Under the Banner of Heaven

Under the Banner of Heaven is a riveting read. The Lafferty boys were brought up in a squeaky clean All-American family. So what made two of them follow revelations from God to slit the throat of their ex-beauty queen sister-in-law and her infant daughter? The problem was that they got involved in the fundamentalist, survivalist wing of the Mormon Church.

Author Jon Krakauer expertly jumps from the immediate horror of the Lafferty boys to the context of Mormonism and the wider questions of religious violence. In the process we are taken on a house of horrors ride through the badlands of fundamentalist Mormon religion. Krakauer introduces us to red necks with more than 30 "wives"--many who were "married" in their early teens. It's a story of fraud, child abuse, incest, physical violence and spiritual and emotional rape at a deep level.

The contemporary story is lurid and shocking, but as Krakauer relates the picaresque story of Joseph Smith--the founder of the Mormon religion--you realise that present day fundamentalist Mormons are far closer to their founder in spirit and behaviour than the more squeaky clean manifestations of modern Mormonism. This well researched and tightly written account gives a great potted history of Mormonism and illuminates the psychotic fringes of religious mentality. In doing so it reveals the wild dangers of spiritual free wheeling and the need for caution and restraint in religion. --Dwight Longenecker

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Brilliant - Rated
Another substantial nail in the coffin of religious fundamentalism. Gives the reader another perspective on those smart "elders" in black suits and ties knocking on doors. Utterly compelling and anger inducing.

A chilling story of religious fundamentalism - Rated
This book is entirely absorbing, which is no surprise coming from this fine author.

There are two strands woven together throughout the book -- the shocking 1984 murders attributed to fundamentalist Mormons, and a historical perspective on the origins of the Latter Day Saints. The skillful way in which Krakauer weaves the strands together holds the reader's interest and is very effective.

The book includes extensive interviews with fundamentalist Dan Lafferty, incarcerated in the Utah State Prison for the murders of his brother's wife and daughter. The interviews, along with the recounting of the murders, are chilling in their details. Just as chilling is the the historical perspective on how the polygamous fundamentalists splintered from mainstream Mormonism, claiming their religious direction to be directly received from God. The facts of this frightening phenomenon were probably not widely known before this book was published.

Knowing very little about the Church of the Latter Day Saints, I came away from this book with much more knowledge about the religion. The distinction is clearly drawn between the mainstream LDS and the fundamentalist sect, giving the book a balanced feel when it could have been pure sensationalism. Krakauer seems to stand aside and let the story tell itself without interpretation or judgment; only the best writers can give that impression.

A chilling but brilliant book by Krakauer - Rated
This is quite simply one of the most breathtaking books I have ever laid hands on.

It is extremely revealing educationally, but also contains the power to shock and surprise, as its author John Krakauer deftly and compellingly interweaves Mormon history with the current LDS church situation, and the more fundamentalist modern disciples of Joseph Smith. He received death threats for this work, and considering how it exposes the shameful and disturbing roots and beliefs of Mormonism, it is hardly surprising. Joseph Smith's claims to revelation lack any credibility in their historical, scientific and logical foundations; they make no sense whatsoever and are easily proven false. While they are indeed laughable, the deception that he has brought to millions, is not.

Krakauer has a scintillating writing style and is to be applauded for bravely bringing all this to light. I borrowed this book from a friend, but I have just purchased it from Amazon as it is well worth another read. Get this, and be gripped.

Are you crazy? - Rated
One of the more notorious episodes in the history of the North American frontier was the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857. Mark Twain commented on it in "Roughing It" and it's been the core of many Western tales. Krakauer weaves this event into his narrative of the power of religion. "Faith" too often holds sway over those credulous enough to believe and act on perceived divine ordinance. The murder of a woman and her infant daughter by her two brothers-in-law prompted the author to launch a personal investigation of the Church of Christ of Latter-Day Saints - the Mormons. His research includes historical works, interviews with the participants in the crime and members, mostly disaffected, of the Mormon sect. Krakauer's powerful story, vividly presented, results in a chilling read.

Krakauer's investigation takes him to several Mormon communities. He learns of various strains of Mormonism from a strong "mainstream" version to the multitude of "fundamentalist" breakaways that have formed and are forming. An often "revelatory" faith, the strongly hierarchical structure of the Mormon church makes pronouncements from "on high" a basic feature of the sect. Although generally ignored today, the practice of polygamy remains a major issue among Mormonism's adherents. Each new bride is declared a choice imparted by divine ordinance. Mormon's founder, Krakauer reminds us, set the example with his account of visits by an "angel" called Moroni who directed Joseph Smith to buried golden tablets containing divinely-given laws. The fundamentalist Mormons, Krakauer notes, follow this precedent even to decrees on aspects of daily life. It was failure to accede to these dicta that cost Brenda Lafferty and her daughter Erica their lives. The force of those rules on the murderers is plain, if shocking, to Krakauer who notes the pair exhibited not a shred of remorse. How can one be ashamed of, or judged for, fulfilling divine will?

In describing the trials [for various reasons, there was more than one] of the Lafferty brothers, Krakauer provides a laudable description of the conundrum facing both the Mormon church and the state government. Murder by divine decree, whether individuals or the population of a wagon-train, is inevitably a difficult topic. The perpetrator[s] can engage in their activity certain in the knowledge they are free of divine punishment. The secular portion of the population, even if believers, are challenged to prove the recipient false in claiming divine direction. In short, is somebody who claims to hear a god "directing" him insane or not? Krakauer recognises that any communication with a deity, even "simple" prayer, is claiming a link with that god. Does that make anybody who prays insane? This challenge faced the officials of Utah in trying Ron Lafferty for murder. While it would have been fine theatre if the case had reached the US Supreme Court, that finale was denied us.

Krakauer's thesis is clear. Although the "divine ordinance" that led to polygamy was later refuted by another, later message from a deity, Mormonism continues to grow. The author cites estimates that its membership will pass 300 million in a few years. The economic and political power of this sect is immense, and the many schismatic off-shoots of the "Saints' " organisation haven’t undermined either its power nor its influence.*haven While "plural marriage" may capture media attention and titillate the superficial reader, the real issue is how to deal with people who claim to have direct access to a deity. If they act on its commands with impunity, who is fit to condemn their acts? What basis for judgement does secular law rest on if the "faithful" claim that "man's law cannot override" the pronouncements of the divine. Although Krakauer expresses his concerns with some force, the message he promotes is valid. And the issue of "faith" and "sanity" remains unresolved. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The Power of Belief - Rated
A bleak, fascinating, occassionally despairing yet utterly compelling study of belief. Under the banner of heaven examines fundamentalism in detail and explores the emerging all-American religion of Mormonism and shows what it means to believe.

Krakauer's intense research reflects how other mainstream religions and prophets may have emerged in the past when there weren't as many people studying and taking records of such a phenomenon.

Scarily the justifications and reasonings for his protagonist's murderous and slave-mongering actions are all to familiar from the words spoken by contemporary leaders and our own inner voices. It is a gripping departure from his early works, in terms of subject matter, and he continues to try and understand what motivates others to do the things they do.

Hopefully the author will give himself a break for his future studies and write about something where nobody dies - but I doubt it.