John C. Bennett and Doctrine and Covenants 74
Doctrine and Covenants 74 and the Question of Infant Baptism
Doctrine and Covenants 74 provides a clarification of 1 Corinthians 7:14, a verse long used by Christian theologians to defend the tradition of infant baptism. For more than fourteen centuries, both Catholic and Protestant traditions continued baptizing infants, even after the Reformation, with leaders such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and the Wesleys preserving the practice.
Some movements, such as the Anabaptists, challenged this system by insisting that only believing adults should be baptized. Their rejection of infant baptism caused deep social and theological conflict.
For many years, D&C 74 was mistakenly dated to 1832, but the original manuscript in the Book of Commandments and Revelations corrected the misunderstanding. The revelation was given in 1830 in Wayne County, New York, before Joseph Smith began translating the New Testament. The timing places it shortly after earlier revelations established the necessity of baptism and the need for rebaptism when ordinances lacked proper authority.
In its explanation, the revelation teaches that early Jewish Christian families struggled when unbelieving parents insisted on maintaining the law of Moses, including circumcision. Children raised under those traditions often rejected the gospel. The revelation affirms that little children are already holy through Christ and do not require baptism, rejecting both Jewish and later Christian ideas that infants are inherently unclean or stained by original sin. This distinction separates Latter-day Saint doctrine from the broader Christian world.
The Rise and Fall of John C. Bennett
John C. Bennett gained rapid prominence in Nauvoo, serving as mayor, major general of the Nauvoo Legion, and a temporary counselor in the First Presidency. His influence collapsed when leaders discovered his secret promotion of “spiritual wifery,” a system of illicit sexual relations masked as religious practice. His excommunication followed shortly thereafter.
After leaving the Church, Bennett launched a public campaign against Joseph Smith, publishing accusatory letters that became the basis of his 1842 exposé The History of the Saints. Historians consider Bennett deeply unreliable: his own book claims he never believed in Mormonism, yet he had publicly borne testimony in Nauvoo; he confessed his deceit before departing; and later he joined James Strang’s rival movement, contradicting his earlier claims. Even within the Strangite movement, Bennett’s immoral behavior led to his removal.
Bennett’s medical background stemmed from an apprenticeship under his uncle, Dr. Samuel Hildreth, rather than formal university training. He may have received a certificate from a local medical society, which reflected the standards of early 19th-century American medicine. His military service during the Civil War consisted of recruiting efforts and a short enlistment, ending because of illness; he never saw combat.
The Expansive Teachings of Doctrine and Covenants 76
Brigham Young frequently described the revelation known as “The Vision” (D&C 76) as one of the greatest revelations ever given. Its most transformative teaching was that the traditional Christian view of an eternal, unending hell applied only to the sons of perdition. All others, even the wicked, would eventually inherit a kingdom of glory after their time of suffering and repentance. The revelation also extended salvation to all who died without knowledge of Christ, including entire nations who never heard the gospel in mortality.
Brigham Young later corrected early assumptions that reformers like John Wesley were damned. Instead, he taught that truth, when spoken, carries the Holy Spirit regardless of denominational boundaries. This universal scope of Christ’s Atonement, later clarified in D&C 76, revealed that nearly all of God’s children will ultimately be saved in a degree of heavenly glory, overturning centuries of Protestant and Catholic emphasis on eternal torment.
William E. McLellin and Early Warnings
Doctrine and Covenants 66:10 warned William E. McLellin that adultery was his chief temptation. After his later apostasy, multiple Latter-day Saints in Missouri accused him of theft and of participating in the plundering of homes during the violent conflicts of 1838, including the destruction of Joseph Smith’s and Sidney Rigdon’s property after the extermination order.
Evaluating Claims About a Supposed “Loss of Priesthood” in 1834
A modern argument suggests the Church lost priesthood authority in 1834, citing the temporary name change to “The Church of the Latter Day Saints” and claiming that only those present at a meeting on the Isaac Morley Farm in 1831 received the true Melchizedek Priesthood.
Historical records refute the argument entirely:
- Joseph Smith never taught that the Church lost priesthood authority.
- The 1834 name change was administrative, not doctrinal.
- Priesthood ordinations occurred before and after the Morley Farm meeting.
- Minutes from June 3, 1831 show that four future apostles attended: Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Lyman Wight, and Thomas Marsh.
- Priesthood authority was restored in 1829 and continued unbroken afterward.
The Joseph Smith Papers confirm that the foundational claims behind this theory are historically false. When historical arguments rely on inaccurate facts, their conclusions collapse.
Summary of Historical Findings
- Doctrine and Covenants 74 rejects infant baptism by teaching that children are holy through Christ.
- John C. Bennett’s story illustrates the dangers of relying on an unreliable historical source who contradicted himself repeatedly.
- Doctrine and Covenants 76 teaches universal redemption except for the sons of perdition.
- William McLellin’s later actions aligned with earlier prophetic warning.
- No evidence supports theories of lost priesthood authority in 1834, and primary sources contradict the claim.