Volume 1, Issue 6 – May 2005

Posted on 5/29/2005 at 12:08:02 PM

Contents

A Proclamation on the Economy

The Camel and the Eye of the Needle

Economic Freedom

Seeking Riches vs The Scriptures

Commentary on Jacob 2:19

Men & Money

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Men and Money

Posted on 5/22/2005 at 7:45:33 PM

Elder Charles W. Nibley¹
Lecture in the Logan Temple
January 1886

The subject of political economy has engaged the attention of many of the most eminent thinkers and writers, from the days of the philosopher, Aristotle, down to the present; and during all the ages of the past, many a system has been formulated by the best minds, put on paper, appearing quite beautiful in theory, but in practice all resulting in failure.

The English word economy is derived from the Greek, the primary meaning of which is a house and a law; especially pertaining to the income of the household and the disbursement thereof. To the word economy is added the word political, which enlarges the meaning to embrace a community – a body politic — a nation, or the whole world. Any system of political economy which allows the wealth of a country to be controlled and gathered in by a few, and thereby gives them power to oppress their fellows, must be a wrong system. The true system would be, that which will give society the most strength to perpetuate itself in contentment and peace.

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Some Thoughts on Jacob 2:19

Posted on 5/22/2005 at 7:43:12 PM

“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good — to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”

If we were just to read verse 19, especially the first part, by itself, without the verses around it – “after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches” – we might conclude that placing our hopes in Jesus might inevitably lead to earthly wealth. Also, if we were to take the part of the sentence “ye will seek them (riches) for the intent to do good,” we could come to the conclusion that God wants us to seek riches, for doesn’t he say “ye will,” and couldn’t this be seen as a command?

This is indeed the interpretation of some Latter-day Saints. A few of whom go as far as believing that if we do not seek for riches we either lack “hope in Christ” or the “intent to do good.” It is an interesting theory, and surely no good person would wish to dash anyone elses “hope” or “good intent,” yet there is one problem with their interpretation of this scripture – it is completely wrong!

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Seeking Riches vs. The Scriptures

Posted on 5/22/2005 at 7:41:52 PM

Our God is a giver of wonderful gifts. He gives us our bodies, the life within them, and the earth on which we dwell. He gives us the plants, trees and animals for food, and the materials to shelter and clothe ourselves. Most of us are stewards over a few of these things, and to a few he gives an abundance of these material blessings.

The scriptures indeed teach that God also made “the rich”¹ as well as the poor, and Solomon displays his wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes, when he acknowledges that God also blessed “Every man also to whom [He] hath given riches and wealth.”²

But this does not mean, however, that every one who is rich has been blessed by God or that God approves of everyones riches. In fact the scriptures on many occasions warn of the dangers that can come with wealth.

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Economic Freedom

Posted on 5/22/2005 at 7:40:02 PM

Communism and Capitalism compared¹
Joseph W. Musser

Truth² holds no brief with any sort of “ism” that has for its aim the destruction of human liberty. Men who engage in movements which encourage religious intolerance, are actuated by the spirit of the evil one, whether they be churchmen or otherwise. The Gospel plan is based upon the “Free agency of man.” Men are at liberty to worship God as they choose, or not to worship Him at all, so long as they do not infringe on the liberties or rights of others. This is true also as pertaining to our government. We are guaranteed certain inalienable rights under the Constitution of the United States, and any movement tending to proscribe or deny such rights is anti-Christ and should be resisted in all proper ways.

And so with the Constitution. Any attempt to destroy it, or to change its clear meaning and intent, except through the orderly channel provided by the Constitution itself for amending the document, should be vigorously opposed. The Church is right in its advocacy of preserving this great human rights document. It is the foundation of American institutions and our government, at least in theory, is the best government now on the earth and of which we are familiar.

However, we must not loose sight of the fact that agencies other than Communism are gnawing at the vitals of our body politic today. Among these sinister forces is unrestrained and unregulated Capitalism – the direct antithesis of Communism. It is held by many, and with good reason, that Communism is a by-product of Capitalism, and is a force organized to resist the baneful effects of Capitalism. Communism, Fascism, Socialism, etc., as we view it, are the direct off-shoots of Capitalism and are organized to protect society therefrom. Capitalism is near kin to Imperialism, which is the direct opposite of Democracy, the principle of the American government … it will be difficult to convince a large number of the Saints that Communism is more destructive of free government than is the Capitalism as we know it today.

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The Camel and the Eye of the Needle

Posted on 5/22/2005 at 7:37:56 PM

“In Jerusalem there is a gate called ‘the eye of the needle’ through which a camel could not pass until it stooped down to make it through the entrance.” This story has been taught to children in Sunday schools and by parents for at least two hundred years.¹ It teaches about the need to bow or kneel before God in order to take the path back to his presence.

In some other versions of this tale the gate is only narrow, and the camel must remove its baggage to squeeze through. This conveys the need to rid ourselves of our earthly faults and sins in order to take the narrow path of the righteous. This is a lovely story, which ever way it is told, and it makes a wonderful parable, but with one little problem – it is not true! There never was an ancient gate by that name! It was invented by the 12th century.

“In ancient Israel there was a pass through the mountains that caravans going had to often pass through. It was known as ‘the eye of the needle,’ because it was overrun with robbers, and it was almost impossible to pass through without losing everything.” This is another wonderful tale about the need to be cautious about our material goods, to remind us how they can be so easily lost, and how we can’t take them to heaven with us. It also is historically false.

There are many other variations on this same theme – involving an entrances to an inn (where the entrances we narrow to thwart fat camel-riding robbers), or a giant mysterious needle shape in the desert. It indeed seems very popular in Christian circles to make up, or repeat stories involving camels squeezing through narrow places.

Where have such ideas come from, and why have so many Christians been so keen to believe them? There can be few students of the scriptures who have never heard the statement of Jesus to his disciples that “it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”² It is one of the very few passages rendered exactly the same in several gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke render it exactly the same, without variation. It undoubtedly must have been very clearly impressed upon their minds, and they were very particular about accurately rendering it.

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A Proclamation on the Economy
from the First Presidency and Twelve

Posted on 5/17/2005 at 1:05:11 PM

To The Latter-day Saints -

The experience of mankind has shown that the people of communities and nations among whom wealth is the most equally distributed, enjoy the largest degree of liberty, are the least exposed to tyranny and oppression and suffer the least from luxurious habits which beget vice.
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