Under the Banner of Heaven
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Last week, Nadine Smith wrote a great piece forGQthat would serve any fan of this show to read.
History becomes an origin myth that eventually calcifies into collective memory.
But when that shared memory is built on a weak foundation, shit gets weird.
There will be more bloodshed, more ruin, more devastation than theyve ever seen.
Thats why, he claims, he spilled the blood of his sister-in-law and niece.
At the Lowe home, Pyre and Taba inquire why their names would be on the Laffertys blood-atonement list.
Thats not to say that every nonfundamentalist Mormon man is out there scheming to start his own polygamist sect.
Anyway, Matildas girls ran straight for their old church, and their account led to Dans excommunication.
For Ron, the path to excommunication began at the church blessing of Allen and Brendas infant daughter.
Its not always easy, but it is our calling, she tells Brenda.
See, this guy knew about the Laffertys blood atonement list but never came forward with it.
But as Allen Lafferty will later tell Pyre, someone mustve convinced Joseph to surrender willingly.
Both Taylor and Brigham Young already had multiple wives at this point.
Maybe they didnt want to risk losing them for the only other voice who had power over Joseph.
In any case, Joseph took the so-called words of his wife to heart and turned himself in.
After his death, the church split into two camps Brigham Youngs polygamist camp and Emmas monogamous one.
It was Brighams camp that went out west and grew into the LDS church we know today.
Any Mormon will tell ya this is a particularly shocking and definitely cursed image.
After sufficiently terrorizing his wife and kids, Ron goes home to his mom.
Like Smith, my own family history is steeped in early Mormonism.
And for detectives Pyre and Taba, the search for the Laffertys just got a helluva lot more urgent.
And that means there will be more blood.
