June 11, 2022

2022-06-12 Religion Today - Methodological Problems and Inaccuracies of Jon Krakhaur's Book and the HULU Mini-Series Under the Banner of Heaven

20 minutes

HULU's recent mini-series "Under the Banner of Heaven" based on the 2003 Jon Krakauer book with the same title has led to listeners emailing to ask about the accuracy of the book and mini-series. In this episode host Martin Tanner explains how Krakauer in this and prior books leaves out critical facts, paints heroes as bad and suffers from other major flaws. Among them are (1) the misleading idea that Ron and Dan Lafferty are "Mormons" when they were earlier excommunicated and had started their own church; (2) the lie that Lafferty's murdered because they were following the "oath of vengeance" in LDS Temples, when there has never been such an oath; (3) Ron and Dan were influenced by Brigham Young who ordered the massacre at "Mountain Meadows" even though Brigham Young explicitly and in writing did the opposite. Krakauer's methodologies in "Under the Benner of Heaven" on consistently bad, just as in his prior book "Into Thin Air" in which he criticizes a competing Mt. Everest guide who saved all of his hikers, when Krakauer's group suffered the death of eight climbers.

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