If Jeffs is truly stepping down as the faith's spiritual leader, "this is fairly unique and very uncommon in the whole LDS movement," he said, noting among the variety of different churches that have splintered from the faith established by Joseph Smith in 1830, none make provision for resignation.

"The normal method of succession in most cases is to wait until the prophet dies," though the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has established a tradition in recent decades of having their presidents retire and become emeritus.

Hamer said whatever Jeffs' real motive is, his followers will see the move as just another result of the persecution they are called on by God to endure from society at large.

"It's easy for loyalists in that community to fall into the same mental habit (as their predecessors) of saying 'this all fits together that the righteous always suffer."'

One major impact of Jeffs' conviction may be that underage marriages have reportedly ceased within the FLDS and other fundamentalist communities, Hamer said. His sources inside those communities have told him as much, but he can't confirm whether that is, in fact, the case.

As for whether the move will help erase continuing public confusion outside the Intermountain West over the relationship between Jeffs, his church and the LDS Church, Hamer said he believes there's an opportunity now to educate people that "there is more than one kind of Mormon. You have fundamentalists and you have the mainstream LDS Church. I think it's actually helpful to explain that to non-Mormons."

Denying that fundamentalist LDS members are Mormons "just helps inflame the confusion," he said. "Since 9/11, Americans are now able to understand there's more than one kind of Muslim — Shiites and Sunnis — and they disagree in many ways. In the same way, I think there is the ability for the public at large to understand there's more than one kind of Mormon."

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