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    Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer Summary

    Under the Banner of Heaven
    Jon Krakauer
    4.01 (221350 Reviews)
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    Overview of Under the Banner of Heaven

    Jon Krakauer's explosive investigation into Mormon fundamentalism reveals how faith fuels violence. Adapted into an acclaimed FX series, this controversial bestseller shocked Will Self with its "twisted roots of American fundamentalism." What dark truths about religious extremism remain hidden in plain sight?

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    Key Takeaways

    1

    When Two Brothers Heard God's Voice-And Murdered

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    On a sweltering July afternoon in 1984, Dan Lafferty walked into his brother's home in American Fork, Utah, wrestled his sister-in-law Brenda to the ground, and slit her throat with a ten-inch boning knife. Then he went to the nursery and did the same to her fifteen-month-old daughter, Erica. His hands were steady. His conscience was clear. He was, after all, just following orders-God's orders, delivered through his brother Ron's divine revelation. This wasn't a crime, Dan insisted later from his prison cell, his wild white beard reaching his chest. This was obedience. How does a devoted family man become convinced that murdering a young mother and her baby is righteous? This question drives us into the heart of Mormon fundamentalism, where faith doesn't just move mountains-it justifies slaughter. The Lafferty case isn't an isolated aberration. It's a window into what happens when religious certainty collides with reality, when scripture becomes more real than the human beings it's used to condemn.

    2

    The Prophets in Prison Jumpsuits

    3

    The City Where Heaven Touches Earth

    4

    The Prophet Who Saw Through Stones

    5

    Polygamy's Hidden Kingdoms

    6

    The Revelation That Killed

    7

    Where Certainty Leads