Shocking four-part documentary series Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey was released on Netflix this week, and it gives an in-depth look at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as well as the crimes of its leader Warren Jeffs.
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The documentary explores the polygamous practices of the group, with episode 1 introducing us to Rebecca Wall, a woman who married the church's previous leader and "Prophet" Rulon Jeffs, who at the time was 85 while she was 19.
The revelation comes in the first episode, when it is claimed that only Rulon Jeffs at that time could decide the marriage partners of the women who were a part of the church. They would be "turned in" to Rulon AKA The Prophet, by their fathers and he would then make his decision.
In the episode, Wall explains: "It had become known that there was a specific handshake that he would give to girls that would then later become his wife. And that day he shook my hand and he squeezed it three times and it meant I was supposed to marry him.
"But I was just like 'ew'. Rulon Jeffs was 85 when I married him and I was 19."
Rulon Jeffs in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey. Courtesy of Netflix
Rebecca had been born into the church to a father, Lloyd Wall, who had two wives. Her mother was the second he had married, named Sharon.
In the episode, Rebecca talks of how her father had been "so excited" that she would be marrying Rulon Jeffs as he felt he was "getting the respect that he was entitled to and that he deserved".
Lloyd Wall has since left the FLDS Church, and has given interviews to explain why he allowed his daughter to be married to Rulon.
Speaking on Dr Phil in 2014, he said: "You've got to realise that fathers in this cult were programmed for the very same issue that Rebecca brought up – we thought it was a privilege and an honour to have your daughter married to the Prophet."
The Netflix series uses unseen archive footage and interviews with survivors, in order to show what life was like inside the group, and the rise and fall of Rulon's son Warren, who in 2011 was sentenced for child sex abuse.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is available on Netflix now. Check out more of our Entertainment and Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
