Jon Krakauer recently intimated that the LDS church has culpability for the Lafferty murders. What a crock. He needs to hang out more on death row instead of venturing into thin air. If he did, I suspect he would discover that most murderers have some petty or grandiose excuse for their heinous actions–whether it be the Twinkie defense, the I’m-on-a-diet defense, the I-must-cleanse-humanity defense or the God–told–me-to–do-it defense. Yet, no one suggests the abolishment of Twinkies, diets, politics or religion. Rare is the murderer who admits killing because they’re just a sick bastard who enjoyed it.
Maybe I misunderstood Mr. Krakauer. Maybe what he really meant to say was that many seemingly innocuous entities that teach a particular dogma or set of rules and require obedience thereto harbor fanatics and psychopaths. If so these entities, when possible, should root them out. I agree. It’s farfetched, however, to state that the LDS Church, as an entity, had anything to do with the Lafferty murders. Murderers simply blanket themselves in whatever philosophical cloak that’s at hand to cover the nakedness of their depravity and to comfort their failing consciences. Had the Laffertys been members of the Mickey Mouse Club, we’d probably be reading, "Under the Banner of Mickey," instead of "Under the Banner of Heaven."
Perhaps those reading Mr. Krakauer’s book will misunderstand his message and, like Lenin, will advocate the extermination of religion and its adherents. If they do, they are no better than the Laffertys. Religion is as endemic to human thought as is music. Both course through our souls. Deprived of either we will wither or invent them anew. Fail to choose a religion and a religion will inexorably choose you. It could be the LDS church, the I-hate-religion-religion, the Amway religion, the fans-of–Jon–Krakauer religion, the drunkard’s religion, the AA religion, or even the I-work-and-write-like-a-slave religion. So choose wisely. While the tune of my soul may not be music to your ears, and while your or my religion may cause some to exclaim, "What the %$#?," let’s grant everyone their little piece of faith-based irrationality and then work hard to weed out the zealots and psychopaths.
Loren M. Lambert © August 1st, 2003
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