Being a lifer LDS, (being born to parents already in Mormon/LDS church) I can only truly speak from my point of view but I’d like to point out the differences in the two religions from, again… my perspective.
They - the FLDS are getting a lot of press. That messy situation in Texas and the Presidential race, although Mitt is out of it, have put some attention on our church. It is causing my kid to get grief in school and questions, so the issue needs some clarification.
Size of churches - FLDS 11,000 worldwide - LDS 12 million worldwide
LDS - USA total as 5,779,316, world total 12,868,606. Most of those outside of the USA are in Latin American countries
Dress code
FLDS do not cut the women’s hair, and wear long vintage looking dresses. No make-up for the ladies. Not sure on the guys…
LDS - the guideline is that we dress modestly, meaning covering: shoulders, cleavage, tush, and upper leg. No short shorts. Women keep piercings down to one in each ear, and no tattoos. A guy - no piercings, no tattoo and similar to women in that modest dress is the guideline. We still believe in dressing in our “Sunday Best” to go to church. Girls in dresses, and guys wear dress shirts and ties. We do this to show our respect for the Lord’s house.
Marriage - it’s the biggie
FLDS - this I’ve learned from interviews on Oprah and other news shows… The men can have more than one wife. The hook ups are set up by leaders, not the individuals involved, not even their parents… They marry young, as young as 14 for sure, as that’s what got their Prophet sent to jail. They can be set up with first cousins. If the girls don’t want to do it, they will be shunned and made to feel guilty. Marriages can be rearranged by the prophet - even from jail? I guess so.
LDS - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not practiced polygamy for over 100 years. We don’t encourage teen marriages. We encourage our girls to go to college. We fall in love and marry whom we want to.
This is the definition of polygamy on the LDS churches web site:
Influenced by rumors and exaggerated reports, the United States Congress, beginning in 1862, enacted a series of laws against polygamy that became increasingly harsh. Groups who teach polygamy today are not part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
That is what it says on the LDS.org web site. Can men be actively married to more than one wife, yes… just not two live ones. If your wife dies, or divorces, a man can marry another wife in the temple. This may seem unfair, I guess - If you feel that you would like to deal with more than one man in the afterlife… I would rather not. Would I mind being surrounded by sisters… that’s do-able. I used to joke that if the committment I’m making for an eternal companionship involves me and him and no girlsfriends… I’d rather not. In rural areas of Tibet- Women marry more than one husband. The women are the leaders and run the show in that culture. Interesting.
So if the US Congress changed its mind and made polygamy legal, would the Church go back to the practice? I just couldn’t guess… we do have a Prophet. His name is Thomas S. Monson and if the Lord wanted us to do something, he would go through our Prophet. I do know that Prophets in the Bible had multiple wives - so it’s something to think about, but can’t say I worry about it. One of our beliefs is to be law-abiding citizens; we pay our taxes and finish our homes. We do not feel the need to live on state lines.
I am sure there are other major differences, but I have limited knowledge about the FLDS church, so that is all I can compare.
I know that I do not feel repressed, or a prisoner by the guidelines of the LDS church. I feel blessed and enjoy having personal revelation often that continues to teach me more about the plan of happiness and about our eternal progression.
Visit Mormon.org for more info regarding the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
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