Netflix has released the trailer for Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, its latest documentary, which exposes the mistreatment of women by cult leader Warren Jeffs’ sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Jeffs, the president of the polygamous FLDS Church, was found guilty in 2011 of two felony counts of child sexual assault. He is currently serving a sentence of life plus 20 years in the Louis C. Powledge Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections.
The four-part documentary exposes Jeffs’ church, a far offshoot of the official Church of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons. The official church has outlawed polygamy since Utah became a state in the late nineteenth century. FDLS members took up the practice and declared their loyalty to their religion above all else.
The documentary shows how Jeffs used the church to seduce, pray, and abuse women and girls. One woman in the trailer testifies that she was engaged to be married by allotment at the age of 14.
According to the Netflix press release, “In 2008, a dramatic raid at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in West Texas generated attention around the world, as law enforcement agents uncovered stunning evidence of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and took 400+ children into custody.”
The series will offer an in-depth look into how Jeffs rose to power and the history of the FLDS Church. More importantly, it will tell the story of the women subjected to misery and horror in the name of faith. According to Netflix, “The four-part documentary series features never-before-seen archival footage and harrowing personal stories from some of the courageous women and men who escaped. From forced underage marriage and pregnancy to a complete unraveling into an oppressive criminal cult under Warren Jeffs’ rule, the story uncovers extraordinary bravery battling tyrannical control in modern America.”
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey will be available for streaming on Netflix on June 8.
