Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey: What is Zion? Netflix docuseries explore the jaw-dropping secrets of the FLDS cult led by Warren Jeffs

By Nikita Nath

Modified Jun 09, 2022 04:00 GMT

A still from Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Image Via Netflix/YouTube)

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is a highly absorbing documentary series that chronicles the gut-wrenching and terrifying story of evil cult leader Warren Jeffs and his cult community, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, infamously known as the FLDS cult that practices extreme polygamy.

Grace McNally and Rachel Dretzin have served as the directors of the four-part true-crime documentary series that premiered exclusively on Netflix on the 8th of June (Wednesday), 2022.

The documentary series digs deep into the soil of the polygamous cult community to find out all the dreadful secrets about them and reveal their jaw-dropping heinous practices to the world.

Since Netflix launched the true-crime documentary series, it has already started creating a lot of buzz among critics and the audience for its bold and highly truthful portrayal of the polygamous cult and its leader Warren Jeffs. Warren Jeffs is currently serving his life sentence in prison for his monstrous crimes.

The latter part of the docuseries discloses the truth about Zion, which was known as the most sacred place, heaven on Earth, the holiest of places, to the cult members. So, without further delay, let's jump right in and find out all about Zion and what happened there.

Learn all about Zion as true-crime docuseries Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey streams on Netflix

What is Zion, and who is the founder of it?

As disclosed in the 4-part docuseries Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, Zion is the promised land, the holiest place on Earth, as known to all members of the FLDS polygamous cult community.

In reality, Zion is a temple founded by the notorious cult leader Warren Jeffs on a ranch situated in Eldorado, Texas. The ranch's name is Yearning for Zion Ranch, known infamously as the YFZ Ranch, where sinister activities were practiced, as revealed in the latter part of the documentary series.

Reportedly, one of the most devoted members of the cult, Rodney Holm, a certified police officer, was arrested for marrying an underage girl named Ruth Stubbs, who was 16 years of age. Police officer Holm was found guilty by the judge. The incident rattled Warren Jeffs, and he reportedly fled to Texas.

In Eldorado, Texas, Warren Jeffs reportedly bought an enormous piece of land, a ranch where he built the Yearning for Zion Ranch or the YFZ Ranch, known to the community's people as the sacred Zion.

What happened in Zion?

As revealed in the documentary series, Zion was a huge white temple-like building with security surveillance and glittering lights. Warren Jeffs reportedly started to bring people to Zion, making them believe that they have earned the right to stay there with their holy work and devotion to the FLDS cult.

However, later on, Warren Jeffs began abducting children from their families and bringing them to Zion. Everyone was given different tasks at Zion. The women were reportedly given strict instructions regarding their clothes and hair. They could reportedly wear clothes with pastel shades.

These clothes were meant to cover every part of their body. The documentary series reveals that their hair was to be braided in a certain way as instructed by Warren Jeffs. Therefore, Warren Jeffs had complete control over the women of Zion. Zion also had secret rooms specially built for Warren Jeffs.

The end of the series discloses that Warren Jeffs was reportedly charged with s*xual assault on two underage girls, one of whom was 12 and the other was 15 years old. A recording was also found as evidence. He received a lifetime in prison for committing these inhuman and astounding crimes.

Watch the powerful true-crime documentary series, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, currently streaming on Netflix.

Edited by Sayati Das