Watchman on the Tower

Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right

By: Matthew L. Harris

Narrated by: Christopher Reid

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 50 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 a radical form of conservatism, and how under his leadership Mormons became the most reliable supporters of the Republican Party of any religious group in America.

©2020 University of Utah Press (P)2020 University of Utah Press

Impartial and Well researched

I am a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ and a registered Republican.

I appreciate the painstaking effort of the author to research and provide a straightforward retelling of the experiences and acquaintances that influenced Pres. Benson’s political views.

I believe that he was a prophet of God, but also a man shaped by the world in which he was raised and his own biases.

To that end, I feel this book provides a refreshing look at the differing political opinions within the church membership and, more importantly, among its highest leaders. Just because he was called to lead the church in spiritual matters, doesn’t mean he was inspired in everything he said (even while standing at the pulpit).

Puts a partisan apostle into context while humanizing him

Even though I respect him as a prophet myself and even know his grandchildren personally, I have long had a problem with some of the more partisan quotes of Ezra Taft Benson. Friends and family still share some of his quotes, thinking they should represent church doctrine. It was nice to hear the author show how even his contemporaries and peers had a problem with how partisan he was, and how it actually hurt the ability of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to grow and prosper in parts of the world. While parts about spouting conspiracy theories from the John Birch Society surprised me, just how rabidly anti-communist he was did not. I also found it interesting that he changed or softened his rhetoric when he became prophet himself.
Overall, a good book that I’m glad I read.

Excellent review of a timely topic

I enjoyed this book. It is an excellent, fair, seemingly unbiased review of Ezra Taft Benson's political teachings, how they developed, and how they have persisted.

ETB is still a hero to the ultra right conspiracy theorists.

I enjoyed this book as a very informative presentation of ETB and modern Mormon conservatism and love for unfounded conspiracies.

Great background about our far right beliefs

A well balanced book about high ranking LDS officials, their beliefs and disagreements throughout the cold war and up to the current day!

Ezra Taft Benson was ahead of his time!

This book is amazing when you read between the lines and realize that everything they’re painting him to be is just projection from the liberal left University of Utah.

In a post Covid world where there’s more slaves, then there was when slavery was legal, and the United Nations is taking over Utah along with the Chinese communist party, as well as the rest of America. It’s very clear that Ezra Taft Benson was the best prophet to ever live, and the most tapped into what was really going on in America. If we don’t step up and save this country, now, we will be living in a totalitarian globalist government and truly godless country. I have faith and hope and so much respect for the prophet Benson. After reading this book he was truly ahead of his time and foretold, all of the craziness that was taking place and steel is taking place today. God bless this man.

Subject that deserves more attention

Many are concerned about Evangelical extremism, but Mormon extremism also deserves attention. This subject is pre-QAnon extremism, but it influenced current extremist movements.

Fair and informative

If you are closed minded you will not like this book. If you are open minded and can hold faith and imperfection in your mind at the same time you will get a lot out of this book. It can be difficult to see imperfections in leaders you love dearly but with the help of the doctrine of the Atonement it can help fight the culture of perfectionism that pervades lds culture.

Through scholarship

Matt Harris does his research and writes a captivating history of the “prophet” I grew up listening to this guy as a kid and questioning why he looked down on my mom who needed subsidized housing after my dad left her with 5 kids and no support. Listening to members of my faith use his demented screeds to justify everything from racism to home schooling. His influence is still felt when wannabe church intellectuals try to teach that the constitution is inspired of god… spoiler it’s not!! Or that some Mormon will somehow be the saviour of the nation ( heard this a lot when Romney ran for president). Spoiler again… they won’t be! Harris does a great job putting all the pieces together to show who Benson really was and how the church leadership put a lid on him to not scare the neighbours. He was a very deranged man preaching about “secrete society’s” and “variant on rovers” while joining a secrete society he’ll bet on destroying the nation and promoting hero twisted view of the constitution. Scary that he never saw the irony or realize that he was the very thing he was supposedly warning others about.

Overall a great book and the narrator does a good job of reading it.

Essential for any Mormon who wants to understand the rise of conservatism in the Church

This book was well researched and fairly portrayed. It was really helpful for me and understand how the church drifted into ultra conservativism.