The FLDS community practices polygamy because it retains early Mormon teachings in favor of plural marriage that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) ceased support for in 1890. Early Mormon theology understood polygamy to reinstate the form of marriage practiced by the patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible, but the LDS officially discontinued the practice under U.S. government pressure. Mormon fundamentalists, however, did not accept this decision by the LDS, and they regard plural marriage, often called βthe Principle,β as the central aspect of their religious beliefs and practices. FLDS doctrine also holds that men must have at least three wives to attain the highest level of heaven.
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