Fundamentalist Mormon Groups: Why Some Sects Still Practice Polygamy Today

A look at why splinter groups separated from the LDS Church and continue plural marriage despite federal law and mainstream Mormon rejection.

By Garret Merkley · Explainer · Jun 3, 2026

Branched from The Edmunds-Tucker Act: How the Federal Government Crushed Polygamy

Quick take

Fundamentalist Mormon groups broke away from the LDS Church after it officially banned polygamy in 1890, viewing the change as a betrayal of core doctrine.
These sects believe plural marriage is essential to salvation and spiritual progression, making it central to their identity rather than a cultural preference.
They operate in isolated communities, often in Utah, Arizona, and Canada, with limited outside contact to maintain their practices and beliefs.
Federal and state law enforcement periodically prosecutes leaders for polygamy and abuse, but the decentralized nature of these groups makes enforcement difficult.

Fundamentalist Mormon groups are religious sects that split from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) specifically to preserve the practice of polygamy—plural marriage. When the LDS Church officially renounced polygamy in 1890 under federal pressure, some members refused to accept the change and formed separate communities dedicated to continuing what they saw as a sacred principle. Today, several thousand people live in these groups, primarily in the American West and Canada, maintaining polygamous households and a distinct theology that sets them apart from both mainstream Mormonism and wider American society.

The Doctrinal Split: Why Polygamy Matters to Fundamentalists

For fundamentalist Mormons, polygamy is not simply a cultural practice or historical curiosity—it is a cornerstone of religious doctrine tied directly to salvation. Early LDS founder Joseph Smith and his successor Brigham Young taught that plural marriage was divinely ordained and necessary for spiritual exaltation in the afterlife. When the LDS Church abandoned this teaching in 1890 (and again in 1904), fundamentalists interpreted it as a capitulation to worldly pressure rather than genuine revelation. They argue that the LDS Church compromised its core mission to gain respectability and statehood for Utah. To fundamentalists, accepting monogamy means rejecting what they see as eternal truth, making separation from the mainstream church feel like a necessary act of faithfulness rather than schism.

How Fundamentalist Communities Organize and Sustain Themselves

Fundamentalist Mormon groups vary in structure, but most operate as tightly knit communities with a charismatic leader or council of elders who interpret scripture and make decisions. The largest and most visible groups include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), which at its peak had several thousand members, and smaller independent groups scattered across Utah, Arizona, Idaho, and British Columbia. These communities often cluster in rural areas—places like Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona became known as fundamentalist strongholds—where they can maintain relative isolation from outside legal and social scrutiny. Members typically pool resources, with leadership controlling property and directing members' labor and income, creating economic interdependence that reinforces group cohesion.

Isolation is deliberate and functional. Fundamentalist groups teach that mainstream society is morally corrupt and that interaction with 'the world' threatens faith. Children are often homeschooled or attend group-run schools where curriculum emphasizes group doctrine. Limited access to outside information, combined with social pressure and economic dependence, makes leaving psychologically and practically difficult. Members who question leadership or wish to depart face losing family, housing, and livelihood. This closed-system structure has enabled some groups to practice polygamy for over a century despite federal prohibition, because law enforcement struggles to gather evidence and testimony from insular communities where residents fear state intervention.

Legal Status and Enforcement Challenges

Polygamy is illegal in all fifty U.S. states and Canada, with violations carrying felony charges and prison sentences. However, prosecuting fundamentalist groups has proven difficult. Law enforcement must prove that individuals entered into multiple legal marriage contracts, but fundamentalists often conduct only one legal marriage and treat additional unions as 'spiritual' ceremonies with no state documentation. This legal gray area makes prosecution harder. Additionally, victims and witnesses—typically wives and children—may be reluctant to testify against family members or may fear losing custody of children if the family unit is dismantled. Some states have deprioritized polygamy prosecution unless accompanied by abuse or fraud, redirecting limited resources elsewhere.

High-profile cases have occasionally broken through. In 2024, FLDS leader Warren Jeffs remained imprisoned after conviction on charges related to arranging marriages involving minors. Authorities have also prosecuted leaders for fraud, abuse, and welfare fraud (when group members receive public benefits while resources are controlled centrally). But these cases typically require evidence of additional crimes beyond polygamy itself. The decentralized nature of fundamentalist groups—with some operating as independent congregations rather than unified organizations—means there is no single hierarchy to dismantle, making sustained enforcement difficult.

Why This Matters and When It Intersects with Broader Concerns

Fundamentalist Mormon groups raise urgent questions about religious freedom, child welfare, and women's autonomy. While polygamy itself is the visible marker of these communities, investigations and journalistic accounts have repeatedly documented serious harms: forced marriages of minors, sexual abuse, reproductive coercion, and economic exploitation of women and children. The secrecy and insularity that allow polygamy to persist also enable abuse to go unreported and unchecked. Daughters are sometimes pressured into marriages with much older men; young men are sometimes expelled from communities to reduce competition for wives. These practices disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members—children and women with limited education or outside connections.

The persistence of fundamentalist groups also illustrates the limits of law in changing deeply held belief systems. The Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 and subsequent federal pressure succeeded in forcing the mainstream LDS Church to renounce polygamy, but they did not eliminate the practice—they only drove it underground and into splinter communities. Today, fundamentalist groups exist as a persistent reminder that some believers view the LDS Church's abandonment of polygamy not as enlightenment but as apostasy, and they continue to organize their lives around that conviction. Understanding these groups requires grappling with the tension between respecting religious belief and protecting vulnerable people from harm.

Key Fundamentalist Groups

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)—the largest and most organized, historically led by Warren Jeffs; operates primarily in Utah, Arizona, and Texas.
Kingston Group (The Order)—a Utah-based polygamist clan with significant business interests and estimated 1,500+ members.
Centennial Park Group—smaller independent community in Arizona.
Various unaffiliated fundamentalist polygamists—individuals and families who practice plural marriage without formal group structure.

Are fundamentalist Mormons the same as the mainstream LDS Church?

No. The LDS Church officially renounced polygamy in 1890 and excommunicates members who practice it. Fundamentalist groups are separate organizations that split precisely because they rejected this change. The LDS Church actively distances itself from fundamentalists and does not recognize their authority or practices.

Why don't more people leave these groups if they're so isolated?

Leaving is extremely difficult. Members lose family, housing, employment, and social identity. Children raised in these communities often lack outside education and job skills. Women may fear losing custody of children or having nowhere to go. Psychological manipulation and spiritual teachings about damnation outside the group create powerful barriers. Some people do leave, often with help from exit counselors or support organizations, but the process is traumatic and lengthy.

Could the government shut down these groups?

Not easily without violating religious freedom protections. The government can and does prosecute specific crimes—abuse, fraud, forced marriage of minors—but cannot simply ban a religious belief or dissolve a group for practicing polygamy alone. This is why enforcement focuses on documented harms rather than polygamy itself. Decentralization also means there is no single entity to shut down.

How many people practice polygamy in fundamentalist Mormon groups today?

Estimates range from 20,000 to 100,000 people across North America, but exact numbers are hard to pin down because groups are secretive and decentralized. The FLDS at its height had perhaps 10,000 members, but has declined since Warren Jeffs's imprisonment. Most other groups are much smaller.

What happens to children born in these communities?

Children typically receive limited outside education and are taught that the group's beliefs and practices are correct. Many grow up without exposure to alternative worldviews. Some leave as adults and struggle with reintegration into mainstream society. Others remain and continue the practices. Child welfare agencies in states with large fundamentalist populations have occasionally intervened in cases of abuse or neglect, but the communities' insularity makes monitoring difficult.

Sources

LDS Church official statements on polygamy renunciation (1890, 1904); publicly available historical records.
Federal Bureau of Investigation and state law enforcement case summaries on polygamy prosecutions, particularly United States v. Warren Jeffs (2007).
Academic research on high-control groups and coercive control mechanisms in isolated communities.
Journalistic investigations by outlets including The Atlantic, ProPublica, and NPR on fundamentalist Mormon communities and abuse.