Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith | Jon Krakauer

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith | Jon Krakauer | Fascinating expose of the reality of religious fringe-dwellers

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Under the Banner o...

	Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Jon Krakauer Anchor, 2004 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 724 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Well-Researched, Exciting Read

John Krakauer has written a well-researched, narratively compelling account of the history of the Mormon church, and its influence on the modern-day Mormon Fundamentalists. The focus of the book is on the Fundamentalists, not the mainstream church.

Contrary to what other Amazon reviewers here have tried to suggest, Krakauer's book relies on a wide range of highly credible sources--both previous histories and primary source material. True, he does use sources that have over the years been venomously denounced by the Mormon church--such as Fawn Brodie's famous biography of Joseph Smith, and D. Michael Quinn's (who was excommunicated for publishing unsanitized critiques of the church) work--but he also uses Mormon sources as well.

I don't see how any reasonable person can in good conscience give this a one-star review. It simply is not a one-star book. It is well-written, with a compelling and credibly argued thesis. I suspect the one-star tirades are mostly written by Mormons unhappy with what this book brings to light about the church's past, and the peculiar practices and predilections of its prophets, especially Joseph Smith (whose revelation regarding the holiness of polygamy seems to have been preceded by adulterous affairs with multiple females, including at least one young teenage girl). Krakauer is, after all, a widely-read author, and not one of the bible-thumping anti-Mormon whackjobs who publish crazy tracts against the church. This information will reach lots of people.

When the book came out, Mormons were outraged, and the church issued an official refutation of the book, written by Robert Turley. In the paperback edition of this book, Krakauer includes Turley's 5-page argument, and responds to it. Elder Turley points out some minor factual errors (which Krakauer readily admits and corrects) that are not germane to the book's central argument, and uses them to try to undermine the credibility of the author--unsuccessfully. Most of the most damning evidence Turley just ignores.

Krakauer responds to Turley's accusations carefully, revealing Turley's own less-than-complete (and less-than-honest) appraisal of source material, and documenting the Mormon church's long history of suppressing unsavory details about its past. (For instance, the church still denies any involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre--although through some strange logic it admits that Mormons were culpable.)

Mormon readers seem to take particular offense at the book's attention to the massacre, and to its exploring the likelihood of Brigham Young's complicity. The evidence against Young is circumstantial, but there is evidence against him. At the very least, he deliberately incited hatred against "Gentiles" in the months leading up to the massacre that contributed to the blood lust of the killers. Turley doesn't address this at all. Nor does he mention the church's (now-renounced) tenet of Blood Atonement, the belief that some offenses against the church were so great they could not be forgiven without the sinner's blood being spilled--and there were those in the church happy to spill that blood.

Krakauer's book details all this and more. There is not much new history here, although he did do much of his own research. Krakauer doesn't whitewash the church, but in reading this book you can see that he admires the early Mormons--regardless of their faults--and sympathizes with them. He details the prolonged and brutal persecution they endured before moving to Utah.

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Fascinating expose of the reality of religious fringe-dwellers

As one who is infatuated with the so-called religious extreme, ie, cults, isolated religious groups and off-shoots of the larger world religions, this book was an eye-opener.

I've been a fan of every one of Krakauer's books, but this one was my favorite to date. He deftly weaves together the story of the murders with a streamlined history of the Mormon faith and how the FLDS emerged from it.

His work, and particularly "Under the Banner," is what compelling nonfiction is all about.

One of my favorite Krakauer books

I found this book to be a fascinating journey into the world of Fundamental Mormonism and the point where religious fanaticism actually becomes dangerous. This book is a factual history of Mormonism and an objective explanation of the doctrine of Blood Atonement, a long abandoned tenant of Mormonism. Mainstream Mormons often mistakenly try to describe these fundamentalists as not being Mormon. Not true! These people take Mormonism very seriously. The fact that they may or may not be active members of the mainstream LDS Church is immaterial. They believe that they are Mormons and that is what matters.

I am a Mormon and can honestly say that any active Mormon who reads this book will come away with a better understanding of their own faith. You will not read any of this stuff in "The Work and the Glory" . I realize that many will call this "anti-Mormon". It is not. Just because you may not agree with something dosen't make it "anti" or make it false.

I have read all of his books and found them all to be honest and forthright. I appreciate that he did point out and correct some errors that he made in the first printing. Any student of Mormonism will truly enjoy this book.

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Well-Researched and Well-Written

This is a superb book. The author created a dispassionate work of what can happen when prideful people use religion to create an alternate history.

This book will open your eyes. It is a model of good writing that weaves history and current events into a very readable work.

LDS church history is years of material for Saturday Night Live

I am serious that the History of the Mormon church is years of material for Saturday Night Live.
Couple of ideas for skits:
Joseph Smith (founder of the LDS) is married and after a few years his eyes start wandering, so he tells his wife God has told him to take on more wives. The wife is mad and threatens to take on more husbands, Joe doesn't like that, so he tells his wife that God told him that if a wife takes on another man she will go to hell for ever ! Nice.

The locals don't like Joes unfaithfull ways, and drag him out of his bed, into the woods at night with the plan to castarate him - they even had a doctor along. Once Joe is stripped naked, and spread eagle the doctor can't go thru with it, and instead they beat Joe up badly and then tar and feather him.

Currently, various Fundemnetalist mormon church off shoots all have a leader that claim to be ' the mighty and strong one' - that is the guy who is immortal and will be present during the second coming ( or something like that) - well the followers all flip out when their annoited immortal leader dies.

The book covers a double homicide that took place in 1984. The two brothers that commited the crime are arrested, and after one beats the other one while in the same cell, they are put in adjacent cells. some days pass and one brother tells the other brother that God told him that he needs to kill him. So they discuss the best way to do the killing, and decide to have the one to die back up to the bars while the other one strangles him to death. They then proceed to follow thru the plan.

Mormons might feel picked on by this book, but I see it as a book about religion, and what it does to people. There are Mormons that are completely nuts, just like the 9/11 moslem bombers.

Krakauer writes this book in a similar style to Into the Wild. He mentions a couple other books about the LDS which I plan on reading.

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