Live from . . . March 5th, 2019

Prayer

FLDS History

To understand the group called the FLDS you have to understand the LDS church, who, of course, do all they can to separate themselves from the FLDS and other offshoot sects. Mormonism was started by a man named Joseph Smith (and his father, family, and some friends) in and around 1820 and was finally formalized in 1830. This was the seed. As the plant grew there have been a LOT of Latter-Day Saint offshoots. These offshoots are based on differing views that the defectors believe the mainstream religion has lost. As stated there have been multiple dozens, if not hundreds of “LDS expressions.” I refuse to call them offshoots because that implies that there is one that is superior or more pure than another. There are certainly differences in size and power and wealth, but those are simply expressions the founder Vision Joseph Smith had for the world.

• The largest denomination within the contemporary movement is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (colloquially, at least at one time, the Mormon Church). They are the rich and powerful church with approximately 16 million members headquartered here in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are a corporate empire and because of their size, they think they are true.
• The second-largest denomination of Latter Day Saints is the Community of Christ (first named the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church) from 1872 to 2001). They are based in Missouri, have about a quarter-million member denomination. They used to call themselves Saints but no longer. They are pretty much another protestant denom now.
• Other denominations within the movement either formed around various would-be successors to Smith or else broke from denominations that did. These, together with the two denominations I just described, are detailed in the table of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, on the board.

For our purposes tonight, and the interview we are about to have with our guest, Brielle Decker Blanchart, I want to point out one little line of interest on this vast map of religious divergence: The COUNCIL OF FRIEND line.

Council of Friends[18]
Lorin C. Woolley
1920s
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Multiple denominations claim to be true successor
Also known as the Priesthood Council, this group was originally headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Short Creek Community. One of the earliest Mormon fundamentalist groups, originating at the end of plural marriage in the LDS Church. Here’s the straight shot deal: The powerful wealthy Brigham Young Church, in order to gain statehood, turned from the practice of Plural marriage and the men and women who believed in the practice said, “no way.” And they, like many before and many after, splintered into several groups, particularly upon the deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. of Joseph W. Musser in 1954.

Most modern “Mormon fundamentalist groups” (with fundamentalism referring to the original teachings of Smith) may be traced back to this organization of the Council of Friends. These include:

Latter Day Church of Christ[19]
Elden Kingston
1935[19]
Council of Friends[18]
Roughly 2,000 members
Headquartered in Davis County, Utah. Commonly known as the "Kingston clan" and the "Davis County Cooperative Society".

Apostolic United Brethren[19]
Rulon C. Allred
1954
Council of Friends
Approximately 10,000 members (1998)[20]
Headquarters in Bluffdale, Utah. Organized during a schism between two groups over the issue of presiding authority between Rulon C. Allred and Leroy S. Johnson, upon the death of Joseph W. Musser.[19]

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints[19]
Leroy S. Johnson
1954
Council of Friends
8,000–10,000 members[21]
Traditionally headquartered in Colorado City, Arizona, with a community of roughly 700 members near Eldorado, Texas. Also called "FLDS Church" and is the largest group of Latter Day Saints who practice plural marriage and Mormon fundamentalism.

Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times[19]
Joel F. LeBaron
1955
Apostolic United Brethren[22]
Precise continuity unknown, several hundred or a thousand believers' following one or another putative successor to denomination leadership
Headquartered in Colonia LeBaron, Mexico[23] Established in northern Mexico and elsewhere, this group claims special priesthood keys owing to a line of authority through Benjamin F. Johnson, a member of the Council of Fifty.

Church of the Firstborn[24]
Ross Wesley LeBaron
1955
Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times
A hundred or more
Originally headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Within months of the organization of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Ross Wesley LeBaron broke with his brothers and formed his own denomination calling it simply, "The Church of the Firstborn." Wesley believed he was sent to prepare the way for the One

Exploration of Modern Religious Movements

Mighty and Strong, who would be "an Indian prophet"[25][26] Three notable early followers were Fred Collier (whose 100-plus membership clan live in Hanna, Utah and elsewhere[27]), Tom Green, and Robert Black.[24]

Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly[28][29]
Alex Joseph
1974[29]
Apostolic United Brethren
Approximately 400 headquartered in Big Water, Utah

In conjunction with the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, Alex Joseph group created the Confederate Nations of Israel in 1977, a Hybrid church–political organization patterned after the Council of Fifty. Members can be from any religious denomination or atheist. Around one-quarter of members practice plural marriage.

Church of the First Born Lamb of God[19]
Ervil LeBaron
1972
Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times
Current status unknown, may continue in LeBaron family in Los Molinos, Baja California

Ervil LeBaron split with his brother, Joel F. LeBaron in 1972. Ervil then ordered his brother Joel killed in 1972, and Apostolic United Brethren leader Rulon C. Allred killed in 1977. LeBaron was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison where he died in 1981.

Notable Smaller Groups

Church of the New Covenant in Christ[11]
John W. Bryant
1975
Apostolic United Brethren
Headquartered in Salem, Oregon

Previously called the "Church of Christ Patriarchal" and the "Evangelical Church of Christ". One of Bryant's estranged wives says Bryant converted temple ordinances into sexual rites and that he authorized a type of "free love" among the members.

Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[19]
Gerald Peterson, Sr.
1978
Apostolic United Brethren
Approximately 100-200 members. Headquartered in St. George, Utah.

This small group of about 100–200 people was founded by Gerald Peterson Sr. They claim Gerald Peterson Sr. was the rightful successor to Rulon C. Allred and Spencer W. Kimball. They claim Allred and others, including the God and Jesus, visited Peterson, who held and exercised all priesthood responsibilities and keys.

Sons Ahman Israel[30]
David Israel
1981
Church of the New Covenant in Christ[31]
Based in Cane Beds, Arizona.
The number of members is unknown.

One of the lesser-known Fundamentalist Groups, organized by David Israel (real name, Gilbert Clark) with members of the Apostolic United Brethren and members of John W. Bryant's Group.[32]

School of the Prophets[11][33]
Robert C. Crossfield
1982
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Headquartered in Salem, Utah

In 1968 Crossfield published the Book of Onias which, among other things, condemned many LDS Church leaders and was excommunicated in 1972.[34] Through associations, and initially well received, with Mormon fundamentalists in Creston, British Columbia, Canada, in 1982 Crossfield established his own "School of the Prophets", presided over by a President and six counselors.[34] Ron and Dan Lafferty, convicted of the 1984 murder of their brother's wife and infant daughter, served as counselors in the Provo, Utah, School of the Prophets in 1984.[33]

Centennial Park[19]
Marion Hammon and Alma Timpson
1984
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Roughly 1,500 members[19]

Also known as the "Second Ward". Organized by a group who broke from Leroy S. Johnson over questions regarding presiding authority.[19]

Fragmented Groups

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God[19][35]
Frank Naylor and Ivan Neilsen
1990
Centennial Park
200–300 members. Headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah[36]

Also known as the "Naylor group" and the "Third Ward".[19] Organized by a group who broke from Centennial Park over conflicts in the leadership of Alma Timpson.

True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days[19]
James D. Harmston
1994
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
300–500 members (2004)[37] Headquartered in Manti, Utah.

Also called "TLC Church" and formed independent of the Woolley or the LeBaron priesthood lineages.

The Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven[38]
Terrill R. Dalton
2001
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Currently headquartered in Fromberg, Montana

Originally organized in Magna, Utah, by former members of the LDS Church. Practice polygamy and the law of consecration. Dalton purports to be the Holy Ghost and the Father of Jesus.[39]

Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc.[40]
Winston Blackmore
2002
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Headquartered in Bountiful, British Columbia with approximately 700 members

Also known as the Blackmore/Bountiful Community, this schism from the FLDS Church occurred when church president Warren Jeffs excommunicated Blackmore, causing the community of Bountiful to split nearly in half.

All of that barely describes this little line here on this map! And all of it is the by-product of the notion that:

• There is to be a true Church.
• That the practice of plural marriage is or is not to be a part of it!
• That Jesus is coming back to take His church!
• And that his church is led by men who have authority.

So this brings us to a little man named Warren Jeffs
Born: December 4, 1955
Makes him: 63 Year Old Male
Famous As the Former Evil President Of The Fundamentalist Church Of Jesus Christ

Warren Jeffs (who I will refer to as Jeffs from now on) Born in California in a polygamist sect. His father had about 80 children from around 50 women. In 2002, after the death of his Father Warren attained the position of the

Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Leadership

The first widely known accusation against him surfaced in 2004 when his nephew Brent Jeffs said that Uncle Jeffs anally raped him when he was a minor. Other nephews came forward with similar accusations. In 2006, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) embarked on a manhunt for him after he was accused of getting underage girls married to his disciples. He was finally arrested, and in 2011, he was sentenced to a life in prison plus 20 years. He is presently serving his prison term in Texas.

Childhood & Early Life

• WJ was his father’s 14th child and the only child to be born prematurely. According to them, this signified that Warren was a golden child.
• He grew up here in Salt Lake City. After completing his education, he served as the principal of the ‘Alta Academy,’ an ‘FLDS’ school in the same area.
• Rulon, Warren’s father, became the prophet of the ‘FLDS’ in 1986 and took over the church in its entirety, eliminating every other major position. This turned Rulon into an undisputed leader of the community. WJ soon followed in his footsteps and named himself as Rulon’s successor. Rulon suffered a serious stroke in the early 90s, and Warren was quick to take the opportunity. He soon became the spokesperson of the ‘FLDS.’
• He had supreme authority over the community and the employees of the organization.
• In the initial years of his career, Warren tried to undo the mess that his father’s death had created and this involved adopting a few of his siblings and marrying some of his stepmothers. He also changed the headquarters of the ‘FLDS’ and moved it to West Texas, where he further established the ‘Yearning for Zion Ranch.’
• His tenure was full of ruthless and controversial decisions that were made in the guise of managing the community. He fired many employees who questioned his authority, and even the ones loyal to him faced his wrath from time to time. They wore what Warren asked them to wear, and their children played with the toys that Warren suggested. Warren’s authority gave rise to a “mini fascist” regime.

Jeffs' Legal Issues

• It did not take long before WJ faced a lot of legal issues. Cases were filed against Warren for misconduct and illegal firing of his employees without any solid reason. As accusations against him kept accumulating, Warren disappeared.
• Throughout 2005, the charges kept piling up. He was soon accused of sexual conduct with a minor. In 2006, he faced two charges of being an accomplice to rape, for his role in marrying off an underage girl to a man. The authorities were on a man-hunt, but the exact location of Warren could not be traced. The police and the ‘FBI’ searched various ‘FLDS’ compounds for months before he was finally caught in Las Vegas.
• At the time of his arrest, Warren had many cell phones, wigs, sunglasses, and a lot of cash. It was clear that he was changing appearances to hoodwink the law. He was soon arrested and presented for a trial.
• In 2007, WJ was tried in Utah for being an accessory in rape. Despite this conviction being overturned, he could not shrug off a few other allegations. Enough evidence of him engaging in marrying off underage girls was found. He himself had married two underage girls. One of those girls was 15 years old, while the other was just 12 years old.
• Later, most of the evidence against him came from WJ himself. Apparently, he would ask his wives to maintain journals and write about his activities. A tape that showed him sexually assaulting a girl was played in court. One of his records that were played in court had him accepting the guilt on his part. He stated that if all his deeds were presented in front of the authorities, he would be hanged right away.
• Further inspection in the case presented more shocking revelations. It turned out that Warren had illegally married about 70 women, and a third of them were underage girls.
• He is currently serving his term at the ‘Louis C. Powledge Unit’ prison, in Texas. Despite his conviction, he still serves as the leader of the ‘FLDS’ and manages it from behind bars.
• While in the prison, Jeffs proclaimed that the world was going to end before 2013 and asked his followers to be prepared for the apocalypse. Although the statement sounded funny to the jail authorities, his disciples actually believed him.

Guest Insight

Our guest tonight, Brielle Decker Blanchard, was one of WF’s wives.

Introduction

Thank you so very very much for joining us tonight and making your story part of our archives. I would like to take our time together. I want to invite you to relax, feel zero pressure to say anything you don’t want to say. But I also want you to be at complete liberty to say whatever you desire. I will serve as a facilitator and if I sense an area that we might do well to talk about I will interrupt the flow and posit questions. Do not feel the need to carry the conversation either. When you are out of things to say, stop. I’ll take it up from there.

Discussion Flow

Lastly, I would like to move through this story chronologically (for a number of reasons) and so I would like to begin not with you, not with your parents, but with your grandparents and their religious views, occupations, lifestyles and origins.

Family Background

Then we will get to mom and dad, their family and you. So, to the best of your ability . . .