In both “Lost Boy” and “Stolen Innocence”, both authors give details of the struggles within their families. Specifically, the emotional trauma of their siblings leaving or “being put out on the side of the road” (page 47 – Stolen Innocence). Also, the threat and practice of being “reassigned” within FLDS was heart breaking to read about. Obviously, the daily struggles within FLDS for the families were a big part of the lives of each author growing up.

     Reading these accounts was difficult on many levels. The number of families split up and broken at WOFF over the years is no small number.  Over the years, the list only continues to grow of broken families or traumatized individuals stemming from WOFF and its practices. A few families would leave as a unit. But, the emotional baggage of having been a part of WOFF was great on any level for single people or families.

     There was a the couple at WOFF who moved back west. The husband left and originally the mother stayed with the two boys. She went for a visit and never returned to WOFF. That story was quieted and not spoken about much at all.

     There was the family that got up to leave WOFF in the middle of a service while certain folks tried to physically restrain the father. It was a big to do and left many folks shaking. Jane told the “strong guys” to “let him go”. He secured his wife and children and left. It was a big scene. A couple of days later, they were packed and headed back West to start a new life. They had been a part of the church and school for years. The children were clearly befuddled and confused.

     There have been many young folks to leave WOFF and experience the trauma of being told -“you are not serving God!” “You will lose the “Call of God” and never make it!” The devil will take you to hell; you will go back to your vomit. You can’t make it on your own. The “unclean” will take you over! Yes, some did go back to their destructive habits. But, is that a reflection on their new freedoms or their previous environment? Were they ever given the help needed to stay away from old habits or did they just develop a pattern of dependency?

     How do we count the families that were broken as one spouse would leave WOFF and the other not, or a grown child would leave and strike out on the own without the “blessing of Jane”..? From just the ones I know about and can remember…  I can think of 27 families or individuals directly affected either by a spouse or child leaving.  I can only remember one single lady who Jane said would be better off back with her parents… All others left in a cloud of confusion. These were folks with a “Judas spirit”.. according to Jane. She would often ask “Who is next?” This came more as a challenge then a true question.

     So, what if my exact count is off? I believe I have missed by a few. The point should be well taken – broken families are common to FLDS and WOFF and evident and obvious to anyone who will examine the subject.

     What is the common characteristic in the two groups that would lead to families splitting and/or children leaving their family and the church? It is difficult to name just one attribute, but here is a key one.

    “Your only real family are [sic] the members of the priesthood who are faithful to our prophet. – Warren Jeffs

     FLDS members were taught that the prophet spoke for God. As time passed, Warren Jeffs spoke for his father, the prophet and thus “for God”. By the end of his reign, Warren Jeffs had no checks or balances on his governing powers. Women and children were considered “property of the priesthood” and could be reassigned to another man by the “revelation” of the prophet. Thus, no real stability to assure the family units would remain in tact. Your “priesthood family” was more crucial to your life now and in the hereafter. 

 Matthew 12:46-50 (Amplified Bible)

⁴⁶Jesus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him. ^47[a]Someone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.  ⁴⁸But He replied to the man who told Him, Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?⁴⁹And stretching out His hand toward [not only the twelve disciples but all] ^[b]His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers.⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!

     This scripture was often used to justify elevating the relationships with those who were in the church over natural family members who are not “doing the will of God”… Would Jesus really teach his followers to ignore family members who are not in WOFF or who are struggling to accept Jane Whaley as God’s only mouthpiece?

     WOFF members are taught that Jane Whaley hears God and knows God’s will. She “hears” for members in matters great and small. There are no checks and balances in the power structure used at WOFF. Many times, I have seen a spouse so entrenched in their faith in Jane and Jane speaking for God, that the other spouse is a secondary consideration in the decisions of the family. If there is one spouse who does not agree with Jane, then the other one must chose and many times that choice is Jane’s word over their mate’s.  At WOFF, choosing a spouse’s words or leading over the direct word from Jane Whaley could mean the family being put out of the church and “missing the move of God” (heaven..). The fear of being “put out” or “on church discipline” resulted in stress in families.

      Thus, the seeds of destruction lie within the spiritual abuse environment created for the members. Each leader promised strict adherance to the beliefs and practices would give hope in the hereafter. Extreme “faithfulness and obedience” to the doctrines and “words of the prophet” in FLDS can lead to “being lifted up at the last day”. If you “doubt the Prophet and his will”, you could miss heaven.

     In WOFF, following the “apostle” Jane would result in “fulfilling the call of God” (making it to heaven). To not “fulfill your call”, (follow “God’s will” through Jane) could cause you to miss heaven.

     How can there be long term stability within the families with these practices in each group?

      Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. It could very well save their life.

      (Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. )

     As the list similarities between FLDS and WOFF grows, it is evident that the mode of operation used by the two leaders is the same. There is evidence of strong control and autocratic leadership methods in each group. FLDS being patriarchal and WOFF being matriarchal; with one central figure in each group who holds the power. (before Warren Jeffs “retired” with his arrest..)

     Warren Jeffs was reported in “Lost Boy” as thinking of “himself as a singer/songwriter, but from my perspective (Brent Jeffs) he really didn’t qualify as either…His singing was amplified over that of the congregation, and often sounded off-key.” (page 59)

     Jane Whaley also took the position as main songwriter in WOFF. She admittedly had no formal training for music, but that did not stop her. She would write songs often “hearing” them during a service. The whole order of service was predicated on whatever Jane “heard from God”; so we stopped and listened as Jane and her support group would gather around the piano and hammer out another song. The whole congregation was expected to “pull on God” to help “birth in the song of the Lord”.. Not every time was a song finished, it may be shelved until a later time.

     In addition, ALL songs sung during praise and worship or any part of the service had to be Jane approved. If Jane was not in the sanctuary, you can rest assured she would be listening on the monitor in her office. (if she was in town) Occasionally, when she was out of town, she still would be listening to the service. Or she could be called by a lieutenant who suspected something was “not right with the music.” She has called back in on her cell phone and corrected whoever was leading the music. That person got things “off track” and she would call to “get things back in the direction God wanted them to go…”.

      Most services the musical instruments would be a piano, electric keyboard and one guitar. Other instruments were added and taken away from time to time according to “what was working in the musicians” at the time. Jane finally heard from God that children could learn to play instruments. Then, some let the instruments occupy a “bigger place in their heart than Jesus”, so Jane stopped music lessons for a long while. As of late, I hear certain children have begun to play their instruments again, “after getting their breakthroughs…”

     There would be no playing of the instruments at home unless “leadership had a ahold of it”…  Jane did not want the children to “be taken over by the music devil”..

     There were three refugees from the Christian music industry that had taken refuge at WOFF. ( I suppose they are still there..) One had been a recording artist and traveled as a drummer with a rock music “superstar”. He had stories that he mainly kept to himself as he has fought drug addition for years. He has been in and out of the church several times over the years. He would always “find a place of repentance” and Jane would let him back up on stage to sing after who knows how many battles with drugs??…  Another man from a European country was an expert sound mixer or producer. He had helped bring certain music styles from Europe to America several years ago. He also had been part owner in a specialty guitar manufacturing company in Europe. The third “refugee” was a Christian music producer out of Nashville who had worked with several leading Christian recording artists. Each would get up and warn the young people of the horrors of not “submitting to Jesus” while playing or singing the song of the Lord. They would name names of several leading Christian artists who had major messes in their personal lives…

     In “Lost Boy”, Brent Jeffs explains the restrictions on movies and music. “Movies were especially bad and to be avoided… And, of course, radio and tapes and CDs— except for Warren’s hymns and speeches— were blasphemous and could get you in trouble if you were caught with them. Some people would listen to his sermons on tape throughout the day.” (page 103) (emphasis added..)

     In “Stolen Innocence”, Elissa Wall writes, “We were encouraged to listen to tapes of Uncle Warren’s important sermons as frequently as we could. Often in school we would hear these tapes wafting out of the loudspeakers as we went about our day. We also would listen to them at home the way other families would listen to music.. I searched for answers in the tapes… If I didn’t understand something, it was better not to say it aloud than appear to be questioning priesthood principles.” (page 52)

     For years at WOFF, the only approved music tape was a praise and worship tape that WOFF produced. We wore out our copy. Also, like FLDS; we were encouraged to hear every service by coming back to the church and listening to the tape; if we had missed it for some reason. And for those “in discipleship” or on “church discipline” – listening to tapes of Jane’s sermons was an important part of “submitting your heart to find a place of repentance” or find out “where you had missed God.”..

    As with FLDS,  movies were not allowed at WOFF. But, Jane did allow folks to “hear God” if they should go to see “The Passion” a few years ago. It was truly a sight to see all those WOFF members in a movie theatre! It was strange, you were being watched to see if you were “giving over” and liking or lusting after the whole movie thing. We all came back to the church for prayer afterwards. The next service, one lieutenant got up and told everyone how wicked the movie was and we all were encouraged to repent for going. Jane had not gone. But, she knew ahead of time this movie would “test our hearts” to see if we still had the “movie devil” in us…

      Again, the similarities between FLDS and WOFF stare us in the face. I close with a quote from one who was revered at WOFF, Ronald Reagan. His funeral was taped and watched as a church service. No one watched it at home,  since no one but Jane admitted to having a TV in their house. “God told Jane” when to watch television. Many times she would watch “Christian” television. She would come back and update us on who “had truth” and who didn’t. I can’t remember her ever saying she totally agreed with any television preacher. Also, Larry King’s last interviewed with Tammy Faye Baker was taped and shown to the whole church..please, tell me why? We also watched as a church, the History Channel’s documentary on the “Origins of Christmas”. But that is for another day…

Okay, here is the simple quote:

“Facts are stubborn things.” – Ronald Reagan

Has anyone seen a “duck” lately?

Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. It could very well save their life. There are some good readers inside of WOFF. I know for sure.. 🙂

(Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. )