Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

So I live in Utah now, right? I think I am beginning to have a pretty good grasp of Mormonism's pros (on average, they're really nice people, plus SLC Mormons provide way better support for local farmers than a whole bunch of self-righteous yuppies I know) and cons (um...patriarchy and homophobia?), and enjoy learning more the longer I live here. It's intriguing, and Jon Krakauer has come along and woven a fascinating, often terribly disturbing tale of Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, and how such a sinister strain of fanaticism grew out of the mainstream Latter Day Saints. When you hear about crazy shit going down in the American southwest, it's FLDS, not LDS, that's at the bottom of it (Warren Jeffs and his polygamist compound being a prime example). LDS abhors the connection when it is made (which, in fairness, is mostly made by non-Mormons who don't understand that the LDS doesn't recognize FLDS as a valid offshoot of their faith), but historically speaking, the more colorful stories of Mormonism became the backbone of much of the FLDS theology and practice. Which Krakauer explores.

This book is gripping and well-written. And might give you nightmares based on the descriptions of more than a few murders, massacres, and rapes. I definitely had one or two. But the Mormon faith is one of the only homegrown American ones, I think for particularly American reasons, and it rivals (perhaps exceeds?) the conversion pace of Islam, so you'd best get reading now, because there are projected to be 265 million Mormons worldwide by 2080.