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Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 3 Discussion and What’s True?

Summary – The episode opens with Detective Pyre leading a group of officers up the mountain to rescue Taba, who is completely fine and sitting on the ground outside one of the cabins. (The episode doesn’t explain how he got there after having a gun pointed at his face at the end of episode 2.) Pyre calls for more backup and finds a little girl wandering in the woods, lost and scared. The officers apprehend her and she tells Pyre about how things function up at the “fort” and about “Uncle Allen and Auntie Brenda” when her mother Sara arrives. Pyre questions Sara about Brenda’s experiences in the temple. The episode then depicts the beginning of an endowment session in a pretty good imitation of the garden room in the Salt Lake Temple. Brenda shares with her sisters-in-law her worries about making a covenant to “surrender” to her husband. One of the signs is shown as well as the penalty motion. Sara claims the end of the world is nigh, that her husband Sam’s job is to separate the wheat from the tares, and that Brenda was subject to the doctrine of blood atonement. A large squadron of police officers prepares to storm the Lafferty “fort,” when Pyre realizes that the situation resembles the Haun’s Mill Massacre and decides to instead approach unarmed. A wild-looking Sam and his family are taken into custody while one man escapes into the woods. Meanwhile, Pyre’s mother with dementia is recovered after she wandered out during the twin’s birthday party. We see a flashback to Father Lafferty confronting Dan about refusing to pay taxes and beating him with his belt. The next day, Dan receives a “revelation” that he is the rightful leader of the family. In the present, Pyre and his wife take the girls to their baptismal interview with their bishop, and Pyre stays behind to discuss his mother’s health with the bishop. He also brings up how his current case ties into difficult church history topics, which the bishop encourages him to “put on a shelf.” At home later, Pyre and his wife fight about whether to postpone the girls’ baptism until after the case is closed. At the police station, Sam Lafferty is ranting and raving. Pyre corners Allen about his criminal record due to unpaid parking tickets. He shares how his brothers pressured him into it, and as a result, he was arrested and missed Brenda’s graduation from BYU. Brenda’s anger about this led her to confront Dan about his beliefs (which involve a lot of strange reasoning about the constitution and separation of powers), and during the confrontation, Dan reveals his plan to run for sheriff and eventually pull down most government institutions from the inside. Allen ties this story to Brigham Young encouraging Joseph Smith to fight persecution, but Allen says he made a deal with Brenda that he would leave their influence if she gave up her career to start a family. Pyre and Tab interrogate Sam Lafferty, who claims to be the Lord’s destroying angel, murdering those who are on his “holy list.” Robin Lafferty, still in custody, overhears Sam’s rants and demands to know if Brenda and her daughter are okay. Pyre shows him pictures of their deaths and Robin breaks, revealing that the Lafferty’s are likely also planning an attack on their bishop and stake president, who tried to stop their apostasy. Flashback to Brenda finding out she is pregnant and deciding to try to help the Lafferty family back onto the path of the mainstream church. Church History – This episode has a violent depiction of the Haun’s Mill Massacre, which most members will readily recognize. Less well known is the obscure early church concept of blood atonement, which the Lafferty’s appear to believe is still in force and to be enacted by them. Allen also pins violence in the early church on Brigham Young’s influence on Joseph Smith, with Emma Smith being against it. This neatly parallels the Lafferty situation, but it’s a significant simplification of the complex web of influences and responses to constant violence against the early Saints. We also get a mention of Joseph Smith running for president, which from my understanding he mostly did to draw attention to the plight of the church rather than expecting to win and reform the government. The show also alludes to the alleged assassination attempt on Governor Boggs by Porter Rockwell. Shibboleths – Sara Lafferty asks Pyre if he “follows his covenants.” This phrasing is off: LDS members would say “keep your covenants” or “honor your covenants.” (A search for the phrase “follow the covenants” on the church website yields only one result.) In the temple, Robin’s wife remarks on the importance of “keeping our agency strong,” another formulation that makes no sense. To Latter-day Saints, agency means the God-given ability to choose. This isn’t something we can strengthen, but an inherent condition of mortality. During their fight, Sister Pyre worries that delaying the baptism will shame her in front of their “congregation.” Members would never use this word, especially in private. We exclusively refer to our congregation as a “ward.” Her concern about people wondering if her daughters “failed” their interview seems off as well. Finally, let’s talk about LDS family size. Several times in this episode we get references to “at least 10” or “dozens” of kids as though this is the typical size of an LDS family. But in actuality, in 1980, only 12% of Utahns had a family of 6 people or more, and only a fraction of that 12% would have 10+ children. The wards I have lived in have maybe one family that has more than 5 kids. It’s just not that typical. I Don’t Love to See the Temple – Alright, here we are at the biggest controversy of the series: the decision to portray sacred temple ordinances. The temple scene takes place from timestamp 14:00 to 17:00. Only three minutes long, yet

Liz Busby May 9, 2022

Rabbi Against Roe + Today’s Digest

Our daily rundown of the articles from around the web that we feel our readers would enjoy and appreciate. We hope to highlight the best of what’s around. Public Square Bulletin recommends: Why I welcome the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned Rabbi Avi Shafran – NBC News While some American Jews have worried about how potentially overturning Roe v. Wade might impact their own religious freedom, one Rabbi writes for NBC news about how overturning Roe comports well with his own faith. Should Courts Assess the Sincerity of Religious Beliefs Linda Greenhouse – The Atlantic Last week we wrote in the Bulletin about how courts should avoid assessing the sincerity of religious beliefs, even when it may prove uncomfortable. But Linda Greenhouse for the Atlantic sees religious freedom claims being abused and presents the opposite case. 107 Florida congregations leaving UMC to join new conservative church network amid LGBT debate Michael Gryboski – Christian Post The official split of the United Methodist Church was delayed so often during COVID that many congregations in Florida have recently voted to join the Global Methodist Church instead. The schism is largely based on the United Methodist Church’s increasingly liberalized stance on LGBT+ issues. Christianity Is Under Trial With the “Praying Coach” Case Auguste Meyrat – Crisis Magazine With many ideologies taught at public schools with the imprimatur of the school, one coach’s decision to pray after football games has gone to the Supreme Court. Auguste Meyrat argues that because of the many ideologies available at schools, the question is whether religious individuals are afforded the same expression rights as others. Our Moral Pandemic: Christian Nationalism and Political Idolatry Drew J. Strait – Sojourners Drew J. Strait has a simple Q&A style article on Christian Nationalism, what it is, how it contradicts Christianity, and what we can do about it.

C.D. Cunningham May 9, 2022

Dubai’s Sikh Leaders Visit First Presidency + Today’s Digest

Our daily rundown of the articles from around the web that we feel our readers would enjoy and appreciate. We hope to highlight the best of what’s around. Public Square Bulletin recommends: Sikh Leaders from Dubai Meet with First Presidency Church Newsroom Surender and Bubbles Kandhari visited with the First Presidency yesterday. The two Sikh leaders from the United Arab Emirates spoke about the love they felt during their visit. National Day of Prayer Primer To celebrate the National Day of Prayer, be sure to head over and check out our article listing some of the best things we’ve read about prayer. Faith, Doubt, and Murder in ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ Sergio Lopez —Sojourners While there has been no shortage of think pieces about Under the Banner of Heaven, including in our own magazine, I wanted to direct your attention to a particularly thoughtful piece in Sojourners. While Lopez misses the tone-deaf elements that miss our faith, he recognizes some of the thoughtful questions it asks. America’s Blue-Red Divide Is About to Get Starker Ronald Brownstein — The Atlantic Since we had published a piece suggesting that the end of Roe could lead to greater unity, I wanted to direct your attention to this piece predicting the opposite result. Brownstein’s basic thesis is that as states have more distinct abortion laws, our country will be more different from state to state.

C.D. Cunningham May 5, 2022

Baby Formula Shortage

As Latter-day Saints, we often see the political news of the day through the lens of how it will affect families and children. One massive story that has somehow gone without major national notice is a troubling shortage of baby formula. WebMD has the story here: https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20220503/baby-formula-shortage-getting-worse Supply chain issues have hit all sectors of the economy. Baby formula has also been hit by a major recall from one of the country’s leading makers of baby formula. But few parts of the economy so directly affect the health and well-being of our most vulnerable. Today, approximately 31% of stores that usually carry baby formula, do not have it in stock. This crisis suggests direct and immediate action be taken to protect so many of our nation’s babies that rely on formula.

C.D. Cunningham May 5, 2022

National Day of Prayer Primer

In commemoration of The National Day of Prayer, here are some readings on prayer. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Last year, Samuel Hislop recommended this book. The book contains an extended conversation between Ivan and Alyosha about the nature and efficacy of prayer. A must-read on the nature of faith in difficult times. The Priceless Privilege of Prayer Bruce D. Porter gave a BYU devotional examining ways that our prayers can be dishonest, looking at the example of Huckleberry Finn. President Nelson on the National Day of Prayer President Nelson today published on social media, “On this National Day of Prayer, I have been pondering the evolving meaning in our society of the phrase ‘thoughts and prayers.’ For many, this is still a sincere expression of condolence and concern. For others, it is viewed as a perceived lack of action in the face of tragedy.” He goes on to explain how important prayers can be in the face of tragedy, and how it inspires him to action. The Power of Prayer Meleane Unga gave a devotional at BYU-Hawaii and spoke about how her father’s prayers growing up helped give her a model for how to deal with difficulties in her life. A powerful example of the personal importance of prayer. Four-Year-Old Me Prayed My Mom Would Have Eight Arms You’ll have to forgive me for including an old article I wrote myself detailing how I learned to recognize the unexpected answers to prayer. Religion for Adults Means Embracing Complexity Sarah Hurwitz wrote in the Wall Street Journal in 2019 about what a grown-up faith means, including the importance of prayer. One of the most thoughtful pieces on prayer in a national newspaper in the last decade.

C.D. Cunningham May 5, 2022

Convenient Post-Modernism

As the last bulwark for the rule of law in our nation, I’ve been discouraged to see the attacks on the Supreme Court from all corners in light of the recently leaked decision in the Dobbs abortion case. We’ll likely be looking at this issue in greater depth in Public Square soon. But for now, I wanted to highlight just how pervasive anti-institutionalism has become across our country. https://stream.org/were-all-postmodernists-now/ John Stonestreet and G.S. Morris write for the Stream about how “We’re all Postmodernists Now.” They are focusing on a loss of trust primarily from the political right. Which is why the sudden return of this trend to the left is so noteworthy. Post-modernism is not a sustainable framework, but it is increasingly used as a temporary tool to pursue specific political or cultural goals. As Latter-day Saints, we agree with their statement that, “Truth is knowable and that it doesn’t depend on the source but a reality external to ourselves.” These trends are certainly worthy of continued concern.

C.D. Cunningham May 4, 2022

Traveling Temple Open Houses

We wanted to draw your attention to an interesting announcement from The Church: https://news-gu.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/yigo-guam-temple-open-househttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022-05-02/inside-the-new-yigo-guam-temple-and-its-traveling-open-house-252759 A new temple is about to open in Yigo Guam. As is tradition, the temple will be opened for an open house before its dedication. The local area around Guam though includes many different island nations, and COVID-19 travel restrictions are still abundant in the area. The traveling open house, the first of its kind, will include both photos of the temple’s exterior and interior as well as samples of the materials used in construction so that visitors can better appreciate it. Traveling open houses will never have the full-impact of visiting the temple, but it may be a way to invite visitors to learn about the temple in increasingly remote areas in the future. We’re excited to see how this open house goes, and if the plan is revisited in the future.

C.D. Cunningham May 4, 2022

Missionaries Victims of Arson Hate Crime + Today’s Digest

Our daily rundown of the articles from around the web that we feel our readers would enjoy and appreciate. We hope to highlight the best of what’s around. Public Square Bulletin recommends: Connecticut Man Accused Of Setting Car On Fire Because Victim Was Mormon Associated Press Police said the man admitted to starting the fire and said he did it because he didn’t agree with the man’s religious beliefs. LDS Daily followed up reporting new details on the case. Latter-day Saint leaders and LGBT+ advocates deepen their relationship on Washington D.C. Temple tour Tad Walch – Deseret News The Washington D.C. temple open house has helped further the alliance between those working for religious and LGBT+ rights. Helping to prove the point Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen recently made here in Public Square Magazine. Like Christmas, Eid is being commercialized – and that’s a welcome thing Rifat Malik – NPR Eid, a holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan has been increasingly commercialized in the United States. While Christians are most familiar with bemoaning the commercialization of holidays, Rifat Malik explores why this might be a blessing to the Muslim-American community. Abortion restrictions v. religious free exercise: Which will win? Mark Silk – Religion News Services We may be looking at a major reversal on religious freedom issues. Some faiths, such as Judaism, specifically require abortion in limited circumstances. Will they be able to access those abortions as part of the free exercise of religion? Seek and Expect Miracles Anne Hinton Pratt – Meridian Magazine Anne Hinton Pratt takes President Russell M. Nelson’s directive to seek and expect miracles seriously in this article identifying the kinds of miracles we can look for and how to be more aware of them in our life.

C.D. Cunningham May 4, 2022

Nigerian Latter-day Saints Serve Orphans

The Church News had a report yesterday on a ward in Calabar, Nigeria serving a local orphanage. The Young Single Adult Ward had recently been pondering the hymn “Have I Done Any Good,” and decided that they could make a difference by serving a local orphanage. The ward members brought food and supplies, and prayed and sang with the children. The staff noted how timely the gifts were as they continue to recover from the negative effects of COVID-19.

C.D. Cunningham May 3, 2022

The New Yorker Falls to Old Anti Tropes

Drawing your attention to this piece published yesterday in the New Yorker, “Our Obsession with Ancestry Has Some Twisted Roots.” The article has some interesting insights but ultimately tries to paint the Church of Jesus Christ’s influential role in genealogical work as somehow “twisted” as the title implies. The article has much larger targets than the Church, but it unfortunately demonstrates how casually some journalists subscribe to centuries-old tropes casting Latter-day Saints as somehow sinister.

C.D. Cunningham May 3, 2022

Finding Post-Roe Unity

The big news today, of course, is the draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the case Roe v. Wade which first created a right to abortion in US law. An important caveat about this leak is that even if the ruling comes out precisely as is, it would not outlaw abortion in the United States. Rather the decision would return to legislatures. Roe v. Wade created a massive wound in our nation because it didn’t allow for finding the kind of compromise that we could live with as a nation together. And it has resulted in some pro-lifers seeking legal approaches that could have catastrophic long-term consequences for all civil rights, such as Texas’ new abortion law. This decision opens the door for compromises that would avoid these extreme legal approaches. Many of us pray that if this ruling comes out legislatures in D.C. and around the country see it as an opportunity to build a more durable consensus. Currently, the United States has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the western world, despite its citizens being much more conservative on the issue. As opposed to the President who stated he believes the opinion is “radical,” this could prove to be an opportunity to end our radical abortion laws and find a moderate approach in line with other similar countries. It might be tempting for those on both sides of the issue to double down on their positions in light of a ruling like this. Legislatures, however, have the opportunity now to build a compromise that can help heal this divisive issue.

C.D. Cunningham May 3, 2022