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Church of Lies by Jessop, Flora, Brown, Paul T. (2010) Paperback
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First published December 1, 2008
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May 1, 2019
I've been reading a lot of these memoirs about escaping cults of all sorts and this one tops them all in the 'gut-wrenching brutality' department. My heart goes out to Flora Jessop along with all the others of FLDS children enduring such abuse. I'd like to throw out there that God is good. It is people that are bad.
January 13, 2024
“It's no coincidence that so many cults align themselves with mainstream religions. Like a predatory animal that has evolved to resemble something commonplace and nonthreatening, these organizations understand that the more they appear to be a branch of a familiar institution, the more easily they'll be able lure new followers into the fold.” -Sara Coughlin, 2018
Flora Jessop was born and raised in the polygamous hell-hole of Colorado City Arizona. Her father and his many wives were fundamentalist Mormons (FLDS). While still a child Flora was repeatedly sexually abused by her father. As a teenager she made several attempts to escape Colorado City, eventually succeeding. She now works as an advocate for the protection of abused children and as an activist helping both children and adults to extricate themselves from religious tyranny and abuse.
Trigger Warning
This is a hard read. The descriptions of the abuse Flora endured are nauseatingly graphic, so much so that I almost put this down and walked away. Consequently, you’ll find this title on many DNF lists. Unless you’re devoid of empathy the accounts of what happens to the children in FLDS will very likely turn your stomach as well as break your heart.
it gets worse…
Monsters are still out there. The FLDS may have a prophet or two in prison (see Warren Jeffs) but their pestilential presence is still alive and well. According to Al Jazeera America the adherents number around 10,000 in the United States and Canada (2015), a high percentage of those are young adults and children.
horrors ad infinitum
I am not sure where to draw the line between religion and cult. Is one better than the other? Religions tend to be larger, making their crimes against children less conspicuous, but does that necessarily make them less culpable? Less evil? For every bad actor in FLDS there are, for example, a hundred spread throughout the various Catholic dioceses. Churches have been and will continue to be a mecca for pedophiles and degenerates because of the access they provide to women and children. The FLDS is a beast, but it is one of many.
Flora Jessop was born and raised in the polygamous hell-hole of Colorado City Arizona. Her father and his many wives were fundamentalist Mormons (FLDS). While still a child Flora was repeatedly sexually abused by her father. As a teenager she made several attempts to escape Colorado City, eventually succeeding. She now works as an advocate for the protection of abused children and as an activist helping both children and adults to extricate themselves from religious tyranny and abuse.
Trigger Warning
This is a hard read. The descriptions of the abuse Flora endured are nauseatingly graphic, so much so that I almost put this down and walked away. Consequently, you’ll find this title on many DNF lists. Unless you’re devoid of empathy the accounts of what happens to the children in FLDS will very likely turn your stomach as well as break your heart.
it gets worse…
Monsters are still out there. The FLDS may have a prophet or two in prison (see Warren Jeffs) but their pestilential presence is still alive and well. According to Al Jazeera America the adherents number around 10,000 in the United States and Canada (2015), a high percentage of those are young adults and children.
horrors ad infinitum
I am not sure where to draw the line between religion and cult. Is one better than the other? Religions tend to be larger, making their crimes against children less conspicuous, but does that necessarily make them less culpable? Less evil? For every bad actor in FLDS there are, for example, a hundred spread throughout the various Catholic dioceses. Churches have been and will continue to be a mecca for pedophiles and degenerates because of the access they provide to women and children. The FLDS is a beast, but it is one of many.
September 12, 2010
Best line ever from the book:
(The police are at Flora's house, trying to get the two runaway girls and Flora is telling them off.)
"Dude, I don't know where the hell these kids are, and if I did I would not tell you so you can betray them like the dozens of other children betrayed from Colorado City." Finally, they got tired of playing nice and started threatening me.
"You tell us where these kids are at or we're going to handcuff you and take you to jail."
"Fine handcuff me. Don't threaten me, cuff me." I held my hands out.
"You mean you're actually willing to go to jail for these kids?" The cop was still trying to convince me to come clean. "It's not worth it Flora."
"You don't get it do you? I stared straight in his eyes. I'm actually willing to lay my life down to protect these kids. How far would you go to protect kids?" Now they were getting nasty with me and I finally lost it. "You people seem to be under the impression that CPS stands for Child Protective Services but you know what I think? I think it stands for Can't Protect Sh*t!"
Flora is a hero. Physically and sexually abused herself, she ran away from the FLDS and dedicated the rest of her life to helping other people escape from the evil cult. The whole book, though a completely bizarre, stranger than fiction story... is believable except the weird Indian who supposedly helped her and then disappeared. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it's just so far out there. It almost discredits the entire memoir and I would have left it out if I were writing the autobiography. But she chose to leave it in and I hope that others do not discredit her for it. She is also very outspoken which I love her for, but sometimes her passion and enthusiasm can get her in trouble with people. I do admire her fire! The world needs more people like her.
Word of warning: the rape scenes are VERY vivid and if you can't stomach it, skip it.
(The police are at Flora's house, trying to get the two runaway girls and Flora is telling them off.)
"Dude, I don't know where the hell these kids are, and if I did I would not tell you so you can betray them like the dozens of other children betrayed from Colorado City." Finally, they got tired of playing nice and started threatening me.
"You tell us where these kids are at or we're going to handcuff you and take you to jail."
"Fine handcuff me. Don't threaten me, cuff me." I held my hands out.
"You mean you're actually willing to go to jail for these kids?" The cop was still trying to convince me to come clean. "It's not worth it Flora."
"You don't get it do you? I stared straight in his eyes. I'm actually willing to lay my life down to protect these kids. How far would you go to protect kids?" Now they were getting nasty with me and I finally lost it. "You people seem to be under the impression that CPS stands for Child Protective Services but you know what I think? I think it stands for Can't Protect Sh*t!"
Flora is a hero. Physically and sexually abused herself, she ran away from the FLDS and dedicated the rest of her life to helping other people escape from the evil cult. The whole book, though a completely bizarre, stranger than fiction story... is believable except the weird Indian who supposedly helped her and then disappeared. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it's just so far out there. It almost discredits the entire memoir and I would have left it out if I were writing the autobiography. But she chose to leave it in and I hope that others do not discredit her for it. She is also very outspoken which I love her for, but sometimes her passion and enthusiasm can get her in trouble with people. I do admire her fire! The world needs more people like her.
Word of warning: the rape scenes are VERY vivid and if you can't stomach it, skip it.
October 28, 2019
Flora Jessup is a bulldog! After years of suffering mental cruelty, incest, physical abuse, and religious indoctrination to become a champion of so many children also running from the FLDS (please keep in mind this is a cult splintered off of the LDS- NOT the same religion) is a major accomplishment. Something clicked inside and she realized "this is not how I'm supposed to live. This is not right!", and did something about it. She ran away. Multiple times. And finally succeeded in separating, or as they call it, became an apostate. And became a pole dancer. And a drug addict. Then reclaimed her life. And became advocate for daughters and sister wives. Sadly it was the sister wives who constantly disappointed her and would return to the fold. She pressured the government to investigate crimes being committed; she gave numerous television interviews to educate America about these atrocities in the sandy regions of Colorado and Arizona. And she won! This is her story and I'm proud of her for sharing it.
May 7, 2017
Flora Jessop was the first woman to break free from the FLDS and she started the campaign to help other runaways with the help of different activists. I have read memoirs of women fleeing the sect at a much later date and things were much easier for them. Even though they had a lot of trouble with their families, they mostly did not end up on the streets. Unfortunately, that was not an option for Jessop who did drugs and worked as a stripper to deal with life and make ends meet.
The author goes into excruciating detail about some of her ordeals, which made me wince. It was definitely hard to read, but that's exactly the reason why this book is worth reading. Her childhood is described in detail, along with the abuse and the molestation, and then she talks about her escape, and finally her life as an activist, which started when her younger sister, Ruby, asked her for help in leaving. So it's a book about her own personal journey and not just about her experience within polygamy.
It's interesting to see how the government wants to take the easy way out and ignore these people citing 'freedom of religion'. When it comes to women, there are no rights anyway. How can these children be sent back to their families again and again, even when the State knows that they are sexually abused and some kids as young as 13 are pregnant?! That's pretty dumb at best and evil at worst. Now that Warren Jeffs is in prison, things have come a long way since the authorities were reluctant to touch the polygamists. However, there are still hundreds of women and children being held captive in these societies, not to mention all the boys and young men being thrown out penniless and defenceless on a regular basis.
Some people are born with an innate sense of independence in them, and Jessop appears to be one of them. I can truly only appreciate the fact that she never buckled down even when she was being beaten terribly. An outspoken critic of polygamy since a young age, Jessop turned to activism when her little sister was pushed into a forced marriage. Though Ruby had not managed to escape at the time this book was published, she managed to do so in 2013 and has got in touch with Flora again.
The author goes into excruciating detail about some of her ordeals, which made me wince. It was definitely hard to read, but that's exactly the reason why this book is worth reading. Her childhood is described in detail, along with the abuse and the molestation, and then she talks about her escape, and finally her life as an activist, which started when her younger sister, Ruby, asked her for help in leaving. So it's a book about her own personal journey and not just about her experience within polygamy.
It's interesting to see how the government wants to take the easy way out and ignore these people citing 'freedom of religion'. When it comes to women, there are no rights anyway. How can these children be sent back to their families again and again, even when the State knows that they are sexually abused and some kids as young as 13 are pregnant?! That's pretty dumb at best and evil at worst. Now that Warren Jeffs is in prison, things have come a long way since the authorities were reluctant to touch the polygamists. However, there are still hundreds of women and children being held captive in these societies, not to mention all the boys and young men being thrown out penniless and defenceless on a regular basis.
Some people are born with an innate sense of independence in them, and Jessop appears to be one of them. I can truly only appreciate the fact that she never buckled down even when she was being beaten terribly. An outspoken critic of polygamy since a young age, Jessop turned to activism when her little sister was pushed into a forced marriage. Though Ruby had not managed to escape at the time this book was published, she managed to do so in 2013 and has got in touch with Flora again.
February 4, 2023
This book was gripping and horrific, on one hand it was so interesting that I wanted to listen to all of it at once (even though I kept getting interrupted), on the other so much abuse was happening to Flora and the other girls that it was hard to keep reading.
I think even more highly of Flora Jessop now, with everything she's done and is doing to help underage girls escape polygamy.
She writes with so much passion that you can't help but emphasise with her, and shed some tears along the way.
The really sad part about this book, and other similar ones, is that it seems like everyone who escaped/left the FLDS was also abused. And that's just the survivors, imagine how many kids (and those now grown up) there are who are still getting abused every single day in this cult.
Anyway, Flora doesn't sugar coat anything in this book, and while it may be a hard read it's also a necessary one. Keep fighting the good fight, Flora, you're amazing.
I think even more highly of Flora Jessop now, with everything she's done and is doing to help underage girls escape polygamy.
She writes with so much passion that you can't help but emphasise with her, and shed some tears along the way.
The really sad part about this book, and other similar ones, is that it seems like everyone who escaped/left the FLDS was also abused. And that's just the survivors, imagine how many kids (and those now grown up) there are who are still getting abused every single day in this cult.
Anyway, Flora doesn't sugar coat anything in this book, and while it may be a hard read it's also a necessary one. Keep fighting the good fight, Flora, you're amazing.
February 16, 2016
What a horrific tale of sexual abuse and religious insanity.
However, this is rather normal for the world we live in. And that is the problem; people think this craziness is just happening on the fringes of humanity and the rest of the world is wonderfully normal. And that is Flora's problem...
Here's why I think this:
Hinduism has polygamy throughout it history (as well as endless sexual abuse of minors and even infants - read Amy Carmichael's adventures in India for more information, and don't forget the caste system). Islam allows up to 4 wives depending on what mood the men are in - they also claim Allah bases this on finances and love??? Sure. The Mormon church was founded on the benefits of polygamy and men's eternal lusts to achieve Godhood. Have a look at the first few founders of the latter Day Saints movement - now of course the loony religion backtracked and claims to be against polygamy??? What the HELL! Time to get a new god that can make up his mind. Of course, atheism says Do Whatever The Hell You Want - there is no Cosmic Justice or Divine Law.
And that is the big problem I have with Flora's noble quest: She's fighting a small battle and doesn't realize there's a huge war of eternal significance happening all around her. If there is no god then technically anything goes - there really is no eternal justice or consequences for abysmal actions. But the God of the Bible clearly lays out goodness and calls actual sin: SIN. (the 10 commandments do not leave room for RAPE)
Flora keeps saying how evil the FLDS is (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints). But as she even showed us a time or two in this book, the general Mormon Latter Day Saints are only a day or two away from reinstating Mormonism and all of its abuses...imagine what might happen if a Mormon U.S. President had power over everything? Would he obey HIS prophet and their original doctrinal core beliefs? I bet Mormonism would have a civil war right before our eyes. That would be disturbingly fun...but as we know - most Mormons pretend life is pleasant and that most problems disappear if they are ignored. Flora's Mom was very skilled at this. Imagine if Polygamy was made a legal tolerant option??? It's coming.
Flora needs to realize that sexual abuse and religious insanity are not just a Fundamentalist problem. It's much bigger than that. It's a theological problem that is fought at the very foundation of truth and love. To help someone out of a lie you must give them truth. Flora is partially an atheist - so her truth is that we are basically plants that live and die and have no real meaning or cosmic purpose. So clearly that doesn't put fear into an oppressive Fundamentalist prophet or their victims.
To undo the damage you must give someone a ROCK that can squash any resistance, and has enough meaning to help someone fight through the toughest challenges and evils. What is this?
Why it's the God of the Bible that has clearly said what is what. He calls a sin a sin, and deals with evil as it comes. Is it no surprise that Flora mentions nasty polygamists really don't want members having a Bible? I'm surprised Mormons even know what a Bible looks like.
So before people start complaining about the obvious I'll get right to it:
Sure, the Bible indeed mentions polygamy (many many times). It also clearly shows the damages polygamy does to families and nations. Does God ever request polygamy in the Bible? NO, no he doesn't. He spends so much time showing the evils and abuses of it that most smart people quickly get the clue. God also states in the very beginning of the Bible what makes a healthy family...and polygamy is NOT mentioned. God later discusses what type of man is wise and trustworthy for certain important positions - and polygamous men are NOT eligible for those positions.
God indeed lets us act out our desires and debaucheries in the name of freedom and choice. Is that fun or what? Don't blame God for our insanities and abuses. We are fully to blame. The Bible told us how to behave and fight evil - but we often call evil: GOOD - and good: EVIL. Then we complain when the world goes to hell. How dare us.
I thank Flora for showing us another dark side of existence. Men and Women are to blame for the evils they do - and I think Satan is to blame for the religions that help these desires along. Mankind doesn't go around creating religions, we are too busy abusing each other and getting are desires fulfilled - and Pride is at the top of the list.
If there is no GOD, then polygamy isn't really wrong. It's just not always pleasant and desirable. So I'll stick with the God of the Bible and the joy and love he provides in the name of our King and Savior Jesus. (Yes, Jesus is God. Trinity indeed)
I'm glad I don't live in Utah and own a shotgun - I'd probably be in jail for helping Flora save children from abuse. I'll fight things from a theological perspective. The truth is there whenever someone needs it.
I enjoy watching your efforts on youtube Flora. I'd love to meet you in person. Well done.
However, this is rather normal for the world we live in. And that is the problem; people think this craziness is just happening on the fringes of humanity and the rest of the world is wonderfully normal. And that is Flora's problem...
Here's why I think this:
Hinduism has polygamy throughout it history (as well as endless sexual abuse of minors and even infants - read Amy Carmichael's adventures in India for more information, and don't forget the caste system). Islam allows up to 4 wives depending on what mood the men are in - they also claim Allah bases this on finances and love??? Sure. The Mormon church was founded on the benefits of polygamy and men's eternal lusts to achieve Godhood. Have a look at the first few founders of the latter Day Saints movement - now of course the loony religion backtracked and claims to be against polygamy??? What the HELL! Time to get a new god that can make up his mind. Of course, atheism says Do Whatever The Hell You Want - there is no Cosmic Justice or Divine Law.
And that is the big problem I have with Flora's noble quest: She's fighting a small battle and doesn't realize there's a huge war of eternal significance happening all around her. If there is no god then technically anything goes - there really is no eternal justice or consequences for abysmal actions. But the God of the Bible clearly lays out goodness and calls actual sin: SIN. (the 10 commandments do not leave room for RAPE)
Flora keeps saying how evil the FLDS is (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints). But as she even showed us a time or two in this book, the general Mormon Latter Day Saints are only a day or two away from reinstating Mormonism and all of its abuses...imagine what might happen if a Mormon U.S. President had power over everything? Would he obey HIS prophet and their original doctrinal core beliefs? I bet Mormonism would have a civil war right before our eyes. That would be disturbingly fun...but as we know - most Mormons pretend life is pleasant and that most problems disappear if they are ignored. Flora's Mom was very skilled at this. Imagine if Polygamy was made a legal tolerant option??? It's coming.
Flora needs to realize that sexual abuse and religious insanity are not just a Fundamentalist problem. It's much bigger than that. It's a theological problem that is fought at the very foundation of truth and love. To help someone out of a lie you must give them truth. Flora is partially an atheist - so her truth is that we are basically plants that live and die and have no real meaning or cosmic purpose. So clearly that doesn't put fear into an oppressive Fundamentalist prophet or their victims.
To undo the damage you must give someone a ROCK that can squash any resistance, and has enough meaning to help someone fight through the toughest challenges and evils. What is this?
Why it's the God of the Bible that has clearly said what is what. He calls a sin a sin, and deals with evil as it comes. Is it no surprise that Flora mentions nasty polygamists really don't want members having a Bible? I'm surprised Mormons even know what a Bible looks like.
So before people start complaining about the obvious I'll get right to it:
Sure, the Bible indeed mentions polygamy (many many times). It also clearly shows the damages polygamy does to families and nations. Does God ever request polygamy in the Bible? NO, no he doesn't. He spends so much time showing the evils and abuses of it that most smart people quickly get the clue. God also states in the very beginning of the Bible what makes a healthy family...and polygamy is NOT mentioned. God later discusses what type of man is wise and trustworthy for certain important positions - and polygamous men are NOT eligible for those positions.
God indeed lets us act out our desires and debaucheries in the name of freedom and choice. Is that fun or what? Don't blame God for our insanities and abuses. We are fully to blame. The Bible told us how to behave and fight evil - but we often call evil: GOOD - and good: EVIL. Then we complain when the world goes to hell. How dare us.
I thank Flora for showing us another dark side of existence. Men and Women are to blame for the evils they do - and I think Satan is to blame for the religions that help these desires along. Mankind doesn't go around creating religions, we are too busy abusing each other and getting are desires fulfilled - and Pride is at the top of the list.
If there is no GOD, then polygamy isn't really wrong. It's just not always pleasant and desirable. So I'll stick with the God of the Bible and the joy and love he provides in the name of our King and Savior Jesus. (Yes, Jesus is God. Trinity indeed)
I'm glad I don't live in Utah and own a shotgun - I'd probably be in jail for helping Flora save children from abuse. I'll fight things from a theological perspective. The truth is there whenever someone needs it.
I enjoy watching your efforts on youtube Flora. I'd love to meet you in person. Well done.
August 26, 2011
The only thing that brought the rating down on this book was the total lack of grammar. I'm sorry, but I'm one of those who believes that if you're going to do any kind of formal writing, grammar and proper editing have to be present. And I know that's kind of a contradiction, because my writing mechanics are weak, but I'M NOT WRITING ANY BOOKS. Just the occassional review and a ton of emails and text mesages. LOL.
All that being said, this book does give you a look into what life is like inside a religious polygamist compound. I know Ms Jessop's credibility has taken a beating lately, and I understand why, but I can't be totally against her when all she wants is a healthy childhood for those in her family. Is it really too much to ask for children to grow up without sexual, physical and emotional abuse? Can it be a bad thing for children to grow up with a mother and a father and not a priesthood head and 78 mothers?
I do get the feeling that Ms Jessop might exagerate her plight or her heroism from time to time, but i think her motives are pure - a healthy childhood that includes education, contact with the outside world and the choice to marry who you want to marry when you're ready to marry.
I have nothing against polygamy. I know several polygamists who are living quite happy lives and are raising well adjusted children. But they don't hide in society.
And this branch of the mormons . . . well, it is a Church of Lies.
All that being said, this book does give you a look into what life is like inside a religious polygamist compound. I know Ms Jessop's credibility has taken a beating lately, and I understand why, but I can't be totally against her when all she wants is a healthy childhood for those in her family. Is it really too much to ask for children to grow up without sexual, physical and emotional abuse? Can it be a bad thing for children to grow up with a mother and a father and not a priesthood head and 78 mothers?
I do get the feeling that Ms Jessop might exagerate her plight or her heroism from time to time, but i think her motives are pure - a healthy childhood that includes education, contact with the outside world and the choice to marry who you want to marry when you're ready to marry.
I have nothing against polygamy. I know several polygamists who are living quite happy lives and are raising well adjusted children. But they don't hide in society.
And this branch of the mormons . . . well, it is a Church of Lies.
January 10, 2024
This was a good one. Such a powerful woman!
February 27, 2020
I read this shortly after its release when the atrocities committed by Warren Jeffs cult was first made national and international news.
Her experiences were shocking and horrifying. Her clever actions to get free were inspiring. What I most admired was her efforts to expose Jeffs evil to the world and work to make him accountable. Jessop went back to aid other cult members at risk to her life. She was and remains a courageous woman. One that I deeply admire. She is one of my heroes.
Her experiences were shocking and horrifying. Her clever actions to get free were inspiring. What I most admired was her efforts to expose Jeffs evil to the world and work to make him accountable. Jessop went back to aid other cult members at risk to her life. She was and remains a courageous woman. One that I deeply admire. She is one of my heroes.
October 7, 2014
It's amusing how many people now want to take credit for the fall of Warren Jeffs. It's a seductive story. Everybody wants to be seen as the hero...
But Flora Jessop--well, she's the real McCoy--one of the original warriors and genuine heroes. In fact, in many ways, Flora Jessop and a childhood friend of hers from Colorado City are truly Arizona's Founding Mothers of this hard-fought, human rights revolution. A campaign that had to overcome more than a half-century of institutionalized neglect and indifference on the part of Utah and Arizona officials before a man like Warren Jeffs could finally be brought to justice.
There are people who might dispute that claim--but I would argue that they are people who either don't really know the story or are lying to cover their own asses.--Mike Watkiss
--After reading Carolyn Jessop's two books, Escape and Triumph, about the abuse in the FLDS polygamous community, I decided I wanted to learn more.
--Flora Jessop is Carolyn Jessop's cousin, since most of the FLDS community are related to each other. Flora escaped long before Carolyn, while she was still a teenager. Flora was being sexually assaulted by her father from a very young age. She tried to escape numerous times before she was eventually successful.
--Flora's book details her early childhood, her escape from the FLDS cult and her struggle to live a normal life afterwards. She eventually finds peace and a good life in the outside world. It is then that she begins to help many other women and teenagers who want to escape from the FLDS as well.
--The more I learn about the FLDS cult, the more like the mob they seem. They indoctrinate, brainwash and abuse their members in order to keep them imprisoned. They don't want you to escape to tell the truth, so they manipulate and try to control your every move. If you do escape, they hunt you down and try everything in their power to force you to return.
--The women that are able to escape intact, are some of the bravest and most courageous warriors I have ever seen.
--Flora Jessop is the Executive Director of The Child Protection Project, which is an amazing organization helping many escape their lives of abuse in the FLDS.
--To this day, Jessop continues to fight for victims of abuse, wherever they may be. As Mike Watkiss says, she is one of the "original warriors and genuine heroes" of this movement.
February 23, 2012
It seems like a teenager wrote this. And really, in many ways, the author probably is like a teenager because of her lack of quality education (the education she did receive equates to brainwashing - I am surprised that it is allowed to go on). She frequently says, "Dude" and tosses out swear words like B**ch and Damn trying to sound tough but to the point of detracting from her message. The sexual abuse in this book is disturbing and way too graphic. It was not necessary to go into every single detail to get her message across and I think it really limits the audience. I wouldn't recommend this to my friends for that reason. The first half of this book details Flora's life and abuse in the FLDS community and is a revealing insight into that horrific environment. However the second half of the book is harder to follow -- it includes tales of the Italian mafia, an attack on a serial rapist, topless dancing, agency corruption, and heroics to save others from the FLDS. I am sure much of it is true but I did not find it to be 100% believable.
July 21, 2016
It's no secret that I've read many a book about the FLDS. While I think they all have their separate insights and such, the bottom line is usually the same: Warren Jeffs and the FLDS victimize people, mainly women and girls, and it shouldn't be taken any more. I was under the impression that Flora Jessop's book would be very similar to that of Carolyn Jessop's, and Elisa Wall's. Not that they are any less interesting, don't get me wrong, but similar in their tones and stories. But boy was I wrong. Because Flora Jessop has a very distinct characteristic to her story; she is filled with a large amount of rage that is palpable and practically busting out of hte pages. After a childhood of sexual and physical abuse, she escaped the FLDS and is now an advocate for children who want to escape as well. All of the women who write these books are incredibly brave and incredibly resilient, and Flora has been threatened, attacked, nearly run off a country road and she STILL stands up for these girls and tells her story. This book was just more proof that these stories are NOT all the same, and that the women are all brave in many different ways.
At times hard to read and at other times really very funny, CHURCH OF LIES was a great read, and a MUST read for those interested in the FLDS and those who have escaped.
At times hard to read and at other times really very funny, CHURCH OF LIES was a great read, and a MUST read for those interested in the FLDS and those who have escaped.
Read
March 27, 2025A trigger warning for extremely graphic detail on rape and incest. I nearly dnf’d, then I figured if Flora not only lived it and survived it but then went on to fight the very root of the evil that came dressed up as religion, the least I could do was bare witness.
I’m always surprised by the reviews that come along with these type of memoirs. The amount of people who wilfully dismiss the authors testimony and disbelieve them. Surprised is the wrong word, disgusted, I’m disgusted. We need to believe survivors.
Flora is a complete badass! To escape a cult, survive a cult, and then go on to fight every state sanction that allowed it (and it’s still happening) to operate is incredible.
Currently included with audible 🎧
I’m always surprised by the reviews that come along with these type of memoirs. The amount of people who wilfully dismiss the authors testimony and disbelieve them. Surprised is the wrong word, disgusted, I’m disgusted. We need to believe survivors.
Flora is a complete badass! To escape a cult, survive a cult, and then go on to fight every state sanction that allowed it (and it’s still happening) to operate is incredible.
Currently included with audible 🎧
August 20, 2012
No matter how much I learn about the FLDS, every book brings new surprises. This one in particular, because it's not just one survivor's story, it's also the story of her tireless work to help other women and children escape lives of polygamous and abuse. One of the girls Flora Jessop rescued, first from the FLDS and then from the government agencies who insisted on returning her to her parents, was Fawn Broadbent. Fawn and her friend, Fawn Holm, ran away at the age of 15 to escape being married. One was promised to a first cousin, a common practice in Colorado City (Flora herself was married to a 19 year old first cousin at the age of 16), and the other to a man twice her age who had other wives and whom she hated. Fawn Broadbent's mother, Joyce, was interviewed for a National Geographic cover story in 2010 and was portrayed as an average, happy, loving mother who delighted in her lifestyle. No mention was made of her daughter or the many court battles that had finally resulted in her freedom. It was that Nat Geo article that made me pursue the issue more fully, as the writer painted an extremely positive picture of life in a polygamous cult. Perhaps the crew didn't interview anyone without a member of the "priesthood" present. Or maybe they just weren't aware of or interested in how deeply lifelong brainwashing can affect a person's POV.
Anyway, despite a rough beginning (some of Jessop's accounts of her own childhood abuse read too much like kiddy porn, but as I read I grew to understand her lack of objectivity on the matter), it became an excellent account of life among the FLDS and how unbelievably hard it is to escape. Even those who succeed too often give up and go back due to a total lack of understanding about the outside world, which they're taught from birth is purely evil. Because the girls often leave school between the ages of 10 and 13 and are immediately married off and impregnated, their emotional and psychological development stops, making it all but impossible to take up growing and learning as adults on the outside. That makes it all the more incredible that Jessop is able to do the work she does, as well as writing such a smart and readable book as this.
Anyway, despite a rough beginning (some of Jessop's accounts of her own childhood abuse read too much like kiddy porn, but as I read I grew to understand her lack of objectivity on the matter), it became an excellent account of life among the FLDS and how unbelievably hard it is to escape. Even those who succeed too often give up and go back due to a total lack of understanding about the outside world, which they're taught from birth is purely evil. Because the girls often leave school between the ages of 10 and 13 and are immediately married off and impregnated, their emotional and psychological development stops, making it all but impossible to take up growing and learning as adults on the outside. That makes it all the more incredible that Jessop is able to do the work she does, as well as writing such a smart and readable book as this.
November 9, 2014
I sometimes have a really hard time writing a review of a memoir, because I feel like I'm critiquing the person's life, and not the book itself - isn't it one and the same? This one is no different.
I had a really, really hard time liking Flora Jessop, though naturally I felt sympathy for what she went through. But she's awfully big on martyrdom, the "poor me" syndrome (which I can't get, because I can't imagine what she went through), but she also constantly praises herself for how awesome she is, even when she's doing drugs and stripping. I understand that, too - lack of self confidence usually turns into a "look at me, look at how great I am!"
The big thing that really bugged me about the whole book, and made me doubt a lot of what Flora said, was the one line she devotes to quitting drugs - she basically just says "I decided to stop, so I did". I've never done drugs, never even smoked a cigarette, but I've never heard of anyone quitting drugs by just deciding to. You're telling me she never once looked back? She never once struggled with her addiction? I get that her drug abuse wasn't the story here - saving the kids from abuse is - but it really bugged me that she just casually mentions quitting drugs & never mentions it again. What else was she over simplifying?
She also makes out that she's the only person ever who tries to rescue the kids and she's the only one ever in the whole world who could possibly actually rescue a child - and that's just not true. She likes to paint CPS as the bad guys, but that's discrimination - claiming everyone who works there is a bad guy is as bad as any other discrimination/racism/etc. CPS is trying to work within the laws of our country - for better or for worse. I'm not saying that they are actually helping the kids - clearly, they aren't - but they are trying to follow the law, and that doesn't make someone working for CPS as evil, just someone who's trying to follow the law.
I had a really, really hard time liking Flora Jessop, though naturally I felt sympathy for what she went through. But she's awfully big on martyrdom, the "poor me" syndrome (which I can't get, because I can't imagine what she went through), but she also constantly praises herself for how awesome she is, even when she's doing drugs and stripping. I understand that, too - lack of self confidence usually turns into a "look at me, look at how great I am!"
The big thing that really bugged me about the whole book, and made me doubt a lot of what Flora said, was the one line she devotes to quitting drugs - she basically just says "I decided to stop, so I did". I've never done drugs, never even smoked a cigarette, but I've never heard of anyone quitting drugs by just deciding to. You're telling me she never once looked back? She never once struggled with her addiction? I get that her drug abuse wasn't the story here - saving the kids from abuse is - but it really bugged me that she just casually mentions quitting drugs & never mentions it again. What else was she over simplifying?
She also makes out that she's the only person ever who tries to rescue the kids and she's the only one ever in the whole world who could possibly actually rescue a child - and that's just not true. She likes to paint CPS as the bad guys, but that's discrimination - claiming everyone who works there is a bad guy is as bad as any other discrimination/racism/etc. CPS is trying to work within the laws of our country - for better or for worse. I'm not saying that they are actually helping the kids - clearly, they aren't - but they are trying to follow the law, and that doesn't make someone working for CPS as evil, just someone who's trying to follow the law.
August 21, 2013
In Church of Lies, Flora Jessop tells her story of growing up in the FLDS where she was abused, molested, raped, tortured, held captive, and married off to a cousin at 14. This book has been the most gut wrenching and traumatic yet. Her story opened my eyes to the issues that I can hardly believe still exist in twenty-first century America. I believe in Religious freedom..but this takes it to a whole other level. I am absolutely disgusted with the way Arizona and Utah's government programs and officials (especially the State Attorneys) ignored the abuse and send these children right back into these situations. I think it is horrible that the abuse that goes on there is widely ignored! The brainwashing, the intimidation, the fear for their lives! Jessop has convinced me strongly that something needs to change. The FLDS really does believe they are above the law, sometimes even buying their way right into that belief! Flora Jessop escaped tortuous hell hole and started a life of her own outside of the FLDS. That alone is quite the accomplishment. Yet, Jessop didn't stop there. Despite being on the run, left to stripping and drugs, she has continued her fight against the FLDS. Despite the trauma she faced as a child, she married a wonderful man and started her own underground secret system of helping young girls escape their own hell. She has fought all of the court systems and process' helping young girls, women with children, and anyone that needed help leaving. The only downside of this book was the lack of grammar. However, it basically goes unnoticed amongst the horrifying story of her life. Flora Jessop is an amazing person with an amazing story that anyone can be inspired by.
August 16, 2010
By the end of this book, the flaws I found had become endearing and I was completely charmed by the charm, bluster, honesty and courage that Flora Jessop possesses. I understood why so many people in her life helped her with her causes, because she is a big person with a bright brain and heart to match. The difficulty of thinking independently after having been brainwashed since birth cannot be underestimated...her ability to flout all that was safe and secure to carve out a place for herself in a world she was supposed to despise amazed me. She has lived a much bigger life than the FLDS women will ever get to experience, and it pains me that these women live in brainwashed slavery. In the past, my attitude toward polygamy has been tolerant, and I do believe people should be able to choose such a life, but a minor cannot make those choices, choices like having a baby or getting married. And it simply isn't a level playing field when you have been brainwashed since birth.
I especially liked this book because I was brought up Mormon, and I understand sexist, racist and nonsensical belief systems and the pressure that is placed on members to conform to them. It is no light decision to leave a church that your family members believe in, let alone leave town and speak out against it. Flora, decked out in her leather jacket with her loaded gun, guided by an Indian spirit, booby dancing and chain smoking, is so easy to love and her cause an easy one to embrace, even if it requires possibly creative interpretations of constitutional law to be put into practice.
I especially liked this book because I was brought up Mormon, and I understand sexist, racist and nonsensical belief systems and the pressure that is placed on members to conform to them. It is no light decision to leave a church that your family members believe in, let alone leave town and speak out against it. Flora, decked out in her leather jacket with her loaded gun, guided by an Indian spirit, booby dancing and chain smoking, is so easy to love and her cause an easy one to embrace, even if it requires possibly creative interpretations of constitutional law to be put into practice.
December 12, 2010
While reading this book, I felt all kinds of emotions come out. From sheer rage because of the way that the women and children were treated as property, sadness because they felt they had no way out...and anger again at the FLDS leaders who kept their women and children ignorant so that they could never really ever leave the sect.
Most children stopped formal education at 8th grade, if not before. Young girls were married off at the age of 12 or younger if they were perceived to be a "problem" child.
In later years, the young men were disowned by the sect so that the females could be married to the older men.
Incest and rape are a common every day occurrence within this sect.
I was at times appalled and confused. I have read the KJV Bible and no where in my Bible does God sanction a marriage between an adult and a child nor does He condone rape and molestation. I have also studied some Wicca and this religion also does not sanction such a union nor condone the abuses that the women and children have suffered,
And through it all- the authorities chose to turn a blind eye.
I applaud Flora's bravery to get out of the sect and also to help forge a path so that others may leave the sect and live a normal life.
Most children stopped formal education at 8th grade, if not before. Young girls were married off at the age of 12 or younger if they were perceived to be a "problem" child.
In later years, the young men were disowned by the sect so that the females could be married to the older men.
Incest and rape are a common every day occurrence within this sect.
I was at times appalled and confused. I have read the KJV Bible and no where in my Bible does God sanction a marriage between an adult and a child nor does He condone rape and molestation. I have also studied some Wicca and this religion also does not sanction such a union nor condone the abuses that the women and children have suffered,
And through it all- the authorities chose to turn a blind eye.
I applaud Flora's bravery to get out of the sect and also to help forge a path so that others may leave the sect and live a normal life.
September 13, 2011
Initially I was interested in this book since I was raised in the mainstream Mormon faith. I wanted to know exactly what the differences are in the mainstream faith and the fundamentalist sect. I found out the differences are slight, which didn't shock me too much. What shocked me was the story of Flora Jessup. This tale was told with frank honesty and a level of bluntness that is admirable but definitely would make most people cringe at times. This book perfectly highlights the numerous ways this sect is abusing the basic civil rights of women and children that this country hold dear, and illustrates the numerous ways that we should care "for example, the rampant welfare fraud". This book is enlightening, sad, difficult to read at times, and enraging to any rational human being.
December 31, 2017
This is a book about the inside workings of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Flora exposes the routine and acceptable practices that the FLDS use to control people--mostly their members--that make them sound like the mob. She also exposes moral issues that the FLDS would rather not reveal.
May 23, 2019
Visceral and painful, the beginning was a bit too detailed and the end a bit too vague. I really would have liked a bit more about Flora's reconciliation with religion as part of her journey. There are a lot of moments that seem too far-fetched, or of Flora delivering a nagging bit of 'I told you so' but, well, I believe her.
August 15, 2024
On the one hand, this book is in desperate need of being edited down. On the other hand, the last third of the book is a first hand account of the Underground Railroad of ex-FLDS abused children, and that part of the book is especially amazing.
September 13, 2014
Although the subject matter is of great interest to me, the way the book was written prevented me from enjoying it.
July 4, 2023
Very devastating read while also a powerful reminder of the atrocious extremes patriarchal structures and fundamentalist believes can go. Nevertheless, an amazing book about a woman who makes it her life’s work to protect other women and children.
February 27, 2025
A little obsession of mine is reading about cults. I read/listened to Shari Franke’s book this month and I’m not saying it wasn’t “culty”enough for me, but it definitely was lacking a little bit for me, so I went back to see what was included in Audible Plus and this has been there a while so I decided to eventually give it a listen, just to scratch that itch.
It is a bit dated, but it provides a deep dive into the world of FLDS (Fundamentalist Later Day Saints), sacred garments and all (IYKYK). I watched a show a while back called “Escaping Polygamy” and I genuinely was so fascinated in the process, the rescue and how the rescuers didn’t know these people they were rescuing and they were related. This is the background behind that show. It explains the legislation, the God Squad, the CPS and the lengths people like Flora go to, to free people from the FLDS.
Recommend if you’re obsessed as me!
It is a bit dated, but it provides a deep dive into the world of FLDS (Fundamentalist Later Day Saints), sacred garments and all (IYKYK). I watched a show a while back called “Escaping Polygamy” and I genuinely was so fascinated in the process, the rescue and how the rescuers didn’t know these people they were rescuing and they were related. This is the background behind that show. It explains the legislation, the God Squad, the CPS and the lengths people like Flora go to, to free people from the FLDS.
Recommend if you’re obsessed as me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2011
This is one of several books I've read about the FLDS (a fundamentalist Mormon sect) but it's by far the most horrifying. Not only are most of these women married off at a very young age to be one of multiple wives, but apparently abuse runs rampant in these communities. Flora Jessop tells her story about how she was raped and abused as a child before she had enough and ran away as a teen.
The abuse in this book is so horrific, you almost feel like you're reading fiction. Flora was strong enough to realize that she needed to get out, but unfortunately a lot of women don't realize that there are other options. There's also not a lot of help. When she told the police about her father molesting her, they sent her back home. Realizing that the law wasn't going to help her, now Flora spends her life trying to help other girls and women to escape.
The FLDS compounds are scary. I can't even imagine being born into a community like that and it being all you've ever known. They are taught that the outside world is evil, so most women are even more afraid of leaving than staying. I think it's brave of these women to write their stories when they're losing their entire families by leaving the religion and going public. Hopefully their bravery can save more women from this lifestyle.
Overall, the book was good. It wasn't the most well written book, but Flora Jessop isn't a professional writer. She tells her story effectively and leaves an impact on the reader. I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in polygamy and the FLDS.
The abuse in this book is so horrific, you almost feel like you're reading fiction. Flora was strong enough to realize that she needed to get out, but unfortunately a lot of women don't realize that there are other options. There's also not a lot of help. When she told the police about her father molesting her, they sent her back home. Realizing that the law wasn't going to help her, now Flora spends her life trying to help other girls and women to escape.
The FLDS compounds are scary. I can't even imagine being born into a community like that and it being all you've ever known. They are taught that the outside world is evil, so most women are even more afraid of leaving than staying. I think it's brave of these women to write their stories when they're losing their entire families by leaving the religion and going public. Hopefully their bravery can save more women from this lifestyle.
Overall, the book was good. It wasn't the most well written book, but Flora Jessop isn't a professional writer. She tells her story effectively and leaves an impact on the reader. I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in polygamy and the FLDS.
February 8, 2010
This book adds another dimension to the stories of the FLDS told by others (Brent Jeffs, Elissa Wall, Carolyn Jessop), that being the complicity of local and state governments and law enforcement in widespread FLDS crimes and abuses, particularly those perpetrated against children. Whether through fear, ignorance, legal constraints, laziness or outright corruption, state authorities in Utah and Arizona, particularly CPS and juvenile courts, continually turned a blind eye to the physical and emotional abuse of minors in the community. This book shows how children fleeing from these abuses were betrayed or returned to their homes over and over again.
The author shares both her experience with abuse as a child, as well as her crusade to force authorities to take this abuse seriously as an adult. (While not a focus of the book, it certainly makes the reader grateful that the FLDS chose Texas as it's next Zion - a state that turned out to be not nearly as afraid to take on the FLDS power structure, enforce sex abuse laws, and protect children.) Even if you've read all the others, this is one not to miss! Great book and great heroine.
The author shares both her experience with abuse as a child, as well as her crusade to force authorities to take this abuse seriously as an adult. (While not a focus of the book, it certainly makes the reader grateful that the FLDS chose Texas as it's next Zion - a state that turned out to be not nearly as afraid to take on the FLDS power structure, enforce sex abuse laws, and protect children.) Even if you've read all the others, this is one not to miss! Great book and great heroine.
May 13, 2013
A sad and interesting story. It is horrible the way that Flora was abused and so many other women and children are abused within the FLDS system. This book brings to light not only the abuse that she suffered, but the rampant abuses in that community and the failure of our government to protect the women and children within those communities. I do not think that women and children should be allowed to be abused under the guise of "freedom of religion". It sounds like Flora is doing the best that she can to help save people out of the FLDS. It would be good if our government would too.
February 8, 2011
Wow, Flora Jessop is probably one of the most passionate authors I have ever read on this subject! She's a real fireball when it comes to the FLDS! This book was so fast paced, I couldn't put it down. Her work to protect and save women and children caught up in this cult is so awe-inspiring and desperately needed. I don't think she'll ever stop trying to bring this matter to the publics attention and that's a great achievement. Another woman whom I deeply admire for not only saving herself but saving others. Good job Flora, this was a great read!
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