Colleen's review
Under the Banner of Heaven
by Jon Krakauer
I loved this book! It was riveting and well researched. I couldn't put it down! Enjoy!
I enjoyed reading your review. I liked the book and I am a Mormon. My struggle with being a Mormon is there are so many dark and horrible things that come from religion and the LDS church is definitely not exempt from these issues. I've decided I'm still a member because of the good I see in religion. Overall - it makes me want to be a better person. However - I view it as a supplement to my life and not the end all which is how most members view it. In my mind this frees me from ever doing anything drastic/crazy in the name of religion.
I really loved this review and appreciate the questioning attitude towards fundamentalism. A healthy spirituality, pruned of superstition, can be a guiding light for the human race. This was the idea held by a great philospher, Gopi Krishna, who wrote "Biological Basis of Religion and Genius" and "Dawn of a New Science". I really recommend it for those exploring the impulse behind religious feeling.
I will definetly put it on my to read list, I love all books that make you think and Question
Man was given free will for a reasen, and I too just cant set back and follow what other people tell me ,That used to bother me, I feel better about my beliefs now
I enjoyed your review of this book, it is a very good book but highly inaccurate as it relates to Mormons and "Mormonism". Please do not judge the religion by what Krakauer has written. Just as there were other sides to Krakauers story "Into Thin Air" there are definately other sides to the Mormon story. As with all religions, there are pitfalls and shortcommings with all memebers of a religion just as all people have faults. The ability to question and discover is one of the key things that make all of us human. Please continue to question everything, including the narrow view of Mormonism painted by Krakauer in this book. By the way, I loved the book. It is simply incorrect with regards to the LDS (Mormon) church.
Thank you Dustin for your fresh perspective.
I suppose we can always count on there being extreme factions within any body of belief...we can look to current history for proof: radical Islam (which should not reflect on the entire Muslim world); radical Christian anti-abortionists who bomb and kill to get their message across (and which should not reflect on Christianity as a whole); and this should apply to Mormonism as well and caution us to not succumb to the temptation to condemn Mormonism, or other religions, as a whole. One of the problems I see today is that people who take religion as a whole to task (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins come to mind) is due in part because they look at problematical pieces and do not look at a whole(holistic) picture. It is, to coin a truism, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Colleen's review
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Colleen's review
rating:
recommended for: history and religious studies buffs
I read this book for the book club at my local library. Afterwards, I felt indignant, confused, intrigued, and disgusted about all forms of faith. So, I sincerely hoped that a Saint or two would show up at the book club meeting, to nullify my extremely negative view of the church. Alas, no LDS believers showed, so I am left to my own conclusions about the book and faith in general. Here are some of my conclusions and questions after reading this sprawling, fascinating account of the history of polygamy and violence within the Church of Later Day Saints:
There is a certain appeal to having no choices. Sometimes religion is comforting because obedience to a provided list of rules removes personal responsibility. Strict adherence to a religion removes personal doubt. When you believe so fully in a church, you are no longer forced to question your own actions-- after all, if you carefully follow the directions of your spiritual leaders, you will gain your own paradise, regardless ...more
There is a certain appeal to having no choices. Sometimes religion is comforting because obedience to a provided list of rules removes personal responsibility. Strict adherence to a religion removes personal doubt. When you believe so fully in a church, you are no longer forced to question your own actions-- after all, if you carefully follow the directions of your spiritual leaders, you will gain your own paradise, regardless ...more
comments (showing 1-6 of 6)
I loved this book! It was riveting and well researched. I couldn't put it down! Enjoy!
I enjoyed reading your review. I liked the book and I am a Mormon. My struggle with being a Mormon is there are so many dark and horrible things that come from religion and the LDS church is definitely not exempt from these issues. I've decided I'm still a member because of the good I see in religion. Overall - it makes me want to be a better person. However - I view it as a supplement to my life and not the end all which is how most members view it. In my mind this frees me from ever doing anything drastic/crazy in the name of religion.
I really loved this review and appreciate the questioning attitude towards fundamentalism. A healthy spirituality, pruned of superstition, can be a guiding light for the human race. This was the idea held by a great philospher, Gopi Krishna, who wrote "Biological Basis of Religion and Genius" and "Dawn of a New Science". I really recommend it for those exploring the impulse behind religious feeling.
I will definetly put it on my to read list, I love all books that make you think and Question
Man was given free will for a reasen, and I too just cant set back and follow what other people tell me ,That used to bother me, I feel better about my beliefs now
I enjoyed your review of this book, it is a very good book but highly inaccurate as it relates to Mormons and "Mormonism". Please do not judge the religion by what Krakauer has written. Just as there were other sides to Krakauers story "Into Thin Air" there are definately other sides to the Mormon story. As with all religions, there are pitfalls and shortcommings with all memebers of a religion just as all people have faults. The ability to question and discover is one of the key things that make all of us human. Please continue to question everything, including the narrow view of Mormonism painted by Krakauer in this book. By the way, I loved the book. It is simply incorrect with regards to the LDS (Mormon) church.
Thank you Dustin for your fresh perspective.
I suppose we can always count on there being extreme factions within any body of belief...we can look to current history for proof: radical Islam (which should not reflect on the entire Muslim world); radical Christian anti-abortionists who bomb and kill to get their message across (and which should not reflect on Christianity as a whole); and this should apply to Mormonism as well and caution us to not succumb to the temptation to condemn Mormonism, or other religions, as a whole. One of the problems I see today is that people who take religion as a whole to task (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins come to mind) is due in part because they look at problematical pieces and do not look at a whole(holistic) picture. It is, to coin a truism, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.