Origin
The Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint group is one of eight primary Fundamentalist Mormon groups; other well-known groups include theDuring the fundamentalist split (early 1950s)
Changes in the way marriage partners were selected was one of the major issues that ultimately led to divisions of the fundamentalists Mormon community in the early 1950s. Some leaders encouraged younger girls and women to marry without their parents' knowledge or consent if their parents were considered "out of harmony" with priesthood leaders; such girls and women were instead encouraged to be placed in a marriage under the direction of priesthood leaders. Placement marriage became the common practice in Short Creek during the presidency of Leroy Johnson. This was primarily due to a belief that obedience to priesthood was necessary for salvation, that the Priesthood Council leaders were the ones entitled to revelation regarding marriage—especially plural marriage, and the fact that the members believed that placement marriage was a more divine observance than when they chose their own spouse. Members generally respected the right of the Priesthood Council to assign marriages. Parents' consent for their children to marry in plural marriage was considered relevant when they were "in harmony" with the Priesthood Council.During the late 1980s and early 1990s
Changes in authority
Before Leroy Johnson died, he dismissed two of the remaining three members of the Priesthood Council, leaving only himself andThe first wife
Under the placement marriage system, young members of the FLDS Church are not allowed to court or date before marriage and are discouraged to fall in love until after they are married. They are permitted to become acquainted with one another through the community, church, school, or family ties, but they are not allowed to be more than just friends with anyone until the Priesthood Council arranges a spouse for them. When a young man, generally around the age of twenty-one, feels ready to be married he approaches the Priesthood Council and then they decide who he will marry.Quinn, Michael. “Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism.” Dialogue 31, (1998) :1-68 They select a wife for the young man through a process of inspiration and revelation. When a woman feels prepared to be married, around the ages of 16 to 25, she informs her father of her own readiness, and is taken to meet with the prophet to tell him that she is ready to be married. While most women are approved, some are asked to wait for a time. If the prophet agrees to place her, then the future spouse is notified, and a ceremony is performed generally within the week and sometimes immediately. A woman's opinions relative to the selection of her husband are sometimes considered but not always, and she can decide against marrying a man who is selected for her, although this does not happen very frequently.Plural marriage
The ages of a man's plural wives can vary greatly, although the first wife is generally close to the husband’s age. The process for entering a plural marriage is slightly different. Married men do not normally volunteer themselves to enterSuccess of marriages
Within this group, the idea of not knowing their spouse until minutes before they are married is usually viewed as romantic. The couple is expected to learn to love one another, even if affection isn’t instantaneous. Several couples are grateful for this practice because they believe “the only sure revelation comes from the prophet; they were glad to have a prophet to tell them whom to marry.” The priesthood leader of the Colorado City (FLDS) group chooses to arrange marriages because it reassures the members of the stability and permanence that is promised in a placement marriage. They also choose this approach so that the couples are not closely related in the isolated community. Some members have confessed that some of the marriages were less successful and a few failed completely.Courtship contrast
In a study of one fundamentalist Mormon group that does not practice placement marriage, it was learned that young people are allowed to court with the permission of the girl's parents. Fathers are generally consulted before any daughter goes out on a date; if not, the young man might be reprimanded. Sometimes older men court younger women with parental consent. However, for teenagers, like in the LDS church, one-on-one dating is highly discouraged. Most young members go out in groups.Bennion Janet. ''Women of Principle''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Also, some men in good standing were appointed to give permission for others to court. Their guidance was also requested by a man looking for a wife. Most fundamentalist Mormon groups, including the FLDS, have recently stated that they no longer permit plural marriages for underage girls.During Warren Jeffs Presidency
There were suspicions that Warren Jeffs may have done away with the volunteer feature for young women who didn’t come to him and say they were ready to be married. Underage marriage and marriages between close relatives has apparently been common in the FLDS Church. Arranged marriages of young girls to much older men, whom they may not even know, are not out of the ordinary. It is also common for these men to be relatives who already have wives. One writer believesWives of excommunicated men
In October 2002 the FLDS announced Warren Jeffs as the new president of the FLDS Church. Under Warren Jeffs' leadership, many male members were excommunicated. The wives, along with children and sometimes property, of these men are reassigned to other "more faithful" men. Some wives were reassigned more than once. If the wives did not agree to do as Jeffs instructed, they were also told to leave. Andrea Moore-Emmett, author of ''God's Brothel'' wrote this about placement marriages: “Whether a woman is already married or not, “releasings” (divorces) and “sealings” (marriages) from one man to another man are at the whim of the leader”.Moving away from Colorado City/Hildale
Within a year of becoming president, Warren Jeffs began to send small numbers of members to other places outside of Colorado City and Hildale–such as the site in Texas.Legal conflicts
Incest and child marriages
Instances such as this can lead to problems with the law. One man in a small group of Mormon fundamentalists called the Latter Day Church of Christ, founded byKidnapping
During the 1944 raid some members were charged with kidnapping and violations of the Mann Act in connection with taking under-age plural wives across state lines. Fifteen men were prosecuted for unlawful cohabitation with their plural wives and were then sentenced to serve time in the Utah State Prison; nine more were sentenced to federal prison time. Charles Zitting and David Darger were charged with both federal and state sentences.Free agency
The idea of free agency is a fundamental principle of the original LDS church, and is also considered an important part of Mormon Fundamentalist doctrine. But Martha Sontag Bradley, author of ''Women of Fundamentalism'', points out, “Women in Short Creek had few choices to make as adults. Here the culture of fundamentalism collaborated with the limited opportunities offered in this isolated, rural frontier community.” A few days after the 1953 Short Creek raid, Louis J. Barlow addressed placement marriages: "There have been no forced marriages. Everyone is free to leave or stay as he chooses". Their choices are limited because they become so dependent on their leaders. TheSee also
* Exchange of women *Notes
{{Close plural relationships Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Latter Day Saint terms Mormon fundamentalism Mormonism and polygamy Arranged marriage