Under the Banner of Heaven – A Story of Violent Faith
Under the Banner of Heaven A Story of Violent Faith
In 1984, Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered the wife and infant daughter of their younger brother Allen. The crimes were noteworthy not merely for their brutality but for the brothers' claim that they were acting on direct orders from God. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer tells the story of the killers and their crime but also explores the shadowy world of Mormon fundamentalism from which the two emerged. The Mormon Church was founded, in part, on the idea that true believers could speak directly with God. But while the mainstream church attempted to be more palatable to the general public by rejecting the controversial tenet of polygamy, fundamentalist splinter groups saw this as apostasy and took to the hills to live what they believed to be a righteous life. When their beliefs are challenged or their patriarchal, cult-like order defied, these still-active groups, according to Krakauer, are capable of fighting back with tremendous violence. While Krakauer's research into the history of the church is admirably extensive, the real power of the book comes from present-day information, notably jailhouse interviews with Dan Lafferty. Far from being the brooding maniac one might expect, Lafferty is chillingly coherent, still insisting that his motive was merely to obey God's command. Krakauer's accounts of the actual murders are graphic and disturbing, but such detail makes the brothers' claim of divine instruction all the more horrifying. In an age where Westerners have trouble comprehending what drives Islamic fundamentalists to kill, Jon Krakauer advises us to look within America's own borders. –John Moe
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars What about the boys?
Under the Banner of Heaven is a thoughtful, evenhanded examination of Mormonism, its history, and its current status. Jon Krakauer explores in detail the split between the mainline Mormons, who have renounced polygamy, and the fundamentalists, who continue to practice it. The impact of the fundamentalists is shown through the story of the murders of a woman and her baby.
The only lack that I noticed was, what happens to the young men, most of whom will not be designated as candidates for marriage within the community because the young women are all handed off to the old men. Certainly, the old men are not likely to want the young ones around because they would be competition. I have heard a rumor that they are expelled from the community shortly after puberty, which would make sense, but it is such a shocking allegation that I am reluctant to believe it.
4 Stars A Must Read
For those who believe that religious fanaticism and terrorism are relegated to the Middle East and other foreign places, this book is an absolute must read. This book did nothing to shake my own personal faith, however, it is an incredibly well written and well researched treatise on the hypocrisy that forms the foundation of these "religions" under the banner of heaven. At their core: blind, perverse and ego-maniacal human behavior.
5 Stars Challenges believers of "reasonable" religions
I read this book several years ago, but it was brought to my mind again after reading The God Delusion. Although Krakauer chose fundamentalist Mormonism, this could have been written about any religion. Krakauer aptly points out that we don't have an objective standard to answer who's hearing from "God" and who isn't.
What makes this so difficult to put down (besides for the heart-wrenching stories of abuse that builds up a great anger against the polygamist communities) is his weaving of two narratives; one of the Lafferty brothers and the other of Mormonism's history. This style (much like the contrast between the narrative of the expedition and the individual in Nathaniel Philbrick's Sea of Glory) adds context to the modern day tail of religion gone horribly wrong.
Highly recommended to anyone wanting to know more about the Mormon faith and the religious experience.
5 Stars The Most Discriptive Book I have read on Mind Control from the cradle to the grave!
This is a must read for any one seeking light into what religion can do to control it's members. I know this because my father was born into a family that practiced this strange thinking. I was fortunate enough to have been raised to think for myself. The book is the most educational reading I have come across on mind control.
Related posts:
- Under the Banner of Heaven A Story of Violent Faith
- Banking on Heaven – Polygamy in the Heartland of the American West DVD
- Banking on Heaven – Polygamy in the Heartland of the American West, DVD
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- Have a Little Faith – A True Story
- Into the Deep One Mans Story of How Tragedy Took His Family but Could Not Take His Faith Focus on the Family Books
- Out of Mormonism – A Womans True Story
- Heaven is so Real
- Heaven Right Here
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