Examining the Consequences of Religious Extremism

 Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by John Krakauer

Under the Banner of Heaven book cover

I was excited to read this book because I am really interested in religious extremism, sects and cults, and I loved Krakauer’s book Into the Wild. Under the Banner of Heaven follows the Lafferty family and their violent and repressive views of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Krakauer follows the Lafferty brothers, who took over a family chiropracting business, but also became skeptical of government regulations, leading one of the brothers to run for political office on an anti-government position. Despite taking place nearly 40 years ago, I found the book relevant today, with many people being averse and questioning the role of government in our lives. It seems like every so often, there is an uptick in anti-government movements, often bolstered by violence or movements to challenge rules and regulations. Both January 6^th and the impact of COVID have created these kinds of adverse reactions to the government’s attempts to regulate. Under the Banner of Heaven looks at these individuals and their beliefs from an earlier time, and kind of provides some more context for the origins of these beliefs. I’ve read other books about the origins of Oklahoma City and the Order from the 80s, and it seems like the Lafferty brothers have taken the kind of religious extremism along with limited work/economic opportunities, and threats to traditional ways of life that other violent, anti-government movements have experienced. Although the events perpetrated by the Lafferty brothers are violent and self-serving, Krakauer presents a compelling story, interviewing the brothers and sharing their own testimony and experiences to tell the story. He pairs this with a history and important events in the development of Mormonism, something that was both helpful and incredibly interesting to learn about. The historical chapters provided a better context for understanding the religion of Mormonism, and how some of these extremist beliefs have served as an extension. Furthermore, these chapters also helped to understand how the traditions associated with Mormonism provided the brothers with a way to challenge what some of their wives and other women in the Mormon community were seeking, like work outside the home or education. This was a compelling book that was hard to put down. Although there is a brutal murder at the center of this story, Krakauer’s research and exploration of the factors that led to the murder create a complex story that requires the history of Mormonism to better understand it.