Divine Reflections.

I read this book because I received a revelation from God telling me to do so. And who am I to deny direct instruction from God?

Millions of followers of the fastest growing religion on the planet operate in much the same fashion. From the time when Joseph Smith found the ancient Book of Mormon on the direction of a sleep-induced visit from the God-sent angel Moroni and declared himself the mouthpiece of God, people from all over have flocked to Mormonism as a way to more directly connect themselves to the heavens.

I have read both Into the Wild and Into Thin Air before this one. All 3 of these books focus more or less on obsessions - Into the Wild with an obsession to get back to nature, Into Thin Air with an obsession to reach earth's highest point, and Under the Banner of Heaven with an obsession of religion by many members of the Church of Latter Day Saints.

This book is framed around the blurb written at the bottom of the cover page - a murder by 2 brothers of one of their sisters-in-law and their 14-month old niece on the direct order of God. It uses this crime as a base from which to delve into the history of Mormonism, and just what makes some extreme Mormon's believe that they are above the law and are entitled to act in whichever way they please. Just so long as God instructs them.

Krakauer is not out so much to lambaste Mormonism, but rather to explain its origins and the reasoning behind some of its radical splinter sects. In his remarks following the novel, Krakauer mentions his original intentions for the book were to write a history of Mormonism. Noting that such a topic may be exhausted, he decided to write the history of Mormonism with a slightly different focus. In the end, he produced a book that mainly lambastes Mormon fundamentalists, a splinter sect of Mormonism that adheres strictly to the original teachings of Joseph Smith, mainly that the Mormon church should never have abandoned the practice of polygamy. The result is a population of people that will not refrain from murder, rape, and child abuse to uphold their beliefs. Because God told them to. And God is above the law.

I know not all Mormon's are crazy and that most are not. But Krakauer's descriptions of Mormon fundamentalism and its followers gives me goosebumps.