Response to Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith/Index


A FAIR Analysis of:
Under the Banner of Heaven
A work by author: Jon Krakauer

Index to claims made in Under the Banner of Heaven

This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIR Wiki. An effort has been made to provide the author's original sources where possible.


Claims made in "Chapter 4: Elizabeth and Ruby"

Page Claim Response Author's sources

45

  • The author claims that Latter-day Saints are raised to "obey figures of Mormon authority unquestioningly, and to believe that LDS doctrine is the law of God."

45

  • The author claims that a fourteen-year-old Latter-day Saint girl was forced to wear robes by her kidnapper that "resembled the sacred robes she had donned with her family when they entered the Mormon temple."
  •  The author's claim is false A fourteen-year-old LDS girl's experience with the temple would have only involved performing baptisms for the dead, and would not have required the wearing of any "sacred robes."

45

  • The author claims that the "words of Joseph Smith" are taught as having been "handed down by God Himself."
  • That depends upon which of Joseph's words are being referred to.

Claims made in ? chapters (drafts)

Page Claim Response Author's sources

57

  •  Author's quote: ...a disgruntled client [Josiah Stowell] had filed a legal claim accusing Joseph of being a fraud....
  •  The author's claim is false: Stowell defended Joseph, testified in his defense, and joined the Church when it was founded.
  • 1826 trial of Joseph Smith
  •  [ATTENTION!]

69

  • Native Americans are, according to the Book of Mormon, descended from the lost tribes of Israel.
  •  The author's claim is false: Book of Mormon peoples are distinct from the lost ten tribes (2 Nephi 29꞉13, 3 Nephi 17꞉4).
  • The author again betrays his superficial grasp of LDS thought and theology.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

194

  •  Author's quote: ...[there is] compelling circumstantial evidence [which] suggests that [Samuel H. Smith] succumbed from poison administered by Hosea Stout....

221

  • William Aden was killed on 10 September 1857.
  •  The author's claim is false: Aden was killed 2-3 days before the massacre.[1]
  •  [ATTENTION!]

221n

  • Brigham Young's letter instructing the Mormons to leave the immigrants alone didn't appear until decades later; there is question about its provenance and authenticity.
  •  [ATTENTION!]

Endnotes

  1. [note]  For example, the practice of plural marriage is detailed in canonized scripture (DC 132) which every member is encouraged to study. The study manual for Sunday School lessons based on this scripture reads, in part, "The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it." [Lesson 31: “Sealed … for Time and for All Eternity”, Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 176 (emphasis added). off-site] The current Church website also includes a discussion [[2]], though the extensive Internet presence post-dates the work under review. CES manuals for college/university students also discuss Joseph and plural marriage; see, for example, "Chapter 20: Doctrinal Developments at Nauvoo," Church History in the Fulness of Times Institute Student Manual: Religion 341 through 343, 2nd edition, (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 1989-2003).(off-site.
  2. [note]  Craig L. Foster, "Doing Violence to Journalistic Integrity (Review of: "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of a Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer)," FARMS Review 16/1 (2004): 149–174. off-site
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