Books Details
Author : Matthew L Harris Pages : 288 pages Publisher : University of Utah Press
Language : ISBN-10 : 1607817578 ISBN-13 : 9781607817574
Books Descriptions
Ezra Taft Benson is perhaps the most controversial apostle-president in the history of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For nearly fifty years he delivered
impassioned sermons in Utah and elsewhere, mixing religion with ultraconservative
right-wing political views and conspiracy theories. His teachings inspired Mormon
extremists to stockpile weapons, predict the end of the world, and commit acts of
violence against their government. The First Presidency rebuked him, his fellow
apostles wanted him disciplined, and grassroots Mormons called for his removal from
the Quorum of the Twelve. Yet Benson was beloved by millions of Latter-day Saints,
who praised him for his stances against communism, socialism, and the welfare state,
and admired his service as secretary of agriculture under President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. Using previously restricted documents from archives across the United
States, Matthew L. Harris breaks new ground as the first to evaluate why Benson
embraced
