Modern religion.

I'm currently reading Jon Krakauers', "Under the Banner of Heaven".
(He also wrote one of the most amazing books about an expedition up Mt. Everest that I have ever read. Really! Pick up "Into Thin Air." You won't be disappointed.)

Anyway, "Under the Banner of Heaven" looks at a horrifying murder of a young woman and her 15 month old baby girl in the name of God, in Salt Lake City at the hand of two fundamentalist Mormon brothers.
(side note: The Church of the Latter-Day Saints denies there is any such thing as a 'fundamentalist sect', and in fact generally refuses to acknowledge any association with them as Mormons at all.)

Krakauer not only reflects on the reasons given by the now convicted murderer for the slayings, he also looks long and hard at the history of the Mormon Church.

It's a horrible crime, but the historical portion of this work really is fascinating.

Prior to Salt Lake City being developed as the focal point for that community/religious base, Vancouver Island, Canada was considered as a destination for the much vilified and harried group as they made their exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois.
(Polygamy was the major cause of many of the hardships the 'fundamentalists' suffered. They believed that 'God's will' was for man to have many wives to bolster the population of the chosen people.
Seems most everyone else found the whole concept disgusting and 'against God's will'. Isn't it amazing how EVERYONE knows God's will so intimately?)

Our little Vancouver Island would have been a far different place had that been the case!

So far, it's held my interest.
I've never been a history buff, but it sets my mind to working on how a regular old 'Joe' (in this case, Joseph Smith in 1825) could wake up one day, write a little book about how an angel visited him and gave him some signs that he need to be the head of his own religious community, and people signed up!

These days, that type of thing is either called a cult or Scientology.

I suppose L. Ron Hubbard has done the same thing in our modern age, hasn't he?

Well, that's it.

Where's my pen and paper!?
Times a wastin'!