A group of women escaped the FLDS compound on "Breaking the Faith." They were taken to a safe house run by Carolyn Jessop, one of the most famous polygamy survivors. Carolyn testified against FLDS leader Warren Jeffs in the child sexual abuse case that landed him behind bars.
The women may have wanted to leave the compound, but were they ready? For one thing, they were scared of Carolyn, having been taught that she was a bad woman for leaving the church. Further, they didn't believe her when she told them why Jeffs was in prison.
“When Carolyn starts telling me about Warren Jeffs and everything, I want to slap her, because she doesn’t know him," one of the women, Angie, says. "She left 10 years ago.” Another woman, Connie, was struggling as well. "Carolyn Jessop is one of the worst apostates that there are. She is against everything that they teach us," she said. "I don’t know what to think.” Carolyn told the girls that if they doubted her words -- which they did -- they were probably destined to return to the FLDS. They still believed that Warren Jeffs is the prophet.
While the show appears to be at least somewhat staged, the Christian Post calls it "groundbreaking" -- most FLDS members who flee the church choose to live in hiding to avoid retaliation. Carolyn is one of the few well-known former members.
"Breaking the Faith" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.