John C Bennet Gay?

[Emower]

Reading through dialogue journals I came across an interesting article that I thought would be amusing to read.
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-cont ... N01_19.pdf
Manly Virtue: Defining Male Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism by Russell Stevenson.

On page 63 the author describes a scene where apparently Joseph walked in on Francis Higbee and John C. Bennet on a bed engaging in activity that Joseph described as "so revolting, corrupt, and disgusting."

I looked up the court proceedings which is housed in the May, 1844 issue of the times and seasons page 538-539. It starts at the end of 538. It is not quite as bad as Stevenson makes it sound, meaning that the times and seasons does not say that Joseph walked in on Higbee and Bennet together, it just puts them together into some sort of sordid affair. Also Joseph did not describe the activity as revolting and disgusting, the Times and Seasons did. The testimony is censored by the times and seasons because they "dread having anything to do with the publication of their trials. We will not offend the public eye or ear with a repetition of the foulness of their crimes anymore."

Its enough to make a person wonder what the crap was going on...
This dialogue article is fascinating to read due to the weird sexual attitudes that were floating around Zion. As I read through it I just have to shake my head and be grateful that I wasn't caught up in it back then.

[Emower]

In a follow up tidbit of information, apparently there was a black musician that married a former stake presidents daughter( who was white) before the saints went West. William McCrary. People didn't like that and persecuted him. Brigham Young told him that "we are all one blood" and he "didn't care about the color." I thought this was odd coming from the source of our "interracial marriages will go to hell" prophet. William McCrary kind of went off the deep end and started his own polygamous movement oriented around sex, with sexual union being the ultimate sealing. Obviously this didn't sit well with the locals and he had to run. It got me thinking and wondering if he is the source of Brigham's dislike of Black folk? Is that where the blacks and the priesthood policy came from?

[redjay]

In a follow up tidbit of information, apparently there was a black musician that married a former stake presidents daughter( who was white) before the saints went West. William McCrary. People didn't like that and persecuted him. Brigham Young told him that "we are all one blood" and he "didn't care about the color." I thought this was odd coming from the source of our "interracial marriages will go to hell" prophet. William McCrary kind of went off the deep end and started his own polygamous movement oriented around sex, with sexual union being the ultimate sealing. Obviously this didn't sit well with the locals and he had to run. It got me thinking and wondering if he is the source of Brigham's dislike of Black folk? Is that where the blacks and the priesthood policy came from?

Fascinating stuff.

[tryingtogetitright]

William McCrary absolutely was part of BY's concern about interracial marriage, which is what I think prompted the priesthood ban. Women wouldn't want to marry people who couldn't take them to the temple. So it solved BY's fears about interracial marriage.

[deacon blues]

Reading through dialogue journals I came across an interesting article that I thought would be amusing to read.
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-cont ... N01_19.pdf
Manly Virtue: Defining Male Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism by Russell Stevenson.

On page 63 the author describes a scene where apparently Joseph walked in on Francis Higbee and John C. Bennet on a bed engaging in activity that Joseph described as "so revolting, corrupt, and disgusting."

I looked up the court proceedings which is housed in the May, 1844 issue of the times and seasons page 538-539. It starts at the end of 538. It is not quite as bad as Stevenson makes it sound, meaning that the times and seasons does not say that Joseph walked in on Higbee and Bennet together, it just puts them together into some sort of sordid affair. Also Joseph did not describe the activity as revolting and disgusting, the Times and Seasons did. The testimony is censored by the times and seasons because they "dread having anything to do with the publication of their trials. We will not offend the public eye or ear with a repetition of the foulness of their crimes anymore."

Its enough to make a person wonder what the crap was going on...
This dialogue article is fascinating to read due to the weird sexual attitudes that were floating around Zion. As I read through it I just have to shake my head and be grateful that I wasn't caught up in it back then.

I tend to blame Joseph's tendency to throw mud at anyone attacking him, as the the explanation for this. In my more believing days, I regarded John C. Bennett as a total liar. Now I trust some of his comments, if justified by other evidence. In those same believing days I regarded Joseph Smith as totally honest. Now I judge what he said in the context of other evidence.

[Emower]

Reading through dialogue journals I came across an interesting article that I thought would be amusing to read.
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-cont ... N01_19.pdf
Manly Virtue: Defining Male Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism by Russell Stevenson.

On page 63 the author describes a scene where apparently Joseph walked in on Francis Higbee and John C. Bennet on a bed engaging in activity that Joseph described as "so revolting, corrupt, and disgusting."

I looked up the court proceedings which is housed in the May, 1844 issue of the times and seasons page 538-539. It starts at the end of 538. It is not quite as bad as Stevenson makes it sound, meaning that the times and seasons does not say that Joseph walked in on Higbee and Bennet together, it just puts them together into some sort of sordid affair. Also Joseph did not describe the activity as revolting and disgusting, the Times and Seasons did. The testimony is censored by the times and seasons because they "dread having anything to do with the publication of their trials. We will not offend the public eye or ear with a repetition of the foulness of their crimes anymore."

Its enough to make a person wonder what the crap was going on...
This dialogue article is fascinating to read due to the weird sexual attitudes that were floating around Zion. As I read through it I just have to shake my head and be grateful that I wasn't caught up in it back then.

I tend to blame Joseph's tendency to throw mud at anyone attacking him, as the the explanation for this. In my more believing days, I regarded John C. Bennett as a total liar. Now I trust some of his comments, if justified by other evidence. In those same believing days I regarded Joseph Smith as totally honest. Now I judge what he said in the context of other evidence.

That's a good point. I didn't think about that. There's my Mormon attitude creeping in, just assuming what Joseph said was right...

[StarbucksMom]

I don't know but I just saw today that Barry Manilow came out as being gay. I'm still in shock.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.co ... index.html

[LSOF]

In the History of the Church, Joe also accused Bennett of practising spiritual wifery.

[AllieOop]

Reading through dialogue journals I came across an interesting article that I thought would be amusing to read.
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-cont ... N01_19.pdf
Manly Virtue: Defining Male Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism by Russell Stevenson.

On page 63 the author describes a scene where apparently Joseph walked in on Francis Higbee and John C. Bennet on a bed engaging in activity that Joseph described as "so revolting, corrupt, and disgusting."

Joseph’s brother, William Smith, accused John C. Bennett of “buggery,” a nineteenth-century term for homosexual activity. That combined with what was stated and written about his relationship with Higbee, has led serious historians to conclude that Bennett was bisexual (he did love the ladies too).

[Emower]

Reading through dialogue journals I came across an interesting article that I thought would be amusing to read.
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-cont ... N01_19.pdf
Manly Virtue: Defining Male Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism by Russell Stevenson.

On page 63 the author describes a scene where apparently Joseph walked in on Francis Higbee and John C. Bennet on a bed engaging in activity that Joseph described as "so revolting, corrupt, and disgusting."

Joseph’s brother, William Smith, accused John C. Bennett of “buggery,” a nineteenth-century term for homosexual activity. That combined with what was stated and written about his relationship with Higbee, has led serious historians to conclude that Bennett was bisexual (he did love the ladies too).

Fascinating. Just when historical reading is getting boring, another interesting fastball comes whipping around.

[Rob4Hope]

The "fastball" coming through never ceases to astound me. You can never get to the bottom--there is always something else, and though this thread doesn't surprise me, it did open my eyes once again to how little I know of real "church history".

The swings that BY had indicate a capricious nature. And IMHO, being capricious and meek are in direct opposition.

For that matter.....let me say this as well: if God DID command JS to take additional wives, then it makes God capricious as well, at least as far as I can see. How can I have faith or even believe in such a being? Consequently, I've had to separate, even sever my understanding of "a god" and LDS theology--the two are paradoxical.

The scriptures say God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The scriptures also say God is meek. And yet here we have "profits" teaching things about God that openly contradict those teachings?....and this from a God of truth who ONLY works for the benefit of his children?

rubbish