My wife and I watched the premiere of TLC's 'Breaking the Faith' tonight - which is about a group of ex-FLDS trying to help others escape from the FLDS cult. Although some of it was obviously staged, it made us really feel sorry for people trapped in such a horrible cult.

Most of us can relate to what it is like to be part of a soul-sucking, money-grubbing church. But it is difficult to imagine life with THIS level of brainwashing and mind control- as exerted by the FLDS. It sickens me that Warren Jeffs still has so much control over his followers while behind bars, and he continues to crack down and rob these people of every ounce of freedom they have.

Did anyone else watch this tonight?

What is so fearsome about the "God Squad"? Do they murder? Assault? Why wouldn't the rescuers enlist help from non-FLDS law enforcement for protection?

I watched. So many parallels to my own upbringing in the godawful LDS system. Haunting. Depressing. I feel as though my life is mostly meaningless given that I am no longer included amongst children, grandchildren et al during holidays. Bad time of year for me. Still better than being a member.

Yeah, God squad are (iirc) a bunch of teens tasked with enforcing "the prophet's will", they are authorized to use any means necessary to deal with dissent, up to and including killing those running away.

I'm watching it now. Damn cult!!! Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were just like Warren Jeffs. I feel so sorry for this community too. I feel sorry for all the women and men that had to live this system in the early days of Utah. It is just disgusting to me that law enforcement does nothing about this disgrace in Utah and Arizona and allows this to continue. It sickens me that my great grandmother had to be raised in this messed up system of polygamy.

I hope this show will get HUGE publicity!!!! Dammit this sick cult leader makes me soooooo mad!!!!

I just watched it. There were a lot of similarities to the Mormon church.

I watched it. As far as I can tell FLDS is roughly what mainstream LDS was about 100 years or so ago. What disturbed me was parallels to my mission experience.

Yes, this. My mission mirrored what the day to day lives were of these poor girls (minus the randomly being pawned off as some old dude's wife bit). I noticed it, creeped me out.

This show easily displays the level of brainwashing any LDS group goes through. The only difference is that the mainstream mo church just wants your money, they lost interest in the extorting sex and killing parts long ago, they are just as interested in behavioral control. This is one aspect that makes mainstream LDS more dangerous for outsiders. I would much rather deal with a rattlesnake that actively advertises it's toxic nature, than this plain green thing that looks like a harmless garden snake, but will hit you with a lifelong paralyzing venom. However, the poor members, at least the salt lake lds let their members have some freedoms.

I about shit myself when they called him "President Warren S. Jeff's", and then I noticed that if he were about 20 years older the picture they had of him all around their homes could have been in the ensign, easily.

The show is so sickening. What is with the hairdo the women have? I have always wondered about it. What if the woman has thin hair that won't go like that. Are they just killed outright?

Well, what would you do with a cow that has a serious defect, because that is all these women are to the prophet. So incredibly sick.

Yes- I was shocked when I watched the part when the FLDS women were styling each other's hair; and one of them mentioned that the "prophet" commanded them to have every strand of hair in place and must be in that specific hairdo.
Sick.

With the closed society like that and their prophet playing switcharoo with the spouses, etc... there's gonna be STD's galore and on down the road - further health problems with inbreeding. (I had some info from a documentary I saw on Netflix)