Cults: Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints.

Inside the FLDS: Power, Control and the Shadow World of Mormon Fundamentalism

On the remote border between Utah and Arizona sit two quiet desert towns. Neat houses. Empty streets. Children in prairie dresses and work shirts.

At first glance, everything looks peaceful.

But for decades, these towns have been the centre of one of the most controversial religious movements in modern America: the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS).

An offshoot of Mormonism that never accepted the end of polygamy, the FLDS has become synonymous with secrecy, control, and criminal investigations.

A Breakaway Faith Frozen in the 1800s

In 1890, the mainstream Mormon church — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — officially banned polygamy to gain acceptance within the United States.

For most believers, the revelation marked a new chapter.

For others, it marked betrayal.

These dissenters believed plural marriage was not optional, but essential for salvation. Over decades, they moved into remote desert communities, quietly preserving what they believed to be the true early Mormon way of life.

By 1991, those splinter groups formalised into the FLDS.

Their mission: restore what they believed God had never intended to change.

The Isolated Border Towns

The heart of FLDS life lies in two linked towns:

• Colorado City

• Hildale

Together, they were once effectively controlled by the church.

For years, outsiders described them as a closed society where the church influenced:

• Housing

• Schools

• Law enforcement

• Employment

• Marriage

Membership estimates range from 6,000 to 10,000 people, with smaller communities in Texas and Canada.

Isolation wasn’t accidental.It was doctrine.

The Doctrine of Absolute Obedience

At the centre of FLDS belief is a powerful idea:

God speaks through a living prophet.

Not metaphorically. Not symbolically. Literally.

Questioning the prophet is framed as questioning God.

This creates a system where spiritual salvation, family unity, housing, and social belonging are all tied to obedience.

In psychological terms, this is known as totalistic control — a defining trait of high-control groups.

The Rise of a Prophet

The FLDS cycled through leaders until the rise of Rulon Jeffs, who led the group until 2002.

His death triggered a succession that would bring the group into global headlines.

His son, Warren Jeffs, took control.

And everything intensified.

When the Curtain Lifted

Under Warren Jeffs, the FLDS became more secretive, more authoritarian, and more extreme.

Former members began speaking out. Investigations began piling up.

Allegations included:

• Forced marriages

• Child marriage

• Expulsion of teenage boys

• Family separation

• Welfare fraud

• Sexual abuse

For many Americans, the FLDS became widely known after Jeffs’ arrest and conviction. He is now serving a life sentence in prison — yet many followers still consider him the prophet.

Even from a cell, his words carry weight.

The “Lost Boys”

One of the most disturbing revelations involved the expulsion of teenage boys.

These boys — sometimes called Lost Boys — were removed from the community for minor rule-breaking or vague accusations of disobedience.

Why remove them?

Because in a polygamous system, there are never enough women for all men to marry.

Expelling boys reduced competition for wives among older men.

Many were left:

• Homeless

• Uneducated

• Cut off from their families

A social structure designed to maintain power.

Marriage as Assignment, Not Choice

Marriage in the FLDS has historically been arranged by church leadership.

In some cases:

• Girls were married as teenagers.

• Women were reassigned to new husbands.

• Families were separated if leaders believed it was God’s will.

For members, refusal carried enormous consequences:

• Loss of family contact

• Loss of housing

• Risk of eternal damnation

This intertwining of spiritual fear and social survival is one of the strongest psychological tools used in high-control groups.

Why Experts Call It a Cult

The word cult is controversial, but researchers often use the term high-control group.

The FLDS frequently fits the recognised criteria:

Authoritarian Leadership

A single leader whose authority is absolute.

Information Control

Historically limited:

• Media

• Internet

• External education

Isolation

Communities built to limit outside influence.

Behaviour Control

Strict rules governing:

• Dress

• Marriage

• Social contact

• Work

Emotional Control

Members are taught that leaving means:

• Losing family forever

• Losing salvation

Fear becomes the glue holding the system together.

The World Watches

Public awareness surged through media coverage and documentaries such as Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, which exposed the inner workings of the group to a global audience.

Today, the FLDS still exists — smaller, fractured, and no longer controlling its towns as tightly as before.

But the legacy of control, secrecy and trauma remains.

The Bigger Psychological Question

Groups like the FLDS raise uncomfortable questions:

How do ordinary people become part of extraordinary systems of control?

The answer often lies not in extremism — but in belonging.

Community. Faith. Family. Certainty. All deeply human needs.

When those needs become tied to obedience, isolation and fear, the line between faith and control can quietly disappear.