RyanX
The Living Force
I just finished reading Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer. I have to say I was pretty impressed, and felt like I got more out of this book than I expected. In researching some of the roots of the Tea Party movement, I found that several of these roots dipped into the realm of Mormonism and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). The most notable of these roots happens to be Glenn Beck, who converted to Mormonism in 1999, preceding the marriage to his second wife. I felt my knowledge of this church and its history was a bit under par, so I decided to look for a book that covers this ground. Under the Banner of Heaven got good reviews on Amazon, so I decided to pick up a copy.
The book weaves back and forth between the history of Mormonism and the story of Dan and Ron Lafferty: two brothers who were convicted in the killing of their sister-in-law and niece, Brenda and Erica Lafferty. The brutal murder took place in 1984, and shortly thereafter Dan was tried and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. Ron was sentenced to death, but has managed to escape his punishment all these years through the appeals process. Both men confessed to the murders; and both had significant roles in the killings. Although there is some dispute between them as far as who actually killed Brenda, the fact remains that these men are, beyond a doubt, guilt of what they did.
This murder had its beginnings from a revelation Ron received from god, telling him that Brenda and her daughter must be "removed". Ron shared this revelation with his brother Dan, who took it seriously. The two obsessed over it day and night. More than likely Ron was just pissed at Brenda after she convinced his wife to leave him. Ron had become a different person after converting to his brother Dan’s fundamentalist version of Mormonism. This change brought out the worst in Ron and led to the breakup of his marriage. The only role Brenda played was supporting Ron’s wife to give her the strength to leave him.
After Ron divorced, he and Dan became part of a LDS fundamentalist group called the School of Prophets. However, other members of this church did not find this removal revelation either enticing or amusing like the two brothers did. Ron and Dan were subsequently banished after they refused to give up the notion that this revelation was a direct message from God. Ron continued to receive yet more revelations describing the details about how they were to carry this “removal”. On July 24, 1984, Ron and Dan drove to Brenda Lafferty's house, forced themselves inside and proceeded to murder Brenda and her baby in brutal, sadistic fashion. I had a hard time reading the description, and I encourage anybody who is sensitive to these things just to skip over these parts. They really don't add much to the overall story in the book other than to emphasize the fact that both Ron and Dan were both violent psychopaths with a penchant for carrying out "God's will".
Unlike most sects of Christian faith, Mormonism has long had a soft spot for seeking to hear the word of god directly. Mormons believe that God personally communicates with their leaders; even the title they give to their supreme leader is stated as, “prophet, seer, and revelator.” The founder, Joseph Smith, often preached about the need for individual people to hear the words of God, and taught his followers practical exercises on how to do this (e.g. automatic writing). Although mainstream Mormons today do not participate in such communications, many of the splinter Mormon Fundamentalist groups still do. The School of Prophets that Ron and Dan Lafferty were part of was one such fundamentalist group.
The book covers a good deal of the history of Mormonism from its beginnings with Joseph Smith. The book describes many of Smith’s ‘paranormal’ experiences, which read just like an modern-day alien abduction story involving the space brothers. Joseph Smith claimed to see the angel Moroni one night who told him where he should dig to find several golden plates. Smith dug in this location and, sure enough, found these golden plates that were etched in an unknown language. Smith later discovered that he could read this language through his special seer-stone. (Prior to this Smith worked as a con-artist trying to convince people he could find buried treasure with this stone.) What he transcribed from these plates was to become the Book of Mormon, which told of a new myth of ‘Christianity’ on the American continent.
Smith would later gain a significant following and established two religious communes in Missouri and then Illinois. Both of these were eventually destroyed by Mobs, or locals angry at the indignant righteousness of the Mormons. Smith, himself, was killed by a mob while awaiting trial for the crime of sabotaging the printing press of a local newspaper that was critical of his teachings. From this point on, Brigham Young assumed leadership of the Mormons and began making plans for their migration to the land of Deseret, which would eventually become the state of Utah.
Smith, from what I could surmise, was a pedophile, and likely a schizoidal psychopath. He had a certain charm about him that could hypnotize people. He took many wives, some of them girls who were barely teenagers, and he encouraged the other Mormon leaders to do the same. Although, his notion of polygamy was a hard sell at the time, he managed to get enough of the leadership involved in the practice to make it an essential trait of the Mormon faith. In many cases, these so-called instances of ‘plural marriage’ were the raping of a young girl after she began menstruation. They would then brainwash these poor girls into believing that they would suffer eternal damnation in hell if they did not submit to bondage in marriage. This mindset still persists today in several Fundamentalist communities on the North American continent. The book describes a lot of these sad stories, and yes, they were very difficult to read.
The book also dives into the Mountain Meadow Massacre and how the Mormon militia brutally murdered the Fancher party traveling through Utah on their way to California. The murder was unprovoked, and caused a nationwide outcry against the Mormons. The scapegoat in the whole incident was the commander who carried out the attacks: John D. Lee. Lee was also a staunch polygamist and sired many children. (An interesting fact not mentioned in the book is that John D. Lee is the great-great-grandfather of the recently elected Tea Party senator from Utah named, Mike Lee. The genetic lineage in this family may be most interesting.)
In one of the last chapters, Krakauer conducts several interviews with Dan Lafferty from his maximum security cell. I kept thinking during these parts that Krakauer could have really used a copy of Political Ponerology! Some of what he observed in his research and interviews with Dan would have made a lot more sense if he had more knowledge of pathology.
After years in prison, Dan’s fundamentalist religious ideas had changed in form, but not in essence. Dan now believes that he is the prophet Elijah sent to do the work of reaping and harvesting in the last days. He even elaborates on this ‘harvesting’ process:
[quote author=Jon Krakauer]
It is prophesized that the 'Great and Dreadful Day' will be when Christ sends His angels like reapers to gather out of His kingdom all those who are not His and kill them; and that's in part what I was foreshadowing," Dan explains, "when I took the lives of Brenda and Erica. I know that might sound a little gory or something, but it feels like the right interpretation to me. I don't think the angels in this prophecy are the beings with wings that fly down from heaven, but more like what Joseph and Brigham called 'avenging angels'" men already living here on earth who will just be taking care of their Father's business like I was, once they learn who their Father is and have been properly instructed."[/quote]
What couldn’t escape me from Dan's sermon here is the idea of psychopaths taking over to carry out “God’s work”. As Dan says, these angels (aliens, or pick your favorite frame of reference) work through morally deranged people like him (i.e. psychopaths). The way Dan describes his mental state before killing the young baby, Erica, reads like a man in a trance. He wanted god to act through him, and actually prayed for this moments before the killing. What I gathered is that there may have been some other force in control of him at that moment. That's not to say that he isn't responsible for what he did, but the fact that he had no conscience made him an easy target for possession, or so it seems. Are these quotes above from Dan essentially him lifting his mask for a moment?
Interestingly, at his brother Ron’s retrial (yes, the Utah Supreme Court made them re-try his case in 2007!) several psychologists testified both for and against Ron’s sanity. One of these psychologists emphasized Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) as a possible explanation for Ron’s behavior. This testimony was apparently enough to defeat Ron’s insanity defense, and he was re-sentenced to execution by firing squad. Ron fate still lies in the appeals process today.
I haven’t read Krakauer’s other books. I know he wrote Into the Wild, and I know his most recent book is about Pat Tillman. He does reference Osama Bin Laden in his book here as a real character (he tries to compare the religious extremism of Dan Lafferty to Osama and the other 9/11 hijackers at one point), so I would still take what he writes with salt. Still, if you’re interested in the darker side of Mormonism, and the interaction between religion and psychopathy, this is a pretty good book.
The book weaves back and forth between the history of Mormonism and the story of Dan and Ron Lafferty: two brothers who were convicted in the killing of their sister-in-law and niece, Brenda and Erica Lafferty. The brutal murder took place in 1984, and shortly thereafter Dan was tried and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. Ron was sentenced to death, but has managed to escape his punishment all these years through the appeals process. Both men confessed to the murders; and both had significant roles in the killings. Although there is some dispute between them as far as who actually killed Brenda, the fact remains that these men are, beyond a doubt, guilt of what they did.
This murder had its beginnings from a revelation Ron received from god, telling him that Brenda and her daughter must be "removed". Ron shared this revelation with his brother Dan, who took it seriously. The two obsessed over it day and night. More than likely Ron was just pissed at Brenda after she convinced his wife to leave him. Ron had become a different person after converting to his brother Dan’s fundamentalist version of Mormonism. This change brought out the worst in Ron and led to the breakup of his marriage. The only role Brenda played was supporting Ron’s wife to give her the strength to leave him.
After Ron divorced, he and Dan became part of a LDS fundamentalist group called the School of Prophets. However, other members of this church did not find this removal revelation either enticing or amusing like the two brothers did. Ron and Dan were subsequently banished after they refused to give up the notion that this revelation was a direct message from God. Ron continued to receive yet more revelations describing the details about how they were to carry this “removal”. On July 24, 1984, Ron and Dan drove to Brenda Lafferty's house, forced themselves inside and proceeded to murder Brenda and her baby in brutal, sadistic fashion. I had a hard time reading the description, and I encourage anybody who is sensitive to these things just to skip over these parts. They really don't add much to the overall story in the book other than to emphasize the fact that both Ron and Dan were both violent psychopaths with a penchant for carrying out "God's will".
Unlike most sects of Christian faith, Mormonism has long had a soft spot for seeking to hear the word of god directly. Mormons believe that God personally communicates with their leaders; even the title they give to their supreme leader is stated as, “prophet, seer, and revelator.” The founder, Joseph Smith, often preached about the need for individual people to hear the words of God, and taught his followers practical exercises on how to do this (e.g. automatic writing). Although mainstream Mormons today do not participate in such communications, many of the splinter Mormon Fundamentalist groups still do. The School of Prophets that Ron and Dan Lafferty were part of was one such fundamentalist group.
The book covers a good deal of the history of Mormonism from its beginnings with Joseph Smith. The book describes many of Smith’s ‘paranormal’ experiences, which read just like an modern-day alien abduction story involving the space brothers. Joseph Smith claimed to see the angel Moroni one night who told him where he should dig to find several golden plates. Smith dug in this location and, sure enough, found these golden plates that were etched in an unknown language. Smith later discovered that he could read this language through his special seer-stone. (Prior to this Smith worked as a con-artist trying to convince people he could find buried treasure with this stone.) What he transcribed from these plates was to become the Book of Mormon, which told of a new myth of ‘Christianity’ on the American continent.
Smith would later gain a significant following and established two religious communes in Missouri and then Illinois. Both of these were eventually destroyed by Mobs, or locals angry at the indignant righteousness of the Mormons. Smith, himself, was killed by a mob while awaiting trial for the crime of sabotaging the printing press of a local newspaper that was critical of his teachings. From this point on, Brigham Young assumed leadership of the Mormons and began making plans for their migration to the land of Deseret, which would eventually become the state of Utah.
Smith, from what I could surmise, was a pedophile, and likely a schizoidal psychopath. He had a certain charm about him that could hypnotize people. He took many wives, some of them girls who were barely teenagers, and he encouraged the other Mormon leaders to do the same. Although, his notion of polygamy was a hard sell at the time, he managed to get enough of the leadership involved in the practice to make it an essential trait of the Mormon faith. In many cases, these so-called instances of ‘plural marriage’ were the raping of a young girl after she began menstruation. They would then brainwash these poor girls into believing that they would suffer eternal damnation in hell if they did not submit to bondage in marriage. This mindset still persists today in several Fundamentalist communities on the North American continent. The book describes a lot of these sad stories, and yes, they were very difficult to read.
The book also dives into the Mountain Meadow Massacre and how the Mormon militia brutally murdered the Fancher party traveling through Utah on their way to California. The murder was unprovoked, and caused a nationwide outcry against the Mormons. The scapegoat in the whole incident was the commander who carried out the attacks: John D. Lee. Lee was also a staunch polygamist and sired many children. (An interesting fact not mentioned in the book is that John D. Lee is the great-great-grandfather of the recently elected Tea Party senator from Utah named, Mike Lee. The genetic lineage in this family may be most interesting.)
In one of the last chapters, Krakauer conducts several interviews with Dan Lafferty from his maximum security cell. I kept thinking during these parts that Krakauer could have really used a copy of Political Ponerology! Some of what he observed in his research and interviews with Dan would have made a lot more sense if he had more knowledge of pathology.
After years in prison, Dan’s fundamentalist religious ideas had changed in form, but not in essence. Dan now believes that he is the prophet Elijah sent to do the work of reaping and harvesting in the last days. He even elaborates on this ‘harvesting’ process:
[quote author=Jon Krakauer]
It is prophesized that the 'Great and Dreadful Day' will be when Christ sends His angels like reapers to gather out of His kingdom all those who are not His and kill them; and that's in part what I was foreshadowing," Dan explains, "when I took the lives of Brenda and Erica. I know that might sound a little gory or something, but it feels like the right interpretation to me. I don't think the angels in this prophecy are the beings with wings that fly down from heaven, but more like what Joseph and Brigham called 'avenging angels'" men already living here on earth who will just be taking care of their Father's business like I was, once they learn who their Father is and have been properly instructed."[/quote]
What couldn’t escape me from Dan's sermon here is the idea of psychopaths taking over to carry out “God’s work”. As Dan says, these angels (aliens, or pick your favorite frame of reference) work through morally deranged people like him (i.e. psychopaths). The way Dan describes his mental state before killing the young baby, Erica, reads like a man in a trance. He wanted god to act through him, and actually prayed for this moments before the killing. What I gathered is that there may have been some other force in control of him at that moment. That's not to say that he isn't responsible for what he did, but the fact that he had no conscience made him an easy target for possession, or so it seems. Are these quotes above from Dan essentially him lifting his mask for a moment?
Interestingly, at his brother Ron’s retrial (yes, the Utah Supreme Court made them re-try his case in 2007!) several psychologists testified both for and against Ron’s sanity. One of these psychologists emphasized Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) as a possible explanation for Ron’s behavior. This testimony was apparently enough to defeat Ron’s insanity defense, and he was re-sentenced to execution by firing squad. Ron fate still lies in the appeals process today.
I haven’t read Krakauer’s other books. I know he wrote Into the Wild, and I know his most recent book is about Pat Tillman. He does reference Osama Bin Laden in his book here as a real character (he tries to compare the religious extremism of Dan Lafferty to Osama and the other 9/11 hijackers at one point), so I would still take what he writes with salt. Still, if you’re interested in the darker side of Mormonism, and the interaction between religion and psychopathy, this is a pretty good book.
