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Under the Banner of Heaven Random House Large Print Jon Krakauer 9780375432217 Books

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Under the Banner of Heaven Random House Large Print Jon Krakauer 9780375432217 Books

Any time a book is written on the subject of religion, controversy is bound to ensue. Extend the subject to religious extremism and/or fundamentalism and you can ratchet it up a notch. When the book is written by a "non-believer", you can bet that it will come under vicious attack by proponents of the religion in question. Such is the case with Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer's expose on Mormonism and Mormon fundamentalism.

I read Krakauer's Into Thin Air and was riveted by his writing on the subject of Mt. Everest. I would not place this work in that category, but found it be a very instructive primer on the origins and background of the Mormon religion and its various fundamentalist offshoots.

The book essentially tells two stories, the threads of which alternate throughout the book. In one thread, Krakauer tells the story of Joseph Smith, the founding of the Mormon religion and its evolution to the present day. In the other thread, he explores the various fundamentalist offshoots of Mormonism through the prism of a vicious double murder committed by a pair of its proponents.

It is difficult to argue with most of the facts presented in relation to the founding and evolution of Mormonism. As Krakauer points out, it is a religion of such recent vintage that the historical record is quite clear. He does make a few assumptions and extensions which have earned him the ire of the official church. In those cases, however, he states his grounds for doing so quite well. It is doubtful that anyone except a true believer in Mormonism would ever write a history to the liking of the church.

The beliefs and practices of some of the fundamentalists profiled in the book are scary in their level of extremism, however, they take their beliefs directly from the pages of Joseph Smith, the founder of the religion. Polygamy, or plural marriage, was one of the chief tenets of his church, and one that was stubbornly clung to for many years by the leaders of the church. It can hardly be argued that many heinous instances of statutory rape and sexual child abuse have resulted and continue to occur.

While Mormonism has come under attack throughout its history, both for some of its practices and the highly dubious circumstances surrounding its founding (Joseph Smith was likely no more than a charlatan and a fraud who concocted a religion that guaranteed him access to a never ending cache of nubile virgins), very few of the world's religions have better legs to stand on. Old Testament Christianity is filled with barbarous practices and outlandish fables (Noah's Ark, parting the Red Sea, burning bushes). Islam, ditto. I'm not even going to mention Scientology.

So, before anyone tears off on a rant concerning Mormonism, just make sure your own house is in order. If you want a quick and dirty outline on Mormon beliefs and foundations, this is a good place to start. If you want a good example of the effects of extremism (not limited to Mormonism) this is also a good example.


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Under the Banner of Heaven Random House Large Print Jon Krakauer 9780375432217 Books Reviews

An excellent, thought-provoking dose of realism. Loved the audio book as it is read by the actual author. This story speaks to many who are disgusted with the hypocrisy and violence often associated with religious fundamentalism. Very well organized, well-written, and a pleasure to absorb. Highly recommended.
LIke the author, most of admire the way the Mormon religion generally has a very healthy family oriented approach to life. The idea of golden tablets that are lost (of course) and an angel with a language only the founder can understand (of course) and some of the hypocrisy of the revelations are just part of the basis of most religions. After all they are faith based not fact based. It was a good over view of the beginnings of the LDS Church and the real perils of polygamy when it is mixed with religious authority abuse. All in all it is a good read.
Before you buy, be aware that the author is an atheist. There is a constant subtle belittling of any type of belief in God, you get the feeling that he finds faith ridiculous & something for unintelligent people.

There are some very interesting historical tidbits about the LDS church & its beginnings that I did not find in other books (I've read about 20). Some of the footnotes are fascinating. It is more about Mormon history & how the violence & control developed than about the one incident of murder in 1984 that is referred to on the cover.
For me the book is 'a page turner' for i could not put it down following the first ten pages. Learning of the development of the LDS faith through Joseph and his followers is clearly explained and w/out prejudice. The information regarding FLDS families enables one to understand the evolution of plural marriages, [which are deplorable --- my personal opinion]. Had no idea why the book was purchased, other than having previously read one of his books. Great writer! Will purchase more of his books.
A friend recommended this book as a horror story. We are both fans of Jon Krakauer and he has a lot of credibility with both of us. Jon does a fair and factual history of the Mormon church and the rise of polygamy and the FLDS. While the Mormon church has denounced polygamy and the FDLS, this sect continues to thrive in Arizona, Texas, Mexico, Canada and they are now moving into South Dakota. In addition to the background and history, Krakauer zeroes in on several stories of individuals within the church, their exploitation and their escapes. He doesn't sensationalize the stories but uses the stories to explain the impact of the absolute control the FLDS prophets have over all the inhabitants in these FDLS communities where they make their own laws and take advantage of federal and state social programs even while they openly distain the government. Why a horror story? The people in these communities are emotionally, physically and sexually abused. Men of 40 and 50 take "brides" who are 12 and 13 years old. Their parents willingly give them over to these prophets thinking it will assure them a place in heaven. These people think this is normal and the rest of society is heathen. It is an alternative universe, but it goes on here in the US.
Any time a book is written on the subject of religion, controversy is bound to ensue. Extend the subject to religious extremism and/or fundamentalism and you can ratchet it up a notch. When the book is written by a "non-believer", you can bet that it will come under vicious attack by proponents of the religion in question. Such is the case with Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer's expose on Mormonism and Mormon fundamentalism.

I read Krakauer's Into Thin Air and was riveted by his writing on the subject of Mt. Everest. I would not place this work in that category, but found it be a very instructive primer on the origins and background of the Mormon religion and its various fundamentalist offshoots.

The book essentially tells two stories, the threads of which alternate throughout the book. In one thread, Krakauer tells the story of Joseph Smith, the founding of the Mormon religion and its evolution to the present day. In the other thread, he explores the various fundamentalist offshoots of Mormonism through the prism of a vicious double murder committed by a pair of its proponents.

It is difficult to argue with most of the facts presented in relation to the founding and evolution of Mormonism. As Krakauer points out, it is a religion of such recent vintage that the historical record is quite clear. He does make a few assumptions and extensions which have earned him the ire of the official church. In those cases, however, he states his grounds for doing so quite well. It is doubtful that anyone except a true believer in Mormonism would ever write a history to the liking of the church.

The beliefs and practices of some of the fundamentalists profiled in the book are scary in their level of extremism, however, they take their beliefs directly from the pages of Joseph Smith, the founder of the religion. Polygamy, or plural marriage, was one of the chief tenets of his church, and one that was stubbornly clung to for many years by the leaders of the church. It can hardly be argued that many heinous instances of statutory rape and sexual child abuse have resulted and continue to occur.

While Mormonism has come under attack throughout its history, both for some of its practices and the highly dubious circumstances surrounding its founding (Joseph Smith was likely no more than a charlatan and a fraud who concocted a religion that guaranteed him access to a never ending cache of nubile virgins), very few of the world's religions have better legs to stand on. Old Testament Christianity is filled with barbarous practices and outlandish fables (Noah's Ark, parting the Red Sea, burning bushes). Islam, ditto. I'm not even going to mention Scientology.

So, before anyone tears off on a rant concerning Mormonism, just make sure your own house is in order. If you want a quick and dirty outline on Mormon beliefs and foundations, this is a good place to start. If you want a good example of the effects of extremism (not limited to Mormonism) this is also a good example.