Is FLDS still around? FLDS is the short form of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. is a breakaway church from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The church is located in Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah. The church came to be after the LDS church renounced polygamous marriage. This is because the church members didn’t want to give up the practice of polygamy. They also didn’t want to embrace progressive practices like the acceptance of black members and the like.
Due to Netflix’s recent documentary, Netflix’s Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey viewers are curious to know, is FLDS still around? The documentary also reveals the horrendous ways of Warren Jeff who took over the leadership of the church after the death of his father. Warren is currently serving a life sentence. Hence the question Is FLDS still around?
Is FLDS Still Around In 2022?
After Rulon’s, death in 2002, Warren Jeff assumed office as the head of the FLDS church. He then proceeded to dissolve the council and became an authoritarian leader over FLDS. His leadership was cult-like as he controlled worshippers’ finances, banned interactions with the outside world, and threatened to make life miserable for members who dared to leave. He even gave out young girls for marriage as a reward to his loyal male followers. Before his arrest in 2006, he wedded a total of 80 women.
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Former Members Reported The Church For Child Briding
Whilesome people find it haard to leave the church, Some FLDS members were able to break free from the chokehold and began to create awareness. In April 2008, Rozita Swinton, a 33-year-old woman from Colorado Springs, placed a hoax call to the local abuse hotline claiming that she was a 16-year-old FLDS member who is being sexual abused. This resulted in a raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch, the church’s second headquarters, near Eldorado, Texas. After thorough Investigations, it was found that FLDS was indeed guilty of child briding.
Jeffs and other members were charged with bigamy and sexual assault . The members were sentenced to six years to life imprisonment. While Jeff was sentenced to life impriosnment in addition to a twenty years for raping two underage girls.
FLDS Is Fracturing In Short Creek
FLDS is gradually losing its hold on Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, collectively known as Short Creek where it has domenated for years. Several changes like the first female, non-FLDS mayor was elected In Hildale in November 2017. Even the evacuation of members from key offices in the community has birthed a new era that begs the quetion is FLDS still around?
In January 2021, a judge ordered the sale of FLDS’s 140-acre compound near Pringle in Custer County. Briell Decker bought Warren Jeffs’ mansion for $1.2 million and converted it to a place for excommunicated members and shelter for homeless people, at-risk youth, addicts, and struggling families.
Is FLDS Still Around: Jeff Runs The Church From Prison
After the crack down on the church by the authorities, many people thought that the church will be closed down for good. But by some miracle, FLDS is still around. According to Esquire over 10,000 people are still part of FLDS. Despite the strict measures put in place by the prison to keep watch on Warren, rumor has it that he still runs the church from inside prison. It is belived that he hands out instruction to his loyal members who visit him in prison. Members of The FLDS church are also praying for his timely release as they see ni faults in his pastoral style.
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Conclusion
While FLDS is still very much around, the membership is reduced compared to what it used to be. This is majorly because of transfer of ownership of homes owned by FLDS members to the Utah state. Most of the members have refused to pay the $100 to a communal fund, in exchange to keep their houses. So they have either been evacuated or fled the neighbourhood.
