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Podcast: Church History Matters
Episode: 014 Plural Marriage Troubles (part 1): John C. Bennett, Hyrum Smith, & Emma
Description: As Joseph Smith quietly practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo in 1842 and 43, all was not well. Three people in particular complicated things for Joseph. The first was John C. Bennett, a highly gifted convert who’s meteoric rise to civic and church leadership in Nauvoo abruptly ended when he was exposed for his secret practice of “spiritual wifery,” which was nothing more or less than illicit serial adultery. Bennett’s defamatory opposition to Joseph after his excommunication was fierce and directly impacted Joseph’s own private practice of plural marriage.
Surprisingly, Joseph’s own brother and member of the First Pr...