According to The American Heritage Dictionary, polygamy is “The condition or practice of having more than one spouse at one time. Also called plural marriage” (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2005). Recently there has been a large amount of speculation about polygamy in the media. Speculation and bigotry has also become out of hand with the public, so the purpose of this paper is to provide accurate information about the Fundamental Ladder Day Saints, or FLDS, members. I will provide information on the historical background of the FLDS religion, the important holidays, traditions, and the challenges that FLDS members must face every day; including what the women have to say, who have left the FLDS religion. I will also share information given to me by a member of the FLDS faith.
The Fundamental Ladder Day Saints is a religion that broke away from the Ladder Day Saint, or Mormon religion, in 1890. The FLDS is just one of the hundreds of sects that broke away from the Mormon religion. Before there were any sects from the Mormon religion, there was only one religion, which was started by Joseph Smith in 1830. Joseph Smith decided to add a doctrine to his religion, which was the practice of polygamy. The men within the Mormon religion were encouraged to take more then one wife, and if the men did not take more then one wife they were looked down upon by the community. Joseph Smith wrote a book, which is said, came from the visions Smith received, and this book became known as the Book of Mormon. In …show more content…
During the interview I held with Ezra Steele, at his home, on October 28, 2009, I asked questions concerning his religious beliefs on holidays, traditions, the basic beliefs of the religion, and the challenges he and his family face every day. Following are some of the questions I asked during the