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Milt's father was born in a polygamous LDS colony in Mexico. Please explain to us the difference.

For anyone who may want to question 2ndDivisionVet, he's right.

Mitt's father, George W. Romney was born in Colonia Dublán, Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico, on July 8, 1907, to Gaskell Romney and Anna Amelia Pratt. Gaskell Romney wasn't a polygamist, but he was involved in the great card-shuffling as a result of the LDS concerns over U.S. government enforcement over the existing federal prohibition of polygamy. Gasket was born in St. George, Washington, Utah to Miles Park Romney and Hannah Hood Hill, one of his five wives.

They fled to a LDS polygamous compound in Mexico in 1884 and returned to the U.S. in 1912 due to the Mexican Revolution.

How did we get the fLDS and all of these other polygamous groups? First, the LDS church taught that polygamy was necessary for exaltation and to enter the Celestial Kingdom. That doctrine has never been removed from Doctrines & Covenants 132. Men may still be sealed in the Temple to more than two wives "for Eternity." The teachings have never been formally denied or refuted.

Second, although Smith taught polygamy as early as 1831 an practiced it by 1835 or earlier, and taught it to church leaders, it wasn't announced to members until 1852. This was and it still justified to LDS members on the grounds that God told Smith that the world was not ready for it and (and Apostle Dallin Oaks famously spoke about) Smith needed to protect the church). Smith publicly denied being a polygamist and he disclosure of his polygamy by the Nauvoo Expositor, and Smith's ordered destruction of it, led to his death.

When the U.S. government made the LDS church and Utah abandon polygamy in 1890 for the Utah statehood, Prophet Wilford Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto 'banning' polygam. However, only three Apostles approved it. Post-manifesto Woodruff took another wife, as did other Apostles. Woodruff and the Quorum of twelve participated in and approved polygamous marriages in America, Canada, Mexico and around the world.

After the Reed Smoot hearings, when the U.S. Senate refused to seat Utah Senator Smoot, the LDS church's deceptions were made public and the 1904 Manifesto was issued. However, existing polygamous families were not broken up and were allowed to live in peace until they aged out of existence in the 1950s and 1960s (which was the only humane thing to do). Only polygamists who caused trouble for the church were excommunicated.

Fundamentalists Mormons who didn't believe that the church should give into the government, who knew that the church had on more than one occasion justified continuing the practice while denying it publicly and to the government, didn't think that the church could keep the doctrine as part of the LDS gospel but have the authority to put man's views over God's.

So they continued to practice polygamy under their own charismatic leaders.

That's a Readers' Digest version. But the groups split off because they believed in Mormon scripture, and believed that if it had been okay to adhere to God's word before rather than man's, it was okay to keep doing it.

So we ended up with groups like these (most of them polygamist and some of which are defunct):

Short Creek Community
Latter Day Church of Christ
Apostolic United Brethren
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness [sic] of Times
Church of the Lamb of God
Church of the New Covenant in Christ
Confederate Nations of Israel
Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
School of the Prophets
Centennial Park
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
The Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven
Blackmore/Bountiful Community
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ
Order of Enoch
Aaronic Order
Zion's Order, Inc.
Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter-day Saints
Church of Jesus Christ (Bullaite)
Community of Christ
Church of Jesus Christ (Toneyite)
Independent RLDS / Restoration Branches
Church of Jesus Christ Restored 1830
Church of Christ (Lion of God Ministry/Clarkite)
Church of Jesus Christ (Zion's Branch)
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Church of Christ (Temple Lot) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Fettingite) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Restored) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ "With the Elijah Message" (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Hancock) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Burtite) (Hendrickite)
Church of Israel (Hendrickite)
Church of Christ with the Elijah Message (The Assured Way of the Lord) (Hendrickite)
The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
True Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
Restored Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
Holy Church of Jesus Christ (Strangite)
Church of Jesus Christ (Drewite) (Strangite)
True Church of Jesus Christ Restored (Strangite)
Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Whitmerite)
Pure Church of Christ (Clarkite)
Independent Church (Hotonite)
Church of Christ (Boothite)
Church of Christ (Parrishite)
Alston Church
Church of Christ (Chubbyite)
Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife
Church of Christ (Pageite)
True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Church of Zion (Godbeite)
United Order Family of Christ
Church of the Potter Christ
Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Gibsonite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Most High
Church of the Christian Brotherhood
Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion (Rigdonite)
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
Primative Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
Church of Christ (Aaron Smith)
Church of the Messiah (Adamsite)
Church of Christ (Wrightite)
Church of Christ (Whitmerite)
Church of Christ (Brewsterite)
The Bride, the Lamb’s Wife
Congregation of Jehovah’s Presbytery of Zion
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Gladdenite)