What the Christian Church can Learn from Under the Banner of Heaven

 

Hulu is streaming the drama series from this past spring, Under the Banner of Heaven and if you have ever rubbed shoulders with the Mormon Church, this is a must-see.

The movie, based on a book written by Jon Krakauer, depicts in excruciating detail the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter in 1980 by her Mormon brothers-in-law. What makes this book so chilling is that Jon is also a former Mormon. He brings the depth and truth of what LDS customs and traditions look like.

Ron and Dan Lafferty claimed to have a vision from "Heavenly Father" that she and several other people were justifiedly on a heavenly-ordained murder list. 

This true story gave the world a sneak peek at the Latter-Day Saints Church (LDS) and its religion, which remains far from the Christian religion. 

While the two brothers and several of their fanatical conspirators were actively enslaving and raping women and children into polygamy, the rest of the Mormon Church essentially attempted a cover-up of the events.

The local police force worked the case, though the original members have been kept quiet from the public. The television series' lead detective, Jeb Pyre, is a fictional character, yet the spirit of what occurred in the murder investigation is not lost. Pyre, played by Dustin Lance Black, is also a former Mormon himself and really brings legitimacy to his character.

This is an excellent article and summary of the movie in the LA Times.

The 10-man police force in American Fork, Utah, eventually apprehended the two brothers in a strip joint in Las Vegas. Even in this state of affairs they still loudly proclaimed the delusion that they were prophets and were being persecuted.

Read the latest news story about the murders from last year here on the Salt Lake Tribune's website. 

While informational, this article does not fully explain the real story of what the Lafferty brothers planned and partially carried out.

The real story remains quite chilling.

Further, you can read Jon's book found on Amazon. 

So, while the Mormon church prefers not to be implicated in the case, those who hold fast to their religion cannot escape scrutiny. 

The Lafferty brothers created a list of people to murder both in their own families and in the hierarchy of the Mormon Church. The facts of the case speak for themselves.

Yet, my purpose in writing about this movie lies in the fact in as much as the Mormon Church wants to claim they are Christians, they simply are not. 

Some do not know the history of the church all the way back to Joseph Smith, but plenty of those who do accept the constant change of prophets and their visions. Yet, such visions simply do not line up with the Bible.

How the LDS religion is not Christianity

Many Christians struggle with this question, and why shouldn't they? The Mormon Church claims to be followers of Jesus Christ, yet they do not believe that Jesus is the real Messiah.

While I do not claim to be an expert, I speak as a researcher and writer. Further, my aunt was victimized by the Mormon Church and her now-deceased former husband. She has seven children from this man who were victimized by him as well.

While she did not share the Mormon religion with me, I put a few pieces together from this story and hers. 

Fact #1:

The Mormon Church began when Joseph Smith has a revelation that he felt improved the Bible. He called himself a prophet and continued to have "divine" revelations which included the murder of innocent people who disagreed with him and practiced pedophilia, and polygamy. 

According to Wikipedia, he had at least 49 wives, and at least two of them were 14 years old. Pedophilia is never listed as acceptable in the Bible.

Further, as seen in the Lafferty brothers and family, their wives and children were taught and told that they were to either follow the men's delusions or die. 

Fact #2:

Every "prophet" after Joseph Smith has a divine revelation that he is the prophet and the whole religion shifts its viewpoints so the world around them does not shut down their religion. 

Most know this is a cult with its manipulative abusers and of course, the vulnerable victims of their coercive methods. 

None of these men follow the God of the Bible, no matter what they say.

Fact #3:

While the Mormon Church claims to be practicing Christianity, the hallmark difference lies in the fact that they see Jesus as God's Son and a prophet. Yet, they do not call Him the Lamb of God.

Jesus quite specifically, in the Bible, was the Messiah and the final sacrifice for our sins. He shed his blood and died on the cross for our sins. 

Sure, He was a prophet of God, but He was also the One and only Savior of the world.

Fact #4:

Polygamy is not how God created us. yes, we all know the arguments around the founding fathers of the Jewish faith (and later ours), but note the events around the polygamous events of these people.

Abraham took another wife at the insistence of Sara because she did not believe the miracle God would bring her. King David suffered dearly for his adulteries, even with Bathsheba. And Solomon was known for his wisdom but not his purity. 

By the time the Bible winds itself into Malachi 2:10-16, the Lord stipulated a covenantal marriage with one man and woman. 

In short, we are to go back to the marital example of Adam and Eve, which is the true example laid out in the Bible. 

Having an LDS vision does not make it the Word of God. 

You can read more on this topic here on the Bible Study Tools website. 

Fact #5:

The Holy Spirit does not tell His people, the Body of Christ to do anything that does not align with the Bible, which is the Word of God to most Christians.

While yes, there do seem to be inconsistencies in the Bible, such as the polygamy issue, I do know that if you believe you hear the Holy Spirit telling you something it will line up with the Word. It definitely will not go against the Bible.

For example, if God tells you to commit adultery or kill someone, you need to seek mental health services, not twist what God expects from us as His people in some new sort of  "revelation." Or if someone says this to you, you might need to report them to law enforcement.

Fact #6:

The prophesies and purposes of God as laid out in the Bible, through Jesus Christ our Lord and His Holy Spirit are to be the center of our faith.

No other person is above or equal to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Not one Mormon "prophet" aligns with the Bible and the Lord's purposes. 

Ever-changing revelations by the Mormon Church do not make them the voice of prophets of God, the Father of all creation. Nor does it make them equal to Jesus Christ.

Mormons are loyal to their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), not to the Lord God of the Bible. 

In short, the revelations and prophecies laid out in the Bible have yet to fully unfold, especially as told in the Book of Revelation. 

Yet, the Fundamentalists do not make up the whole LDS Church

This must be stated as truth. While there remains a debate about how much of this mindset exaggerated in the Lafferty brothers exists, it is true that murderous calculations to this extreme obviously do not usually exist.

Yet, even as evidenced in the case of Brenda Lafferty and the lack of full disclosure in the Tribune article listed above, they pressure and coerce the squelching of facts, which makes them highly suspicious. 

If none of the fundamentalists' claims are true, then why are they hiding it and then speaking another revelation? 

Yet, what they leave wide open is the fact that they insisted on a coverup of the real facts. And it simply brings to question why they would do this if they disagree so vehemently with the Fundamentalists.

The real religious beliefs of the LDS church are not at all Christian and the facts presented in this television series reveal this.

Further, more truths should be understood.

17 men have been prophets of the LDS Church

All told including Joseph Smith, when one prophet dies off, another one rises. This man oversees the functions and leadership of the church, building on the prophet before him. There must always be a prophet in leadership or the church will die.

This remains the primary reason why the LDS church misses the Christian mark. The Lord is not the center of their church or their hearts.

And if one gets out of line with the current agenda, they are pushed by local church leadership to confess before the church and promise their allegiance. 

Even though Jesus Christ remains in their name, the church remains about keeping Joseph Smith and the subsequent prophets alive in the hearts and minds of the people. 

The LDS Church operates like a cult.

Their outcries to the contrary don't match the bizarre ceremony of the temple endowment, which involves the washing of the body, assigning of a secret name, washing of the genitals, and hand signals (like the slicing of the neck) swearing to secrecy so that they become kings, queens, priests, and priestesses in the afterlife. The general point of this remains that the whole family will be reunited in the afterlife because of these rituals.

Many protested that this was no one's business, but I think the church made it everyone's business. This simply is not normal behavior and explains why the LDS church practices so much secrecy.

Further, some of the Mormon missionaries go through another ceremony where they are baptized for the dead.

While I admit to knowing something about this ceremony, the reality is much more bizarre. Further, when you read the Wikipedia article, the statistics about how often it occurs become sketchy. 

All of this falls right in line with the history of the Mormon Church and the necessity to keep it alive with death in the early church, or a new revelation throughout its history. Some claim that the parts of this ritual, such as the washing and the hand signal have been stopped. All I see is damage control.

Further, whoever does not speak the script of Mormon Church leadership apparently receives a "visit" to keep them on track.

And when you read protests by Mormons themselves online, it always includes making the church look better than it is. The accusations usually come out that we, the general public, are victimizing them by revealing their religious practices. 

All of these behaviors scream cult. 

The point here remains that if your church is so great, why are you covering up its practices? If you believe so strongly in the LDS religion, then there would be no need to cover any of it up.

There obviously lies much more below the surface of this behavior than what we see portrayed in Under the Banner of Heaven. 

Under the Banner of Heaven portrays LDS in striking clarity

Not since the days of historical deep dives has there been such a revelatory image of the true Mormon Church. 

Sure, the image we see is revealing possibly outdated practices, but former LDS members who are actors, writers, and law enforcement transitioned this story to the present-day reality that it is.

Further, what so many of us knew secondhand and thirdhand knowledge, proved to be exactly what we were told. Their rituals are quite cultic.

Strange customs and nonChristian ideas of practices and life on the other side of death put Swiss cheese-sized holes in the idea that Mormons are at all Christian. 

Speaking the name of Jesus Christ in your church's name does not make you a Christian or even a follower of Jesus. 

Practicing customs and traditions that reflect a cult and not what is laid out in the Bible, drive a roadblock in the idea that the LDS religion is Christian. 

No, what becomes strikingly clear is that this patriarchal culture does indeed breed violent men who wield their unbending authority over women and their children. Further, wives are to submit to their husbands as their "priesthood holders."  

While many claims that the LDS men are not generally violent and as extreme as the Lafferty family, there remains a profound history that insists on unyielding allegiance or death, all the way back to 1820.

Further, the excessive wives of polygamy and pedophilia fully suggest that Mormonism is an abusive cult that abuses women and children. 

Modern psychology reveals that abusers reflect exactly this sort of cycle found in Mormon history and their church. Further, the death of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter not only reflected a problem in the LDS church but also highlighted the general refusal to take women of any background seriously when they speak up against their abusers. 

To this day, local law enforcement, churches, and social workers do not take domestic abuse reports seriously and frequently listen to abusive men who lie and act like victims of their wives, which further endangers the lives of women and children everywhere. 

Supporting LDS women and children is our call

As keepers of the cross of Jesus Christ and followers of the Bible, God calls us to have compassion on those who are victims of such deranged men.

Keeping alive the name of Brenda Lafferty and her baby girl is a watchword to evil men who believe that they have a God-given authority to demand a woman's allegiance to keep her life. 

They are not gods, nor do they deserve anyone's allegiance, nor do they have the right to choose whether women or children live or die. 

This is not their God-given anything and in America, this is a criminal offense. 

Women who are abused have little to no say in their abusive circumstances. It is a lie of the enemy that they "choose" to go back. They are in danger and cannot fully escape his hold. And unfortunately, the culture around them emprisons them further.

These men will hunt them for as long as they can and until they are apprehended and put behind bars, they will not stop, especially if they are religious patriarchal militant zealots.

 Are you still a doubter?

Watch the Under the Banner of Heaven series today, and then leave me a comment. 

The Gift of God

 

Special Needs Land hits most of us really hard, I know. I experienced it myself. My special needs son was not born typically but came by Cesarean. 

Further, when they pulled him out of my womb, he collapsed and went straight to oxygen. Then he went to NICU for two weeks. His medical equipment filled the living room when he came home with a genetic diagnosis.

Yet, when I chose his name, it was before I knew that he was a special needs baby. 

Gift of God just sounded right.

My son's older brother at the age of 5 had prayed for a baby brother, and God gave him one. I knew I wanted another baby, but I was not sure if I was too old to get pregnant. 

Yet, along came my son, Gift of God. 

He was a challenge, but always a gift, even before he was born.

They told me he would just sit and watch tv

While television sure is a favorite pastime of many, it really does not have anything to do with who my son is today.

But, the point is we were told many things like this that limited my son to a behavior that had little to nothing to do with who he is as a person.

My son is a gift of God because he is a creation of God. 

He holds likes, interests, and activities that define who he is. Plus, he loves to go places and do things, which of course, do not have anything to do with television! 

Do we run up against the wall of his genetic syndrome? Yep, you bet. But, I always encourage him to be who he is and encourage him in his interests, even as he grows and changes. 

In truth, his tantrums and meltdowns are far worse than I imagined (being honest here). The professionals who were/are supposed to help us, often times fail to do that. And the system is one big pile of corruption.

But, when I look at my son, receive his hugs and sloppy kisses, or listen to his childlike banter (even as a big kid), I know that I am blessed. 

The bad days are just that.

They are just bad days. 

It is really hard to remember that when things are really dark and we cannot find a solution for whatever issue burdens our special needs kid.

I read the posts too of so many moms struggling under the weight of what it takes to care for our kids, and many of us do it alone. Some moms are even married and shoulder this burden alone. When we are honest, we are that mom too. She is a reflection of who we are as well.

So, at the end of the day, or even during a rough season, just take small moments to breathe in scripture, a hot bath, or an extra nap. Take the moments you can to refresh and regroup.

Remember that this season, too, will be over and better days are tomorrow or on the horizon. 

It is really not over until God says so!

God has a plan

Yep. He really does, and that includes your special needs angel (who may not always act like an angel). 

One thing I know for sure is that He created our children and then placed them here in our families for a purpose and a reason. 

It is one of the reasons why I started writing (which is one of my own personal calls by the Lord), but He also has a unique plan for both our special needs kids and our typical kids. 

Watch them. Watch how they play and talk to each other. Look for the ways they positively interact with each other and their peers. 

Nurture it and support their God-given attributes. God's purpose and plan remain in the middle of these little nuggets of our kids' personalities. 

Further, what is His plan for you as a mom and a woman of God? What is the Lord trying to teach you? Has He called you to prayer or some service to your family?

If you are not sure, ask Him and He will unfold the truth right before you.

You are not alone

I think this is where yes, our faith comes in, but also where we rely on each other for support. 

There are so many special needs groups on Facebook, and I know if you are like me, you joined several of them! 

The things we all have in common are our special needs kids, the long hours, difficult medical issues, behavioral challenges, learning difficulties, and then the rest of our duties as moms and sometimes wives.  

While we may have specific challenges as individuals, generally, it is all about our special needs kids some days. 

The unique challenges punctuate our daily lives while we struggle with being unable to go places or make a quick run to the store. Further, shuttling and caring for our typical kids and their needs remains a rather large task when you are the only one running the ship.

But, after the storm of the day, or even before it starts, God is there, waiting for you to listen to Him. 

He is the still, small voice in the peace and He is the Word on the pages of our Bibles. His Holy Spirit is what leads and guides you through each and every decision. 

Whether you are alone physically or married, He is always with you and will help you every step of the way. 

While we may not have been given the easy lives as special needs moms, we are blessed with a Mighty God who knows everything that we need.

In His grip~Kim

The Story of My God-Given Divorce

 

I waited years to really write about my divorce. Mostly out of respect for the violent behavior of my Ex-husband. I mean, really, you don't poke a tiger unless you want it to maul you.

So while I have long since carried my heart to the Lord for healing, I knew that I could not give it to a man like that again. 

I knew that he committed adultery against me, but he was careful to cover his tracks, so later I surmised that he had done it over and over again. 

Once I climbed over the hurdle of betrayal and hurt that comes with an adulterous and abusive husband, I arrived face to face with the religious narcissistic lies of the church.

You need to forgive him (and trust him again).

You were called to save him.

Just pray for him until he comes home. 

On and on it went like this. 

And when that did not work the way they wanted it to, it became a different manipulation.

You need to repent, Sister.

God is punishing you.

Whispers and stares followed me all over the church as if my purity before God meant absolutely nothing. What they surmised as sexual purity (staying married to an adulterer) wasn't purity at all.

The religious women who never had to worry about an unfaithful husband or a life of abuse from a sheep-dressed wolf clucked their tongues at me and branded me with a Scarlet Letter A. 

The problem is that none of it was even true.

What they did not see were my cries to God to save us from getting killed by this man. The best I felt I could hope for with this man was to not catch some horrible sexual disease he picked up somewhere. Or, not wake up yet again while he was raping me in my sleep.

Worse, once the truth began to come out about who he was, we were left abandoned by corrupt local law enforcement when I found a fully-loaded assault Army rifle hidden in our backyard shed. The case he kept it in had several magazines of bullets in the case. All he had to do was point, unlock, and shoot that gun. 

My children and I were completely abandoned, even though we were completely his victims.

The point is that these people in the church had no idea what was going on, so they created some erroneous sin they made up and accused me of needing repentance.

None of it was born of the Holy Spirit.

Because after all, evil men do not marry Godly women, right?

And she must have done something to make him do what he did, right?

The problem is their own coverups

I mean, really. How many evil women narcissistically point their accusing finger at abused women and their children, while evil men refuse to live up to anyone's Christian standards. 

But, the truth of the matter is that it isn't because the rest of us need some level of repentance, but because these women are filled with dead bones themselves. 

You see, in a world full of psychology and mental health crises, the truth remains that such women harbor cold, dark hearts that hate. They marry evil, immoral men, who cling to their selfish delusions. 

The image of Jezebel and her husband, Ahab comes to mind quite quickly. She sent her evil husband after a prophet of God, and when that didn't work, she went after him herself.

While the modern church may not go quite that far, how right are they when they shun women for rightly getting a divorce from adulterous men?

Worse, they try to make men "repent" and go back to their wives. Why? Do they want them to victimize their wives again?!

So God had the last word

Not only did He give me a divorce, but He made a way for my sons and me to live in our home and continue our life of homeschooling.

The Lord helped me get the money I needed, and we lived a happy, and generally peaceful life like this until COVID. 

Without my Ex-husband.

And not once did I invite twenty men over to stay the night or even visit a bar...

I mean, seriously, why do people think that? Is that what they did?! 

I hate bars and I want to get married, not pick up random, stray men.

So, yes, God knew that my children and I deserved better, so He gave it to us.

I cannot say why some people act that way

For the longest time, I struggled to understand why people in or out of the church attack innocent bystanders with such hate. 

I still don't.

But, what I have learned is that only God can rescue someone, even from themselves. I could not in a million years rescue my Ex-husband from himself. 

But, what I can continue to do is not rescue him. Proverbs tells us:

A violent-tempered person will pay the penalty; if you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again. Proverbs 19:19

Nor can I rescue attacking women from themselves either. 

These people must repent before a mighty God, who is their Creator and truly Lord over all. If they don't, well, then what can the rest of us do about it? 

I can tell you that inviting them to church really isn't the answer, especially if they believe they are not the problem---everyone else is.

You either accept the gift that God has to offer you, or you don't.

God has the final say

And that, my friends, is the last word. 

The Lord does allow for divorce for adultery. Just because two people are married, does not mean that a man cannot commit adultery and defile the marriage bed. 

Because trust me, a man does defile the marriage bed when he goes after another woman other than his wife. Or even rapes the wife (or another woman) he has.

He cannot go back and make it right. Nor can he undo what he did. It is what it is.

He made a choice to not follow God.

Further, a woman is not impure because she was violated by her husband. She does not brandish the adultery label. 

No, her husband is the one who gets to carry that load.

And, woe is it to those who carry the load of adultery and worse, refuse to repent. 

If you are divorced

God will bless you for a divorce He has granted. The harsh words in the Bible about how God hates divorce are generally leveled at men who are unfaithful.

Sure, not all women are pure and in control of themselves, but rarely does a woman commit adultery. It generally tends to not be in our nature.

Even if you did wrong your husband, then you have the choice to repent and find God's forgiveness. If you did, then you are forgiven.

But, I promise you that God's will and purposes of sexual purity will be carried out in our marriages and our families.

If we are faithful to the Lord and seek His will in our lives, then He will faithfully carry out our purposes, even if He must remove evil from our homes. 

Trust God always and follow His will for your life and all will go well with you.

The Lord is always faithful!