"Under the Banner of Heaven" is a change of pace for outdoorsman Jon Krakauer. He's chronicled the tragic odyssey of Christopher McCandless in Alaska Into the Wild as well as a tragic expedition on Mount Everest Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. This time, Krakauer tackles the issues of fundamentalism, polygamy, and the problems of history. He parallels the violent streaks in Mormon and Muslim fundamentalism--in fact, Joseph Smith had been called the "American Muhammad."
Polygamy is a troubling part of Mormon history. Though the official practice ended in 1890, Mormons of the Salt Lake-based branch (as opposed to offshoots like the FLDS) had sanctioned polygamy colonies in Mexico and Canada. After all, Mitt Romney's great-grandparents were polygamous. The LDS no longer allow polygamy- even converts have to become monogamous- yet there are beliefs that plural marriage occurs in the Celestial Kingdom for righteous men becoming gods, and that plural marriage will be legalized again as a sign of Christ's Return, or as part of His Millennial reign.
Krakauer explores the more violent offshoots of the official LDS,a violent murder, the abduction of Elizabeth Smart, as well as the struggles of feminsist and gay Mormons. Early Mormonism and the Magic World View He also talks to D. Michael Quinn, the openly gay Mormon historian who explores the more concealed aspects of history.
"Under the Banner of Heaven" is a fascinating, powerful book.Get more detail about Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.
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