Jul 23, 2008
Story Timeline: 82 days
• The church has been based in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah since the early 20th Century. The church also has enclaves in Colorado, South Dakota, Texas and British Columbia. • Plural marriage is believed to bring exaltation in heaven, based on the early teachings of Joseph Smith, who founded the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. • Smith began teaching polygamy in 1843 and reportedly married more than 30 women. • There are an estimated 40,000 fundamentalists practicing polygamy across the Intermountain West. • The FLDS is the largest-known polygamous sect. Membership is estimated at roughly 6,000 based on U.S. Census numbers. • FLDS women wear prairie-style clothing and the men dress conservatively, covered from ankle to wrist, but FLDS families also have minivans and cellphones. • The...
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