FLDS and Galatians 1:6-9: Testing Another Gospel
Short answer: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, usually called the FLDS, is a reorganized continuation of Latter-day Saint polygamy and is not a Christian church as the Bible defines the church. Galatians 1:6-9 provides the standard: there is one gospel, and any different message is no gospel at all. The FLDS teaches a different God, a different Christ, a different priesthood, and a different hope for salvation, so its message falls under Paul's warning. Christians should be clear about this difference, kind toward the people involved, and humble about their own need for grace. This article explains the passage, the history of the FLDS, and how to examine such claims biblically.
What Is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a religious group that emerged from the broader Latter-day Saint movement in the early twentieth century. Its name uses the word fundamentalist to signal its commitment to what it considers the early and essential teachings of Joseph Smith, especially celestial marriage and plural marriage. The FLDS is widely associated with the communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. Its members believe they are continuing the original LDS faith in its purest form. But the group is distinct from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which officially ended plural marriage in 1890 and 1904. The FLDS separated over that very issue. It is organized around a prophet or president and a priesthood that members believe holds divine authority.
The FLDS is best known in the news for the leadership of Warren Jeffs and for practices such as underage marriages and a communal property system. In 2011, Jeffs was convicted in Texas for sexual assault of children and aggregating sexual assault. He was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years, and he has remained in custody. Independent investigations have documented that the FLDS community has experienced deep harm from the exercise of authority, including the practice of placing girls in arranged marriages and expelling dissenters. Although the group continues in smaller numbers today, its public identity is inseparable from these events. These facts matter because they raise a larger question: What kind of teaching produces such fruit, and how should Christians evaluate it by Scripture?
It is important to distinguish between two kinds of questions. One is historical and sociological: Who are the FLDS? How did they form? What has happened in their communities? The other is theological and biblical: What do they teach about God, Jesus, salvation, and authority? Both questions are legitimate, but they should not be confused. The observations of history do not by themselves settle the doctrinal question, and doctrinal analysis should not be reduced to a response to news stories. Jesus himself told his disciples to test teachers by their fruit, and also to examine what they claim about him. We should be careful to separate the biblical criterion from the emotional reaction that sensational accounts can create.
Finally, we should never speak about the FLDS as if its members are a category rather than people. Most members were born into the movement; many have endured hardship, coercion, or loss. Jesus wept over a city, and Paul longed for his kinsmen. When we test a religious system, we are not mocking individuals. The goal of this article is to be faithful to Scripture, honest about the record, and compassionate toward those who follow or once followed FLDS teaching. Faithful discernment and genuine love are not opposites; they belong together. What follows turns to the apostolic standard for evaluating any message that claims to be good news.
Why Galatians 1:6-9 Sets the Standard for Testing a Different Gospel
Paul opens his letter to the Galatians with startling directness. He writes, I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different good news, as Galatians 1:6 says. The word translated good news is the same word for gospel. Paul calls the false teaching a different gospel only because it sounds like good news, but in verse 7 he denies that there is another gospel. He insists there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. This matters because the danger was not that the Galatians would abandon all religion. They would simply add requirements to the gospel of grace, which would fatally change its character.
In Galatians 1:8, Paul says, But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any good news other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. The phrase an angel from heaven is striking. A religious message does not become true because it is accompanied by a claim of angelic visitation or restored priesthood. Paul does not allow spiritual experiences to override the apostolic message. In verse 9 he repeats the point: As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any good news other than that which you received, let him be cursed. Repetition shows the seriousness. The church must be prepared to reject any message that claims to be from heaven but contradicts the gospel given by the apostles.
Paul also holds up the source of the Galatian error. In verse 6, he describes the readers as deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ. That phrase is personal: the Galatians were not merely changing ideas but moving away from the God who had called them. Yet Paul still calls them brothers in verse 11 and speaks of the church throughout the letter. He wants them restored, not destroyed. Similarly, when we evaluate groups such as the FLDS, we should be firm about the content of the message and humble about the people. The same grace that called the Galatians calls the person sitting across from us. The goal is always restoration to the true gospel, not merely winning an argument and leaving the person behind.
Finally, notice the place of apostolic authority. In Galatians 1:8-9, Paul does not say that the message is tested by its sincerity, its success, or its spiritual power. He says it is tested by whether it matches what the apostles preached. This is why any church or movement must be examined by the teaching of the New Testament. The FLDS claims to hold a priesthood, a prophet, and a temple. But the question is whether its message conforms to the gospel delivered once for all to the saints. Sincerity does not make a different message the same gospel. That is the issue Paul is addressing, and it remains the issue today.
What the FLDS Teaches About God, Christ, and Salvation
The FLDS has historical roots in the teachings of Joseph Smith and the early Latter-day Saint movement. In that system, God is described as an exalted man who progressed to godhood, and faithful men may in principle follow a similar path. Jesus is regarded as a spirit child of that God, distinct from the Father in a way that differs from classic Christian trinitarianism. Priesthood authority, temple ordinances, and celestial marriage are viewed as necessary for the highest salvation. These teachings differ from the New Testament at fundamental points. The Bible presents God as spirit and unchangeable, not as a glorified man. It presents the eternal Word who was with God and was God, not as one being among many. It presents salvation as the gift of God received by faith, not as a status attained through secret ordinances.
The FLDS adds its own emphases, particularly the continuing necessity of plural marriage for exaltation. This was the specific issue over which the movement separated from the larger LDS church after 1890. The FLDS also expects a prophet to lead with divine authority, and it has taught that members should obey that prophet in matters of marriage, property, and family. In the New Testament, marriage is honorable and monogamous. It is a picture of Christ and the church. It is never commanded as a requirement for salvation. When a religious system places an ordinance or a human leader between the believer and Christ, it reverses the order of the gospel. Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through him.
Scripture also speaks to the way the FLDS has handled authority. The New Testament knows nothing of a system where a leader can arrange marriages or reassign wives and children. Jesus told his disciples that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, but it shall not be so among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great must be a servant. Paul warned the Ephesian elders with tears that savage wolves would come in among them, not sparing the flock. The test of an elder is not the size of his following but the pattern of his life and the truth of his doctrine. When a system concentrates authority in one man, the biblical safeguards are absent, and wounded people are often the result.
We should be careful, though, about sweeping claims. Not every FLDS member believes or practices the same way, and reports of coercion vary. Some have left; some remain quietly; some have been raised with these beliefs and have never knowingly rejected the New Testament. The biblical mandate is not to sneer at a cartoon version of a group but to understand what is actually being taught and to compare it fairly with the Bible. Where the teaching contradicts the apostolic gospel, it must be identified as such. Where we are unsure of details, we should not pretend to know more than we do. The central issue remains the one Paul raises: Is the message the same gospel the apostles preached?
How the Apostolic Warnings Describe False Teaching
Scripture repeatedly warns about teachers who come in religious clothing but bring a different message. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 that such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ's apostles, and he adds that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Matthew 24:23-26 records Jesus saying that false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Notice that Jesus does not tell his disciples to expect no miracles but to be discerning; he says not to believe it. This is crucial for evaluating claims that a movement has restored a lost priesthood or received revelation by angels. The presence of a spiritual claim does not authenticate the message. The content must match what the apostles taught.
Acts 20:28-30 gives the same warning in a pastoral setting. Paul tells the Ephesian elders to take heed to themselves and to the flock, and he declares that after his departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. He also says that from among your own selves men will arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. False teaching often rises from within, not only from outside. It wears familiar language and uses familiar names. The danger is not that people reject religion but that they accept a substitute for it. This pattern helps explain the trouble caused by a movement that calls itself the fundamentalist form of the faith while redefining its center. It is not enough to use the right vocabulary; the gospel must be the gospel.
Second Peter 2:1-3 adds that false teachers will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them. The word secretly suggests something hidden. A false movement may not appear false at first. It may speak of God and Christ and scripture, and only later reveal that the definitions are different. For example, if a group uses the word Jesus but means a created being rather than the eternal Son who became flesh, the words are the same but the referent is not. The New Testament does not treat this as a minor disagreement. It calls such teaching destructive. The reason is that it damages the souls of those who follow it. Peter also says that many will follow their destructive ways, so we should not be surprised when a religious system grows or attracts devoted followers. Popularity is not proof of truth.
Finally, 1 John 4:1-3 tells us not to believe every spirit but to test the spirits, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. John gives a specific test: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the apostolic criterion. The test is not the intensity of the experience or the size of the movement but whether it confesses the true Jesus. By this standard, we must ask what a group means when it says Christ. If the Jesus being preached is fundamentally different from the New Testament Jesus, then the message is a different gospel, no matter how sincerely it is held. That is true of the FLDS, and it is also a warning for every church.
What Is the Difference Between the LDS Church and the FLDS?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints share history but are distinct organizations. The larger LDS church formally discontinued the practice of plural marriage in 1890 and 1904. It has since become a global religious body with millions of members. The FLDS rejected that change and sought to preserve the earlier practice of plural marriage. For this reason, some people distinguish between mainstream Latter-day Saints and fundamentalist Latter-day Saints. The term fundamentalist here does not mean Christian fundamentalism as that term is usually used. It refers to an attachment to what the group regards as the original fundamentals of the Latter-day Saint faith, especially plural marriage. Clarity about these differences matters because criticisms of one group may not apply to the other.
Even so, the theological differences between both movements and historic Christianity remain profound. Traditional Christian teaching holds that there is one God in three persons, that Jesus is eternally God and became man, and that salvation is by grace through faith solely on the basis of Christ's work. The FLDS, like the larger LDS tradition, teaches that God was once a man, that faithful people may become gods, and that sacred ordinances performed in temples are necessary for exaltation. These are not compatible with the New Testament's teaching. This is why some Christians regard both movements as outside the bounds of the Christian faith, though they may describe and address the differences in different ways. Christians should be able to explain the differences without caricature, quoting official teachings where possible and avoiding hearsay.
There is also a pastoral difference. A person raised in the LDS church may have a long church history, a strong family network, and a sincere devotion to Jesus as they understand him. A person leaving the FLDS may face the loss of family, home, and community. These realities should shape how Christians speak. Galatians 1 is a rebuke, but it is written by a pastor who later says he is in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in the Galatians. The same apostolic standard that calls us to name another gospel also calls us to love the people who have been taught it. We must not use the word cult as a careless insult. We should use precise, fair language and focus on the doctrinal issues that actually divide.
It is also honest to note that Christians are not always consistent or safe. Church history contains its own scandals, abuses of authority, and failures to protect the vulnerable. That does not make another gospel true, but it should make us humble. The standard is not whether we are better people than someone else. The standard is the apostolic gospel and the character of God revealed in Jesus. If we call others to test their teachers, we must be willing to test our own. This is not relativism; it is integrity. Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9 that even an angel's message must be tested by the apostolic gospel. He also said in the same letter that he was not seeking the approval of men. We should seek only the approval of God as we speak the truth in love.
How Should Christians Respond to FLDS Members and Former Members?
The first response is prayer. Paul's language about his kinsmen in Romans is a model: he had great sorrow and unceasing pain in his heart for them. People in the FLDS are not projects; they are souls for whom Christ died. Pray that God would open eyes to the truth of the gospel and that those who are suffering would find safety. Pray also for humility in our own hearts, since pride can make us harsh and ineffective. The Lord is able to do what we cannot. He can reveal the truth of the apostolic gospel to a person who was taught another story from childhood. And he can provide courage to those who are trying to leave a high-control community. Our intercession is real work, not a placeholder.
The second response is patient explanation. Many people in the FLDS have only ever heard their movement's account of Jesus. They may assume that the word Christian describes something they already are. When the opportunity comes, we should focus on the person of Christ. Who is Jesus according to the New Testament? He is the Word who was in the beginning with God and was God, and who became flesh. He is the one who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If a person comes to know him as he truly is, the rest of the system will begin to look different. Arguments about polygamy or politics will not save anyone. Knowing Christ will.
The third response is practical care. If a former member needs housing, a job, or a safe place to recover, that is part of Christian love. Galatians tells us to do good to all people, especially to those who are of the household of faith, and Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan for a reason. We should not require someone to pass a doctrinal exam before we show kindness. At the same time, we should be honest about what the Bible teaches when questions come. We can say plainly that the New Testament does not teach that plural marriage is required for salvation, and that salvation is a gift received through faith in the finished work of Christ. We do not have to be harsh to be clear.
The fourth response is guarding our own churches. Paul's warning in Acts 20 was spoken to elders. The same spirit that produced a different gospel in Galatia can produce a different gospel in a Bible-believing church. It may be smaller and more respectable: a focus on spiritual experiences instead of the cross, a pastor's word treated as equal to Scripture, or a new revelation that quietly shifts the center. The test is always the same. Does this teaching match the gospel the apostles preached? If the answer is no, the right response is not to manage the difference but to name it. And when we do, we should do it in a way that leaves the door open for repentance and restoration, because the Lord is patient with us.
Biblical fidelity check
Galatians 1:6-9 does establish a clear principle. There is one gospel, and any other message is under God's curse, no matter how religious it sounds or who delivers it. The passage grounds this in the grace of Christ and in the apostolic preaching. It does not, however, tell us how to apply that principle to every group that uses Christian vocabulary. It does not give us a full list of doctrines to test, and it does not tell us the eternal state of any individual. It also does not authorize us to be cruel or violent. Paul's severity is aimed at the false message, and it comes from a heart that later describes itself as longing for the Galatians like a mother in labor. The passage commands discernment and loyalty to the gospel, not personal hostility.
A common misreading is to treat Galatians 1 as a tool for condemning anyone who disagrees with us on secondary matters. Paul was not addressing minor differences of emphasis or style. He was addressing a message that changed the basis of salvation by adding works to grace. We should be careful to apply the passage to the gospel itself, not to every disagreement. Another common misreading is to assume that sincerity or spiritual experience makes a message acceptable. That is exactly the opposite of what Paul says in Galatians 1:8-9, where an angel from heaven has no authority to change the gospel. The passage makes us both narrower and broader than we might naturally be: narrower about the content of the gospel, broader in love for those who are wrong.
Other passages that speak to Galatians 1:6-9
Several other passages help us understand what is at stake when a different gospel appears. Jesus warned about false christs and false prophets in Matthew 24:23-26, and Paul warned the Ephesian elders about savage wolves in Acts 20:28-30. Peter described false teachers who deny the Master who bought them in 2 Peter 2:1-3, and John gave the test of confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh in 1 John 4:1-3. In addition, Paul's letters to the Corinthians address division and the need to hold fast to the apostolic message; see What Does 1 Corinthians 1:10 Mean? Context, Theology, and Application, What Does 1 Corinthians 1:9 Mean? Context, Theology, and Application, 1 Corinthians 1: Called, United, and Boasting in the Lord, and 1 Corinthians 10: Warnings and Freedom. These passages together call us to test all things by the apostolic gospel and to hold fast to what is good.
Frequently asked questions
Is the FLDS a Christian denomination?
The FLDS describes itself with Christian vocabulary, but its teachings about God, Jesus, salvation, and authority differ from the apostolic gospel. Historic Christian churches have generally not recognized the FLDS as a Christian denomination. The question is not whether a group uses the name of Jesus but whether it confesses the Jesus of the New Testament and trusts him alone for salvation. By that biblical standard, the FLDS message is a different gospel. This does not mean its members are beyond God's reach; it means the teaching system must be identified honestly and addressed with the truth of Scripture.
Did the LDS church ever teach plural marriage?
Yes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage in the nineteenth century, and early leaders taught it. The church officially discontinued the practice in 1890 and 1904, and it now prohibits it and excommunicates those who practice it. The FLDS broke away because it wanted to continue the practice. Latter-day Saints today do not practice plural marriage and generally reject it. This history helps explain why the LDS church and the FLDS are distinct groups with their own identities, even though they share a common origin and some doctrinal assumptions.
How should I talk to an FLDS neighbor about the gospel?
Begin with prayer and genuine friendship. Ask questions and listen carefully; people are usually more open when they are not treated as a category. When the conversation turns to spiritual things, focus on who Jesus is according to the New Testament and on the grace of God offered in him. You do not need to attack the community to be faithful to the truth. Speak clearly that salvation is a gift received by faith, not earned through ordinances or lineage. If the person is in danger, help them find safety. Let your love be evident, and leave the results to God.
