After Hurlbut, the next very influential ex-mormon was John C. Bennett
Few people in early Church history caused as much long-term damage as John C. Bennett. His name isn’t widely known today, but the ideas he created still show up in modern anti-Mormon arguments, in books like No Man Knows My History, the CES Letter, and A Letter For My Wife. Bennett played a major role in shaping the assumptions and accusations that critics still repeat almost 200 years later.
Who Was John C. Bennett?
Before he ever joined the Church, Bennett already had a long record of dishonesty. He lied about credentials, abandoned families, ran up debts, and moved from town to town leaving problems behind him. By the time he showed up in Nauvoo in 1840, he had a pattern of seeking power wherever he could find it.
His Sudden Rise in Nauvoo
Because he helped with political connections and worked on the Nauvoo Charter, Joseph Smith trusted him. Bennett was baptized quickly and then put into major positions:
- Mayor of Nauvoo
- Assistant President of the Church
- Major General of the Nauvoo Legion
- Chancellor of the University of Nauvoo
No other new convert rose that fast.
But the man Joseph thought he was trusting wasn’t who he really was.
The Real Source of “Spiritual Wifery”
While in Nauvoo, Bennett was secretly seducing women and telling them Joseph Smith approved of it. He created his own version of “spiritual wifery,” which had nothing to do with the actual plural marriage that Joseph was slowly introducing to a small group of faithful members.
Bennett taught:
- that adultery was allowed
- that secrecy was required
- that Joseph supposedly authorized these acts
- that these were “spiritual marriages”
None of that was true. Bennett used Joseph’s name to justify immorality.
When he was exposed and confronted, he confessed privately, but instead of repenting, he left the Church angry and immediately turned to attacking Joseph publicly.
Bennett’s Public Smear Campaign
As soon as Bennett left Nauvoo in 1842, he went straight into newspapers, public lectures, and writing a book designed to destroy Joseph Smith’s reputation. His book The History of the Saints created a template that later anti-Mormon writers followed almost exactly:
- sensational sexual accusations
- allegations of political corruption
- claims that Nauvoo was dangerous
- stories of Joseph as a sexual predator
- fabricated tales of secret seduction rings
Modern historians know that Bennett was projecting his own behavior onto Joseph. But people at the time didn’t know that, and many believed his claims.
How Bennett Influenced Later Dissenters and the Martyrdom
The men who broke away and published the Nauvoo Expositor—William Law, Wilson Law, the Higbee brothers, the Fosters—copied Bennett’s accusations almost word for word. Their newspaper repeated his same stories of corruption and sexual charges. This publication triggered the crisis that eventually led to Carthage.
Bennett was not in Nauvoo in June 1844, but the environment that killed Joseph and Hyrum was built on the stories Bennett spread throughout Illinois.
Bennett’s Influence on Fawn Brodie
A century later, Fawn Brodie wrote No Man Knows My History, the first major modern biography attacking Joseph Smith. Brodie relied heavily on:
- Bennett’s sexual accusations
- Bennett-influenced affidavits
- Bennett’s framing of Joseph as deceiving Emma
- Bennett’s portrayal of Nauvoo as corrupt
She didn’t cite him directly, but many of her assumptions came straight from the anti-Mormon environment he created. Brodie shaped modern skepticism about Joseph Smith, but Bennett shaped Brodie.
How Bennett Shaped Modern Anti-Mormon Arguments
Even though the CES Letter and A Letter For My Wife don’t mention Bennett’s name, their arguments follow his exact pattern:
- Joseph as a sexual predator
- Plural marriage framed as abusive
- Accusations of secrecy and deception
- The idea that the Church hides its past
- Using shock value to undermine faith
- Assuming the worst motives possible
These ideas didn’t start in 2013 or 2017. They didn’t start with Reddit. They began with John C. Bennett in 1842.
The CES Letter and LFMW are basically updated versions of the same storyline—cleaned up, modernized, and wrapped in emotional language instead of the dramatic Victorian style Bennett used.
Why This Matters
When someone reads accusations about Joseph Smith today, it’s important to know where they came from. Critics today often present their claims as “new discoveries” or “hidden history.” But most of the themes were created by a man who:
- lied about his past
- committed adultery
- manipulated women
- used Joseph’s name to justify sin
- abandoned the Church
- and then wrote a book blaming Joseph for his own behavior
Knowing this origin helps put modern claims in perspective.
Here are a few of the connections between the modern anti-mormon assumptions that lay their foundation on the lies of John C. Bennett:
| Theme / Accusation | John C. Bennett (1842) | CES Letter (2013) | Letter For My Wife (2017) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Smith portrayed as immoral / sexually driven | Claims Joseph created a secret “spiritual wife system” to seduce women. Uses sensational stories of adultery and manipulation. | Frames Joseph as using “religious authority” to take young wives and deceive Emma. Assumes the worst motives. | Same framing: Joseph as deceitful, secretive, manipulative toward women, especially Emma. |
| Polygamy as proof Joseph was not a prophet | Says plural marriage exposed Joseph as a fraud and moral monster. | Concludes that polygamy alone disproves the Restoration. Uses it as the central argument. | Same pattern: polygamy is the emotional wedge to collapse belief in Joseph and the entire Church. |
| Secrecy framed as evidence of deception | Says Joseph built hidden systems, secret oaths, and a sexual “inner circle.” | Accuses the Church of hiding its “real history,” presenting secrecy as proof of dishonesty. | Claims historians, prophets, and manuals hid plural marriage details intentionally. |
| Use of secondhand and hostile sources | Relies heavily on rumors, affidavits, and his own unverified stories to build accusations. | Quotes late hostile accounts and out-of-context sources as if they are verified facts. | Does the same, often repeating old claims without noting weak or unreliable sourcing. |
| Appeal to emotion to create mistrust | Writes with shock value, moral outrage, and dramatic accusations to turn readers against Joseph. | Uses emotional stories, frustration, betrayal, and “they lied to us” tone to drive doubt. | Uses compassionate tone to disguise accusations, wrapping criticism in personal vulnerability. |
| Portrayal of the Church as manipulative or dangerous | Describes Nauvoo as corrupt, tyrannical, and conspiratorial. | Claims the Church hides truth, controls narrative, and misleads members. | Implies the Church manipulates members spiritually and historically. |
| “I was an insider who discovered the truth” narrative | Claims he joined the Saints to expose them and now bravely reveals “real” history. | Presents himself as a faithful member whose honest study revealed the Church’s problems. | Uses the “loving father and husband who discovered the truth” framing to create empathy. |
| Targeting Joseph’s character to undermine everything else | Bases entire attack on Joseph’s supposed immorality to discredit the Church. | Makes Joseph’s character flaws the foundation for rejecting scripture, priesthood, and doctrine. | Same approach: if Joseph is corrupt, everything he taught must be rejected. |
| Sexual accusations as the emotional core | Focuses on adultery, seduction, and secret relationships. | Highlights polyandry, teenage wives, and secrecy to create emotional shock. | Emphasizes the same themes as primary evidence for the Church’s supposed fraud. |