FLDS Beliefs 101 - Gentiles or “outsiders”

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.”