God’s Economy: A Christmas Perspective

(Part One of a series)

Perhaps at this season of gifts and giving, we “religious” folk should take a serious 360° look at our preferred economic system. For disciples of capitalism,¹ the writing has been on the wall since Cain. For devotees of planned economies (socialism / communism), the writing on the wall may have preceded Cain.

In any event, both systems have served the god of Master Mahan² superbly well. If you don’t believe, look at the excesses (including the endless trivial) that glut our temples of commerce on the one hand and the scarcity and tragedies that haunt the environs of 3rd-world factories on the other. And that is just a 360 view of our “treasured” capitalism. The scarcities and tragedies of failed Communism were a little harder to conceal because the mountain of “goods” never materialized to obscure the truth behind the lies.

SO, if you think capitalism deserves all the credit for all the bounties that we “enjoy,” CONSIDER: What are the advancements and enlightenments we have forfeited³ because we have never been faithful, trusting, courageous, or charitable enough⁴ to live God’s economy—an economy of gifts, giving, and forgiving?

So what are some truths of God’s economy?⁵

▪ Every good thing is God’s and of God, including every breath we take.⁶
▪ There is enough and to spare.⁷
▪ Every soul has at least one specific gift to share with the world,⁸ plus the universal, though varying, gift of time.
▪ Gifts are not to be denied or ignored.⁹
▪ Gifts must be used and increased to warrant retaining them, but God gives the increase.¹⁰
▪ We are to ask for spiritual gifts we desire.¹¹
▪ We are to petition God for our daily needs.¹²
▪ Gifts are not always linear as to effort or merit.¹³
▪ We are stewards of God’s gifts.¹⁴
▪ We are to give in wisdom and order: as we are able; as we are inspired.¹⁵
▪ We must learn to be equal in earthy things,¹⁶ which comes as we live the two great commandments.
▪ Good gifts to others are as gifts to God.¹⁷
▪ The principle of gift-giving permeates historical and latter-day commands.¹⁸
▪ Anonymous gifts are preferred.¹⁹
▪ Gifts can be corrupted and corrupting if not given and received with an eye single to the glory of God.²⁰
▪ The idle (whether rich or poor) are not to take except through fair and consensual compensation, though all may receive gifts voluntarily given.²¹ The same applies to employers.
▪ Every soul is invited to partake freely of the gifts of God.²²
▪ We are to extend the gift of forgiveness.²³
▪ We are to continually thank God for our gifts.²⁴
▪ We cannot give enough to get the upper hand with God.²⁵
▪ It is more blessed to give than to receive;²⁶ (thus, it is also blessed to receive).
▪ We are to give cheerfully, not grudgingly.²⁷
▪ In order to have gifts to give, we must labour (i.e., give of our time, energies, talents, increase).²⁸
▪ We are not to judge whether a person deserves a gift or whether they will use it wisely.²⁹
▪ By living God’s economy and laws, we qualify, by virtue of the atonement, to be heirs (giftees) of all things.³⁰

One of the great sermons on God’s economy was given by King Benjamin circa 124 BC.

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. (Book of Mormon Mosiah 4:16-24)

Is living God’s economy practical in our present world? Perhaps not. Is it rational? Not really. It’s like Jesus and His life and death. It’s transrational. And transrational in this world is to live in faith, hope, charity, and obedience because God has said:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Old Testament Isaiah 55:8-9)

That’s the gist of it. We develop our gifts. We share our gifts. We help others develop and share theirs. We consecrate our all to God and His wisdom and purposes. We give anonymously to overcome the disposition to pride and corruption.

The good news is that not one of us is prevented from living, desiring to live, or beginning to live the economy of God (or elements thereof) even in the midst of Babylon and her carnivals of deception and excess.

In short: if we lived God’s economy of “gifts, giving, and forgiving,” there would be no poor among us, every person would be free to develop and use his/her gifts, and we wouldn’t be stuck in “The [tragic, obscene, pathetic, despicable] World As It Is” described by Chris Hedges and others. We wouldn’t be competing for power, privilege, wealth, popularity, land, or fame. We would be cooperating for that which would maximize the good, the true, and the beautiful.

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This post only begins to scratch the surface of God’s economy. In coming weeks, there will be additional posts dealing with:

▪ a (partial) history of giving;
▪ what God requires of us;
▪ ways to begin living God’s economy in the midst of Babylon;
▪ (and perhaps others).

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1. And by this, we mean corporate, corrupted capitalism with all its bottom-line, competitive, and corrupt justifications. This is not to say that nothing good has come from capitalism, but it is to say that nothing "achieved" through capitalism could not have been achieved through cooperation and collaboration sooner and further without the awful costs. For more of this writer's thoughts on capitalism and competing economic systems, see: http://www.dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/search/label/Corporatism ; http://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.ca/search/label/Economics .
2. Pearl of Great Price Moses 5:31 ~ And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain. Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness.
3. As in the myriad gifts buried in migrant fields, slave plantations / camps, sweatshops, shanty towns, ghettos, soulless jobs, bars, casinos, and the like; or the gifts sacrificed in pursuit of power, prestige, privilege, wealth, appearance, popularity, and so forth; or the gifts bought up and “disappeared” in the economics of competition and bottom-line.
4. (Including this writer, along with most of mankind.)
5. (This is but a sampling.)
6. Old Testament Exodus 19:5 ~ ... for all the earth is mine:
Old Testament Deuteronomy 10:14 ~ Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.
Old Testament 1 Chronicles 29:14 ~ ... for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
Old Testament Job 12:9-10 ~ Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Old Testament Ecclesiastes 3:13 ~ And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
Old Testament Ecclesiastes 5:19 ~ Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
Old Testament Isaiah 42:5 ~ Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
New Testament Acts 17:24-25 ~ God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
New Testament 2 Peter 1:3 ~ According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Book of Mormon Mosiah 2:21 ~ I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
Book of Mormon Moroni 7:16 ~ For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
New Testament Romans 14:8 ~ For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (See also Old Testament Daniel 5:23; Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:26)
7. Doctrine and Covenants Section 104:17-18 ~ For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.
New Testament Romans 8:32 ~ He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
8. New Testament 1 Corinthians 7:7 ~ For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 46:11-12 ~ For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
9. New Testament 1 Timothy 4:14 ~ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, ...
Book of Mormon Moroni 10:8 ~ And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.
Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 29:6 ~ Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost!
10. See the parable of the talents: New Testament Matthew 25:14-30; Book of Mormon Ether 12:25; Doctrine and Covenants 82:18.
New Testament 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 ~ I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
11. Doctrine and Covenants Section 46:8-12 ~ ... seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given; For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts. And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church. For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 27:29 ~ Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
12. New Testament Matthew 6:9-11 ~ After this manner therefore pray ye: ... Give us this day our daily bread.
Book of Mormon Alma 7:23 ~ And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
13. New Testament Matthew 5:44-45 ~ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Old Testament Deuteronomy 6:10-11 ~ And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
Old Testament Joshua 24:13 ~ And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
Old Testament Psalms 105:44 ~ And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Book of Mormon Mosiah 2:20-21 ~ I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another— I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 4:11 ~ And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
New Testament John 4:36-38 ~ And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
Also consider Manna, Quail, working poor, idle rich, family ties, etc.
14. New Testament Romans 14:12 ~ So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 42:32 ~ ... 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.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 51:19 ~ And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 104:12-13 ~ That every man may give an account unto me of the stewardship which is appointed unto him. For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.
15. Old Testament Deuteronomy 16:17 ~ Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 4:26-27 ~ And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
New Testament Romans 12:8 ~ ... he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity;
16. Doctrine and Covenants Section 78:5-7 ~ 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; For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 82:17-19: And you are to be equal, or in other words, you are to have equal claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just— And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord's storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church— Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.
Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 26:19-20 ~ And they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another. And it came to pass that they did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them.
Book of Mormon 4 Nephi 1:3 ~ And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.
New Testament Matthew 22:35-40 ~ Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
17. New Testament Matthew 25:34-45 ~ ... Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 42:38 ~ For inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me.
18. Might it be possible that a prime purpose of all those centuries of burnt, wave, heave, peace and other offerings and tithes were to keep people in the spirit of giving? And what about the year of release (i.e. debt forgiveness) as in Old Testament Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ~ If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Remember the rich, young man at New Testament Matthew 19:16-24. See also Doctrine and Covenants 42, 49:20; 51; 82 respecting the Law of Consecration
19. New Testament Matthew 6:3-4 ~ But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
20. Book of Mormon Moroni 10:30 ~ I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
Book of Mormon Moroni 7:6 ~ For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
Old Testament Isaiah 1:23 ~ Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Old Testament Exodus 23:8 ~ And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Old Testament Deuteronomy 16:19 ~ Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
Old Testament Proverbs 17:23 ~ A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
New Testament James 4:3 ~ Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
21. Doctrine and Covenants Section 42:42 ~ Thou shalt not be idle [as in idle rich or idle poor]; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 42:54 ~ Thou shalt not take thy brother's garment; thou shalt pay for that which thou shalt receive of thy brother.
Old Testament Proverbs 21:25-26 ~ The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 18:24 ~ And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support.
New Testament Acts 20:35 ~ I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
To employers:
Old Testament Deuteronomy 24:14-15 ~ Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
Old Testament Malachi 3:5 ~ And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against ... those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
New Testament Luke 10:7 ~ ...for the labourer is worthy of his hire.
New Testament 2 Thessalonians 3:8-11 ~ Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
New Testament James 5:4 ~ Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 70:12 ~ He who is appointed to administer spiritual things, the same is worthy of his hire, even as those who are appointed to a stewardship to administer in temporal things;
Doctrine and Covenants Section 56:16-17 ~ Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved! Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men's goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!
22. Old Testament Isaiah 55:1-2 ~ HO, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
New Testament Revelation 22:17 ~ And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:50 ~ Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 88:33 ~ For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.
New Testament Matthew 10:8 ~ ... freely ye have received, freely give.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 38:16 ~ And for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons.
23. Doctrine and Covenants Section 64:8-10 ~ My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened. Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (See also footnote 18 about the year of release and debt forgiveness.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 98:38-40 ~ Behold, this is an ensample unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me. And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy—And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven.
Old Testament Deuteronomy 15:1-2 ~ AT the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD's release. (See also verses 7-11 at footnote 18.)
24. New Testament Ephesians 5:20 ~ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
New Testament 2 Corinthians 9:15 ~ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Old Testament 1 Chronicles 16:34 ~ O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Old Testament Psalms 30:12 ~ To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
New Testament 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ~ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 18:23 ~ ... every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 26:39 ~ ... being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things.
25. Book of Mormon Mosiah 2:21 ~ I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
New Testament Luke 6:38 ~ Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
26. New Testament Acts 20:35 ~ I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
27. New Testament 2 Corinthians 9:7 ~ Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Book of Mormon Moroni 7:8 ~ For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 70:14 ~ Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.
28. New Testament Acts 20:35 ~ I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 18:24 ~ And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support.
New Testament Ephesians 4:28 ~ Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29. Book of Mormon Mosiah 4:17-18 ~ Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
Footnote # 21 concerning idlers seems to be a personal directive to idlers and not a mandate for others to judge merit. Idlers are accountable to God and will be judged righteously by Him.
30. New Testament Matthew 25:34 ~ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Old Testament Proverbs 8:21 ~ That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:18 ~ But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.
Book of Mormon Mosiah 27:25-26 ~ And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
Book of Mormon Ether 12:34 ~ And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 51:19 ~ And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 78:17-19 ~ Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

Blissfully Ignorant (II)?

I listened to a Sunday School class last week about the gathering of Zion. Most in the class are good people, striving to do the best they can, yet from some of the comments, I could not help but wonder if we live much of our lives in a state of blissful ignorance of our addictions in this world? of the hours we spend going to, meandering in, and coming from mega-malls? blissfully ignorant of the entertainment messages we consume daily? of the excesses we surround ourselves with? of the “why” of our food choices (and their consequences)? and on and on.

If we thought that Doctrine and Covenants 89:4 was an overstatement:

Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

then we are blissfully ignorant of the extent of addiction of many, many, if not most, of the faithful. Watch:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/The+National/Health/ID/2341079476/

then let us confess. Confess that the Atonement that we commemorated this week had to be infinite, because we are so infinitely compromised; and we don’t even seem to know it.

What, in our money-obsessed world, is not compromised? food, entertainment, economics, science, religion,  politics, sports, ourselves, etc., etc., etc.

Reminds me of a 10-year old, great-nephew's comment this week. His honesty was refreshing; his viewpoint  not so much. "I really like Easter," he said. "The candy part. Not all the religious stuff."

And so he celebrates, blissfully unaware that the candy part is both an addiction and a poisonous corruption of the event that gives excuse for the candy. And what is our blissful unawareness? Is it perhaps how little our words about Easter conform to our actions at Easter?

Makes one wonder sometimes if we’re not just déjà vu Rameumpton (Book of Mormon Alma 31).

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The above CBC.ca link is entitled "The Science of Addictive Foods."

A Fork in the Road!

If you’re headed down the wrong road and you take the right fork in it, as opposed to the left one, does it suddenly become THE right road? Somehow that seems the logic of “God-fearing,” free-market capitalists. The economic road forks a few paces in, and despite the fine rhetoric of freedom, choice, agency, prosperity, ownership, private enterprise, growth, merit, values, etc., etc., capitalism has even less conformity to Christ’s teachings (let alone, those of other faiths) than communism does. When compared with the moral teachings of spiritual leaders through all ages, both economic systems reveal themselves as fallacious ideologies with just enough smattering of truth to decoy the good and mollify the greedy. Here is a quote that should help wake us up!

Satan's masterpiece of counterfeiting is the doctrine that there are only two choices, and he will show us what they are. It is true that there are only two ways, but by pointing us the way he wants us to take and then showing us a fork in that road, he convinces us that we are making the vital choice, when actually we are choosing between branches in his road. Which one we take makes little difference to him, for both lead to destruction. This is the polarization we find in our world today. Thus we have the choice between Shiz and Coriantumr—which all Jaredites were obliged to make. We have the choice between the wicked Lamanites (and they were that) and the equally wicked (Mormon says "more wicked") Nephites. Or between the fleshpots of Egypt and the stews of Babylon, or between the land pirates and the sea pirates of World War I, or between white supremacy and black supremacy, or between Vietnam and Cambodia, or between Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers, or between China and Russia, or between Catholic and Protestant, or between fundamentalist and atheist, or between right and left—all of which are true rivals, who hate each other. A very clever move of Satan!—a subtlety that escapes us most of the time. So I ask Latter-day Saints, "What is your position frankly (…) regarding the merits of cigarettes vs. cigars, wine vs. beer, or heroin vs. LSD?" It should be apparent that you take no sides.^[1]

If a weapon of war works, why not keep using it—déjà vu upon déjà vu, as noted above? Thus we see our present-day polarity: “We have the choice between the wicked [Communists] (and they [are] that) and the equally wicked ([if not] “more wicked”) [Capitalists].

If we think that competition, bottom-line obsessions, management excesses, private luxury, elitism, disparities, consumerism, materialism, lobbying, favoritism, mammon-mongering, debt/credit, etc., etc., have any place in Zion OR that our active promotion of capitalism is furthering the kingdom of God, perhaps we should think again. Perhaps we should make a more careful study of the economics of Zion vis-à-vis that of Babylon. Perhaps we should flee the excesses to which we have become accustomed before it is too late.^[2]

------------------------/
[1] Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, Chpt. 4, “Gifts,” edited by Don E. Norton [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1989], 112-113. Bold emphasis added.)
[2] "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." (Old Testament Jeremiah 51:6-9)

The List (& Déjà Vu) Goes On (& On)

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: ... (Old Testament Deuteronomy 15:11)

WHY would God say this through Moses? Is it because He knew there would always be, in every age and place:

▪ the rich (who would never cease to accumulate excess)
▪ leaders & bosses who would love money more than the masses
▪ Madoffs, Abramoffs, Keatings, Lays, Delays, et al., ad infinitum
▪ capitalists and communists without conscience
▪ lords & lobbyists
▪ debtors & creditors
▪ Popes, Prophets, Priests, High Priests, Knights Templar, Orders, Fraternities, Churches, etc. seduced/decoyed/distracted/corrupted by wealth and power (Take a walk through history!) and
▪ “believers” who would favor
    ~ competition above cooperation
    ~ mammon above mercy
    ~ luxury above ”love thy neighbor”
    ~ self above sacrifice
    ~ words above actions
PLUS
▪ conspiracies & corruption
▪ cons & collusions
▪ elitism & envy
▪ fear & greed
▪ pride & prejudice
▪ propaganda & power-plays
▪ servitude & slavery
▪ oppression & obstruction of justice
▪ and the list goes on (& on).

Why do we seem to ignore the last half of Deuteronomy 15:11 when quoting the first half?

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land (Old Testament Deuteronomy 15:11).

If this all seems too negative for our PMA and LoA culture, then perhaps we should reread Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. When we pay attention, much of what God and His old prophets have to say about “chosen” peoples is pretty depressing. Take for example some of His last words to Moses:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them (Old Testament | Deuteronomy 31:16).

If we think we are any better, considering the images and idols that surfeit our time, imagination, and entertainment, perhaps we should think again.

In the house of my friends[1]

~
IF, in reading Old Testament Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Zechariah, Malachi, etc., etc., you get the distinct déjà vu that the Twelve Tribes were serial offenders, might it not be wise to “take heed” and “liken them unto” our latter-day selves? Do we ever ask ourselves how much of our lives and ideologies reflect the Sermon on the Mount and how much reflects the Babylonian screeds of competition; accumulation; wealth/power/fame; freedom from market rules, regulations, boundaries; ends justify means; riches/excess = God’s blessing; etc., etc..

Do we believe in AND countenance the separation of church and markets? Of religion and business? Of equity and bottom-line? Of charity and merit?^[2]

Why did the Savior quote (His own) Old Testament prophets in His visit to the Americas as recorded in the Book of Mormon, 3rd Nephi? Why did Moroni quote Old Testament prophets in his appearances to Joseph Smith? Are we offended by Spencer W. Kimball’s accusation in 1976 that “… we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people—a condition most repugnant to the Lord” (see “The False Gods We Worship,” http://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/06/the-false-gods-we-worship?lang=eng ).

Does not God say that latter-day judgments will begin in His own house?^[3] Does that give us any pause for reflection?

Are we serial offenders and seriously offended at the accusation?

Is 33 A.D. a prescient warning for the latter-days?

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[1] Old Testament Zechariah 13:6: “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. (Latter-day Christians of all stripes?) See also: D&C 45:52

[2] Book of Mormon Mosiah 4:17-19: “Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?”

[3] Doctrine and Covenants Section 112:24–26: “Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.” (emphasis added).

So Soon Removed … (?)

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (New Testament Galatians 1:6)

Have we become advocates of another gospel of:

▪ following the profits?
▪ win at all costs?
▪ self-sufficiency?
▪ self-interest?
▪ appearances?
▪ pride?
▪ excess?
▪ glory-seeking?
▪ being a law unto self?
▪ meritorious entitlements?
▪ scorning the poor and needy?
▪ forgetfulness and ingratitude?
▪ compartmentalized morals and politics?

I listen to self-proclaimed “Christians,” to defenders of capitalist “democracy,” to “free-market” devotees, and much of what I hear is the song of Babylon. The pursuit of gain. Déjà vu Cain & company—millennium one.

WILL we ever get it? (Part 3)

(CAPS, color, bold, etc. are my emphasis throughout)

“While trav’ling thru this vale of tears?”^[1]

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, WILLING to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Book of Mormon Mosiah 3:19)

O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:28-29)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren [and sisters], reconcile yourselves to the WILL of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 10:24)

And what is the will of the devil and the flesh? What does this Lucifer ask Adam and Eve in the LDS temple drama?^[4] He asks “What is it you want?” Is that not the very question the “Prosperity Gospel” asks? The very focus of the Law of Attraction? What is it YOU want? What is YOUR WILL? YOUR wish, YOUR dream, YOUR fondest desire? Wasn’t that the substance of the Three Temptations? “I can GIVE YOU anything you could possibly need or desire. … Look to me because I’m the one with the material goods. I’ll come through for you. You can have anything in this world.” A fixation on “GIVE ME”?^[5.a&b]

Yet all the while, the adversary’s goal is to captivate the shortsighted soul. Remember Jabez Stone and Daniel Webster? Remember Faust? For in the strange paradox of life, those who give their WILL to God shall be added upon^[6] (trusted with increasing powers?) while those who pursue their own worldly WILL (without repentence), will lose because they cannot be trusted even with what they have.

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (New Testament Matthew 10:39)

And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have. (Doctrine and Covenants Section 60:3)

What a subtle twist we have fallen into—preached now from too many pulpits—that God is there to do OUR WILL. Just ask Him. Get in the right frame—the right wave-length of attraction—the right flow of the universe. Then the riches of the world will flood into your life. And if they don’t, it’s your fault; you haven’t gotten in sync, yet. But don’t be discouraged. Keep at it. Buy our books and DVDs. Attend our courses and lectures. Talk to God. Talk to yourself. Talk to us. (Just don’t run this “my will” through the prism of scripture though! Don’t read too deeply about the apostles and prophets or the Son of God! Their lives don’t exactly reflect OUR more attractive reality. It’s a great mystery! That’s why we don’t mention it!)

Even if we claim, our chief motive is to give back to God, or “our neighbor”, or the universe, is it really so? Or are we an enriched version of the church at Ephesus, becoming so distracted by our second love (of riches?), we forget there was even a first love before riches?^[7] Thinking our sacrifices in service, our donations to deserving causes, our tithing of temporal blessings constitute full measure (and running o’er) of all that is required? OR are we already déjà vu Nephites?^[8]

WILL we ever get it that we are on a proving ground?^[9] That we are not wise enough, faithful, charitable, disciplined, enlightened, just, nor visionary enough to know what is best in the eternal WILL and plan of things^[10]?

WILL we ever get it that our daily plea must be:

… thy word must be fulfilled. Help thy servants to say, with thy grace assisting them: Thy WILL be done, O Lord, and not ours (Doctrine and Covenants Section 109:44)?^[11]

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[1] From the LDS Hymn book (1985), # 116 Come Follow Me (Text: John Nicholson, 1839-1909; Music Samuel McBurney, b. 1847)

[2] What is that work? “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Pearl of Great Price Moses 1:39)

[3] Notice it says, “bear much fruit”; not “be given much fruit.”

[4] While teaching some of these concepts on discipleship to a Relief Society group, this insight was brought to my attention by a perceptive class member.

[5.a] AND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore GIVE ME thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy WILL be done, and the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should GIVE unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Pearl of Great Price Moses 4:1-4)

[5.b] Of course, God gives us things also, but His goal in giving gifts (and trials) is for our growth, not our obsessions. The gifts He prefers to give—even directs that we ask for—are spiritual gifts, as in 1 Corinthians 12 and Doctrine and Covenants 46 (v. 8 “… and that ye may not be deceived SEEK YE EARNESTLY the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;”). Proverbs makes it clear: “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired ARE NOT TO BE COMPARED TO IT. … Riches and honour are with me; yea, DURABLE RICHES and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.” (Old Testament Proverbs 8:10-11, 18-19)

[6] And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 3:26)

[7] “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (New Testament Revelation 2:4-5)

See also: “Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. 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.” (Book of Mormon Jacob 2:17-19)

[8] And if ye seek the riches which it is the WILL of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old. (Doctrine and Covenants Section 38:39)

[9] And we will prove them herewith, to see if they WILL do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 3:25) And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the WILL of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 2:21)

[10] But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 2:24)

[11] Author’s concession: Of course, some may be rich and living in perfect harmony with God’s WILL, but the margin is so slim, it should keep one awake at night, reviewing one’s day. God and his prophets don’t get much more superlative than “wo, wo, wo” as in Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 28. And from my opinionated opinion, this includes the Church of the Laissez-faire ( http://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2011/03/econ-009-church-of-laissez-faire.html )

NOTE: a very insightful article on a 3-fold test for discerning the will of God in one's life can be found in the last three paragraphs of the article "32. Jacob's Departure From Haran: Genesis 31" at http://pbministries.org/books/pink/Gleanings_Genesis/genesis_32.htm

How long?

(Reader’s caution: Perhaps this writer has read Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi, & the Book of Mormon too many times! Now juxtaposed against the latest pundits!)

How long till seeing we see, hearing we hear, and reading we understand? Reviewing the dismal records of past “chosen” peoples,^[1] shouldn’t we, in this latter-day, exercise extreme caution in attaching ourselves to philosophies and precepts of the world, especially economic ones. Ask yourself: What is Babylon (the archenemy of Zion) if not our present corrupted capitalism? READ HER DESCRIPTIONS.^[2] She is NOT the failed scarcities of socialism and communism that many conservatives decry with such passion and naiveté. Yes, naiveté, because the decoy is so transparent when one identifies the ways and means and agendas of Babylon. Many “conservatives” beat the drums of fear about “European socialism,” while touting the “rights” and wonders of global markets (wrapped in free-flowing camouflage). But at core, we have a global plutocracy that maligns and manipulates governments, scorns rules and regulations,^[3] claims special status as BIG employers, pollutes, cooks books and tax shelters, lies, steals, abuses, wounds, enslaves, etc., etc., etc.

The hook-line-and-sinker avowals of faith in conservatism, capitalism, and (so-called) free-markets fall so readily from the lips of so many Mormons (and other Christians), it is stunning. Almost as stunning as that “believers” should think Fox News employees and similarly-scripted pundits (all beneficiaries of Babylon?) are prophets of truth and defenders of freedom.

Babylon loves such prophets. They distract—gesticulating at the flat tires of socialism while Babylon pick-pockets in broad daylight. These “prophets” malign protestors who gather at B.’s banks and temples (of commerce). These “prophets” deride those who seek to assert their “bill of rights” vis-à-vis the faux-persons of corporate dominance and power/wealth concentration. These “prophets” peddle their fake brands of fairness, balance, freedom, merit, constitutionalism, corporatism, and righteousness.

How long will we play the fool AND the harlot as investors and debtors in Babylon—praying that someday soon the doors of promise will open to admit us into the higher ranks of “following the profits”?

How long will we look to such false prophets (and profits)? How long will we be suckered by Babylon’s propaganda? How long till we start to use our heads and think beyond the dogma of big business and finance? How long till we befriend the Constitution so that it belongs to all mankind^[4] instead of to wealthy, powerful faux-persons^[5]? How long till we remember the divine directive:

Let not that which I have appointed be polluted by mine enemies, by the consent of those who call themselves after my name; (Doctrine and Covenants Section 101:97, emphasis added)?

See also: http://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2011/01/are-we-serfing-yet.html

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[1] Jaredites, House of Israel (remember there were 12 brothers so Judah wasn't alone in receiving/deserving chastisement!). Remember also those broken-off branches: Mulekites and Nephites/Lamanites. “Chosen” is used in the sense of chosen: 1) to deliver messages to the world of faith, hope, charity, and truth; 2) to be an example of those virtues to others; and 3) to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places. "Chosen-ness is not just a claim of religious peoples. Remember the sense of  “manifest destiny” of such empires as the Roman, the British, etc.
[2] e.g., New Testament Revelation 17 & 18; compare with Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 13:4-9, 25-34; 14:10-13.
[3] (except those they lobby for, for their own welfare)
[4] "And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 98:5-9)
[5] http://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2011/02/econ-005-person.html

Déjà Vu of the Ages?

~As I see it~
Witnessing the increasingly extreme disparity between rich and poor and the pervasive tyranny of money in these latter days, one is reminded how omnipresent the “natural man”¹ remains—unable, in millennia of “spiritual” evolution, to control his instincts of oppression, excess, and celebrity—the sad tale of every age. An even sadder tale is how susceptible we so-called “believers” are to the persuasions of mammon—to selling our souls for a mess of pottage. Just look at our malls and mansions. Our storage- and tax-shelters. Our celebrities and seekers. Our investments and speculations. Our distractions and laissez-faire dogmas. (Dogmas that counter almost every essential tenet of every faith.)

WHY are we so enamored by the rich and famous? WHY so desirous to become (or be friends of) the rich and famous? If we believe in God’s word, why do we seem so focused on “deserved”² prosperity and so discounting of admonitions to meekness, justice, and moderation? So willfully blind to forewarnings?

Here again, are two from two millennia ago;

And again I [Jesus] say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (New Testament | Matthew 19:24)

Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; … (New Testament | James 5:2-6)

Too many of us seem to have fallen into a “mine”-field (“It’s all mine and I deserve it;” or “It’s all theirs and they deserve it.”) that will inevitably maim us unless we awaken from the grip and rapture of Babylon and all her pretensions.

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1. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 3:19)
2. What is so “deserved” or earned about usury and dividends? Might this fit within “Moral Hazard”? Just asking!

A Clever Decoy—a Fearful Deception

(Excerpt from “Three Degrees of Righteousness from the Old Testament,” speech by Hugh Nibley, November 1982)

At the dedication of the Manti Temple [site, April 25, 1877], the Prophet Brigham Young offered this prayer: "We ask Thee that Thou would hide up the treasures of the earth, . . . preserve thy people from the inducements which these perishable things offer, which are liable to decoy the minds of Thy saints." We don't want to discover the gold around here, he insisted, and this just after George Albert Smith had reported discovery of a great gold vein. "And cause that these things may not come in their path to tempt them." The wealth of the earth is a clever decoy;⁵² "it is a fearful deception which all the world labors under, and many of its people, too." ⁵³

This is one of the last speeches Brigham Young gave: "Many professing to be saints seem to have no knowledge, no light to see anything beyond a dollar or a pleasant time, or a comfortable house, or a fine farm." These have their place, but what do we enjoy? "O fools, and slow of heart to understand the purposes of God and his handiwork among his people."⁵⁴

Go to the child, and what does its joy consist in? Toys, we may call them, . . . and so it is with our youth, our young boys and girls; they are thinking too much of this world; and the middle-aged are striving and struggling to obtain the good things of this life, and their hearts are too much upon them. So it is with the aged. Is not this the condition of the Latter-day Saints? It is. What is the general expression through out our community? It is that the Latter-day Saints are drifting as fast as they can into idolatry.⁵⁵

This was all Brigham Young could preach in his last year: "fast into idolatry, drifting into the spirit of the world and into pride and vanity."⁵⁶ "We wish the wealth of things of the world; we think about them morning, noon and night; they are first in our minds when we awake in the morning, and the last thing before we go to sleep at night."⁵⁷ "We have gone just as far as we can be permitted to go in the road on which we are now traveling. One man has his eye on a gold mine, another is for a silver mine, another is for marketing his flour or his wheat, another for selling his cattle, another to raise cattle, another to get a farm, or building here and there, and trading and trafficking with each other, just like Babylon. . . . Babylon is here, and we are following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the earth, who are in a perfect sea of confusion. Do you know this? You ought to, for there are none of you but what see it daily. . . . The Latter-day Saints [are] trying to take advantage of their brethren. There are Elders in this Church who would take the widow's last cow, for five dollars, and then kneel down and thank God for the fine bargain they had made."⁵⁸ This is the great voice of the economy of Babylon. It does not renounce its religious pretensions for a minute. Many in it think they are identical with a pious life.

Now to Brigham's final word—his last speech, as a matter of fact:

"Now those that can see the spiritual atmosphere can see that many of the Saints are still glued to this earth and lusting and longing after the things of this world, in which there is no profit. . . . According to the present feelings of many of our brethren, they would arrogate to themselves this world and all that pertains to it. . . . Where are the eyes and the hearts of this people? . . . All the angels in heaven are looking at this little handfull of people, and stimulating them to the salvation of the human family. So also are the devils in hell looking at this people, too, and trying to overthrow us, and the people are still shaking hands with the servants of the devil, instead of sanctifying themselves, [given a choice between the two]."⁵⁹

We are being pulled in two directions, he says; all the powers of heaven are looking to us, waiting for us to perform our mission; the devils are looking at us to fail in it, and we are shaking hands with them, instead of the other way around. "When I think upon this subject, I want the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people."⁶⁰

We see clearly the three economies. There is such a thing as a celestial economy. After all, Mormons believe in cosmism. Some churches still say that the greatest vice of the Mormons is that they look upon the physical universe as having some relationship to the gospel. We say it's all physical—there are universes we know nothing about; there is matter of a nature that we can't perceive at all. It's all real—what's on the other side of the black holes, or wherever it may be. This is part of the celestial order, and we have been given the great honor. The Lord has flattered us to the point of revealing to us this particular order. This is what has worked in ancient times, he explains. In the time of Adam I did it; in the time of Noah I had it. In the time of Moses I tried to introduce the people, but they wouldn't take it. In the time of apostles, I restored it. The Nephites had it for two hundred years, and you could have it too. I want you to have it. It's the only thing I will accept from you. And meanwhile, you will live by these rules and work your way toward it, but for heaven's sake, don't let yourself be decoyed and sucked into this third order, which becomes dominant. This picture of Babylon is so very striking, it's overpowering. It meets us everywhere. Today's newspaper is like a commentary on the whole scriptures. You could find in it a hundred items that are completely relevant on this subject, which makes us wonder how far along the way we are, and what the Lord is doing in these things otherwise.

Brigham, the greatest and certainly the most able economist and administrator and businessman this nation has ever seen, didn't give a hoot for earthly things: "I have never walked across the streets to make a trade."⁶¹ He didn't mean that literally. You always do have to handle things. But in what spirit do we do it? Not in the Krishna way, by renunciation, for example. I have never visited Calcutta, but the reports are utterly heartbreaking. If you refuse to be concerned with these things at all, and say, "I'm above all that," that's as great a fault. The things of the world have got to be administered; they must be taken care of, they are to be considered. We have to keep things clean, and in order. That's required of us. This is a test by which we are being proven. [Emphasis added.] This is the way by which we prepare, always showing that these things will never captivate our hearts, that they will never become our principal concern. That takes a bit of doing, and that is why we have the formula "with an eye single to his glory" (Mormon 8:15). Keep first your eye on the star, then on all the other considerations of the ship. You will have all sorts of problems on the ship, but unless you steer by the star, forget the ship. Sink it. You won't go anywhere.

This is the important thing: we must keep our eye on the principles of the gospel that have been given us. The Lord has given us great blessings in these things, and great promises; and because the spirit of the Lord is stirring in the church today, I am sure we all feel it in various ways. The interesting thing is how we all operate in different areas. I don't suspect for a minute either the burdens, or the trials, or the troubles, or the privileges of the capacities of any other person in the world. I am sure that if I were to start to analyze and describe them, I would be completely wrong, so I just forget it. Here we are, all relating to our Heavenly Father, and as such, related to each other as brothers and sisters. He's the one we go to; he's the one we keep in mind. So we are not concerned to lay down the law to each other, saying, "This is the way you have to do it. That is the kosher way." Let us each go to the Lord, who will reveal these things to us. May he inspire each one of us with understanding and the good sense and the faith and devotion that we need in order to live by the laws of the kingdom, …. [end of quote.]

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(Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, edited by Don E. Norton [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1989], 333-7.)

Notes:
JD=Journal of Discourses
MS=Millenial Star http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/MStar&CISOPTR=9349&REC=19&CISOSHOW=8616

52. MS 39:372.[See # 24, June 11, 1877: "Prayer offered by President Brigham Young"]
53. JD 10:271.
54. Ibid., 8:63.
55. Ibid., 18:237, 39.
56. Ibid., 18:239.
57. Ibid., 18:238-39.
58. Ibid., 17:41.
59. MS 39:118-19. [See #8, Feb. 19, 1877: "Dedicatory Services at the Temple of St. George, Utah Territory, Jan. 1, 1877"]
60. Ibid., 39:119.
61. JD 12:219.

Economics of Babylon

(Contrast to Economics of Jesus post of December 7, 2009)

As Christians, we are aware that Zion is often juxtaposed with Babylon—the first denoting the “faithful of God,”¹ the second, the “mother of harlots.” ² It’s pretty graphic imagery.

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (New Testament Revelation 17:5)

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (New Testament Revelation 18:3, emphasis added)

The latter-day Book of Mormon also sets forth the opposition:

And it came to pass that [the angel] said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil. And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 14:9-11, emphasis added).

With all the scriptural denunciations and warnings,³ it seems tragically myopic to me, WHY we have become so obsessed with the abuses and one-world agenda of socialism/communism and so cavalier about the excesses, abuses, and one-world agendas of Babylon—the whore of all the earth; the real nemesis—our corrupted capitalism.⁴

WHY do we denounce and soundbite all manner of “socialistic” schemas, while we romanticize, deregulate, and hype those of Babylon? Why do we continue to worship,⁵ at the altars of self-regulating supply and demand, global “free-markets,” and “invisible hand” loyalties when real-world dynamics debunks them all? Why in the name of prosperity and providence, do we pursue the “blessings” of increasingly unregulated finance capitalism that violate the divine fundamentals of faith, hope, and charity?

While we castigate the socialists, we frolic beneath the Trojan horse of Babylon.

Are we so blind we can’t discern a Screwtape⁶ substitution—a “socialist” danger God seems rather silent about, distracting from a greater one He decries in graphic language?⁷

What are the economic philosophies of Babylon? Are they not the same as that espoused by our corrupted capitalism? (The opposites of what God advocates?)

• Self-interest
• Survival of the fittest
• Primacy of efficiency and profit
• Competition as the genus of ingenuity, innovation, creativity, progress, profit
• Freedom from law and regulation to allow markets to self-adjust, self-regulate, and maximize profit; to be a law unto themselves⁸
• Grandiosity, pomp & ceremony, size, appearance, power, privileges
• You can buy (and justify) anything in this world for money.

And what does Babylon offer?

The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. (New Testament Revelation 18:12-13, emphasis added)

And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it. And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots. And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church. (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 13:6-8)

Is Babylon, with all her “free-markets” talk, really so free of “detested” coercions?

• Ask the foreign and/or developing nations that have been forced into the “Washington Consensus” and other conditions in order to merit World Bank or IMF loans.
• Ask corporations who have sought market share in global markets.
• Ask businesses who have joined the race to the bottom in order to compete with unethical competitors. Ask their oppressed employees.
• Ask governments who have been pressured to bailout too-big-to-fail corporations.
• Ask taxpayers who bear the costs of corporate externalizing.
• Ask politicians and elected officials about lobbyists, campaign funding, election and re-election “necessities.”
• Ask dissenting Justice John Paul Stevens; but DON’T ask concurring Chief Justice John Glover Roberts and company who don’t seem to have a clue⁹ that “free to,” in this case, means free to dominate, dictate, suppress, oppress, propagandize, monopolize, chill others speech, etc.¹⁰ (Citizens United)
• Ask Google about her venture into China.
• Ask John the Revelator: “And he [a beast of Babylon] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (New Testament Revelation 13:16-17, emphasis added)

What does God say about finance capital in His kingdom?

For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. (Old Testament Isaiah 52:3, emphasis added)

HO, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Old Testament Isaiah 55:1, emphasis added; see also Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:50 - 51)

Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 26:25, emphasis added)

And what does God say about the future of Babylon?

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (Old Testament Isaiah 13:19)

Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. 8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. (Old Testament Jeremiah 51:6-9)

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: (New Testament Revelation 18:8-10)

As Christians, we should be aware that the end of times portends a great and dreadful day of justice and judgment—a day when Babylon falls. So why are we so persistent in, not just turning a blind eye to, but participating in and promoting her corruptions, excesses, follies, and falsehoods?

When are we going to grasp that freedom is not to be without law or regulation? It is to be ringed and bounded by just and equitable laws that protect the dignity of all people from the natural man’s¹¹ drive to power and wealth through exploitation and plunder. That has been the forever déjà vu of history. But in our time, when the natural man aggregates into a collective of other “naturals” (and into a legalized fiction,¹²) all devoted to bottom-line profit and the disintegration of accountability and connectedness, the recipe is perfect for maximized abomination and a proliferation of harlots. Graphic imagery, yes—over two thousand years old.

Knowing that Babylon is our greatest nemesis, why then do we not, in the words of Jeremiah, put forth every effort to heal her¹³—our corrupted capitalism—beginning with our own conduct and continuing as far as our influence can reach?¹⁴

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1. In my view, the faithful of God are those who choose Him and seek to live according to the light they have been given; good people found amongst all nations, kindreds, tongues, and creeds. This does not mean we will not have to adjust our thoughts and actions to greater light when it is received; it means we are seeking to do the best we can with what we have been given and with where we are at.
2. And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 14:17); Suggested reading: New Testament Revelation 18:2-24
3. Reward [Babylon] even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: (New Testament Revelation 18:6-11)
4. Yes, I am equating the present state of corrupted capitalism with Babylon. The principled concept of capitalism, in my view, is where one envisions one’s own prosperity and excess as a resource for another’s needed capital—a voluntary commitment to a “neighbor’s” hopes and to the common good. Instead, our present system has devolved into a twisted contest of unfettered power, maximized profit, unabashed arrogance, and “justified” usury, where freedom is defined as being without law or regulation and where self-focused individualists claim/demand the right to be trusted to be a law unto themselves and that their devotion to self-interest (“Trust ME”) will devolve to the common good.
5. Free-market ideology often presents itself in religious-type language and zeal. How often do our laissez-faire, libertarian ideologues manifest greater faith in markets and finance capital than in their God? Listen to the foremost advocates. Look at the edifices—often built in likeness to cathedrals and temples. Witness the justice, equity, fairness, and integrity of business practices?!
6. Strategies advocated by a senior assistant devil, Screwtape, from The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.
7. God seems singularly unconcerned with what the poor allegedly do to the rich and far more concerned with what the rich do to the poor. (See Oct. 9, 2009 blog posting “To those afflicted with riches.”)
8. They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (Doctrine and Covenants Section 1:16)
9. Or alternately, too much of a clue!
10. CITIZENS UNITED v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION, APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA No. 08–205. Argued March 24, 2009—Reargued September 9, 2009––Decided January 21, 2010
11. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Book of Mormon Mosiah 3:19)
12. Is there any better description for a systemic legal fiction than: “...the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” New Testament Revelation 17:8)
13. Old Testament Jeremiah 51:8-9
14. There are many books to help inform oneself about ways to attempt healing our broken system. Perhaps try William Greider's One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism

The Economics of Jesus

If Jesus were invited to speak at the next World Economic Forum, what would He say? And how long would it take us Christians to switch from C-SPAN to American Idol?

If we go by precedent,^[1] Jesus has a tendency to repeat Himself, so in all likelihood we would hear:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).

OR

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:34).

OR

… When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just (Luke 14:12-14).

OR

… If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,^[2] and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me (Matthew 19:21; Luke 18:22).

OR

… Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24; Luke 18:25).

OR

… all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31).

OR

Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15).

OR

… take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34-35).

OR

… Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15).

OR

Woe unto you, … for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess (Matthew 23:25).

OR

… the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful (Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14).

OR

… Beware of [those], which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: … (Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:43, 20:46-47).

OR

… if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away (Matthew 5:40-42; Luke 6:29-30).

OR

[to His ministers] … Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? … Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-31).

OR
Would He recount the story of the beggar Lazarus (in the bosom of Abraham) and the rich man (in hell) to help us rethink our present economic philosophies, expectations, and prejudices? (Luke 16:19-31)
OR
Would He ask us to leave our worldly incomes to become itinerant fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17)?
OR
Might He tell us that in His economic system, cooperation, sacrifice, and moderation are vastly superior to competition, self-interest, and excess, and that: “… if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:6)?
OR
Might He ask us to take off our blinders and honestly tell Him what we see in our very own house(s)?
OR
Might He explain that He didn’t really mean “money” when He spoke the parable of the talents (Matthew 25; also Luke 19:12-26)?

As it is, the contradictions between His sayings and the reality of our lives in this world seem beyond reconciliation. So we seem to have turned to the ways of the opposition. Everywhere homes are increasing in size and grandeur. Countertops o’erflowing with proprietary chargers and their devices. Garages and/or storage units filled to overflowing. Bathrooms and closets the size of former great-rooms. Electronic recyclers surfeited with perfectly functional, but no-longer-stylish items. Credit & debt amassed to leverage hopes and dreams, and to salve impatience. Fashion, fame, and prestige bought and sold at the price of soul. Our drive to showcase our prosperity and prove His blessing and approval of us seems boundless. Even in the celebrations of His birth, spectacle and excess overwhelm us.

We preach self-sufficiency and He, God-sufficiency. We preach the work-ethic (i.e., labor for money) while He and His disciples ate freely from the corn fields they traversed (Matthew 12:1; Luke 6:1), and paid their tribute with a coin prophetically found in the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27).

How do we reconcile these contraries of what our God advocates and how we conduct our economic lives? Have we become so immersed in the ways of Babylon that we don’t even recognize her enticing sins and our peril? Have we any idea how excruciating it is going to be to opt-out of her market-place (Revelations 13:16-17; 1 Nephi 13:7-8)? Or how agonizing it might be for us—avid consumers—to watch our “beloved” Babylon collapse and burn (Revelations 18)? Do we have even a déjà vu sense of how God’s many and various chosen ones fall short of their callings time after time—the Jaredites, the children of Israel, the house of Judah, the Nephites, and undoubtedly us, if we go on consuming as if there will always be a tomorrow of excess? As if all the woe-filled prophecies apply to someone else, somewhere else?

What if the déjà vu of Jaredites, Israelites, Nephites, etc. did not end with the Restoration? What if we are not such a peculiar people?^[3] What if we are not that much different from the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers of His day—so tied to our traditions, beliefs, and expectations that seeing, we will not see; and hearing, we will not hear?!

What did President Spencer W. Kimball say to us in June 1976?^[4] http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=9341fd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
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[1] Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11-26 for starters
[2] Notice, He did not say, “Give it to me.”
[3] Deuteronomy 14:2; 26:18; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9
[4] “The False Gods We Worship,” Ensign, June 1976