Prisoner of the Prophet

Last updated
Prisoner of the Prophet
Genre Documentary
True crime
Directed byPat McGee
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
CinematographyAdam Linkenhelt
Jeff Marcello
Running time45–53 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Discovery+
ReleaseJanuary 30, 2023 (2023-01-30)

Prisoner of the Prophet is an American documentary miniseries on Discovery+, surrounding the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, and its current leader Warren S. Jeffs. [1] The series was released on January 30, 2023. [2] It is directed by Pat McGee. The series focuses on Jeff's 65th polygamous wife, Briell Decker, and her time both during and following Jeff's incarceration, and the transformation of the community of Short Creek, notably Decker transforming Jeff's former compound into a place of refuge for those leaving the religion. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Premise

Briell Decker, the 65th wife of Warren S. Jeffs exposes the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and documents the transformation of the Short Creek Community (Hilldale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona), following Jeff's incarceration, and the exodus of the church from the community. [6] [7]

Episodes

No.Title
1"The 65th Wife"
Decker explains her upbringing, and her becoming the 65th wife of Warren Jeffs at the age of eighteen.
2"Blood Atonement"
Decker further exposes life within the church, and her time living as a polygamous wife, as well as her being ordered to leave the community.
3"The Escape"
After being ordered back to the Short Creek Community by Jeffs, Decker is effectively held prisoner by her family, she realizes this is her time to leave the church.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints</span> Latter-Day Saints denomination

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. It is variously defined as a cult, a sect, or a new religious movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mormon fundamentalism</span> Advocates of some early Mormon doctrines

Mormon fundamentalism is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor, the first three presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormon fundamentalists seek to uphold tenets and practices no longer held by mainstream Mormons. The principle most often associated with Mormon fundamentalism is plural marriage, a form of polygyny first taught in the Latter Day Saint movement by the movement's founder, Smith. A second and closely associated principle is that of the United Order, a form of egalitarian communalism. Mormon fundamentalists believe that these and other principles were wrongly abandoned or changed by the LDS Church in its efforts to become reconciled with mainstream American society. Today, the LDS Church excommunicates any of its members who practice plural marriage or who otherwise closely associate themselves with Mormon fundamentalist practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Jeffs</span> American criminal and religious leader (born 1955)

Warren Steed Jeffs is an American religious-cult leader and felon, convicted of several sex crimes and two assisted sex crimes involving children. He is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamous movement. In 2011, he was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault, for which he is serving a life sentence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rulon Jeffs</span> Fundamentalist Mormon church leader (1909–2002)

Rulon Timpson Jeffs, known to followers as Uncle Rulon, was an American polygamist and religious leader who served as the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon fundamentalist organization based in Colorado City, Arizona, United States, from 1986 until his death in 2002. He was the father of later FLDS Church leader and convicted felon Warren Jeffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost boys (Mormon fundamentalism)</span> Term for young males excommunicated or pressured to leave a polygamous Mormon community

"Lost boys" is a term used for young men who have been excommunicated or pressured to leave polygamous Mormon fundamentalist groups, such as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Although sometimes officially accused of apostasy or disobedience, it is thought that they are mainly pressured to leave by older adult men to reduce competition for wives within such sects, usually when they are between the ages of 13 and 21.

<i>Banking on Heaven</i> 2005 American film directed by Dot Reidelbach

Banking on Heaven is a documentary film which exposes the largest polygamous enclave in the United States and its leader, Warren Jeffs. Banking on Heaven was directed by Dot Reidelbach and written, produced, and narrated by Laurie Allen, who escaped a similar polygamous sect at age sixteen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leroy S. Johnson</span> Fundamentalist Mormon leader (1888–1986)

Leroy Sunderland Johnson, known as Uncle Roy, was a leader of the Mormon fundamentalist group in Short Creek, which later evolved into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, from the mid-1950s until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short Creek raid</span> 1953 mass arrest in Arizona, US

The Short Creek raid was an Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona National Guard action against Mormon fundamentalists that took place on the morning of July 26, 1953, at Short Creek, Arizona. The Short Creek raid was the largest mass arrest of polygamists in American history. At the time, it was described as "the largest mass arrest of men and women in modern American history."

Winston Blackmore is the leader of a polygamous Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint religious group in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada. He is described as "Canada's best-known avowed polygamist". He has 150 children with his 27 "spiritual" wives, some of whom he has admitted were underage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Current state of polygamy in the Latter Day Saint movement</span>

Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, privately taught and practiced polygamy. After Smith's death in 1844, the church he established splintered into several competing groups. Disagreement over Smith's doctrine of "plural marriage" has been among the primary reasons for multiple church schisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placement marriage</span> Arranged marriage in Mormon fundamentalist groups

The term placement marriage refers to arranged marriages between members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Placement marriage is believed and practiced by members of the FLDS Church to show their commitment and obedience in order to obtain salvation for themselves and their parents; it might be considered “the most visible outward symbol of members’ devotion."

Wendell Loy Nielsen was the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, replacing Warren Jeffs, at that time imprisoned on charges related to sexual assaults against minors.

<i>Sons of Perdition</i> (film) 2010 American documentary film

Sons of Perdition is a 2010 documentary film featuring a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of teenagers exiled from their families and community by Warren Jeffs, self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sons of Perdition premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 24, 2010, having sold out at the box office within one hour from the time tickets went on sale.

Rebecca Musser is an American author and activist. She was a wife of the late Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints prophet Rulon Jeffs and escaped the compound before bringing legal proceedings against the church. In the film Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs, Musser is portrayed by actress Sabina Gadecki.

Nephi Jeffs is an American Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader. He is the bishop of the Short Creek Stake, and is his brother Warren Jeffs's personal secretary.

Leroy "Roy" Barlow Jeffs was a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was one of the prophet Warren Jeffs' fifty four children.

Rachel Jeffs Blackmore is an American author and former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She is the daughter of the church's prophet, convicted pedophile Warren Jeffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leroy S. Johnson Meetinghouse</span> Church in Arizona, United States

The Leroy S. Johnson Meetinghouse was the meetinghouse of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) located in Colorado City, Arizona, serving the Short Creek Community which includes Hilldale, Utah.

Preaching Evil: A wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs is an American documentary miniseries on Peacock, surrounding the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, and its current leader Warren S. Jeffs. The series was released on April 26, 2022, on Peacock. It is directed by Douglas Elford Argent. The series focuses on Jeff's polygamous wife, and personal scribe Naomie Jessop, originally a wife of his father Rulon Jeffs.

References

  1. Prisoner of the Prophet (Documentary), Rocío de la Grana, Meg Schimelpfenig, Briell Decker, Everywoman Studios, 2023-01-30, retrieved 2024-01-29{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "discovery+". www.discoveryplus.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  3. "Prisoner of the Prophet". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  4. Hannaford, Alex (2018-10-13). "The woman who escaped a polygamous cult – and turned its HQ into a refuge". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  5. "Briell Decker survived a polygamous upbringing. Now she tries to rescue other women from the same fate". 12news.com. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  6. Barilla, Chris (2023-01-30). "Briell Drecker Changed Her Life Completely After Escaping the FLDS Church". Distractify. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  7. "Briell Decker". Briell Decker. Retrieved 2024-01-29.