No one knew when the Yearning For Zion Ranch, a compound in Eldorado, Texas, populated by members of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the leadership of their prophet, Warren Jeffs, was raided in 2008 that one of the nation’s largest polygamy groups would be uncovered. DNA tests were run to determine the rightful parents of 437 children who were subjected to widespread underage marriage and sexual abuse. Multiple pictures posted online showed the women of the group openly weeping because their children had been removed pending an investigation. The spectacle produced the largest child custody battle in U.S. history.

In the end, eleven FLDS men were given prison sentences for crimes related to bigamy and sexual assault. In 2012, Jeffs — who continues to run the FLDS from a cell in Palestine, where he is serving a life sentence for sexual assault of a twelve- and fifteen-year-old — ordered the residents at YFZ to abandon the property and live in smaller groups throughout the country.

Sadly, all of this heartache could have been avoided if people would only go back to God’s original plan. God said in Genesis 2:24 that “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” God intended one man and one woman to be married. Polygamy was never approved by God, even though it was practiced early in history by Lamech (Gen. 4:23). Although you can find it in the Old Testament, Acts 17:30 says that those were the times where God “overlooked” those sins, but that changed when Jesus died on the cross.

In Matthew 19:3-12, Jesus reiterated that one man and one woman are to be married until death, except for the cause of sexual immortality (cp. Rom. 7:2-3). Furthermore, Hebrews 13:4 says that “Marriage is honorable among all”, but marriage isn’t for children. The Greek and Hebrew words used when discussing marriage imply mature men and women, never child brides. Do you see what happens when people leave God’s inspired Word? Do you see the heartache that’s produced by sin? Everyone has religious freedom in the U.S., but FLDS men experienced the consequences of leaving God’s inspired Word by spending time in prison. They will experience it in eternity if they don’t repent.