FROM THE VAULT - Warren Jeffs & the FLDS: Cult Power, Mormon Polygamy, and Child Abuse (Part 1)
4/8/20261 hr 4 min
With Netflix's new documentary on the modern fundamentalist Mormon church coming out today – we thought it was the perfect time to revisit our episode on Warren Jeffs's FLDS, to give some much-needed context...
According to Warren Jeffs’ thousands of followers, he was the leader of a secretive but devoted religion – their prophet, and the representative of God on Earth. But according to US law, he was a dangerous, totalitarian, child-molesting horror with over 80 wives – some married off as young as 12. Still, according to the church, Earthly laws are no match for the voice of God.
In this episode, we explore the story behind the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: how the visions of a charismatic, seventeen-year-old farmhand called Joseph Smith grew to become a major world religion; how plural marriage caused a major rift in the church; and how its teachings were warped into a systematic cult of child abuse, underage sex, and absolute power.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSuruthi Bala· Host0:00
[alarm clock buzzing] [yawns] One iced coffee. Ninety-nine cents, please. For real? No way. Mm. [slurps] Ah. [alarm clock buzzing] [yawns] One iced coffee. Ninety-nine cents, please. [ice rattling] For real? No way. Mm. [smacks lips] Ah. What a deal.
Speaker 10:19
Your new morning groove. Iced coffee from McDonald's, any size for just ninety-nine cents 'til eleven AM. Price and participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offer.
Suruthi Bala· Host0:28
Ba da ba ba ba.
Hannah Maguire· Host0:29
[upbeat music] I'm Hannah.
Suruthi Bala· Host0:39
I'm Suriti.
Hannah Maguire· Host0:40
And welcome to Red Handed, where this week we've got my absolute favorite topic, Mormons.
Suruthi Bala· Host0:47
It is your favorite. I am getting, after having gone through the script for this, I'm getting pretty sick of them. [laughs] But I have to get through it now.
Hannah Maguire· Host0:55
Well, we saw two in the wild yesterday.
Suruthi Bala· Host0:56
[laughs] We did. You're right. Yeah, they're everywhere.
Hannah Maguire· Host0:59
They are.
Suruthi Bala· Host1:00
They're surrounding me. It's like they know that we're gonna do this two-parter. [laughs] And they're onto us.
Hannah Maguire· Host1:04
When Mary Ann Jessop turned twelve, her father decided that she was ready for marriage. But who she married wasn't up to her, wasn't even up to her dad. The only person who could decide was the Jessops' prophet, a man who they believed had a direct line to God. The prophet conducted