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Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Hardcover – Deckle Edge, July 15, 2003

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 9,258 ratings

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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

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Using as a focal point the chilling story of offshoot Mormon fundamentalist brothers Dan and Ron Lafferty, who in 1984 brutally butchered their sister-in-law and 15-month-old niece in the name of a divine revelation, Krakauer explores what he sees as the nature of radical Mormon sects with Svengali-like leaders. Using mostly secondary historical texts and some contemporary primary sources, Krakauer compellingly details the history of the Mormon church from its early 19th-century creation by Joseph Smith (whom Krakauer describes as a convicted con man) to its violent journey from upstate New York to the Midwest and finally Utah, where, after the 1890 renunciation of the church's holy doctrine sanctioning multiple marriages, it transformed itself into one of the world's fastest-growing religions. Through interviews with family members and an unremorseful Dan Lafferty (who is currently serving a life sentence), Krakauer chronologically tracks what led to the double murder, from the brothers' theological misgivings about the Mormon church to starting their own fundamentalist sect that relies on their direct communications with God to guide their actions. According to Dan's chilling step-by-step account, when their new religion led to Ron's divorce and both men's excommunication from the Mormon church, the brothers followed divine revelations and sought to kill, starting with their sister-in-law, those who stood in the way of their new beliefs. Relying on his strong journalistic and storytelling skills, Krakauer peppers the book with an array of disturbing firsthand accounts and news stories (such as the recent kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart) of physical and sexual brutality, which he sees as an outgrowth of some fundamentalists' belief in polygamy and the notion that every male speaks to God and can do God's bidding. While Krakauer demonstrates that most nonfundamentalist Mormons are community oriented, industrious and law-abiding, he poses some striking questions about the closed-minded, closed-door policies of the religion-and many religions in general.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday; 1st edition (July 15, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 372 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385509510
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385509510
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 9,258 ratings

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In 1999 Jon Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to the award citation, "Krakauer combines the tenacity and courage of the finest tradition of investigative journalism with the stylish subtlety and profound insight of the born writer. His account of an ascent of Mount Everest has led to a general reevaluation of climbing and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport; while his account of the life and death of Christopher McCandless, who died of starvation after challenging the Alaskan wilderness, delves even more deeply and disturbingly into the fascination of nature and the devastating effects of its lure on a young and curious mind."

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
9,258 global ratings
How Much Religious Freedom is Too Much?
5 Stars
How Much Religious Freedom is Too Much?
Can religious beliefs be taken too far? Looking at examples from history, the answer is a resounding yes, and while acts of religious violence are less common today than in the past, atrocities continue to take place in the name of religion all the way up to the current day. One such event that happened in the 1980s involved two brothers who claim that they were divinely ordered to kill their sister- in- law and her baby. The details of this event and the history of the religion that inspired the brothers is the subject of Under the Banner of Heaven.Dan and Ron Lafferty are the two brothers responsible for these gruesome deaths and their actions can be traced to the fundamentalist Mormon church. The two had become increasingly engrossed in their religious beliefs and are convinced that the decision to commit these murders was a direct order from god, and that meant it had to be carried out, no questions asked. They carried out the deed, were eventually arrested, and sent directly to prison. They showed absolutely no remorse for what they did and continued to show no remorse even after years behind bars.This book covers the background of the Lafferty brothers and some of their relatives well, offering the reader a glimpse inside of the minds of divinely- inspired killers. But the book is more than that. The author also includes a good deal of history on the Mormon faith, showing what the early Mormons did to combat the persecution they often faced, everywhere they went. These early Mormons were often harassed, yes, but they responded with vengeance and revenge, doing what they could to ‘get even’ whenever possible.The trials of the two brothers are bizarre to read about and the book includes many direct quotes from Dan and Ron, both in the court room and from prison. The book raises many questions and that is probably its strongest point. How far should religious freedom be allowed to go? Should polygamy be legal if one’s religion calls for it? What defines insanity? Dan and Ron Lafferty obviously had off- the- wall ideas, but is that insanity? And what about kids who are raised as fundamentalist latter- day saints? Is what they go through a form of child abuse, or should parents be allowed to raise their kids any way they choose?Under the Banner of Heaven is a chilling book that is written in a direct, no- nonsense way. It’s an excellent book for understanding more, not just about the fundamentalist latter day saints church, but also about the founding of the Mormon church. The edition of the book I read even includes criticisms of the book’s accuracy, and I really like the author’s responses to these LDS criticisms, as he really puts these critics in their place. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in the subject and it succeeds at getting the reader to think long and hard about religious freedom and what it should entail.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023
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5.0 out of 5 stars How Much Religious Freedom is Too Much?
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023
Can religious beliefs be taken too far? Looking at examples from history, the answer is a resounding yes, and while acts of religious violence are less common today than in the past, atrocities continue to take place in the name of religion all the way up to the current day. One such event that happened in the 1980s involved two brothers who claim that they were divinely ordered to kill their sister- in- law and her baby. The details of this event and the history of the religion that inspired the brothers is the subject of Under the Banner of Heaven.

Dan and Ron Lafferty are the two brothers responsible for these gruesome deaths and their actions can be traced to the fundamentalist Mormon church. The two had become increasingly engrossed in their religious beliefs and are convinced that the decision to commit these murders was a direct order from god, and that meant it had to be carried out, no questions asked. They carried out the deed, were eventually arrested, and sent directly to prison. They showed absolutely no remorse for what they did and continued to show no remorse even after years behind bars.

This book covers the background of the Lafferty brothers and some of their relatives well, offering the reader a glimpse inside of the minds of divinely- inspired killers. But the book is more than that. The author also includes a good deal of history on the Mormon faith, showing what the early Mormons did to combat the persecution they often faced, everywhere they went. These early Mormons were often harassed, yes, but they responded with vengeance and revenge, doing what they could to ‘get even’ whenever possible.

The trials of the two brothers are bizarre to read about and the book includes many direct quotes from Dan and Ron, both in the court room and from prison. The book raises many questions and that is probably its strongest point. How far should religious freedom be allowed to go? Should polygamy be legal if one’s religion calls for it? What defines insanity? Dan and Ron Lafferty obviously had off- the- wall ideas, but is that insanity? And what about kids who are raised as fundamentalist latter- day saints? Is what they go through a form of child abuse, or should parents be allowed to raise their kids any way they choose?

Under the Banner of Heaven is a chilling book that is written in a direct, no- nonsense way. It’s an excellent book for understanding more, not just about the fundamentalist latter day saints church, but also about the founding of the Mormon church. The edition of the book I read even includes criticisms of the book’s accuracy, and I really like the author’s responses to these LDS criticisms, as he really puts these critics in their place. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in the subject and it succeeds at getting the reader to think long and hard about religious freedom and what it should entail.
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4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2003
33 people found this helpful
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LANE
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read but …
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2023
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5.0 out of 5 stars Libro avvincente
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crosshill
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read Krakauer
Reviewed in Germany on July 11, 2019
Mohit
5.0 out of 5 stars Really nice
Reviewed in India on August 31, 2018
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