Under the Banner of Heaven—Jon Krakauer and Dustin Lance Black

What is the book Under the Banner of Heaven about?

Under the Banner of Heaven relates the story of Dan[BIO] and Ron Lafferty,[BIO] how they became Mormon fundamentalists,[1] and their murder of Brenda[BIO] and Erica Lafferty.[BIO][2]

The book also compares the brothers' transition into Mormon fundamentalism and their murders with the foundations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[3] and criticizes religion broadly, specifically on its connection to violence.[4]

Who wrote Under the Banner of Heaven?

Jon Krakauer.[BIO] He is a journalist, a mountaineer, and the author of best-selling non-fiction books.[5]

What is the Under the Banner of Heaven FX mini-series about?

The FX miniseries adapts Krakauer's book Under the Banner of Heaven and depicts a fictionalized detective, Jeb Pyre, who investigates the Lafferty murders.[6] In the series, Detective Pyre has a faith crisis as Allen Lafferty[BIO] tells him more about Church history and he sees the horror of the murders.[7]

What is a Mormon fundamentalist?

Mormon fundamentalists are individuals or groups who break off from the Church because they believe that the Church was wrong to stop the practice of plural marriage.[8] The Church excommunicates those who practice polygamy today.[9]

Does religion lead to violence?

Yes, religious beliefs can lead to violence.[10] They can also lead to peace.[11]

Read More Difficult Questions

62 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIODan Lafferty
Dan Lafferty (c. 1940s–) was one of the convicted murderers of Brenda and Erica Lafferty. He was raised as a Latter-day Saint but became a Mormon fundamentalist after his excommunication. He married one of his stepdaughters, which led to his excommunication. He advocated against taxation and the government. He is on death row in the Utah State Prison.
BIORon Lafferty
Ron Lafferty (c. 1940s–2019) was of the convicted murderers of Brenda and Erica Lafferty. Raised as a Latter-day Saint, Ron became a Mormon fundamentalist and part of the School of the Prophets before he became a murderer. He died of natural causes in the Utah State Prison.
BIOBrenda Lafferty
Brenda Lafferty (1960-1984) was born in Logan, Utah. She moved to Idaho with her family and attended high school in Kimberly, Idaho. After a year of college in Moscow, Idaho, she transferred to Brigham Young University and studied broadcast journalism. She was murdered on July 24, 1984.
BIOErica Lafferty
Erica Lafferty (1983–1984) was the daughter of Brenda Lafferty. She was murdered alongside her mother on July 24, 1984, at only fifteen months old.
BIOJon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer (1954–) is a best-selling American writer and mountaineer. He was a member of the 1996 Mount Everest expedition where eight members died. Krakauer wrote Into Thin Air about this expedition. He also wrote the book Under the Banner of Heaven, which chronicled the Lafferty murders while also discussing Church history and doctrine.
BIOAllen Lafferty
Allen Lafferty (c. 1950s–) was the husband of Brenda Lafferty, who was murdered, along with her infant daughter. He was the brother of the murderers and remained a Latter-day Saint of record after his wife and daughter's murder. He remarried and lives in Saratoga Springs, Utah.
BIODustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black (1974–) is a screenwriter, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He was raised as a Latter-day Saint but has since left the Church. He attended film school at UCLA. Black has written, produced, and directed various film and television projects related to LGBT and Mormonism, including Milk, 8: The Mormon Proposition, Big Love, and Under the Banner of Heaven. He won an Oscar for writing Milk. He is married to British Olympian Tom Daley.
BIOTroy Williams
Troy Williams is an LGBT activist, community organizer, and the executive director of Equality Utah, an LGBT political advocacy organization.
BIOLindsay Hansen Park
Lindsay Hansen Park (1982–) is a feminist blogger and the Executive Director of the Sunstone Education Foundation. In 2014, she launched the Year of Polygamy podcast, which she hosts.
BIOSharon Wright Weeks
Sharon Wright Weeks (1968–) is from Kimberly, Idaho. She is the younger sister of Brenda Lafferty who was murdered on July 24, 1984. Sharon advocates against the death penalty in Utah and is the legal representative for Brenda's memory.
[1]↩︎
When describing how he decided to write Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer detailed how he visited a prison where Mark Hofmann was held. He met Lafferty, Hoffmann's cellmate, and he decided to chronicle Lafferty's crimes as well as his faith journey.
Krakauer related in the book the various splinter groups that resulted from Joseph Smith's religious movement, and he included Lafferty among them.
[2]↩︎
Jon Krakauer stated in his interview that Under the Banner of Heaven depicted the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty.
- Jon Krakauer criticizes the Church's treatment of history and defends the historical elements of his book.
[3]↩︎
Krakauer described how Mormon fundamentalists broke away from the Church because of polygamy. He said that when the Church stopped practicing polygamy, they were no longer "regarded as a crackpot sect."
However, Krakauer provided examples of violence from Church history arguing that Mormon fundamentalists and the Church have a common foundation.
[4]↩︎
In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer explained:
There is a dark side to religious devotion that is too often ignored or denied. As a means of motivating people to be cruel or inhumane— as a means of inciting evil.
- Jon Krakauer says that "there is a dark side to religious devotion that is too often ignored or denied."
[5]↩︎
Jon Krakauer is an award-winning author, best known for his book Into Thin Air, which detailed his summit of Mount Everest. He has also written Into the Wild, which was made into a movie.
- Robert Boynton writes an article about Jon Krakauer; writes that he is an award-winning author and mentions achievements.
[6]↩︎
FX included a synopsis of the show on their website where they describe how Jeb Pyre investigated the murders and the events that transpired with the Lafferty family.
- FX offered a synopsis of the miniseries.
[7]↩︎
In FX's synopsis, they describe how Detective Pyre began to question his faith throughout the course of the investigation.
- FX offered a synopsis of the miniseries.
[8]↩︎
J. Anderson's encyclopedia entry on Mormon fundamentalism described how Mormon fundamentalists typically depart from the Church over the issue of polygamy.
- J. Anderson defines and describes Mormon fundamentalism.
[9]↩︎
The Church handbook indicates that practicing plural marriage today is considered "sexual immorality" and will result in the excommunication of those who practice it.
- Church Handbook states that they will excommunicate individuals for practicing plural marriage.
[10]↩︎
For example, Puritans, during the Salem Witch Trials in early colonial America, would try and kill the people they accused of being witches in the name of religion. Jess Blumberg detailed how Christians believed that the Devil could give witches power in exchange for them practicing witchcraft. This led to the hysteria around witches and resulted in the executions.
Another example is the Crusades. Pope Urban II gave a speech that divinely sanctioned the campaigns known as the Crusades, according to The Met Museum's essay.
John Moore described how the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 came from Islamic extremists. He also traced the rise of terrorism from Islamic extremists in an article published by PBS.
Speaking on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Rabbi Fruman criticized other people of his Jewish faith for their violence against Palestinians.
[11]↩︎
For example, the Roman Catholic community Sant'Egidio documented how they were instrumental in creating the peace agreement that ended the war in Mozambique.
In another example, the Interfaith Mediation Centre based in Nigeria facilitated the Kaduna Peace Declaration of Religious Leaders between Christian and Muslim leaders following the Sharia crisis and the Miss World riots.
They later also facilitated the Yelwan Shendam Peace Affirmation between Christian and Muslim leaders to resolve conflict in the Plateau State.
- Sant'Egidio documents how their community members contributed to peace in Mozambique.
- Peace Insights lists majors achievements of the Interfaith Mediation Centre.
[12]↩︎
Krakauer's prologue to Under the Banner of Heaven included his thoughts on why religion is contrary to reason.
- Jon Krakauer describes how he thinks that religion "is the antithesis of reason."
[13]↩︎
Krakauer, in his prologue, wrote about how when discussing violence and religion, many focus exclusively on violence in religion that occurs outside of America.
He also said religion has played a role in major conflicts and that, with respect to evil, "there may be no more potent force than religion."
- Jon Krakauer says that "there is a dark side to religious devotion that is too often ignored or denied."
[14]↩︎
Krakauer wrote in his prologue that extremism has a relationship with religion. He also indicated that "injudiciousness [is] a crucial component of spiritual devotion."
- Jon Krakauer wrote that "extremism seems to be especially prevalent among those inclined by temperament or upbringing towards religious pursuits."
[15]↩︎
In chapter 6, Krakauer claimed that the Book of Mormon has many inaccuracies. He said that those who believe in the Book of Mormon ignore "overwhelming" evidence. This led him to discuss how more broadly he saw all religious beliefs as non-rational.
- Jon Krakauer says that "The Book of Mormon is riddled with egregious anachronisms and irreconcilable inconsistencies."
[16]↩︎
The book traces the Lafferty brothers, who became Mormon fundamentalists. Krakauer explained in his book, "Mormon Fundamentalists passionately believe that Saints have a divine obligation to take multiple wives."
Krakauer also included part of the Church's history with polygamy and implied that one of the biggest differences between the Church and Mormon fundamentalists is polygamy.
[17]↩︎
Krakauer states that while the Church "gradually ceased to be regarded as a crackpot sect," the Mormon fundamentalists continued the practice of polygamy because the Church previously considered it "the most holy and important doctrine."
- Jon Krakauer says that "Mormonism gradually ceased to be regarded as a crackpot sect."
- Jon Krakauer describes how he thinks that religion "is the antithesis of reason."
[18]↩︎
Describing these common elements, Krakauer wrote,
Nevertheless, Mormons and those who call themselves Mormon Fundamentalists (or FLDS) believe in the same holy texts and the same sacred history. Both believe that Joseph Smith, who founded Mormonism in 1830, played a vital role in God’s plan for mankind; both LDS and FLDS consider him to be a prophet comparable in stature to Moses and Isaiah.
- Jon Krakauer connects Latter-day Saints to FLDS through a common founder and beliefs.
[19]↩︎
Dana Harris-Bridson from Indie Wire interviewed Jon Krakauer, Ron Howard, Dustin Lance Black and Brian Grazer about their respective motivations for working on Under the Banner of Heaven.
- Jon Krakauer stated that he wrote Under the Banner of Heaven because his Latter-day Saint friends "ghosted" him.
[20]↩︎
FX announced the series on June 24, 2021. When they announced the series, they announced that Dustin Lance Black would be the primary screenwriter for the series.
- Peter White reports that Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven will be made into a limited series.
[21]↩︎
Dustin Lance Black serves on the board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights and Caroline Frost describes him as "a tireless activist."
He won an Academy Award in 2009 for the production Milk about his inspiration Harvey Milk, gay politician and activist. Hal Boyd, in a Deseret News article, noted that Black also worked on the HBO drama "Big Love," which depicted a Mormon polygamist family.
- Caroline Frost records Dustin Lance Black talking about his upbringing as a Latter-day Saint and work on Big Love.
- Hal Boyd critiques the production of the miniseries.
[22]↩︎
Hal Boyd, for Deseret News, wrote:
When the Deseret News asked if any active Latter-day Saints were hired to help with the production of “Under the Banner of Heaven,” a publicist said they would check. They later confirmed that no active church members were paid to write or produce the show. But they did find some active Latter-day Saints working in costume design and with the “crew.”
- Hal Boyd critiques the production of the miniseries.
[23]↩︎
Deseret News reported that FX "confirmed that no active church members were paid to write or produce the show."
Max Mueller in his May 2022 Slate article described both Troy Williams and Lindsay Hansen Park as former members of the Church. Lindsay Hansen Park identified as an independent Mormon.
- Max Mueller describes the miniseries as misogynistic.
- Hal Boyd critiques the production of the miniseries.
[24]↩︎
ABC4 reported that Andrew Garfield explained that he prepared for the role by visiting Utah:
I had some really great hangouts with members of the LDS church, ex-members of the church, future ex-member church, and detectives who are also members of the church. What really stood out for me was the kind of diversity of people who have a connection to this faith.
- Andrew Garfield states that he met with current and former members of the Church to research his role.
[25]↩︎
In an interview with Caroline Frost, Dustin Lance Black characterized his Latter-day Saint upbringing as strict and discussed the influence of San Francisco theater and Harvey Milk in his leaving the Church.
- Caroline Frost records Dustin Lance Black talking about his upbringing as a Latter-day Saint and work on Big Love.
[26]↩︎
Dustin Lance Black starred in 8: The Mormon Proposition as the narrator. This documentary detailed the Church's involvement with proposition 8.
See The Church and Prop 8 Q&A for more information.
- Dustin Lance Black stars in 8: The Mormon Proposition.
[27]↩︎
Big Love is an HBO drama about a Mormon fundamentalist polygamist family. Huffington Post noted that Dustin Lance Black is its creator.
- Caroline Frost records Dustin Lance Black talking about his upbringing as a Latter-day Saint and work on Big Love.
- Hal Boyd critiques the production of the miniseries.
[28]↩︎
Karina Wetherbee in Summit Daily praised Krakauer's ability to find "gems of information" about the Lafferty murders. Kirkus Reviews gave Krakauer a positive review of how he retold the story of the Lafferty brothers.
- Karina Wetherbee praises Krakauer's writing style and storytelling.
- Kirkus gives Jon Krakauer a positive review of how he interweaves religious elements throughout the story.
[29]↩︎
For example, Church Historian Richard Turley wrote about Krakauer's analysis of the Hill Cumorah pageant,
Without citing a source, he exaggeratingly asserts that “sooner or later most Latter-day Saints make a pilgrimage there” (44). Although the pageant is popular, most Latter-day Saints have never attended it, and most never will.
When critiquing other elements of the book, Mike Otterson wrote,
Krakauer’s portrayal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is utterly at odds with what I — and millions like me — have come to know of the Church, its goodness, and the decency of its people.
- The Church issues a response and reviews of Krakauer's book.
[30]↩︎
Kirkus Book Reviews and Karina Wetherbee in Summit Daily both praised Krakauer's book for "hard-hitting" reporting.
- Karina Wetherbee praises Krakauer's writing style and storytelling.
- Kirkus gives Jon Krakauer a positive review of how he interweaves religious elements throughout the story.
[31]↩︎
The Church Newsroom issued a statement on Krakauer's book that included three responses to it. These three responses all considered his book inaccurate and sensational.
In other reviews, Benjamin Park and Jane Lampman both expressed similar thoughts in their responses.
[32]↩︎
The Church issued a series of reviews to Under the Banner of Heaven including a response from Michael Otterson, the Church Media Relations director.
- The Church issues a response and reviews of Krakauer's book.
[33]↩︎
Kirkus Book Reviews gave Krakauer's book a favorable review on July 15, 2003.
- Kirkus gives Jon Krakauer a positive review of how he interweaves religious elements throughout the story.
[34]↩︎
Jane Lampman, who is a Christian Scientist writer at Christian Science Monitor, commented on Krakauer's book and considered it inaccurate and misleading.
- Jane Lampman reviews Under the Banner of Heaven and indicates that it misrepresents Latter-day Saints.
[35]↩︎
On February 20, 2012, Benjamin Park wrote a review for Juvenile Instructor. He considered Krakauer's book historically careless.
- Benjamin Park reviewed Under the Banner of Heaven and commented on how historically inaccurate he found it.
[36]↩︎
On June 13, 2015, Karina Wetherbee wrote a positive review of the book for Summit Daily.
- Karina Wetherbee praises Krakauer's writing style and storytelling.
[37]↩︎
Benjamin Park in his Religion Dispatches article outlined the diversity of depictions of Latter-day Saints and Mormons. He also said, "And while there are the historical anachronisms one might expect given creative license, the dramatic retelling appears much truer to the historical picture than the book, with a few notable exceptions."
- Ben Park reviews the Under the Banner of Heaven miniseries.
[38]↩︎
Katie McKellar of the Deseret News interviewed Sharon Wright Weeks who commented on the miniseries. Weeks noted that the series inaccurately portrayed the case and called it "absolute fiction."
- Deseret News interviews murder victim Brenda Lafferty's sister Sharon Wright Weeks about accuracy of miniseries.
[39]↩︎
In an interview with IndieWire, Black said his research and work lead him to get things right, "right down to the paint color for the walls of Kirtland Temple."
And in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Black stated, “The Mormon Church taught me if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Put your shoulder to the wheel. And I have worked really hard to get it right."
- Black says "deep dive" into LDS religion produces comedy or horror.
- Dustin Lance Black states he "did [his] research and. . .[got] this thing right."
[40]↩︎
The Wall Street Journal published Daryl Austin's review on May 5, 2022.
- Daryl Austin describes how the miniseries depicts Latter-day Saint poorly.
[41]↩︎
The Deseret News interviewed Sharon Wright Weeks and published the interview on May 10, 2022.
- Deseret News interviews murder victim Brenda Lafferty's sister Sharon Wright Weeks about accuracy of miniseries.
[42]↩︎
The Deseret News published Hal Boyd's review on April 25, 2022.
- Hal Boyd critiques the production of the miniseries.
[43]↩︎
Religion Dispatches published Benjamin Park's review on April 25, 2022.
- Ben Park reviews the Under the Banner of Heaven miniseries.
[44]↩︎
Religion News Services published Jana Riess' review on May 20, 2022.
- Jana Riess describes the miniseries as missing a world of nuance.
[45]↩︎
The Salt Lake Tribune published an interview with Dustin Lance Black on March 29, 2022.
- Black says "deep dive" into LDS religion produces comedy or horror.
[46]↩︎
Slate published Max Mueller's review on May 20, 2022.
- Max Mueller describes the miniseries as misogynistic.
[47]↩︎
In 2003, the Church published three different critiques of Krakauer's book in one release. The first was from the Church’s Director of Media Relations. The second was by Richard E. Turley, managing director of the Family and Church History Department, and the third was by Robert L. Millet, Professor of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University.
- The Church issues a response and reviews of Krakauer's book.
[48]↩︎
For example, Richard E. Turley described how Krakauer misrepresented Joseph's 1826 trial:
In actuality, the trial resulted not from “a disgruntled client” but from persecutors who had Joseph hauled into court for being a disorderly person because of his supposed defrauding of his employer, Josiah Stowell.
Turley also pointed out how whether or not Porter Rockwell shot Governor Boggs is "a matter of conjecture."
Robert L. Millet wrote about how Krakauer indicated that Joseph Smith did not respect other religions. Millet quoted Joseph who said:
If it has been demonstrated that I am willing to die for a "Mormon," I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination.
- The Church issues a response and reviews of Krakauer's book.
[49]↩︎
Krakauer wrote, "Although I strenuously disagree with almost all the points Richard Turley has made above, he did identify five minor errors in Under the Banner of Heaven that I would like to acknowledge."
- Jon Krakauer wrote about how he acknowledged some of the errors Turley pointed out.
[50]↩︎
Krakauer characterized the response from the Church as an "attack" and as a "lengthy, carefully worded screed":
I am especially disappointed that they feel such an urgent need to attack writers, like me, who present balanced, carefully researched accounts of Mormon history that happen to diverge from the official, highly expurgated church version.
- Jon Krakauer criticizes the Church's treatment of history and defends the historical elements of his book.
[51]↩︎
Dave Banack complimented Jon Krakauer's book in By Common Consent. Benjamin Park commented in Juvenile Instructor on how well Krakauer writes for the public. Stephen Smoot criticized Krakauer's book in FAIR.
Sunstone hosted a panel where participants expressed mixed reviews on Krakauer's book.
[52]↩︎
The Church hasn't released a statement as of May 2022.
[53]↩︎
For example, on May 5, 1981, the Church stated that members moved out west to establish "a gospel of peace."
The Church also released a statement on January 15, 2021, where they condemned "violence and lawless behavior."
- The Church condemns "violent and lawless behavior."
- The Church states that the gospel is a gospel of peace.
[54]↩︎
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
Joseph, in D&C 98, instructed that the saints should "renounce war and proclaim peace."
- Joseph records in the Doctrine and Covenants that saints should renounce war and proclaim peace.
- Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, "blessed are the peacemakers."

Reference	Quote
Prologue	“Faith is the very antithesis of reason, injudiciousness a crucial component of spiritual devotion.”[12]
Prologue	"As a means of motivating people to be cruel or inhumane, as a means of inciting evil. . . there may be no more potent force than religion."[13]
Prologue	"Extremism seems to be especially prevalent among those inclined by temperament or upbringing towards religious pursuits."[14]
Chapter 6 (pg. 70)	“All religious belief is a function of nonrational faith. And faith, by its very definition, tends to be impervious to intellectual argument or academic criticism.”[15]

Source	Review
Church Newsroom, June 27, 2003[32]	". . . Krakauer unwittingly puts himself in the same camp as those who believe every German is a Nazi, every Japanese a fanatic, and every Arab a terrorist."
Kirkus Book Reviews, July 15, 2003[33]	"At the moment 'when religious fanaticism supplants ratiocination,' then 'all bets are suddenly off.' Krakauer lays the portent on beautifully, building his tales carefully from the ground up until they irresistibly, spookily combust."
Jane Lampman, Christian Science Monitor, July 17, 2003[34]	". . . while this compelling book raises important issues - some pertinent to today's news - it also delivers a skewed and misleading picture of a faith now practiced by 11 million people worldwide."
Benjamin Park, Juvenile Instructor, February 20, 2012[35]	"What, we wonder, made Krakauer’s caricatured telling of Mormonism’s “violent” past so crucial that to avoid it in a historical survey of the LDS Church is worthy of being charged with negligence? . . . Put simply, it’s a shoddy work of history, and should have been destined to be another flash-in-the-pan sensationalist work that soon fell into insignificance."
Karina Wetherbee, Summit Daily, June 13, 2015[36]	"Respectful, but hard-hitting in his reporting, Krakauer hits another one out of the park with 'Under the Banner of Heaven.'"

Source	Review
Daryl Austin, Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2022[40]	"Early on, the show takes a dark view of the faith. And it depicts Mormons as bizarre, one-dimensional puppets—conversing in dialogue as foreign to members of the faith as to outsiders. Ominous tones overshadow even something as innocent as a father presenting his young daughter with a Choose the Right ring, the Mormon equivalent of a What Would Jesus Do? bracelet."
Katie McKlellar interviewing Sharon Wright Weeks, Deseret News, May 10, 2022[41]	"'This series, it’s absolute fiction,' Weeks said. So Weeks wants to set the record straight. She wants the show’s viewers to differentiate fact from fiction. She wants them to know who Brenda truly was — and what the show gets wrong about her sister’s memory, her personality, and even her relationship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Hal Boyd, Deseret News, April 25, 2022[42]	"We must work to foster genuine peace. But it won’t happen if our entertainers continue to sell us fear and resentment. Sadly too much of the latter is what’s produced these days under the banner of Hollywood."
Benjamin Park, Religion Dispatches, April 25, 2022[43]	"Instead, the perspective follows that of Allen Lafferty who, after digging into the faith’s past, and witnessing its worst expression, issues a clear verdict: 'If you really still believe your god is love,' he tells Pyre, 'then you don’t know who you are, brother.' Mormonism, at its root, 'breeds dangerous men.' Far from countering this opinion, offered in the first episode, the series only confirms it."
Jana Riess, Religion News Services, April 25, 2022[44]	"There’s a world of nuance missing here, in which it is possible to remain a believing member of a religion and not be inherently irrational or prone to violence."
Dustin Lance Black, Salt Lake Tribune, March 29, 2022[45]	“If you do a deep dive into any religion — but I think particularly the Mormon religion — there’s only two ways to go. It’s either going to become a musical comedy, or it’s going to turn to terror and horror. And there are things that need to be changed in this church. . . . And this show presents some of those things that need to be changed.”
Max Mueller, Slate, May 20, 2022[46]	". . .Black and Krakauer put forth an anti-religion polemic that itself verges on fundamentalism: All faiths corrupt. Absolutist faiths like Mormonism—be it the brand based in Temple Square or found in some off-the-grid compound in a remote corner of the West—corrupt absolutely."