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1-Page Summary of Under The Banner Of Heaven
In 2003, Jon Krakauer published a book about religious extremism. The book addressed the topic of fundamentalism in a totally different context – the Mormon faith. He told about Joseph Smith and how he founded his church, as well as modern-day offshoots that do not belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). By juxtaposing brutal murders committed by fundamentalist Lafferty brothers with an 1857 massacre committed by Mormons and members of the Paiute tribe, Krakauer argued that all-consuming religious faith is antithetical to rational behavior.
The book, Under the Banner of Heaven, begins with a description of how Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter. The brothers were born into mainstream Mormonism but joined a polygamist sect when they experienced financial setbacks. They killed Brenda because she was against this authoritarian belief system that required them to have more wives. Both brothers are currently serving life sentences in prison for murder but neither has expressed any remorse for their actions or even questioned their beliefs.
Krakauer then goes back in time to when Joseph Smith started the Mormon religion. He was a con artist who went west with his followers and met an angel named Moroni, who told him about golden tablets that were buried on a hill near Palmyra, New York. The tablets contained the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ. Violence followed them as they traveled westward because people didn’t like their new religion or how they treated women. In addition to polygamy (which means having more than one wife), young teenage girls had to marry men old enough to be their fathers so there would be fewer unmarried men in society and people wouldn’t go to hell for not getting married at all. They also practiced blood atonement where you could get rid of your sins by killing someone else if it was God’s will; therefore, you’re forgiven for your own sins but have killed someone else instead so you can still go to heaven even though you committed murder.
Although the mainstream LDS church abandoned blood atonement and polygamy in order to be accepted as a state, extremist Mormons still practice those principles. The author points out that most Mormons are peaceful, hard-working people who follow the law. He also acknowledges that modern Mormon beliefs do not support these practices. However, he explains how fundamentalist extremists use scripture and religious principles from Mormonism to justify their actions.
Krakauer jumps back in time to the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). They live like the Taliban and are very isolated. Warren Jeffs, a leader of one of these groups, had over eighty wives who were all young women. Elizabeth Smart was abducted by an unaffiliated Mormon extremist when she was fourteen years old and forced into marriage with him.
Krakauer compares the historical roots of Mormonism to some of its modern-day incarnations, and he explores what that means for religion in general. The effects of fanaticism are similar no matter what belief system it espouses: hostility towards outsiders and the policing of members. Krakauer wonders about our country’s dedication to freedom of religion in light of this kind extremism. He also questions whether we consider people who claim to have spoken with God mentally ill or not, and if so, how many other religious figures would be considered similarly?
The book ends with an account of a man who was born into Mormonism, but has since become an atheist. He says that faith can be comforting, but it also limits your ability to think for yourself and make up your own mind about things. The author notes that the LDS church objected to many details in his story about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young because they didn’t like how he portrayed them, and also criticized him for making it sound as though all Mormons are prone to violence. Reviewers praised Krakauer’s storytelling abilities and ambitious subject matter even if he doesn’t quite succeed in making his case.
