(Updated 4/28/2022 – Please see our new post at https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/blog/2022/04/28/under-the-banner-of-heaven-fact-vs-fiction)
“Under the Banner of Heaven” is not only a slap in the face of modern Latter-day Saints but also a misrepresentation of religion in general. – Robert L. Millet
This book is not history, and Krakauer is no historian. He is a storyteller who cuts corners to make the story sound good. – Mike Otterson
Although the book may appeal to gullible persons who rise to such bait like trout to a fly hook, serious readers who want to understand Latter-day Saints and their history need not waste their time on it. – Richard E. Turley Jr.
[H]is obvious biases against both religion in general and the Church of Jesus Christ in particular have made the book nothing more than a flawed, sensationalistic work… – Craig L. Foster
A book called Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer was published in 2003. It has now been made into a miniseries that will be available for streaming from Hulu later this month. Here are some resources available regarding the claims made in the book:
- FAIR Response to Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
- Church Response to Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven
- The Krakauer Journal by Allen Wyatt
- Faulty History: A Review of Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Richard E. Turley
- Reflections on Mountain Meadows by Richard E. Turley, given at the 2007 FAIR Conference
The Deseret News now has an article on the series:
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After this book was published, I never trusted another word by Krakauer.
Grossly inaccurate. Obviously the author felt some need to twist the story to make it fanciful. Shameful to Brenda’s story and the church she loved.