Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith Paperback – 8 Jun. 2004

I had already read Stolen Innocence and Escape written by two former Mormen multi-wives and I wanted to find out more about this Religion to see what the appeal was. Of course, since the book revolves around the horrific murders of a young woman and her baby, I was a bit apprehensive. However, the author goes back to the start with John Smith, Brigham Young etc so it gives a really good understanding of where the religion is coming from and how it has adapted or not. I have come to learn that the Mormon religion is based on violence and greed and delusionary " apocolyptic " signs and voices from "up above " who "guide" the decisions that the men and only men can make . It is a religion where men rule , get their own way and women are no more than slaves, property. The religion takes the joy out of relationships, husband with wife, parent with child. They believe in ruling with the iron fist and even pets feel the wrath whenever the mood strikes. Jon Krakauer , as a journalist, gave an unbiased history of the absolute violence and horrer this religion comes from and the complete control that is held over everyone's heads to this very day. It is all for the men with multiple wives who have to accept each other as sisters while they share the life of the man they all married, even if the wife was only 13 or 14 years old.This book gave such an insight into the corrupt, violent and delusioned thinking of the forefathers who shaped the minds of the perpetraters of this horrific double murder. Since they are all brainwashed, they know nothing else. It is a fantastic intelligent read that is extrememy interesting and enlightening.The fear was that in this day and age, the Muslims would take over the world with all the births that are encouraged in their religion. They have nothing on the Mormons where one family, one father, can have 50 children ! God forbid if the Mormons take over !

TRIGGER WARNING: rape, incest, domestic abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, child murderI’m speechless. (OK, maybe not). What the heck did I just read? You’re telling me this is non-fiction? ...How? HOW? This isn’t just some freak incident either, people live like what’s described in this book, I’m baffled by it. I mean I’m a little baffled by strict religious following anyway (no offence meant) but Mormonism is just on another level.The story of Mormonism is so strange because Joseph Smith was a control freak and swindler but also the way society got away with treating him and his followers was awful. You really can’t pick a right and wrong side, they’re both pretty terrible.This book's main focus is on how people's strong faith in Mormonism makes them believe they're above the laws of the land, so they go and commit crimes they think are justified and right. For example, Dan and Ron Lafferty, who truly believe God has spoken to them and told them they need to kill their brothers wife and young baby. A deed done by them so brutally, the poor baby was basically beheaded. Clearly this book isn’t for the faint hearted.One of the saddest moments in this book is when Krakauer meets a Mormon family and their young daughter (I think she was between 8 to 12) comes into the room with floor plans of her dream house, where she's drawn out several different rooms for the other wives of the husband she is going to share. How awful is that, to believe that you must share your husband with other women, because for men of the Mormon faith, women are just child bearers, nothing more. Joseph Smith actually declared God said "women shall be man's handmaid". For this young girl to be planning her life with a shared husband and feeling that's normal, even feeling happy about it, is a terrible, terrible thing to think about.This took me around 3 months to finish, not only because I accidentally left this in my dad’s suitcase when I came back from Spain, but also because this was such heavy non-fiction reading. Not only did it describe, in gruesome detail, the crimes committed by those under the Mormon faith, it was also a long historical timeline of how Mormonism was created and has grown to where it currently sits today. (Did you know, there are currently more Mormons on this planet than Jewish people?) Not to mention the confusion it causes when trying to remind you who everyone is and how everyone is related, because they’re pretty much all related through marriage.This is certainly an interesting read. I'm sure you’ve heard about Mormon’s and the Book of Mormon and polygamy, etc, but never really looked further into it. Well, for those of you that would like to look further into it, then this is the book for you! It's incredible to read all about how Joseph Smith magicked up Mormon faith and how gruesome and evil polygamy really is.I really recommend this book for all of you who love learning about religions or just love to have some random shocking facts to dish out around the dinner table. A seriously interesting, if not disturbing read.

'Under The Banner Of Heaven' is written with Jon Krakauer's usual easily read and digested style and tells the story not only of the Mormon fundamentalist murder of a mother and baby in the early 1980's, but also the history of the Mormon faith. Knowing nothing about Mormons, this historical aspect of the book really added to my overall understanding of the murders (and what may have lead to them) and the two aspects of this book are weaved together perfectly. The parts about the murders are shocking and a touch distressing to read in places and the origins and development of the Mormon faith is hard to believe at times. Jon Krakauer seems to write in a measured way and doesn't seem excessively biased. A great deal of the points he makes are backed up by various Mormon texts and interviews. The extent of Mormon fundamentalism is unnerving to discover and read about and casts their self proclaimed religious superiority in a rather dubious light. This is a clear and readable account of some horrific murders and the history of the Mormon faith and it kept me engrossed the whole way through. It's not Krakauer's usual outdoor adventure type book, but it is a fascinating read never-the-less. Worth a read.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.