The Jessop and Jeffs families are tied together through an intricate series of plural marriages. At least two of Bishop Jessop’s daughters were at one time involved in celestial marriages to Rulon and Warren Jeffs. Documents seized from the YFZ Ranch show that Warren Jeffs personally conducted the celestial marriage between Merill L. Jessop and his underage wife.
The FLDS Church is the result of a schism dating back to the 1890s. Then president of the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Wilford Woodruff issued a manifesto banning plural marriages. Some members of the LDS viewed this ban not as true revelation but rather an attempt to fool the United States government into thinking the Church’s polygamous practices were over. The government had long been a thorn in the side of the LDS, primarily because of the country’s general disgust with the practice of plural marriages.
All illusions that the LDS had banned polygamy as a show were banished in 1904. LDS Church president Joseph F. Smith issued a second manifesto which dictated that any Mormon practicing polygamy was to be excommunicated by the Church. These LDS excommunicates gathered around the town of Short Creek, which is situated on the Utah/Arizona border. In 1953 the Arizona State Police and National Guard conducted a now-famous raid on the town. In 1960 Short Creek was renamed Colorado City and was (or may still be) the headquarters and home of the FLDS leadership. Outside of Colorado City there are major settlements of FLDS members in cities of Hildale, Utah; Westcliffe, Colorado; Mancos, Colorado; Creston and Bountiful, British Columbia; Pringle, South Dakota and Eldorado, Texas.
While criminal prosecutions against the FLDS are often seen in the news, Texas seems to be leading the field in its aggressive stance against the polygamists. While the 2008 raid on the YFZ Ranch ended badly, prosecutors are quick to note that Merril L. Jessop’s sentence has set the tone for the next eight trials of FLDS men accused of sexual assault and will hopefully influence the Church to discontinue their practice of marrying underage children. The FLDS Church has issued a decree that no member may marry an underage bride if it contravenes state law, though it is not clear if this rule is being followed.
2 Comments
These cult freaks should have read the street signs in tx. They say “dont mess with texas” and they mean it. Hope other states take notice of this just sentence for statatory rape and long term brainwashing.
Very unfortunate. One of the erroneous rumors about the FLDS was that they were welfare abusers. The women and children may have to resort to welfare (at taxpayer expense) as the major bread winners are sent to prison (at taxpayer expense) for things that were not a crime in 2005, before Hildebran changed the law to target them. That would be, on top of the tens of millions taxpayers have already paid for the raid and legal expense. I resent the double standard. The first child born Tx in 2009 was born to a teen and an adult male. Instead of jail, they got media attention and gifts. According to TDFPS, a Tx teen gets pregnant every 10 seconds and statistics say that at least half are with adult males. Many resort to welfare to support their children. When will these cases of “child sexual abuse” be prosecuted? DNA testing required before welfare benefits approved? When will the state of Tx send a “harsh message” to the average Joe “child sexual abuser”?