Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
buy bestselling books in print, audio books
|
 |
List Price: $19.95
Our Price:
$13.57
You Save: $6.38
Features
• Abridged
• Audiobook |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] |
Book : Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
|
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith description
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 |
|
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Customer Reviews
|
|
|
|
♥♥♥♥♥
|
The perils of extreme faith
|
Recently, the Mormon faith has been spotlighted a bit in the media, the result of the ill-fated presidential campaign of Mitt Romney. Romney's run for high office was derailed for a number of reasons and certainly his faith didn't help. Mormonism is the most popular faith that is native to the United States, but it is regarded with suspicion, particularly by Christians. Despite being reasonably objective - and often praising the Mormon faith - Jon Krakauer's book Under the Banner of Heaven is not likely to win many converts to the Church of Latter Day Saints.
Superficially, this is a true crime book, focusing on the brutal murders of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter Erica at the hands of her brothers-in-law Ron and Dan. Followers of a fundamentalist branch of Mormonism, Ron and Dan felt they were on a mission from God when they killed the pair: Brenda had the gall to speak out against their beliefs in polygamy, the complete subjugation of their wives and daughters and their tolerance of domestic violence.
To understand the behavior of Ron and Dan Lafferty, Krakauer gives a history of Mormonism that understandably is not one the modern Mormon church likes. Joseph Smith - the religion's founder - is portrayed as a con man who seemed mostly interested in polygamy to justify his roving eye (and despite his many wives, he'd still patronize prostitutes). Brigham Young, Smith's successor, comes off even worse with his implicit involvement in the Mountain Meadow Massacre which resulted in the murders of over 120 people.
Despite his flaws, Smith was also brilliant and charismatic, and with his death, the Mormons would break into schisms (like in many dictatorships or oligarchies - which is how the faith is structured - chaos and civil wars can result when a leader dies). Although the bulk of the Mormons would follow Young, others wouldn't and other splits would occur at decisive times such as when the Mormons ended polygamy. The result would be deeply fundamentalist sects that would dwell in isolated communities and indulge in not only polygamy but the forcible marriage of girls in their early teens. Indeed, most of the women in this book seem to be victims, cowed into multiple marriages because they never have any alternatives (no real education and raised in a closed environment which allowed no non-Mormon media); on the other hand, the few heroes in this book are also all women, though some, like Brenda, would be killed or hurt for their resistance (even Brenda's husband, Allen, comes off as bad, both abusive and unwilling to warn his wife she could be a target for murder).
Though Krakauer makes a distinction between mainstream Mormons and the fundamentalists, even the mainstream comes off somewhat unfavorably. The book, however, is not really anti-Mormon; instead, it is anti-religious extremism. Although the Latter Day Saints are the center of this book, the extreme behavior can be found in other faiths: although Islam seems to get the most press (because of 9/11 in particular), Christianity and other faiths also bear the onus of their most fanatical members.
For those familiar with the HBO show Big Love, much of what is in Under the Banner of Heaven will seem recognizable, though the book makes the TV show seem tame in comparison. Krakauer's book is disturbing and highly informative; more importantly, it is an engrossing page-turner. To understand the dangers of religious extremism - and no matter the faith, it is always bad news - this is a must-read.
|
|
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Books In Print, Audio Books.