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Summary: Fundamentally Insightful
Review: Fascinating, meticulously researched, and fair-minded, this book offers insights about the dangers of all forms of fundamentalism.
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Summary: It is time to come to grips with history
Review: An active member of the Mormon Church, I have found the last decade to be a difficult one. A number of scholars - including Michael Quinn, who is extensively referenced in this book - have searched beyond the sanitized, official version of Church history to bring to light many disturbing facts: Joseph Smith did not translate the Book of Mormon by reading golden plates, but rather by looking at a seer stone in his hat. He was both lascivious and a step removed from being a pedophile, having, among the thirty-plus women he married, some women as young as fourteen. Much of Church doctrine was made up as it went along, often based on expediency of the moment, to fulfill the Prophet's desires or to enhance his station. The early Church was ruled not only through the charisma of its leaders, but through political intrigue and violence (and was met by more than its share of violence in return). These are not points that can be ignored; those in the Church must finally come to grips with them and move one. From what Mr. Krakauer wrote in the last chapter of the book, this was what he originally was planning to write about: how to reconcile belief with the realities of history. Mr. Krakauer is the recipient of this recent scholarship, and he uses it well. He adds to it his gift for writing to make it come alive. By juxtaposing the early Church with the modern-day fringe fundamentalists (who, as he states, are not member of the Church), he draws a thread linking the religious fervor that led to the birth and development of the early Church to religious extremism in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah today. Looking at these case studies, drawn over 150 years apart, provides a commentary on the need for some to embrace religious fanaticism, and the seeds of violence that this fanaticism might contain.
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Summary: Wow: I learned so much about my OWN church!
Review: This book was an incredible find for me. Very readable, I couldn't put it down and finished the whole thing in just 2 days. Mr. Krakauer is a talented writer and has obviously spent a lot of time researching a very braod topic. I'm confused by others here would criticize him as an "amateur with no real credibility" and such, when he obviously has proven talent. Anyway.. I think this book may have changed my life. I learned many things about the history of the Mormon church. I have been a member of the LDS fiath my whole life and never heard many of the details of church history that were included in this book. For example: Brigham Young added an "Oath of Vengence" to the sacred temple endowment ceremony in which temple-goers pledged: "I will pray, and never cease to pray, and never cease to importune high heaven to avenge the blood of the Prophets on this nation, and I will teach this to my children, and my children's children unto the third and fourth generations" (P. 198) Apparently, this oath was added after the martydom of Joseph Smith. I've been going to the temple for years, never knew that this used to be part of the ceremony. (According to the book, it wsa taken out of the ceremony in 1927). This is just one small example. I am now looking at my faith a little differently thanks to Mr. Krakauer's book. I hope to learn more about church history by researching some of the books in his bibliography.
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Summary: Under the Banner of Heaven
Review: This book is going to cause a lot of controversy and Mormons will hate it. Even though the book centers on polygamy, and those who still practice it, I think that the basic point that the author is trying to point out is that ALL religious fanatics who believe that they are "doing God's will" are a danger to society, whether they're Christian, Muslim, Buddist, Fundamentalists or cults. I'd recomment reading Fawn Brodie's well-documented biography of Joseph Smith, "No Man Knows My History" for a deeper insight into the founder of the LDS Church and the early history of Mormonism.
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Summary: An illuminating, yet chilling, history of LDS fundamentalism
Review: "Under the Banner of Heaven" is a superbly crafted and researched and richly footnoted work. Krakauer uses the examples of the murders committed by the Lafferty brothers and the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart as launching points into a historical description of Mormon fundametalism. I have read extensively about the origins of the LDS church and about two of its pantheon of "saints," Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Krakauer has done his homework. This book sheds historical light on the violent origins of the Mormon Church and how the encouragment of murder and violence by its founders (e.g., Brigham Young and the Mountain Meadows massacre) continues to haunt the church. The same can be said about the history of polygamy and the church: it was invented to justify Smith's Clintonesque sexual appetites, leading to the continued sexual abuse of girls and women in the fundamentalist sects of Mormonism today. Despite what the mainline LDS church would have us believe, as Krakauer delineates in his text, Mormon fundamentalists are more true to the original intent of Smith and Young than is the more bland mainstream homogenized church of today. Although the LDS church claims to be a Christian church, its unique ideas that God was once a man and that men can become gods in an afterlife is completely antithetical to other Judeo-Christian thought. This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in discovering the full story of Mormonism, not that plied by its missionaries.
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Summary: A Story That Needs to Be Told
Review: As someone who has formal training in Religious Studies, and has been touched personally by Mormonism, I highly recommend this book. It is shocking how little most Americans know about this religion and its offshoots, and I am delighted that the well respected and gifted writer Jon Krakauer undertook writing this book. Very interesting and easy to read.
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Summary: As a born-and-raised Mormon ...
Review: I must admit that Mr. Krakauer's coverage of Mormon history is fairly accurate. While what he says is far from what the Latter-day Saints would like you to know about. My own church has never really admitted any involvement in the Mountain Meadows killings of over 100 civilians from Arkansas even though every Mormon involved in that terrible event had been into the Church's temple cerimony where they repeatedly swore vengence on the blood (decendants) of those responsible for the death of their prophets. Their last prophet before this event was killed in Arkansas. Yes, Mr. Krakaur needed to write this book.
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Summary: Krauk- Hour tells a good tale.
Review: Kraukauer has a colorful history of writing one-sided tales. When he orchastrated the fairy-tale Into Thin Air, it was a great story full of bravery and courage, unfortunelty others who where witness that day on Everest see Kraukauer's account as incorrect. It's my opinion, and I stress opinion because it's not a fact, Kraukauer saw nothing but dollar signs when he wrote the story. He could care-less about his friendships after that tragic event. He was all about capitalizing off of the tradegy. He has such a supurb talent of stretching the truth, to glorify himself! He takes two cups truth, then 1 cup fantasy, it makes a great recipe for reading. It disgusts me! For those who worship Jon's works, you might want to research other accounts of the Everest event. You'll look at Kraukauer in a different light. For those who've read into the wild, and loved that book, you might want to read it again. For those who didn't notice, through-out the book, Jon almost casually throws him-self into the pages, refering to himself endlessly. ...
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Summary: Krakauer hits where it hurts
Review: Once again, Jon Krakauer takes on risky territory and lays it bare for all to see. This is a man who wrestles with his own demons in the course of struggling to understand the demons all around us. And no one does it better. The 5-page, single-spaced rebuttal of this book issued by the Mormon church is enough to tell me he has hit the bullseye. This is an exhaustively researched work, given immediacy and chilling power by the interviews with Lafferty. The Mormon church may decry what Krakauer has exposed, but in today's United States, when we are constantly blasted with "terrorist activities" and "yellow-stage alert" and "911...WE SHALL NEVER FORGET" propaganda, it's vital to maintain a clear eye. Don't forget it was a blue-eyed blonde Marine who blew up the Alfred Murrah building, and it's people like the Lafferty's, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell who propagate our own peculiar brand of fundamentalism...every bit as dangerous as al Qeada's.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling case
Review: Again Mr. Krakauer intregues us with a thorough and shocking account of true evil under the blanket of a religion which foundations are based on deception and violence. The LDS church's continuing whitewash of it's founders (half literate sociopaths) does nothing to make itself worthy of the "tolerance" that it so craves. Mr Krakauer simply brings this case into perspective by shining a light on a Mormon culture which by not comming to terms with it's own flawed doctrines, helped foster the enviroment which led to these murders. Read any of the previous LDS members screeds to see how entrenched this culture is. A great read!
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