prophet in all things. “No father, can go off and make up his own rules. For him to stay a faithful father, he must live the prophet's rules. Nobody can be their own big boss and get to heaven, right up to our Savior, direct. You only get to heaven through the living prophet in your time. Because of this great power President Jeffs holds, he is everything to us.” (WSJ 11/20/95)
Families must live together in harmony during this life. “In heaven, everyone is organized into families. If you've done evil, fought and quarreled, you will live separate. Here, you earn the right to live as family in the next life.” (WSJ 10/31/95) “The righteous and faithful are organized in the family and are in perfect harmony. Death doesn't separate family unless you are rebellious. If wicked, you won't live with the faithful in a family.” (WSJ 10/31/95)
After this life, the prophet must give approval for you to go to heaven where you can still be a family. “You can’t become a god and go up to heaven unless you have the permission and approval of the prophet in the day you live. He (the prophet) holds the keys of the priesthood - meaning, he can turn the keys in your favor. He can give you a blessing that is eternal. If you don't get your blessings through him, then you don't have anything.” (WSJ 11/1/95)

Because these conditions are so narrow, it motivates FLDS leaders to put into place restrictions that in their view will protect the family members from wicked outside influences. (see Gentiles). Critics maintain that these restrictions are just a vehicle to control the people, but there does seem to be some logically rational behind things such as modest dress, no TV or movies, boys and girls not socializing, etc. The restrictions are rationalized as being needed to ensure family members are on a path to be faithful in receiving priesthood, entering an arranged marriage, entering plural marriage, having children, and living a good life. Where this falls apart in the FLDS society are the penalties for coming up short, the unjust internal persecution, and the lack of second chances.

When a daughter is married, she is no longer part of her father’s family. He has no claim on her anymore. She is now in her husband’s family. After this life, the fathers will bring forth their families in the after-life resurrection. “The father will take hold of the hand of his wives - he will raise them up, one by one, out of the grave because he was... then he will go to his sons and raise them out of the grave. I'm talking about faithful fathers, mothers, and sons. The girls will be raised out of the graves by their husbands - not their earthly father.” (WSJ 10/31/95)

If a father is deemed to be unfaithful, his family can be taken away from him by the prophet and his wives are assigned and married to other men who are viewed as faithful. Hundreds of families have been broken up and dissolved by decree of the FLDS leaders. This obviously has a deep impact on the father, but the family left behind have serious difficulties adapting to their new family life. One FLDS member wrote: “I had the experience as a child of my mother remarrying several times. I got to feel first hand what it was like to be told ‘He is not your father any more. This is your Priesthood Father, your only father.’ I accepted it and pretended it was so. Then my father changed, again and again. The whole experience hurt me very deeply.”

Curiously, the FLDS don’t seek after their “lost sheep.” Instead they turn their backs on them, let them stray, and forget about them.

Those who are shunned most often lose their faith in the FLDS beliefs, but they don’t lose their love for their families. One former member wrote: “I miss my family out there too. Some days I want to cry, but the tears don't come, because I KNOW that underneath all the stuff that is between us, my family really does love me. And it is hard, but I don't have to see them to remember. I know they are just trying to do what they think is right, and I don't think it is my place to push them to believe what I believe. I only need to understand. And, I keep things. I keep the last birthday present my mother gave me and it's on my dresser every day so I can remember that she loves me and every year that goes by without a phone call, I know she is thinking of me and loving me, and maybe shedding a few tears for me that day. And that is enough.”

FLDS Beliefs 101 - One Man Rule

2009-05-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

The FLDS traces its roots and authority from God back to a group of families who believed they were instructed by God to keep the principle of plural marriage alive after the Mormon Church abandoned the practice in 1890. Their families were led by a “priesthood council” -- a group of men. The council had a senior member, but they all made decisions together. In those early years they concentrated on keeping plural marriage alive. They didn’t worry about controlling the people or demanding loyally to one man. But over time things changed in the current FLDS doctrine where loyalty to the “one man” who has the sealing powers is more important than anything else, including families.

In the early 1980s, LeRoy Johnson was the senior member of the priesthood council. “Uncle Roy,” influenced by others seeking power, outlined extreme actions that other members of the council didn’t want to follow. He explained that it was not a democracy, that he didn’t need their support since he held all the keys (authority from God). Marrion Hammon, second in seniority questioned this belief, and referenced a past revelation that stated that all members of the council held the same keys (authority). Johnson insisted that the source of the revelation was of the devil. A serious split resulted in the priesthood council. Marrion Hammon and Alma Timpson could not accept the doctrinal changes Johnson and others were introducing in this power struggle. A split eventually occurred and about 1/3 of the families followed after Hammon and Timpson. They became what was referred to as “the Second Ward.” The rest stayed loyal to Johnson. The Second Ward today is not part of the FLDS and is known as the Centennial Park group.

Johnson decreed this new doctrine: “There is only one man at a time, and that is the way it has been throughout all the history of Gods dealings with people, both in this world and in the world before this one, and the world before that one. Only one man at a time holds the keys and power of the sealing power, and those who act during his administration are only acting under a delegated authority" (LSJ 2/12/84)

Under Rulon Jeffs’ leadership, he further solidified the “one man rule” doctrine. He went so far as to change the history of the group by eliminating from their succession of leaders, any senior member who had taught against the “one man rule” doctrine. In the 1950s, The FLDS magazine “TRUTH” showed their line of authority as: Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, John Woolley, Lorin Woolley, Leslie Broadbent, Joseph Musser, and Charles Zitting. But Jeffs changed history and now, if you look closely at picture of YFZ walls, and on the FLDS website, you will not see pictures of these men: Wilford Woodruff, Leslie Broadbent, Joseph Musser, and Charles Zitting. These men were eliminated from FLDS history and stripped of their priesthood posthumously because they taught things that didn’t line up with the “one man rule” doctrine desired.

It is rumored that they went even further by sanitizing transcripts of LeRoy Johnson’s sermons after his death, removing references to Joseph Musser during the time he was recognized as being “the one.”

Warren Jeffs taught the FLDS children a different version: “About 15-17 years ago, there were several apostles who turned traitor against President Johnson. Many apostles have fallen away, not believing. There is only one man who holds all the powers of priesthood and is the key holder, and that one man today is President Jeffs. He is our Enoch, our Moses, our Elijah. The work of all the prophets is now alive in President Jeffs. . . . A few years ago, Marion Hammon, Guy Musser, Alma Timpson - men who were ordained apostles - turned traitor against Uncle Roy. They wanted to be the great power over the earth, and they wanted Uncle Roy to die, but President Jeffs was there to help him.” (WSJ 11/20/95)

Now with this “one man rule” established, the FLDS prophet could call all the shots. To the FLDS, the prophet is God to them. They don’t worship the prophet, but his word is God’s word. “Because of this great power President Jeffs holds, he is everything to us. All your happiness comes through him. The Lord has promised this prophet, ‘Whoever you bless, I will bless. Whoever you curse, I will curse.’” “To obey the prophet is to obey God.” (WSJ 11/20/95) “You become like God through obeying the prophet - the man who stands as God.” (WSJ 11/20/95) “We worship the true and living God by obeying His prophet.” (WSJ 11/22/95).

As you can see, for the FLDS today, everything flows through the prophet. A chain of obedience exists. The man must obey the prophet. The woman must obey the husband as he obeys the prophet. If a woman disobeys her husband, she is disobeying the prophet, and disobeying God. “No father, can go off and make up his own rules. For him to stay a faithful father, he must live the prophet's rules. Nobody can be their own big boss and get to heaven, right up to our Savior, direct. You only get to heaven through the living prophet in your time. Because of this great power President Jeffs holds, he is everything to us.” (WSJ 11/20/95)

What is the consequence for not obeying the prophet? One bad thing, is death. “This land has to be cleansed of all the people except the priesthood people [faithful FLDS]. Only those who obey President Jeffs will survive.” (WSJ 11/19/95). “We've told you what happens to the disobedient. They will never see Heavenly Father again.” (WSJ 11/8/95)

A former FLDS member explains “THERE IS NO LOVE. The only motivation out there is FEAR. They live in fear of having all that they hold dear removed from them. They live in fear of going to hell because they do not implicitly obey the fiendish dictates of a man in a desperate power struggle, who just can't seem to get enough.”

An FLDS believer claimed these people aren’t controlled, they have choice: “They are just taught that they are the only true people of God. They don’t have to stay where they are. They choose to. They are true believers of Warren so it’s not like they don’t have a choice, trust me if they didn’t believe in him they would be kicked out.”

Believe or be kicked out, lose your home, family, all that you know and love. This is systematic removal of individuality and free choice in the name of “perfect obedience to authority.”

FLDS Beliefs 101 – “Keep Sweet”

2009-05-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

"Keep Sweet" was a favorite phrase used by Rulon Jeffs, Warren Jeff's father, the prophet before him.

Here is how Rulon Jeffs described the meaning of keep sweet in a talk on Dec. 6, 1991, in Sandy, Utah: ''I want you all to understand the continual use of the two words ''keep sweet'' means keep the Holy Spirit of the Lord, until you are full of it. Only those who have it will survive the judgments of God which are about to be poured out.” In 1994, again in Sandy, Utah, Rulon Jeffs also said: ''Keeping sweet no matter what is a matter of life or death as we approach the day of the great judgments that are to go over the earth. . . Let us get it and keep it. You don't turn it off and on. It must be a permanent thing in our very nature, and a part of our character.”

In the late 1990s, the FLDS published a newsletter for the members and the masthead included, “With Every Breath, Keep Sweet, No Matter What.” At the Bountiful compound in Canada, “keep sweet” is spelled out in white stones at the entrance of the school. Wall plaques can be found in homes emblazoned with "Keep Sweet, No Matter What." In the YFZ Ranch in Texas were seen signs that stated, “"Keep Sweet Forevermore.” When Rulon Jeff’s compound in Sandy was sold in 1999, it was noticed that walls in his main house were decorated with wallpaper saying "Keep Sweet No Matter What."

Warren Jeffs has taken this phase a step further, making it into a commandment, a mantra to keep your feelings under control. “If you are keeping sweet no matter what, you are a person ready to give up your own will and just obey the priesthood over you. In order to Keep Sweet, it requires the sacrifice of our feelings.” (WSJ 11/2/95) "To be loyal to Heavenly Father, to truly love Him and obey Him, you must keep sweet no matter what. If your feelings can be disturbed and you simply need more of the spirit of God to have and earn more of that sweet spirit, you must pay the price. The price is sacrifice. Set aside any feeling or thought that disturbs the spirit of God." (WSJ 1/28/2003) “Keeping sweet means saying your prayers and obeying the priesthood over you.” (WSJ 3/6/96)

The command to keep sweet intensified as the FLDS leaders taught that the end of the world would come in 2000. “We only have four years left, young people. The time is so short. That's why you hear President Jeffs say in meeting, ‘Keep sweet no matter what, it's a matter of life or death.’” (WSJ 2/8/96)

FLDS members and former members have their own understanding of the phrase. Swallow pride, swallow emotions. Suffer silently regardless of what concerns you might have. Don’t show any emotion, don’t rock the boat, don’t make any trouble, don’t ask questions, don’t criticize, don’t find fault. Girls should accept the polygamist lifestyle and the men's wishes without complaint. Don't flinch when you're told to do something that doesn't quite feel right. Just be nice, don't complain because complaining disturbs the spirit of god.

And finally, be “immune to gloom.”

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Apostates

2009-05-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

During the past twenty years, the FLDS leadership introduced a policy of casting out members from their society for various reasons. Some of these people have gone away quietly, still believing in the Church. Others have been deeply hurt, feeling that they have been treated unjustly, losing their homes and families. Still others have left voluntarily or escaped. In the 1952 and 1984, large groups of families have split off from the FLDS because of disputations over leadership and doctrine.

In all cases, these former members are referred to as “apostates.”

Warren Jeffs gave a definition of an apostate. “An apostate is a person that turns against the prophet. They turn away from him at first then they turn to fight him in the end. People who criticize the prophet will eventually turn against him. What brings a person to do this? It is simply losing the spirit of God through disobedience.”

Anyone within the FLDS who starts to criticize or disobey the prophet is viewed as heading down the road to being an apostate. This is another mechanism of control used by the FLDS leaders. FLDS fear greatly being branded as apostates.

Not only are the apostates terribly wicked, but their descendants are too. “Where people have heard the gospel and then turned against it, they usually teach their children to hate the priesthood also, and they put into their own being a hate for priesthood.” (WSJ 11/22/95) “Apostates become more dark in their minds and their ways, than even gentiles are. Those who have heard the gospel and fall away from it - they are all the more darkened. It's like they turn traitor against light and truth. Also, their children and those that follow after their ways, become dark and filthy. (WSJ 4/2/96)

“The Jews were apostate. They knew the gospel was true and hated it. The Lord will not allow apostates to prosper. They must go down. Eventually, they become nothing, as it is with their descendants.” (WSJ 4/27/96)

The FLDS believe that the eternal destination for apostates is worse than hell. “The wicked who were a part of this work (FLDS) and then apostatized - or the wicked who were offered this priesthood and would not live it - when they die, they go and live among the worst, most evil spirits. They become angels to the devil. They become the people that hate us the worst. The apostates are the worst spirits. They are the ones who know how the best, to tempt us - and they're always trying to destroy the priesthood people here.” (WSJ 10/31/95)

“When they come out of the grave and are resurrected, they will not go into any of the degrees of happiness. They will go immediately into eternal punishment that will never die. They are the worst of beings and the terror and pain they will suffer cannot even be described. The worst thing a person could be is an apostate and turn against the prophet. They will suffer even as Lucifer, who fell from the heavens, will.” (WSJ 11/1/95)

As early as 1967, Leroy Johnson taught that some day the disobedient would need to be purged out of the FLDS. “And the time is coming when the Lord is going to ask us to invite men and women out who do not obey and are not worthy of the blessings of eternal life" (LSJ 2/12/67)

That day arrived under the leadership of Warren Jeffs. In recent years, Jeffs has seized on this concept as a core strategy for purifying his followers. Hundreds have been cast out of the FLDS and then shunned as apostates. Sadly, frequently this has been done by Jeffs being the judge, jury, and executioner. A person is accused by Jeffs, that the Lord revealed to him the sins. Often they are told that they have immorality in their heart and have no hope to repent. Others are not told the reason, just told to leave, repent from afar, and while they are away their homes and families are reassigned to others.

Sometimes the FLDS are “kicked” because they are a threat to the leadership. A member wrote: “I was there when Warren started ripping families apart. I met with him (Warren) the day he took my dad's family away, and he read me some phony, psychotic "revelation," in which he accused my dad of aspiring to the leadership of the church.”

Leaders tell these FLDS members hurtful things on their way out the door such as: “you are not worth the air you breath”, “you are not worth the powder to blow you to hell”, and “you are nothing more than dogs and cats and cows and horses, and they are already dead!"

The families are ordered to have no more contact with the person because they are apostates. “When my father got kicked out, they took all the pictures and burned them. ‘Take the pictures down,’ forget the past acquaintances, and carry on with your life like nothing ever happened. Act like your loved ones never existed.”

The impact to real lives is devastating. One “kicked” member wrote, “One of my children who follows Warren Jeffs has been told to no longer associate with me or my other children. I only see her if I happen to meet her in town shopping or something. If her husband is with her at that time she won't even look at me. If she is alone I might be able to get close enough to give her a hug and let her know I love her. But she doesn't stay for long, just hurries away. I am not allowed to talk to her children--my grandchildren. They won't come near me. They have been taught that I am an apostate, which is absolutely not true. My religion is stronger than ever. I believe as I always have.”

Most former members branded as apostates just bear the pain quietly. “I miss my family out there too. Some days I want to cry, but the tears don't come, because I KNOW that underneath all the stuff that is between us, my family really does love me. I know they are just trying to do what they think is right, and I don't think it is my place to push them to believe what I believe. I only need to understand. And, I keep things. I keep the last birthday present my mother gave me and it's on my dresser every day so I can remember that she loves me and every year that goes by without a phone call, I know she is thinking of me and loving me, and maybe shedding a few tears for me that day. And that is enough.”

The large groups that broke off from the FLDS are also treated as apostates. On July 16, 2000, Jeffs ordered FLDS members to have no contact with "2nd Warders," a group located in Centennial Park (near Colorado City). They broke away from the FLDS in the 1980s over a leadership dispute. Instead of reaching out to this group, Jeffs taught that they should be viewed as "traitors of God" by FLDS members. "If you are choosing to socialize with apostates, to join with them in any way, you are choosing to get on the devil's ground."

FLDS Beliefs 101 - Arranged Marriages

2009-05-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

The “Law of the Placement” started to be introduced among the FLDS as early as the 1940’s. It was considered by the “priesthood council” (the leaders) as a way to control the number of wives men were taken. Leaders John Y. Barlow and Joseph Musser disagreed sharply on this subject and this was one of the main reasons why the Allred group (now in Bluffdale, UT) broke from the FLDS. In the 1950’s, this “Law of the Placement” started to be used, but choice was still frequently honored. Courting was often allowed prior to marriages. Girls who were “placed’ could decide not to marry the man designated with out fear of serious consequence.

In the coming years, FLDS prophets, Leroy Johnson, Rulon Jeffs, and Warren Jeffs further defined this practice, making it a core FLDS doctrine.

To have a proper marriage, one that will exists for eternity in heaven, a marriage must be assigned by the prophet. “You can only get married and be a priesthood family if he (the prophet) says whom you should marry. “(WSJ 10/31/1995). No dating, courting, or choosing your own spouse is allowed. “If a boy and girl agree to get married and just go do it, they can never be gods, because you must be married by revelation through the prophet.” (WSJ 11/1/95)

Contrary to factual history, Warren Jeffs has convinced the FLDS that assigned marriages by the prophet is the way it has always been done. “Priesthood marriage is always by revelation through the prophet. It has always been this way, and this is what you look forward to.” (WSJ 11/28/95)

Being in love at the time of marriage isn’t important. “In priesthood marriage, the Lord makes the love. In the world marriage, they date and try to figure out if they like each other, then decide if they'll get married. In priesthood marriage, the Lord appoints it and He makes the love. He puts in that husband and wife a love for each other, and it grows as they obey the prophet together.” (WSJ 11/28/95)

One of the protections of having the prophet arrange the marriage is that he will make sure no African American blood is introduced to the union. “That is why we marry only who the prophet says - because if you marry anybody out in the world, there's a chance they could have Negro blood in them.” This would have serious eternal consequence on the family. “If you young people were to marry a Negro, you could not be a priesthood person, even if you repented. You could not stay in this work.” (WSJ 11/9/1995)

To really make this system work, the FLDS needed to be convinced that if they didn’t accept arranged marriages, they would suffer serious eternal consequences.

What are the consequences of entering a marriage that isn’t arranged by the prophet? They won’t go the highest heaven (Celestial Kingdom), and eventually they will experience a second death – dissolution of their souls! “What is dissolution? It is the death of the spirit and the body together. Both of them die. They dissolve back into what they were before they were born as a spirit. That person will never be that person again." (WSJ 11/1/95)

Instilling fear is part of this practice:

“We've told you what happens to the disobedient. They will never see Heavenly Father again.” (WSJ 11/8/1995)
“The only ones who will remain on this earth after the destructions are those who are like Heavenly Father, or in other words, they "Keep Sweet No Matter What". (WSJ 11/19/95) . If you are keeping sweet no matter what, you are a person ready to give up your own will and just obey the priesthood over you.

The most dangerous factor that attacks this arranged system is a natural event: boys and girls falling in love. To counter this, FLDS leaders teach over and over again that boys and girls must not socially interact or date. “You have to come to loyalty and the love of priesthood, to where you'd rather die - you boys, than ever touch a girl and you girls, you'd rather die than ever touch a boy or want to be touched, because once certain things are done, you cannot go to the celestial kingdom. You cannot go to the celestial kingdom if you get married wrong.” (WSJ 12/5/95)

Parents cannot object to a marriage specified by the prophet. If they do, they are being disobedient and risk losing their membership, home, and family. One member explained: “I never wanted to be married to my husband. My parents objected to the marriage but they never said a word about that until it was all over and it was safe to do so. They were afraid of what would happen if they did.”

The FLDS are taught strictly not to come to the prophet to request specific marriages. However, if a girl starts being attracted to a boy, it is common for the father to come to the prophet to ask him to marry off his daughter quickly so she can be married “the right way.” This can frequently result in underage marriages. On former member wrote: “I have seen and heard young girls get married, and come home crying to their mothers, and the mothers tell them that it is the Lord's will, and they must go back to the man who forced himself upon them. I SAW IT!!!! Don't you understand?!!! It broke my heart. That is one of the reasons I left.”

Conclusion: Arranged marriages by the prophet is a key FLDS doctrine. They loosely base it on Old Testament examples. This system allows the leaders to maintain control over the people, eliminate chaotic competition for wives, to ensure that wives are only assigned to men loyal to the prophet, and to allow older men to more easily obtain young wives.