Benjamin F Johnson, Tongues, and the Church

[Navidad]

Last night, trying to better understand the relationship between Benjamin F. Johnson and my neighbors, the LeBarons,  I reread the autobiography of Benjamin F Johnson. He is an ancestor of a lot of the Mormon (used deliberately) folks here in Mexico, both LDS and otherwise. The book gives some information about his wife Melissa LeBaron, but stops short of his time in Mesa and relationship with his grandson Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. 

As I was reading his book, I came across an account in Canada that really caught my attention. Johnson was alone, young, and broke as a missionary. He hadn't baptized anyone (by his own account) and was a bit down. He camped out by Lake Simcoe in Ontario. That immediately caught my attention because, as a boy, I regularly went with my father to an AGC (Associated General Churches of Canada - or something like that) Bible conference very near the shores of Lake Simcoe. My dad would preach every day to the families vacationing there. It was called Fair Haven Bible Conference. It still exists. 

At any rate, Johnson apparently met with some natives who were living on an island on Lake Simcoe. He indicates they were Mohawk. He wanted to both learn from them about their history and preach the gospel to them, especially since they were Lamanites. He indicated one of them spoke English well, and he was able to communicate. Then he indicated he prayed and received the gift of tongues, which allowed him to preach the gospel in Mohawk to them with fluency. The event seemed to lift his spirits and validate his ministry just before the time he was to go home to Kirtland. I could almost picture the island in my mind. Those lakes are a beautiful part of Ontario. As a child, I enjoyed these Bible Conference trips. 

The account of him speaking in an unknown language — glossolalia with the Mohawks encouraged me to start this thread to see if you all can enlighten me and recommend further academic reading on the history of tongues and the LDS Church. Generally, in my world, the gift of tongues is divided into two parts: the ability to speak in an unknown human tongue, and the ability to speak an angelic language - perhaps the language of heaven. It took me back to the time on my mission to Dahomey when a tribesman asked us if the people in heaven spoke Boko, the language of his people.

I have read a number of accounts of tongues and the Saints, but this one interested me for various reasons. The LeBarons tend to believe that Johnson was the true heir of the authority of Joseph Smith, who then passed it on to Alma Dayer Sr. , Johnson's grandson. We have a large extended Johnson family here in the colonies who trace their heritage back to Ezekiel Johnson, the father of Benjamin Franklin Johnson via Benjamin's brother.

Enough meandering—so what is your collective thinking about tongues and the LDS church? Is the practice of the gift of tongues approved by the church? Is it heavenly or earthly language, or both? Is it ever practiced in a Sacrament service? If not there, then when? The 1890s brought about considerable shifts in LDS practice and doctrine. Are tongues something that shifted during that decade of changes in the Church? An inquiring mind (mine) needs to know. Sorry for the meandering history stuff. I just love it! Thanks in advance for your comments. best, Navidad. 

Edited 12 hours ago by Navidad

[Calm]

4 minutes ago, Navidad said:

he LeBarons tend to believe that Johnson was the true heir of the authority of Joseph Smith,

Why do they believe this?  What do they point to as evidence in other words?

[Navidad]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

Why do they believe this?  What do they point to as evidence in other words?

Mormon fundamentalist (rather than the Community of Christ) groups tend to point to one of two sources for their authority as the true spiritual heirs of Joseph Smith's authority: either the Woolley family or Benjamin F Johnson. The Woolleys groups trace the authority from Joseph Smith through John Taylor to the Woolleys and the LeBarons (for example) trace it via Johnson. There is no question that Johnson was very close to Joseph Smith. He was a spiritually adopted son, and spent countless meetings alone with Joseph Smith as a private secretary.  He was also an important member of the Council of Fifty, remonstrating those who belonged, but did not regularly attend their confidential meetings.

His first wife was Melissa LeBaron, hence the LeBaron connection. Johnson retired in Mesa. His grandson Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. apparently spent time with the extended family there as well. As a man, he claimed that Benjamin F. had passed along the power of the prophet, making Alma the "one mighty and strong." Various of the LeBaron sons claimed the title from their father. Their story is long and complicated, but fascinating and a study in family dynamics, both positive and negative. To my knowledge, there has not been an academic biography of the LeBaron family. I am a bit old to take that on, but I am also uniquely situated to do it. Whoever does it must gain the family's trust. It is a powerful force in Chihuahuense politics and agrarian rights conflicts. I hope that helps a bit. 

Edited 8 hours ago by Navidad

[Calm]

So it wasn’t Brother Johnson himself who made the claim of prophetic authority being passed to him or a higher version of priesthood authority, but his grandson?  Just trying to be clear on it. 

I haven’t studied this much, but Brother Johnson was an active member till death and was never censured for teaching anything not in line with mainstream doctrine at the time iirc.  So it wasn’t as if he claimed or others claimed for him special higher knowledge only given to him, correct?  It is just the special authority he didn’t claim that attracted adherents.  The grandson only claimed special authority and a need to preserve Nauvoo teachings as well as claiming it was passed on to himself?

If I am correct, how much of the family followed the grandson out of the mainstream church (out of the colonies if you know that as well as within them) and besides family loyalty and plural marriage, what was the likely motivation to accept his claim or were those enough?

Also am curious if Brother Johnson’s recollections of Joseph’s teachings of plural marriage differed from Brigham’s?

Edited 11 hours ago by Calm

[Navidad]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

So it wasn’t Brother Johnson himself who made the claim of prophetic authority being passed to him or a higher version of priesthood authority, but his grandson?  Just trying to be clear on it. 

I haven’t studied this much, but Brother Johnson was an active member till death and was never censured for teaching anything not in line with mainstream doctrine at the time iirc.  So it wasn’t as if he claimed or others claimed for him special higher knowledge only given to him, correct?  It is just the special authority he didn’t claim that attracted adherents.  The grandson only claimed special authority and a need to preserve Nauvoo teachings as well as claiming it was passed on to himself?

If I am correct, how much of the family followed the grandson out of the mainstream church (out of the colonies if you know that as well as within them) and besides family loyalty and plural marriage, what was the likely motivation to accept his claim or were those enough?

Also am curious if Brother Johnson’s recollections of Joseph’s teachings of plural marriage differed from Brigham’s?

I am unaware of any such claims made publicly by Benjamin F Johnson. He was a quiet humble guy, but fiercely proud of his relationship with Joseph Smith. He may have overstated that a bit later on in his life while living in Mesa. What we know is that the family believes that Joseph Smith passed on the presidency of the High Priesthood and the Firstborn Sceptre of Israel (I think that is the correct term) to Benjamin F Johnson. Johnson then in turn passed it on to Alma Dayer LeBaron in Mesa as a boy. It is widely accepted that Johnson, a firm supporter of polygamy, left behind 800 descendants when he died in Mesa. It is very possible that he did tell his grandson (he had many) this story. The LeBarons were from his first wife, Melissa. That could have given them priority over the others. It may also be possible that Joseph Smith did indicate to Benjamin Johnson that he was passing these keys of authority to him. We will most likely never know. There certainly were confusions over various claims of succession in 1844. 

Benjamin lived here in Colonia Diaz with his more outgoing brother, William Derby Johnson. The Johnson family was one of the leading families of that colony. William Derby was bishop there for years there. Two Johnson sisters married two Fillerup brothers. They became very active in Colonia Juarez at the LDS academy. Charles Fillerup became director, and Erastus was head of music, arts, and drama. Erastus died an early death in 1910 when he fell from the railroad bridge that was being constructed here in the little town where I live. He left behind his wife who was pregnant, and five children. Alma Dayer LeBaron SR. also lived in Colonia Juarez as early as 1904 when he would have been a teenager. It is all pretty complex. 

Alma Dayer LeBaron and Maud, his wife had twelve children. None of the children stayed in the LDS church. Some left, and some were excommunicated as late as 1944 or so. Several of the boys did missions for the church. The parents were excommunicated for polygamy around 1924. They continued to live in Colonia Juarez until they moved to Pacheco, up in the mountains. They then began to buy land south of Galeana, and the rest is history. The sons established two fundamentalist churches and fought among themselves for authority within those churches. Several of the sons lived in  SLC, but did not stay in the LDS church. Today Joel is recognized as the legitimate founder of the church they established that still survives. Ervil's church, to my knowledge, no longer exists here in this part of Mexico, but may exist in SOCAL, Texas, or the Baja. There are still relatives living in Colonia Dublán and active in the LDS church. They are related to LDS members who left the church to join the LeBarons. These familial ties are strong. The reasons and wherefores for why the LeBarons did what they did are complicated, too complex, and personal for this forum. 

[webbles]

2 hours ago, Calm said:

So it wasn’t Brother Johnson himself who made the claim of prophetic authority being passed to him or a higher version of priesthood authority, but his grandson?  Just trying to be clear on it. 

I haven’t studied this much, but Brother Johnson was an active member till death and was never censured for teaching anything not in line with mainstream doctrine at the time iirc.  So it wasn’t as if he claimed or others claimed for him special higher knowledge only given to him, correct?  It is just the special authority he didn’t claim that attracted adherents.  The grandson only claimed special authority and a need to preserve Nauvoo teachings as well as claiming it was passed on to himself?

If I am correct, how much of the family followed the grandson out of the mainstream church (out of the colonies if you know that as well as within them) and besides family loyalty and plural marriage, what was the likely motivation to accept his claim or were those enough?

Also am curious if Brother Johnson’s recollections of Joseph’s teachings of plural marriage differed from Brigham’s?

I think https://mormonfundamentalism.com/polygamous-groups/the-lebarons/ is a decent run down.  That is from Brian Hales.  Neither Benjamin Johnson nor his grandson (Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr.) ever stated publicly or in any writing that we have access to that they had any special power or privileges.  It was the sons of Alma that first mention it.

[webbles]

4 hours ago, Navidad said:

Enough meandering—so what is your collective thinking about tongues and the LDS church? Is the practice of the gift of tongues approved by the church? Is it heavenly or earthly language, or both? Is it ever practiced in a Sacrament service? If not there, then when? The 1890s brought about considerable shifts in LDS practice and doctrine. Are tongues something that shifted during that decade of changes in the Church? An inquiring mind (mine) needs to know. Sorry for the meandering history stuff. I just love it! Thanks in advance for your comments. best, Navidad. 

We don't really believe in glossolalia.  It has happened in the early church but we generally say that "speaking in tongues" is for talking in a known foreign language.  So, Benjamin Johnson's story fits great where he was able to speak in an existing language that he previously couldn't speak.  Another, quasi-famous one (because of the movie) is Elder Groberg's account of learning Tongan really fast by reading the scriptures in both English and Tongan.  I would say there is a pretty strong belief that many missionaries are given the gift of tongues so they can rapidly learn the foreign languages.

Here's a recent (2024) article in the Liahona talking about how someone had the gift of tongues (he was able to learn English quickly) - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/12/afw-eng-local-pages/local-news-002?lang=eng