false 10847 23 An investigation into the background on the tragedy of the Lafferty family in Provo, Utah, this narrative on the history of fundamental Mormonism serves as commentary on the evolution of religion in America. 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 <I>Under the Banner of Heaven</I>, 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. <I>--John Moe</I> 1723947 6 8 2003 Under the Banner of Heaven total:20249|5:5277|4:8995|3:4725|2:984|1:267| 20249 78780 26233 3583 5 48 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 19 08:59:10 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 05 07:06:35 -0800 2007 ...more...]]> 4 20 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 20 20:13:48 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 20 20:14:05 -0700 2007 In Cold Blood. I'm not saying the combination brought out the homicidal psychotic in me, but I did have to pay for stabbing the hell out of a turkey in the Albertson's meat section the other day.

Is there a stranger...more...]]> 4 17 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 06 17:32:33 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 23 23:40:02 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 13 false false Mon Feb 25 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 26 09:13:19 -0800 2008 Wed Jul 16 09:05:39 -0700 2008
1. Lack of focus.
2. Too long.
3. Preposterous claim.
4. Boring

This is a true crime novel--maybe--set against the history of the Mormon Church--but not really--trying to tie in a c...more...]]> 1 8 false false Wed Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 02 13:04:16 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 02 13:33:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 8 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 14 17:30:28 -0700 2007 Sat Aug 18 16:42:38 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 7 false false Fri Feb 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Dec 21 17:08:15 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 13 12:39:34 -0800 2009 intense. I’m a sucker for religious studies anyway, especially those different from my own, and this book has been on my radar for awhile now because Mormonism (in general) and fundamentalists (of all kinds) have always interested me, so when I found out this book was about Mormon f...more...]]> 3 6 false false Tue Mar 27 13:36:18 -0700 2007 Wed Mar 28 09:59:57 -0700 2007 ...more...]]> 2 6 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Nov 23 09:59:21 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 04 16:01:00 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 4 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 20 20:23:29 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 27 17:16:43 -0700 2008
And by Mormon killers I do mean both people who kill Mormons and Mormons who kill (kill "Gentiles" [anyone not Mor...more...]]> 5 4 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Mar 12 17:25:32 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 12 17:29:10 -0700 2008
In the appendix to the anchor addition of Jon Krakauer's fascinating
"Under the Banner of Heaven," the author warns against the dangers
inherent in the decision of the Mormon leadership to deliberately
control "how the Mormon past is ...more...]]> 5 5 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Fri Nov 02 11:32:38 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 06 23:22:09 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 4 true false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Jul 03 16:51:19 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 17:18:06 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 7 false false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Mar 30 13:45:41 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 30 14:00:10 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 6 false false Fri Feb 22 05:45:56 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 22 05:50:39 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 4 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Dec 10 10:42:12 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 07:53:22 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 3 false false Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jul 24 14:17:22 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 24 15:07:10 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 5 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue May 29 13:54:39 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 12 13:19:56 -0700 2007
First things first, there should have been some sort of family...more...]]> 5 2 false false Thu Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 15:43:02 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 02 09:51:30 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Aug 04 11:15:09 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 12 21:51:02 -0700 2007 more...]]>