Raised in polygamy, a former follower now organizes tours in his home community of Colorado City, Arizona.
Richard Holm, a former polygamist with three wives, left the religious group known the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ Church of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a breakaway group from the Mormon faith, which once practiced plural marriage but renounced it over a century ago.
To circumvent the law, men take one “legal” wife while other “spiritual wives” are recognized only within their faith.
Holm guides his guests, some from as far away as France, Germany and Sweden, through the Polygamy Experience as they visit communities on the border of Utah and Arizona. The 4-hour guided tour costs $70, was created by Holm in the hope of exposing the lifestyle.
“It’s a look at the inside of the community and people there. We hope in the process it shows how religious extremism leads to entrapment and bondage,” Holm said.
Experts estimate the FLDS has more than 10,000 followers in Utah, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota and British Columbia.