The FLDS has many small communities throughout the United States and Canada with over 10,000 members altogether. The largest of these communities, with about 6,000 members, is called Short Creek and includes the cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. The two cities are all run by memebers of the FLDS and outsiders are not welcome. Followers of this religion are taught that everyone outside of the chruch are to be associated with the 'devil'. This makes the community very cut off from the rest of the world. Members of the FLDS have very little say in what they can wear. Women must be extremely modest by wear long plan dresses that cover their arms and legs. Men must wear long pants and nice shirts that are also very plain. The FLDS is a very patriarchal society. Women have no say in anything and are very often abused both sexually and physically. In the FLDS, the more wives a man has the more power he has in the community and the more likely he is to get a good spot in heaven. Girls are taught to always 'keep sweet for the lord' by not questioning men and doing everything they are told, even if they know it will hurt them. When the FLDS first settled in Short Creek in the early 1920's and 30's it was started by the Jessops and a few other founding families. Since there are not a ton of memebers incest has become a big problem. Most members seem to look the same with a high forehead, pointed nose, and reddish gold hair. The prophet, Warren Jeffs, often marries off cousins to eachother which creates big problem when it comes to offspring. A disease called fumarase deficiency that is caused by a recessive gene has been showing up in more FLDS babies due to intermarrige and lack of new blood in the religion.
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| An FLDS elder and his wives, children, and grandchildren. |
The FLDS has many small communities throughout the United States and Canada with over 10,000 members altogether. The largest of these communities, with about 6,000 members, is called Short Creek and includes the cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. The two cities are all run by memebers of the FLDS and outsiders are not welcome. Followers of this religion are taught that everyone outside of the chruch are to be associated with the 'devil'. This makes the community very cut off from the rest of the world. Members of the FLDS have very little say in what they can wear. Women must be extremely modest by wear long plan dresses that cover their arms and legs. Men must wear long pants and nice shirts that are also very plain. The FLDS is a very patriarchal society. Women have no say in anything and are very often abused both sexually and physically. In the FLDS, the more wives a man has the more power he has in the community and the more likely he is to get a good spot in heaven. Girls are taught to always 'keep sweet for the lord' by not questioning men and doing everything they are told, even if they know it will hurt them. When the FLDS first settled in Short Creek in the early 1920's and 30's it was started by the Jessops and a few other founding families. Since there are not a ton of memebers incest has become a big problem. Most members seem to look the same with a high forehead, pointed nose, and reddish gold hair. The prophet, Warren Jeffs, often marries off cousins to eachother which creates big problem when it comes to offspring. A disease called fumarase deficiency that is caused by a recessive gene has been showing up in more FLDS babies due to intermarrige and lack of new blood in the religion.Sources:
Anderson, Scott. "The Polygamists." National Geographic 1 Feb. 2010: 34. SIRS Researcher. Web.10 Nov. 2010.
Pictures Taken From: Google Images
