Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-06-05 23:20:19

Review of "Under the Banner of Heaven" (4 stars): A fascinating read

Having spent a third of my life in the (mainstream) Mormon church, this book was a fascinating, yet uncomfortable read. It's astonishing what a person can be made do do if they are convinced that it's God's will.

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/review/202270/s/a-fascinating-read

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-06-05 23:20:13

Jonathan Lamothe quoted Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

"“It’s amazing how gullible people are,” DeLoy continues. “But you have to remember what a huge comfort the religion is. It provides all the answers. It makes life simple. Nothing makes you feel better than doing what the prophet commands you to do. If you have some controversial issue that you’re dealing with—let’s say you owe a lot of money to somebody, and you don’t have the means to pay them—you go in and talk to the prophet, and he might tell you, ”You don’t have to pay the money back. The Lord says it’s Okay.“ And if you just do what the prophet says, all the responsibility for your actions is now totally in his hands. You can refuse to pay the guy, or even kill somebody, or whatever, and feel completely good about it. And that’s a real big part of what holds this religion together: it’s not having to make those critical decisions that many of us have to make, and be responsible for your decisions.”"

-- "Under the Banner of Heaven"

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/quotation/202262

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-05-17 18:40:15

Jonathan Lamothe quoted Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

"The Reformation was spearheaded by the God-besotted Jedidiah Grant, Brigham’s immensely popular second counselor, whom the Saints affectionately called “Jeddy, Brigham’s Sledge Hammer.” Grant explained to the Lord’s chosen that they had the “right to kill a sinner to save him, when he commits those crimes that can only be atoned for by shedding his blood.” In September 1856 he sermonized that there were sinners even then in their midst who needed “to have their blood shed, for water will not do, their sins are of too deep a dye.”"

-- "Under the Banner of Heaven"

The doctrine of "blood atonement" is one of the things that the mainstream LDS church has tried really hard to whitewash from its history.

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/quotation/171730

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2022-05-17 02:30:54

Jonathan Lamothe quoted Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

"In Dr. Groesbeck’s learned opinion, this revelation was a delusional artifact, as were all Ron’s revelations, spawned by depression and his deeply entrenched narcissism, with no basis whatsoever in reality. Which is, of course, what nonbelievers typically say about people who have religious visions and revelations: that they’re crazy. The devout individuals on the receiving end of such visions, however, generally beg to differ, and Ron is one of them. Ron knows that the commandments he’d received were no mere figment of his imagination. The Lord spoke to him. And he wasn’t about to believe the words of some faithless, pencil-neck shrink over the voice of the Almighty. That, after all, would really be crazy."

-- "Under the Banner of Heaven"

This hits a little closer to home than I'd generally care to admit.

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/quotation/170633

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-05-15 18:50:22

Jonathan Lamothe quoted Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

"Joseph acted fast to resolve this dilemma [contradictory personal revelation] by announcing in 1830 — the same year the Mormon Church was incorporated—that God had belatedly given him another revelation: “No one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jr.” But the genie was already out of the bottle. Joseph had taught and encouraged his Saints to receive personal revelations, and the concept proved to be immensely popular. People liked talking to God directly, one-on-one, without intermediaries. It was one of the most appealing aspects of Joseph’s new church."

-- "Under the Banner of Heaven"

I know this was definitely a draw for me.

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/quotation/167295

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-05-15 18:50:17

Jonathan Lamothe commented on Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

The tone of this book is interesting. The author makes no attempt to conceal his disdain for Mormonism. Admittedly, there is much worthy of criticism.

If I'd read this book as a believer, I'd have been quick to write this guy off as an anti-Mormon apostate, and probably wouldn't have finished reading.

(comment on "Under the Banner of Heaven")

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/comment/167253

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-05-14 21:40:15

Jonathan Lamothe quoted Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

"As his sixth wife, Debbie became a stepmother to Blackmore’s thirty-one kids, most of whom were older than she was. And because he happened to be the father of Debbie’s own stepmother, Mem, she unwittingly became a stepmother to her stepmother, and thus a stepgrandmother to herself."

-- "Under the Banner of Heaven"

🤔

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/quotation/163425

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-05-14 17:22:17

Jonathan Lamothe quoted Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

"He still insists that he is innocent of any crime but, paradoxically, does not deny that he killed Brenda and Erica. When asked to explain how both these apparently contradictory statements can be true, he says, “I was doing God’s will, which is not a crime.”"

-- "Under the Banner of Heaven"

The scary thing is that this can in fact be justified by the Book of Mormon. (see 1 Nephi 4:7-18) #NotACult

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/quotation/162379

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Status updates from Jonathan Lamothe

2022-05-14 16:20:22

Jonathan Lamothe commented on Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

There has been a recent Hulu series of the same name made based on this book that's been criticized by many Mormons as being "filled with anti-Mormon lies"... so obviously I needed to read it.

I hadn't even finished the first paragraph before I found something I know they'd object to.

This is going to be an interesting read.

(comment on "Under the Banner of Heaven")

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https://bookwyrm.social/user/jlamothe/comment/162188

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🇺🇦Exmo Lex🇺🇦 / @Exmo_Lex

2022-04-30 17:04:34

RT by @Exmo_Lex:

Mormon historians on here like “Under the Banner of Heaven is inaccurate history! Here’s how Joseph Smith ACTUALLY groomed and raped young girls.”

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https://nitter.net/CJaneKendrick/status/1520449041493942272#m

Radio Free Mormon (unofficial)

2022-04-29 22:33:20

Mormonism LIVE: 074: Sandra Tanner - Queen of the Anti-Mormons dlvr.it/SPVJCc

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https://nitter.net/FreeMormon/status/1520148301089153024#m