Craig L. Foster holds a MA and MLIS from Brigham Young University. He is an accredited genealogist and works as a research consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He is widely published on subjects related to the history of Mormonism, broadly defined, and along with Marianne Watson is the author of American Polygamy: A History of Fundamentalist Mormon Faith.

            In 2003, Jon Krakauer published his book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Krakauer’s work became an instant sensation. After almost twenty years, it continues to be, in the words of Max Perry Mueller, “the bestselling book on Mormon history in recent memory.”[i] Unfortunately, “best-selling” does not make a book “best.” That’s why in 2004, I published a review of Krakauer’s book titled, “Doing Violence to Journalistic Integrity.”[ii]

            The title of my review was a simple, and perhaps unsuccessful, attempt at being witty. As I stated there, Jon Krakauer is “a gifted writer [whose] text flows seamlessly, creating a literary picture that touches a reader to the very core.” But his book is seriously flawed through a combination of ignorance about the subject and his blatant bias, for which I not only took him to task in the review, but which also inspired the title.

            At a book signing shortly after publication, Krakauer said, “I thought I was pretty clear in my distinction between fundamentalist Mormons and mainstream Mormons.”[iii] Unfortunately, that is not the case. After almost twenty years, my opinion of Under the Banner of Heaven has not changed, and my insistence has been repeatedly reinforced that Krakauer’s portrayals in the book reflect ignorance and bias. Herein I will highlight a few examples of misrepresentation, misinformation, and negative stereotyping in Under the Banner of Heaven.

Misrepresenting and Blaming Both the LDS Church and Fundamentalism in Cases of Fanatical Violence

Krakauer was either unwilling or unable to differentiate between present-day church members and a wide array of fundamentalists, much less individuals identified as fundamentalist who were unknown in the fundamentalist world. A powerful example was his discussion about Elizabeth Smart and her kidnapping. He described her as being particularly susceptible to her abductor, David Brian Mitchell’s “fundamentalist rhetoric” because of her own mainstream LDS Church “religious indoctrination [she] had received since she was old enough to talk.”[iv] Krakauer quoted Debbie Palmer, a former fundamentalist plural wife and at that time an antipolygamy activist, to back up his claim. She stated, “Being brought up as she [Elizabeth Smart] was made her especially vulnerable . . . Mitchell would never have been able to have such power over a non-Mormon girl.”[v]

At no point did Krakauer question how a woman raised in the semi-reclusive fundamentalist community of Bountiful, British Columbia who became a plural wife at age fifteen was somehow able to relate to and explain the thought-processes of a girl raised in the LDS Church in an upper-class suburban Salt Lake community. That’s probably because he desperately wanted Smart’s case to fit a stereotypical narrative he was creating. Most fundamentalists had never even heard of Mitchell and did not consider him a fundamentalist at all; neither had they heard of the Lafferty brothers. Fundamentalists were sickened upon hearing about these cases in the news along with LDS Church members and everyone else in society.

            Krakauer tied the Lafferty brothers’ murders with Mormon fundamentalism and today’s LDS Church citing a “violent polygamous past.” For example, he spent over twenty pages describing how Ron Lafferty refused to cooperate with Utah Highway Patrol and led them on a multi-mile chase and was arrested; how he and his brothers caused a “riot” and “melee” in court; he stopped paying property taxes; he created with his followers a pamphlet using alternate scripture calling LDS leaders to repentance; and finally, he altogether lost his job, wife and family. Krakauer then strangely wrote, “Before actually carrying out the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, Ron hadn’t done anything that was terribly outlandish, or unique, according to cultural norms of Utah County.”[vi] In what alternate reality could Krakauer ever think that Ron Lafferty’s irrational and criminal behavior would fit into the cultural norms of Utah County, or, quite frankly, anywhere in Utah?

Misinformation Regarding Differences Between Fundamentalists

            Jon Krakauer’s lack of understanding extends beyond graying the lines between members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and modern fundamentalists. It’s painfully obvious he had practically no understanding of fundamentalist history or the differences between the various fundamentalist groups and independents.

            For example, there were simple factual mistakes, such as naming Rulon C. Allred’s influential polygamist father as Byron C. Allred, rather than Byron Harvey Allred, Jr. (1870-1937).[vii] There were also flagrant mistakes where Krakauer repeatedly conflated the various groups and independent fundamentalists as one and the same into the far-famed FLDS.

            As an illustration of this intermixing in his book, Krakauer wrote, “For all their fecundity, Mormon Fundamentalists are strangely squeamish about sex. … Women and girls are required to wear long dresses, even while swimming. Boys and men wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Both genders must wear sacred long underwear beneath their clothing at all times, even in sweltering summer days.”[viii]

Krakauer’s statement is wrong in several ways. First and foremost, at no time in the discussion about sex and clothing styles, did Krakauer mention the FLDS whom he was depicting. Instead, he used the more generic and all-encompassing term “Mormon Fundamentalists.” Mormon fundamentalism is not monolithic and includes almost radically divergent strains of fundamentalism. In his example, Krakauer described only clothing styles that were specifically FLDS.

Women and girls among the Apostolic United Brethren, The Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Peterson Group), and the Davis County Cooperative Society (also known as the Kingstons) are allowed to wear swimsuits as well as jeans and many styles of modern clothing. In fact, women in the Peterson Group are allowed to wear shorts, short sleeved shirts, and even tank tops when working or working out. Men and women among the Kingstons also are allowed to wear short sleeved shirts and other clothing styles that blend in with the larger society.

As for “sacred long underwear,” usually referred to as sacred garments or temple garments by believers, Krakauer got it wrong again. By mentioning “sacred long underwear [worn] beneath their clothing at all times,” in the same paragraph portraying Mormon fundamentalists, he insinuated that all Mormon fundamentalists wear temple garments. That just isn’t the case. Among those who do wear temple garments, only the FLDS have children wearing them. Furthermore, while other groups wear garments, not all do. The Kingstons, for example, do not. Neither do many Independents.

Negative Stereotyping of Fundamentalists

Jon Krakauer’s obvious misunderstanding of the basics and variations of Mormon fundamentalism is matched by an apparent disdain for fundamentalists and their beliefs. In my original review, I noted the tone, charged language, and negative stereotyping throughout Krakauer’s book reflected a personal dislike for Mormonism, be it the LDS Church or Mormon fundamentalism.

At a book signing, Krakauer discussed how fundamentalists are “so violent and abusive to women.” He went on to explain, “it’s part of the culture—it’s the power of men over women.”[ix] But he didn’t stop there. While testifying before the Texas House of Representatives’ Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues in 2005, Krakauer portrayed the FLDS being dangerous, “specifically because they practice plural marriage. Krakauer called polygamy ‘the bedrock of [FLDS] culture,’ and warned that ‘these abuses [that is, of women and children] seem to be part and parcel of every polygamous culture.’”[x] Throughout the book, he insinuated that all fundamentalist men dominate fundamentalist women even though many plural wives are extremely independent. Women play important roles among many fundamentalists.
            Continuing with his negative stereotyping, Krakauer attempted to link the murderous brutality of people like Ron and Dan Lafferty to all fundamentalist Mormons or, as he wrote in his preface, “It is the aim of this book to cast some light on Lafferty and his ilk.”[xi] As Max Perry Mueller explained, “Krakauer believes that there are degrees of difference—not distinctions of kind—between the murderous Lafferty Brothers, the Mormon fundamentalists, and the LDS Church.” He continued, “At its core, Krakauer’s thesis is that faith corrupts. And absolute faith—like those held by Mormon fundamentalists—corrupts absolutely, to the point that brothers kill another brother’s wife and child; to the point that thousands of parents allow teenage daughters to become spiritual brides of church leaders. The closer the faithful hue to the origins of the faith, the more radical the faith.”[xii]

To reinforce his narrative of Mormonism, particularly fundamentalists, being driven to violence—Krakauer made sure to discuss not only the Lafferty murders, but also assumed an early Latter-day Saint culture of violence by association with complex issues such as blood atonement and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Bringing this theme back around to fundamentalists, he the exhumed the LeBaron sect murders, including that of Rulon C. Allred, as well as other problems among the fundamentalists.[xiii]

 In Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer wove a riveting story of extremism, fanaticism, violence, abuse, murder, and heartbreak. However, “This book is not history, and Krakauer is no historian. He is a storyteller who cut corners to make the story sound good.”[xiv]

Inarguably, the murders of Brenda Lafferty and her daughter, Erica, were horrible. As were the various LeBaron-related murders, including that of Rulon C. Allred. Furthermore, no one will deny the cases of abuse and other criminal offenses that have occurred among some fundamentalist Mormons. As one fundamentalist astutely noted, “We’ve been pushed into the shadows and that breeds problems.”[xv]

Nevertheless, because of his deep dislike of religion, particularly intense religious devotion, Jon Krakauer painted his story of fundamentalist evil deeds with too broad a brush. In the process, he portrayed thousands of otherwise innocent people as guilty merely by association through his inaccurate descriptions and negative stereotyping. Sadly, while Under the Banner of Heaven is riveting reading, because of the above examples of misrepresentation, misinformation, and negative stereotyping, it remains a troubling example of doing violence to journalist integrity, as well as being an extremely poor example of writing history.      

[i] Max Perry Mueller, “Mormonism and the Problem of Jon Krakauer,” Politics & Religion Fit for Polite Company, July 14, 2015, https://religionandpolitics.org/2015/07/14/mormonism-and-the-problem-of-jon-krakauer/, accessed March 22, 2022.

[ii] Craig L. Foster, “Doing Violence to Journalistic Integrity,” FARMS Review 16:1 (2004), 149-74.

[iii] Jonathan Kirkham, “Krakauer responds to criticism,” The Daily Universe, July 20, 2003, https://universe.byu.edu/2003/07/20/krakauer-responds-to-criticism/, accessed March 22, 2022.

[iv] Jon Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (New York: Doubleday, 2003), 45.

[v] Ibid.

[vi] Ibid., 139-41, 156, 159, and 162-63.

[vii] Ibid., 264, and FamilySearch.org. Krakauer’s misidentification of B. Harvey Allred is similar to his misidentifying past apostle Mark E. Peterson by calling him LDS President (75).

[viii] Ibid., 33.

[ix] Jon Krakauer talk and book signing for Under the Banner of Heaven, Trolley Corners Theater, Trolley Square, Salt Lake City, Utah, 18 July 2003. Notes taken by Steven L. Mayfield and in the possession of the author.

[x] Megan Goodwin, “Abusing Religion: Polygyny, Mormonisms, and Under the Banner of Heaven,” The Revealer: A Review of Religion & Media, February 20, 2019, https://therevealer.org/abusing-religion-polygyny-mormonisms-and-under-the-banner-of-heaven/, accessed April 4, 2022.

[xi] Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven, xxiii.

[xii] Mueller, “Mormonism and the Problem of Jon Krakauer.” I don’t have the space to discuss the differences of courting and marriage rules and customs among the different fundamentalist groups, but they exist.  Further, not all fundamentalists encourage or even allow young teens to marry.

[xiii] Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven, 135, 196-97, 208-45, 265-69, and 323-25.

[xiv] “Mistakes in the News,” Church Response to Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven,” June 27, 2003, http://www.lds.org/newsroom/mistakes/0,15331,3885-1,00.html, accessed July 9, 2003.

[xv] Enoch Foster, interview by Craig L. Foster and Marianne T. Watson, July 21, 2017, as quoted in Craig L. Foster and Marianne T. Watson, American Polygamy: A History of Fundamentalist Mormon Faith (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2019), 236.

 [CR1]Can you let us know where these quotes come from?

 [CF2]They were all on p. 45. I put another footnote in to help the readers realize it’s all from the book.