Escaping a cult: How Briell rebuilt her life
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I can be whoever I want, I thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
Aged 26, it was the first time that I could dress however I wanted, instead of the long-sleeve prairie dresses I’d been made to wear my whole life.
Born into a radical religious sect, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), I was one of 14 children.
The sect was formed after the Mormon church outlawed polygamy in 1890.
Growing up, we were taught that every man in our community should have at least three wives, or more.
Even my dad had another wife who lived with us, but she didn’t bear any of his children.
Our leader, Rulon Jeffs, was rumoured to have between 19 and 75 wives in total, including one of my older sisters.
They’d wed when she was 18 and he was in his 80s.
Despite their massive age difference, I didn’t think it was strange.
Banned from contacting or socialising with anyone outside our community, we were led to believe such a marriage was normal.
We also were restricted from watching TV, listening to popular music and reading non-fiction books.
‘Plural marriage is required to enter the highest level of heaven,’ Dad would remind us every day.
‘You’re going to marry Warren Jeffs,’ people in the community would say, reminding me of my life’s purpose.
The son of Rulon, Warren was destined to take over as our prophet when his father passed.
But as he was my school principal, and 30 years my senior, I found the concept of marrying him terrifying.
Content retrieved from: https://www.thatslife.com.au/crime/escaping-a-cult-briell/.
