#this nonfiction book is literally considered exmormon propaganda in utah

[scarletfish]

Seen a couple hot takes like "oh no under the banner of heaven is sensationalized and violent and is going to give people the wrong impression of modern day mormons." And quite frankly? No.

First of all, you don't HAVE to sensationalize mormon history. Joseph Smith was a known conman charged with fraud who translated new scripture by sticking his head in a hat to look at a fairy rock with a hole in the middle that he found while grave robbing Native American burial sites. He told married women and teenagers that god would straight up kill them if they didn't marry/ have sex with him. I could go on for days. And this is the guy mainstream mormons and fundamentalists share!!

Second of all, the book clearly delineates between fundamentalist and mainstream views. No one thinks mormons are a bunch of borderline murderers waiting to snap. Mormonism isn't responsible for the Lafferty brothers' atrocities. But it's good to acknowledge that these religions had the same inherently racist, sexist, and violent origins. Modern saints don't talk about blood atonement anymore... but it's there!! In modern revelation in a church where a main tenant is full obedience and that prophets can never be wrong!!

TLDR; Mormons typically present a very sanitized version of their religion, and I'm fucking thrilled that Andrew garfield's pretty face might finally bring this church some more scrutiny