Thoughts on Economic Equality

[Moksha]

I just read some interesting thoughts on economic equality in the Church by LDS apologist and scholar David Bokovoy that I wanted to share, since they seemed really well put together:

The first modern revelation given by the Lord addressing the need for religious and economic equality among the Saints occurred in January of 1831:

“And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself. For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and saith I am just? Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:25-27)

The Lord’s language on the subject of economic equality could not be any clearer. If absolute financial equality does not exist amongst the Saints, then they are not his people. Any system, therefore, that does not allow for this to occur is not of God, including capitalism.

Beginning with D&C 38, the Lord’s word concerning the importance of economic equality appears throughout modern revelation as a central theme, including the declaration that “it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin” (D&C 49:20).

Again, the Lord could not state this spiritual law of equality with any more clarity. Any economic system that does not create complete financial equality constitutes a “sinful” order. Hence, in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith in March of 1832, the Lord made apparent the absolute spiritual necessity for the Saints to live in total economic equality:

“For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion— For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven; That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things. For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things” (D&C 78:3-6).

There is nothing at all allegorical about the fact that if the Saints of God are not equal in financial blessings, they will not be made equal in obtaining heavenly rewards.

Therefore, in order to assist the Church in receiving these spiritual blessings, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph that through a redistribution of wealth and the abandonment of private ownership, the Church should become “equal in all things”:

“Behold, it is their duty to stand in the office of their Bishopric and to fill the judgment seat which I have appointed unto them—to administer the benefits of the Church or the overplusses of all who are in their stewardships, according to the commandments as they are severally appointed… For it is the will of the Lord that the Church should be made equal in all things.” Joseph Smith, "Revelation on the Duty of Bishops," March 1832, Newel K. Whitney Collection, Manuscript Division, Brigham Young University Library.

[john doe]

Moksha,

Do you need my address so you can send me all your excess? After I take what I need of it then I'll pass the remainder on to the next member here who posts. Just PM me if you are serious about helping me, your fellow man.

[Guest]

That would be me. I'll PM you my address John Doe when you have taken what you need from Moksha's excess, I'll take what I need of what's left and then pass the remainder to the next member below me.

[Dravin]

Dibs!

[miztrniceguy]

I will be in line after Dravin, but I should be right behind Moshka.

[Just_A_Guy]

Therefore, in order to assist the Church in receiving these spiritual blessings, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph that through a redistribution of wealth and the abandonment of private ownership, the Church should become “equal in all things”:

The bolded text is an out-and-out lie. See here and here.

The notion of a "deed" is incompatible with "the abandonment of private ownership".

[Guest mormonmusic]

Marion G. Romney wrote an article or gave a talk called "Communism and the United Order Compared" or similar. He stated that in the United Order, there IS ownership. I wish I could find that article. It was very enlightening; I've looked for it off an on over the last few years and still can't find it.

[James_Fryman]

Is this it?

http://runwin.tripod.com/socialism.html

[Moksha]

Besides wanting to line up behind me (good thing this is not a holding cell), is there anything to which David Bokovoy said that was incorrect, besides parsing the word deed, as Just-A-Guy has suggested?

[Just_A_Guy]

Besides wanting to line up behind me (good thing this is not a holding cell), is there anything to which David Bokovoy said that was incorrect, besides parsing the word deed, as Just-A-Guy has suggested?

Well, the rest of Bokovoy's post perpetuates this fiction:

At the moment of consecration, a prospective steward (not property owner) would legally transfer title of all their possessions to the bishop. There was no private ownership. Everything belonged to the Lord. The process is described in D&C 42:32:

“And it shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church, agreeable to my commandments, every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family.”

Under this system, the man is a “steward,” not an “owner.” The revelation mandates that the man is made a “steward” over his own property in order to care sufficiently for himself and his family.

It is pretty well documented that under the United Order, the stewardship was transferred back to the member by deed. Under Church law, those who chose to leave the Order retained their stewardships. (Under Bokovoy's ideal regime, by contrast, you just don't leave. Period.)

Bokovoy is misrepresenting scripture in order to score political points and (apparently) separate the doctrinally ignorant from their money. There was a time when Mormon liberals kind of frowned on that.

I find it humorous that some of you guys scorn Sarah Palin for wanting to "force religion down our throats" when she suggests that maybe schoolteachers can point out that evolution and Christianity are not mutually exclusive--but then, without blinking, you use a book of scripture accepted by less than 2% of the US population in order to justify the creation of a program that basically tells three hundred million people that they don't work for themselves anymore.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Just_A_Guy