Polygamy & Abortion in Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo - John C. Bennett Pt 2 | LDS Discussions Ep. 50 | 1854

Separating Fact from Accusation: John C. Bennett's Polygamy Claims and the Nauvoo Record

When Joseph Smith's trusted counselor John C. Bennett turned critic in 1842, he unleashed one of early Mormonism's most damaging exposés. Yet decades later, historians still grapple with a fundamental question: how much of Bennett's detailed allegations about polygamy and "spiritual wifery" in Nauvoo can be verified, and how much represents embellishment by a vengeful defector? The answer matters enormously, not because it exonerates or condemns Smith, but because understanding what we actually know versus what we merely allege is essential for honest historical inquiry.

This question gained new urgency in recent LDS Discussions podcast episodes, where researchers examined Bennett's testimony alongside documentary evidence from Nauvoo church records, legal proceedings, and contemporary accounts. The findings reveal a more complicated picture than either uncritical acceptance or outright dismissal would suggest.

Background: A Trusted Leader's Rapid Fall

John C. Bennett arrived in Nauvoo as a respected physician and experienced organizer. Smith appointed him as assistant president of the church and authorized him to help establish the city's infrastructure. By 1842, however, Bennett was excommunicated, and within months, he published a scathing tell-all account of Smith's private teachings on sexuality and marriage.

The timing is crucial. Bennett claimed Smith taught him that illicit intercourse with women was justified under certain religious circumstances. Yet in May 1842, Smith forced Bennett to sign a prepared statement denying the prophet had ever taught such doctrine. This creates an immediate credibility problem: either Bennett lied in his public denial or in his later expose.