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You are here: Home / Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction

Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction

Les Langford Interview

Only at FAIR: Two Exclusive Interviews

Only at FAIR: In two exclusive interviews, FAIR speaks to Les Langford, previously of the Utah Highway Patrol, and Randy Johnson, previously of the American Fork Police Department, who was in charge of the investigation into the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty.

 

Religion Misrepresented: Under the Banner of Heaven

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 by FX Productions, and is available for streaming on Hulu. In spite of the miniseries’ tagline “Uncover Buried Truths,” this fictitious work is only loosely based on actual events. This page will be updated with resources to address the misinformation and misrepresentations in this series. Please also visit resources for each episode, below, as they become available.

Have a question? Contact us here. 

Episode 1 tile
Episode 2 Rightful Place
Episode 3 Surrender
Episode 4 Church and State
Episode 5 One Mighty and Strong
Episode 6 Revelation
Under the Banner of Heaven Fact v Fiction E7
FAIR Resources
Other Resources
Church Resources
FAIR Resources
  • Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction by Scott Gordon
  • FAIR Response to Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
  • Reflections on Mountain Meadows by Richard E. Turley, given at the 2007 FAIR Conference
  • 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
  • About the phrase “Under the banner of heaven,” attributed to John Taylor

     

Other Resources
  • Perspective: Under the Banner of Hollywood
  • The Lafferty murders: What really happened? A timeline of events 

  • Perspective: The church was my escape from misogyny and violence

Church Resources
  • Church Response to Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven
  • Peace and Violence Among the 19th Century Latter-day Saints

“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 

Under the banner of Heaven disclaimer
Disclaimer from Under the Banner of Heaven series credits

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