Anybody that is interested in the Mormon religion, and specifically the plight of the CHILD BRIDES, should read this just-published book called UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN: A STORY OF VIOLENT FAITH by Jon Krakauer. Here is a review from Amazon that more or less captures the essence of the book.
Reviewer: colts_19 (see more about me) from Roseville, CA United States
I have always enjoyed Krakauer's work, especially Into the Wild, which is the tragic story about a young man who loses himself in trying to become another Thoreau, another Tolstoy. Krakauer takes on a much more vast subject area: Religious fanaticism in general, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints specifically. Krakauer brings his usual writing prowess to the story to make it an engrossing study of America's homegrown religion with disturbing parallels between the religion's past and present and ultimately makes it plainly obvious that the Fundamentalist offshoots of Mormonism are closer to Joseph Smith's own dream for the religion. This granted, where does that leave the current Mormon church?
Some Mormons might flinch at the parallels that are drawn here. But Krakauer repeatedly states that he is not a Christian with a vendetta, but an agnostic who studied historical documents and drew parallels in a journalistic manner. His book is evenhanded in the sense that he seems to think that Mormons are good people, the 'salt of the earth', but he has uncovered some very unsettling information that must be heard. I can understand why a Mormon would cringe after reading some of the book, but nevertheless Krakauer is supported by plenty of documentation.
Basically, the narrative is told in three intersecting stories. The first has to to with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the lives they lead inside large cities dominated by patriarchs who usually have in excess of seventy wives. Next is the story of the violent formation of the Mormon Church in the mid-nineteenth century, where we are introduced to such Mormon immortals as Joseph Smith and his first wife, Emma, Brigham Young, John Taylor, and others who formed the church. This part is meticulously researched and has a few facts that throw doubt onto some church doctrines, notably the infamous prophecy that authorized polygamy by noting that Smith was a womanizer that had been accused of having illicit affairs with pubescent girls. This is also the tale of a scorned group of misfits who were attacked at nearly every place they settled, people who come across as very sympathetic. Finally, the third is about two brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who embraced the Fundamentalist values preached by Joseph Smith but deprecated by the modern LDS church. Especially haunting are the interviews with Dan Lafferty, a very rational man who has no remorse for what he has done. When Ron thinks that God tells him to kill his sister-in-law and Dan goes along with it, they end up showing the depths that such fanaticism can go. In a world that seems to be filling up with these kinds of people, it is important to note how this sort or mind works.
In short, this is a multilayered, complex look at the country's fastest-growing religion. It is also a harrowing journey into the darkest depths of the human soul. Regardless of your religion, this is a cautionary tale of what happens when ideas like Fundamentalism can take over someone's mind.
