In Under the
Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer explores the violent history of fundamental
Mormonism through the 1984 killings of 24 year old Brenda Lafferty and her
infant daughter, Erica, at the hands of Dan and Ron Lafferty.
Dan and Ron Lafferty began as regular members of the Mormon Church, however, after Dan’s business was shut down for lack of proper license, he became increasingly anti-government. He found solace in Book of Mormon - particularly Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which validated the principle of plural marriage.
But there was one problem – their sister-in-law, Brenda. Highly educated, Brenda encouraged the other wives to resist their husband’s decent into polygamy and other strange, non-Mormon beliefs. Ron’s wife listened, leaving her husband and moving to Florida with their children. Soon, the two brothers were excommunicated from the LDS Church. Eventually, the brothers claimed receive a commandment from God, ordering the death of Brenda and Erica Lafferty.
Emily Bazelon of The Los Angeles Times notes that Krakauer’s book is far from an easy read. It is terribly disturbing to hear the countless stories of young girls being brainwashed and raped in abusive marriages. Not to mention, in many of these exclusively FLDS towns, the entire law enforcement system is run by the Church. With nowhere to turn, these young women are trapped, unaware that a reality exists outside their town.
Krakauer also speaks to several former members of the FLDS Church, who finally rose up against years of teachings to start a life of their own. These interviews, particularly with DeLoy Bateman, are incredibly insightful and interesting.
As pointed out by Robert Wright of The New York Times, Krakauer’s jumps from present day to the beginnings of the religion can seem disconnected and choppy. However, the information provided gives the reader a better understanding of Mormonism and the church doctrine that allowed Dan and Ron Lafferty to evolve from perfect believers to excommunicated killers. Killing in the name of God is far from a new phenomenon, even in the Mormon Church.
Obviously, the Mormon Church was less than thrilled by their portrayal in this book. Richard E Turley, the managing director of the Family and Church History Department for the LDS Church, posted a scathing review of the book. He claims that the book will only appeal to “gullible persons” and that “serious readers… need not waste their time on it.” However, this is a story that must be told. When Americans discuss the idea of religious violence, they often do not consider that this could be happening right here at home. It is very easy to dismiss religious fundamentalism as something that happens elsewhere, an action done by other people and other religions. However, this book points out the very dangerous and very real fundamentalism happening right in our own backyard.
Turley was also upset that Krakaeur’s narrative left out the “vast majority of Latter-Day Saints” who are a “peace-loving people”. I believe that’s a fair assessment. There are thousands of Mormons who would never dare to kill someone or engage in polygamy. The majority of the atrocious acts highlighted in this book were committed by excommunicated fundamentalists. However, Krakauer makes a clear distinction between the two, never hiding the fact that his book is not about the common Mormon, just in the same way that a book about 9/11 is not about the common Muslim.
Krakauer concludes the book by returning to the Lafferty trials, which posed highly important questions. Can Lafferty be truly deemed insane if he was simply following the orders of his God? If so, does that mean that every religious person is insane, and that their crimes done in the name of God are excusable? What sort of precedent does that set?
In the end, Lafferty is found mentally capable of understanding the full nature of his crime. Now, he sits on death row, awaiting the day when he will be put to death.
Dan and Ron Lafferty began as regular members of the Mormon Church, however, after Dan’s business was shut down for lack of proper license, he became increasingly anti-government. He found solace in Book of Mormon - particularly Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which validated the principle of plural marriage.
But there was one problem – their sister-in-law, Brenda. Highly educated, Brenda encouraged the other wives to resist their husband’s decent into polygamy and other strange, non-Mormon beliefs. Ron’s wife listened, leaving her husband and moving to Florida with their children. Soon, the two brothers were excommunicated from the LDS Church. Eventually, the brothers claimed receive a commandment from God, ordering the death of Brenda and Erica Lafferty.
Emily Bazelon of The Los Angeles Times notes that Krakauer’s book is far from an easy read. It is terribly disturbing to hear the countless stories of young girls being brainwashed and raped in abusive marriages. Not to mention, in many of these exclusively FLDS towns, the entire law enforcement system is run by the Church. With nowhere to turn, these young women are trapped, unaware that a reality exists outside their town.
Krakauer also speaks to several former members of the FLDS Church, who finally rose up against years of teachings to start a life of their own. These interviews, particularly with DeLoy Bateman, are incredibly insightful and interesting.
As pointed out by Robert Wright of The New York Times, Krakauer’s jumps from present day to the beginnings of the religion can seem disconnected and choppy. However, the information provided gives the reader a better understanding of Mormonism and the church doctrine that allowed Dan and Ron Lafferty to evolve from perfect believers to excommunicated killers. Killing in the name of God is far from a new phenomenon, even in the Mormon Church.
Obviously, the Mormon Church was less than thrilled by their portrayal in this book. Richard E Turley, the managing director of the Family and Church History Department for the LDS Church, posted a scathing review of the book. He claims that the book will only appeal to “gullible persons” and that “serious readers… need not waste their time on it.” However, this is a story that must be told. When Americans discuss the idea of religious violence, they often do not consider that this could be happening right here at home. It is very easy to dismiss religious fundamentalism as something that happens elsewhere, an action done by other people and other religions. However, this book points out the very dangerous and very real fundamentalism happening right in our own backyard.
Turley was also upset that Krakaeur’s narrative left out the “vast majority of Latter-Day Saints” who are a “peace-loving people”. I believe that’s a fair assessment. There are thousands of Mormons who would never dare to kill someone or engage in polygamy. The majority of the atrocious acts highlighted in this book were committed by excommunicated fundamentalists. However, Krakauer makes a clear distinction between the two, never hiding the fact that his book is not about the common Mormon, just in the same way that a book about 9/11 is not about the common Muslim.
Krakauer concludes the book by returning to the Lafferty trials, which posed highly important questions. Can Lafferty be truly deemed insane if he was simply following the orders of his God? If so, does that mean that every religious person is insane, and that their crimes done in the name of God are excusable? What sort of precedent does that set?
In the end, Lafferty is found mentally capable of understanding the full nature of his crime. Now, he sits on death row, awaiting the day when he will be put to death.
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