Has anyone read these recent books by Matthew L. Harris? Does he remain a Mormon?

"Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right"

https://www.amazon.com/Watchman-Tower-Benson-Making-Mormon/dp/1607817713


"The Gospel Topic Series"

http://www.signaturebooks.com/product/the-lds-gospel-topics-series/

This is what defines ETB for me:

https://www.splcenter.org/file/1913

I've just finished watching the youtube video 5.5 hours with John Dehlin about this particular book. It's totally awesome. And a great read if you've got $30, which I don't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ9MNpmwpZY&t=4044s

My take away from this podcast was that Benson was a man between two centuries and couldn't adapt his world view to fit in with the circumstances of the mid 20th century. He was born in 1899 Cache Valley before the new deal and was from a successful farming family that had resources and felt that everyone should be like that. It was a nostalgic time of simplicity, of abundance. There were no poor people, no Irish, no Blacks, no diversity.

When Benson got to Eisenhower's cabinet he was forced to work with new kinds of people, and didn't feel comfortable with it. He didn't get along well with Jews, Blacks, and Liberals, and anyone not like him, especially feminists. Then in the 50's he came into acquaintance with Welch (a Bircher) and found the reason for why he thought he felt uncomfortable, which is that there were secret informants for the Kremlin, infiltrated in every part of the government that seek to destroy the constitution and the American way of life.

He became radicalized and went on with a new idea of who all his new enemies were. And this went on for decades. The aftermath is that many people in Utah likewise are far out on the political fringes as well. Folks like Bundy, Westover, and a good chunk of Utah county (..can I have an Amen!)

Benson worked with Strong Thurman and Governor Wallace and opposed getting rid of segregation, and the New Deal. All the Mormon brethren were in favor of segregation but slowly changed their minds over a process of many years. Though Benson was probably the most radical of the bunch. And the hardest nut to crack.

But anyway it's a great study, that explains so much of why things are the way they are today.

Ok, for starters, he was 30 years old when the Great Depression hit, so, living in a farm community, I can guarantee he knew some poor people, whether or not he was one himself.

He especially didn't like feminists? In the 1940s that term didn't even exist. Racism clearly existed, and he was pretty much a full blown racist, though he might have had a soft spot for Lamanites. SWK did. Communism of course was the ultimate hot button, what with the Cold War and Joe McCarthy and all. ETB bought into that hook line and sinker.

There has been some talk here recently about authoritarianism in Mormonism. I think ETB was the ultimate authoritarian, though Mark E Petersen and BKP and BRM may be in the running for that title

Don’t forget Ernie.

Okay - StroM ThurmOND. I'm known for my typos, but please get that racist's name right.

I defer to steve when it comes to his grandfather: https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2070050,2070050#msg-2070050



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2020 12:00AM by Beth.

Be careful, Beth. In another thread macaRomney just announced that there's nothing wrong with being racist if you don't act on it. Here you are coming close to accusing Senator Thurmond, a man of goodwill for all God's children, of being evil. That would violate the principle so wisely enunciated by Mr. macaRomney.

It must be nice to never be wrong. To know that when you open your pie-hole, only Truths emerge...to be shared with those in need of The Truth.

One could mistake them for prophets!

I got an email the other day telling me this author is currently writing a biography about my great grandfather Hugh Brown. Since Brother Maca thinks the ETB book is great though he didn't read it, is there anyone willing to read Brother Harris' HBB book? I would rather not read it if it is as gushing as "An Abundant Life" was by my father's cousin Ed.