Audio clips reveal FLDS leader's racist teachings

The Eldorado Success/April 3, 2005

The Eldorado Success has obtained audio recordings of Warren Jeffs, prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The recordings seem to support claims by former FLDS members that Jeffs teachings are racist, especially as they concern African-Americans.

In one of the clips Jeffs says, "You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth or rude and filthy, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind."

Yet another of the clips has Jeffs saying, "So I give this lesson on the black race that you can understand its full effect as far as we are able to comprehend. And that we must beware, if we are for the prophet, for priesthood, we will come out of the world an leave off their dress, their music, their styles, their fashions, the way they think - what they do, because you can trace back and see a connection with immoral filthy people."

In another clip Jeffs explains that the Negro race which he calls the "seed of Cain" survived the flood of Noah because Noah's son Ham was married to "a wife of that seed" which he identified as being black. He claimed it was necessary for the black race to be preserved "because it was necessary that the Devil should have a representation upon the Earth as well as God." He continues by saying, "So, the day of the Negro is continued and today is the day of the Negro, as far as the world is concerned."

Jeffs goes on to say that anyone who "mingles their seed with the seed of Cain, the Negro, they also would lose all rights to priesthood blessings."

Strangely, the audio clips reveals Jeffs instructing a group of teachers on the history of rock and roll music. In it Jeffs claims the 60's rock group The Beatles were trained to perform by an unnamed homosexual black man who was a drug user. Jeffs said that before they received the training the British singers were "pingy-pangy unnoticed useless people nobody would hire." However, after learning the black beat, the group became world famous and all other music has followed that pattern, Jeffs said.

Jeffs then cautioned his audience that when they listen to rock music, they are "enjoying the spirit of the black race," an activity he says will "rot the soul and lead the person to immorality, to corruption, to forget their prayers, to forget God. Thus the whole world has partaken of the spirit of the Negro race."

In other audio clips, Jeffs tells girls that they should not date or seek their own husband, but that instead they should pray that they will prepared and will be given to a husband who will be faithful to the end.

Jeffs, in yet another of the clips, cautions women to build up their husbands by being submissive. "That is how you will give your children the success," Jeffs states. "You will want your children to be obedient and submissive to righteous living,"

A final clip, running for nearly 12 minutes, contains the voice of Jeffs' now dead father, Rulon Jeffs. Apparently recorded in 2002 during the FLDS annual conference in Colorado City, Arizona, the recording is one of the last know of the former prophet.

The audio clip contains long pauses and at several points another voice, believed to be Warren Jeffs can be heard prompting his elderly father. At one point, Rulon Jeffs says, "All I want to say is...to prepare for the judgements and establish Zion. Looking forward to moving to Zion. You know what I mean?"

To which the congregation responds, "Yes!"

The recording continues for several more minutes, mostly consisting of long pauses in which background noise and noise of the congregation can be heard.

At one point Rulon Jeffs says, "The call of God Almighty is on me to establish the holy united order in Zion and that's what I'm about to do...God being my helper....I am going forward and continuing building the storehouse and living the holy united order and God is going to handle anyone who fights against it."

Following another long pause the senior Jeffs can be heard asking someone nearby, "Do we have the lawyers?"

To which a second voice, believed to be Warren Jeffs replies. "Yes we do."

That is followed by a short pause and then Rulon Jeffs proclaiming, "We have the lawyers!...and God will fight our battles....we will continue celestial law and God will fight our battles."

Still another long pause is ended when Rulon Jeffs asks the crowd, "Are you worried about what the State of Utah and the State of Arizona are going to do?"

That draws a resounding, "No!" from the congregation.

"Okay, we'll go on," the elder Jeffs says.

Yet another long pause ends abruptly with Rulon Jeffs saying," Smile! God will fight our battles."

He can then be heard asking, "Are they going to come against us?"

The second voice responds, "They have already started their attack."

"They have already started their attack!" Rulon Jeffs proclaims, "but we are going to go on...we are going to fight the battles and those who (garbled audio.)"

The clip ends with Rulon Jeffs asking, "Can I say more?"

The second voice answers, "Whatever you desire."

Rulon Jeffs then says, "God is on our side. Okay?"

Prompting the congregation to respond in unison, "Okay!"

"God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ," the elder Jeffs says, the adds. "Amen."

The congregation replied, "Amen!"

As with much of the story surrounding Warren Jeffs and the FLDS church, no one on the inside of the group is willing to make public comment. The audio clips provide the first peek inside the thinking of the man who now leads the nations largest polygamous group and that of his father who preceded him as prophet.

The Eldorado Success has made repeated attempts to contact Warren Jeffs and the leaders of the FLDS church. It invites Jeffs to comment on this story as well as other aspects of the overall story surrounding the FLDS and the YFZ Ranch.