SUPPLEMENT
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Page Contents:
Preface Comment: Problem & Solution • The Book • Related Studies at GreaterThings.com • LDS Church Statement Against • Official Book Website by RandomHouse • Media Reviews • News Coverage • Related News • Speaking Engagements • See also

---

FEATURING: Jon Krakauer Resonates with Overflow Audience in Salt Lake City July 18, 2003
Recovering extremist, Sterling Allan, gives first-hand account of SLC reading -- and extremism. Author of Under the Banner of Heaven 'nails it.'

See also:
John D. Lee: Portrait of a Mormon Scapegoat
Lee was marginalized, excommunicated and executed; but at the time he committed his deeds at the Mountain Meadows Massacre, he represented epitome Mormon faith.

---

Preface Commentary

Problem:
Mindlessly letting edict guide us, whether religious, political, scientific, social.

Solution:
When we let our conscience be our guide; then we are approaching the true walk that crosses all denominational boundaries.

-- Sterling D. Allan (recovering extremist)

The Book

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4 on July 16, 2003; #11 on July 20; #7 on July 21-22;  #12 on July 24;  #16 July 26;  #8 July 29;  #6 Aug. 3;  #13 Aug. 9;  #15 on Aug. 16; #18 on Aug. 21.  #21 on Aug. 29.  #46 on Sept. 13.

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer Author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air Doubleday; 372 pp., $26 Reviews the life and beliefs of incarcerated Mormon polygamist Ron Lafferty, who received a "revelation from God" that he was to kill his brother's wife and baby.  Twenty years later he is still convinced the deed was righteous, justified in his mind by an extreme fundamentalist rendition of the LDS-based faith.

National Bestseller:

- Aug. 30: #7 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref)
- Aug. 24: #3 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref) (ref)
- Aug. 10: #5 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref) (ref) (ref) (ref)
- Aug. 8: #4 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref) (ref) (ref)
- Aug. 3: #4 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref) (ref) (ref[#5])
- Aug. 1: #5 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref) (ref)
- July 25: #4 National Bestseller, non-fiction (ref) (ref)

Local Bestseller

- Aug. 29: #1 Bestseller in S
- Aug. 16: #1 Bestseller in Denver, CO (ref)
- Aug. 3: #1 Bestseller in Denver, CO (ref) (#1 Aug. 9)
- July 31; #2 'Top 10 Reads; Vail, CO" (ref) (#8 Aug. 7)
- July 27: #1 Bestseller in Denver, CO (ref)

Related Studies at GreaterThings.com

• Press Release > Jon Krakauer Resonates with Overflow Audience in Salt Lake City July 18, 2003 - recovering extremist, Sterling Allan, gives first-hand account of SLC reading -- and extremism. Author of Under the Banner of Heaven 'nails it.'
• Mountain Meadows Massacre
  • 9/11 Attack 144 Years Prior -- Mormon Hero/Terrorist, John D. Lee
  • John D. Lee: Portrait of a Mormon Scapegoat - Lee was marginalized, excommunicated and executed, but at the time of the massacre, he represented epitome Mormon faith.
  • Reburying the Dead of Mountain Meadows Massacre - index of relevant resources, commentary
• Mainstream Fosters Dangerous Fanaticism
  • Mitchell and Me - What Role Did I Play in Fostering Elizabeth Smart's Abductor?  Musings of a disgruntled former one and only One Mighty and Strong. (Mar. 16, 2003)
  • Inside Brian Mitchell's Head (Elizabeth Smart's Kidnapper)

LDS Church Publishes Press Release Against Krakauer's Book

• SL Tribune Summary > Church: Best-selling author is no historian - Statement from Mike Otterson, LDS Church's director of media relations.  A press release was issued by the LDS Church to hundreds of major news organizations prior to the release of Krakauer's book.  "A full-frontal assault on the veracity of the modern church."
  • Full, Official LDS Statement > LDS.org/newsroom/extra
  • LDS.org > Excerpts of Reviews that have made similar points
• SL Tribune Summary > Krakauer: Church rigidly controls its past - Krakauer responds.  Quoting from Quinn: "So-called 'faith-promoting' Church history which conceals controversies and difficulties of the Mormon past actually undermines the faith of Latter-day Saints who eventually learn about the problems from other sources."
  • Full Statement by Krakauer > (July 3, 2003) RandomHouse.com/features/krakauer/response.html

Official Book Website by RandomHouse

• RandomHouse.com/features/krakauer/
  • Book Excerpt
  • About the Author
  • Praise
  • Appearances
  • Links

Media Reviews

Quoting from Hot off the presses (Salt Lake Tribune; July 15, 2003)

• A "convincing" study that argues "the [LDS] Church's phenomenal success is an example of holy conquest, and American jihad as brutal as any fundamentalist Islamic parallel." -- Book Magazine
• "Frightfully unfair" to mainstream Mormons.  "By lightly skipping over the past 100 years of Mormon history, Krakauer implies that the fundamentalists are the rightful inheritors of the church's tradition" -- Wall Street Journal

News Coverage of Under the Banner of Heaven

• See also >
  • Excerpts Cited in the News - Chronological compilation of quotations from Krakauer's books by major news articles.
• Google News (indexes latest stories on the subject)
  • "Jon Krakauer"
  • "Under the Banner of Heaven"
• Network Television
  • Dateline NBC: Tom Brokaw interview. (July 15, 2003)'
  • Mormon church contests new Krakauer book (CNN; July 11, 2003)
  • Review: New Krakauer provocative (CNN - Aug 13, 2003)
• Salt Lake Tribune (bane of LDS Church headquarters)
  • LDS church tells readers to avoid 'Banner' and sales jump - "here in the homeland Krakauer has stomped straight into the beehive" (Aug. 3, 2003)
  • Truth trumps accuracy in 'Under Banner of Heaven'
    (Salt Lake Tribune, UT - Jul 27, 2003)
  • Utah-based book: Hot off the presses - announces release of Krakauer's book, and likely reverberations in the mainstream world. (July 15, 2003; pp. B-1,8)
  • Author links faith to violence - review of pending book by Krakauer (July 4, 2003).
• Deseret News (LDS Church-owned)
  • Krakauer's writing is one-sided by Lee Benson (July 21, 2003)
  • Book gets mixed reviews (July 16, 2003)
  • Lafferty gives raves to 'Banner' (July 16, 2003)
  • Krakauer's book creates LDS flap - "An official written reaction from the LDS Church to a publication criticizing the church may be a first." (July 6, 2003)
  • Author blunders over LDS history - review (July 6, 2003)
• International
  • Book Review: Under the Banner of Heaven - (International Herald Tribune, France; July 24, 2003)
  • Exploring the violence of the Mormon faith (Taipei Times, Taiwan; Aug. 3, 2003)
  • When certainty reigns, reason goes into thin air - (Christian Science Monitor; Jul 16, 2003)
  • Mormons who murder (Economist [subscription], UK - Jul 3, 2003)
  • Mormon fury as author likens 'fundamentalist' wing to the Taleban (The Scotsman, UK; Jul 27, 2003)
  • Plumbing the depths of faith (The Age, Australia; Aug. 17, 2003)
  • Krakauer draws fire from Mormon church (Toronto Star, Canada, July 19, 2003)
• Major U.S. Magazines
  • Murder in the Name of God (Newsweek/MSNBC July 12, 2003)
  • Thou Shalt Kill (Time, July 21, 2003 Issue)
• NY Times
  • 'Under the Banner of Heaven': Thou Shalt Not Kill - Krakauer reminds post-911 country that religious fundamentalism thrives within U.S. (Aug. 3, 2003)
  • The Mormon Image, From Alien to Human (July 16, 2003)
  • What's Left After Everest? (July 11, 2003)
  • ON THE NEWSSTAND (June 22, 2003)
• USA Today
  • Murder by zealot Mormon sect sparks deeper look (July  16, 2003)
  • In the name of GOD (July 17, 2003)
• Chicago Sun Times
  • God told them to (Jul 6, 2003)
  • More literary woes for Mormon elders (Jul 6, 2003)
• KSL-TV, UT
  • Dan Lafferty Book Stirs Up Controversy (July 16, 2003)
  • New Book Takes Controversial View of Mormonism (July 15, 2003)
• The Spectrum, UT
  • A victim's untold story - Lafferty victim's sisters speak on case for first time (Aug. 24, 2003)
  • 'Under the Banner of Heaven': Book ties religion to violence (Aug. 25, 2003)
• Blood, Faith and Fanaticism (San Francisco Chronicle, CA - Jul 13, 2003)
• Krakauer's new book raises Mormon ire (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA - Jul 5, 2003)
• Church speaks out about book's accuracy - (The BYU Newsnet, UT; July 21, 2003)
• Informed by faith (Lincoln County Weekly, ME - Aug 14, 2003)
• NONFICTION/review - "Krakauer has found a fascinating story in plain sight, right in the heart of the
  American West, and told it with the narrative drive and unflinching honesty" (Oregonian, OR; July 20, 2003)
• Author, Mormons clash on roots of polygamy (Arizona Republic, AZ - Jul 5, 2003)
• Krakauer causes headaches for Mormon church leaders (Erie Times News; July 12, 2003) - "Best-selling author Jon Krakauer has built a reputation on gripping portrayals of those who push their physical limits. Now the writer has set his sights on spiritual extremes." -- By C.G. WALLACE, Associated Press
• Denver Post
  • The cult of polygamy (July 13, 2003)
  • Mormons, author battle over accuracy (July 13)
• Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH
  • The value of telling the truth - "has inspired revolt by keepers of history" (July 27, 2003)
  • Book about murder explores 'dark side' of religious devotion (July 20, 2003)
• Book examines Mormon ties to extremists (Baltimore Sun, MD - Jul 13, 2003)
• Fundamentals of murder (Akron Beacon Journal, OH - Aug 17, 2003)
• Religion in the News (Rocky Mount Telegram, NC - Jul 11, 2003)
• `Under the Banner' shows sordid side of Mormon `prophets' (Kansas City Star, MO Jul 27, 2003)
• Book examines Mormon church history and the actions of extremists (Boulder Daily Camera, CO - Jul 11, 2003)
• Among the believers - Two books - a memoir and a tale of true crime - explore the drama and dogma of Mormonism (Boston Globe, MA; Jul 27, 2003)
• Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA
  • LDS Church feels 'tarred' by the book (Jul 27, 2003)
  • Two powerful experiences changed the focus of Krakauer's book "The girl in the 19th-century clothes at the gas station on the Utah-Arizona state line started to change the focus of Jon Krakauer's book research. The encounter with the unrepentant murderer in the Utah State Prison altered it altogether." (Jul 27, 2003)
• Cats schooled by Portland - athlete includes Krakauer's book in his academic side interests (Davis Enterprise, CA; July 24, 2003)
• Exploring the scary world of fanaticism (Salem Statesman Journal, OR; Aug. 3, 2003)
• Religious conviction (Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX; Aug. 3, 2003)
• Author blames Mormon church for murders (Alameda Times-Star, CA - Aug 10, 2003)
• Bishop clears up Mormon misconceptions "I don't know if it's created controversy so much within the church" (Contra Costa Times, CA; Aug. 2, 2003)
• Readings by Krakauer
  • Jon Krakauer Defends Book on Mormons in Salt Lake City - list of related news stories
  • Best selling author reads, signs books - (OSU Daily Barometer, OR; Jul 30, 2003)
  • Literary Calendar (Portland Tribune, OR; Jul 29, 2003)
  • Writer Jon Krakauer (Salem Statesman Journal, OR - Jul 27, 2003)
  • Book Briefs (Marysville Herald, WA - Jul 27, 2003)
  • LITERARY Calendar (Contra Costa Times, CA - Jul 27, 2003)
  • Literary datebook for the week of 08-10 (Kansas City Star, MO - Aug 10, 2003)

Related News

• Salt Lake Tribune
  • In the Name of God: Mormon's belief in personal revelation can lead some to divine illusions - Article by Peggy Fletcher Stack in the Salt Lake Tribune, March 22, drawing on an interview with Sterling Allan and other essays presented here.
  • Revelation: Is It Divine Inspiration or Delusion? - features Sterling Allan's reflections (March 22, 2003)
  • Mitchell's Journey to 'Immanuel' [backup] - the long journey to extremism (March 30, 2003) - "A lot of times we may go up to the precipice and look over," Christiansen says. "Most of us pull back and say, 'That's a little too radical for me.' Brian went up and he looked over the edge and he jumped off."
  • Religions Have Rules on Divine Communications - sister article by Peggy Fletcher Stack (March 22, 2003)

See also

• Other Books by Jon Krakauer
  • Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
  • Into the Wild
• Google:
  • "under+the+banner+of+heaven"
  • jon+krakauer - mostly dealing with prior books: Into Thin Air; Into the Wild

Astute Forensic Panel Responsible for Mitchell Conviction - How the man who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart nearly got off on the insanity defense plea, were it not for the keen observations of the NY-based Forensic Panel.  Sterling Allan's stipulated expert statement on LDS fundamentalism played a role.  (December 17, 2010)

Sponsor

• You can get high flying success by using our ase practice test study guide, EMC Certification dumps and SCBCD and scjp certification training resources are also very useful in the preparation of exams ccsp.

Page created by Sterling D. Allan July 16, 2003
Page last updated March 06, 2013
visits since December 17, 2010