Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

This investigative work examines isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities in America, where approximately 40,000 people practice polygamy. These communities operate independently from both civil authorities and the mainstream Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, led by figures who claim to answer only to God. The book centers on brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who claimed to have received a divine commandment to kill a woman and her infant daughter. Krakauer begins with a detailed account of this double murder, then builds a narrative exploring messianic delusion, polygamy, violence, and religious conviction. Through this investigation, he documents a secretive branch of one of America's fastest-growing religions and examines fundamental questions about the nature of religious belief.