A man has revealed how he escaped a polygamous Mormon cult before its former leader was sentenced to life behind bars for child sex offences.
Ben, based in Utah, appeared on a recent episode of the Cults to Consciousness podcast to share what it was like growing up in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints Church (FLDS) with two moms, who were sisters, and 28 siblings.
FLDS was a break away group which branched off from the original Mormon church when the mainstream religion ceased practicing polygamy.
Ben laid bare the strict rules that were imposed by former self-appointed leader Warren Jeffs who had ‘control of everything’ that followers did including when they could ‘have sex’ and ‘make babies.’
Ben began by explaining to host Shelise Ann Sola what it was like to live in the isolated community.
‘Growing up there you didn’t think you were different than anybody else.
‘We thought we were of a higher power if you want to say it that way. We were the chosen ones – god’s chosen children…
‘People like me that left the religion were damned and the things of Satan were going to be upon us.
‘You had that fear if you left god would strike you down with the bolt of lightning type of deal.
‘You are in fear of god instead of having a loving god…
‘If you really got down to the nuts and bolts of it, if you didn’t do what they said then satan was going to be upon you and you were going to be damned to hell.’
Polygamy was the main driving force behind the group – with men needing to have at least three wives in order to get to the highest level of heaven.
Hellbound and Down 