“One scours the endless, incantatory pages of Joseph Smith’s revelation in vain for any suggestion that wealth complicates the spiritual lives of believers. Not for Mormons the queasy business about the camel going through the needle’s eye before a rich man enters the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, paradise is pretty much set aside for the enterprising rich, whose upward mobility is thought to persist even in the three-tiered scheme of the Mormon afterlife.”

This excerpt from a Harper’s Magazine piece on the economics of Mormonism wasn’t too surprising: most articles I’ve seen about Latter Day Saints contain a few factual errors, instances of poor research.  It’s a complicated topic and this can be easily forgiven.  What I came to realize, however, was that any number of Mormons draw the very same conclusion, and for a Latter-day Saint, that conclusion is preposterous, crass, even obscene.  This is the first in a series of notes which draw attention to scriptures that either condemn wealth or promote economic equality and wealth redistribution.  This should not be controversial; one does not have to believe these things are the role of government, though there IS some support for that in the Book of Mormon.  However, given the evidence, one should accept these things as being among the primary goals of every faithful LDS believer. In the words of President Uchtdorf, “Sometimes we see welfare as simply another gospel topic—one of the many branches on the gospel tree. But I believe that in the Lord’s plan, our commitment to welfare principles should be at the very root of our faith and devotion to Him.”

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Some favorite passages from the scriptures related to wealth, class, and justice. Please enjoy!

• Doctrine and Covenants - A Radical Agenda

• Book of Mormon Class Warfare

• New Testament Social Justice 

To those Latter-day Saints who are still feeling depressed about Brother Romney's loss, here's some food for thought:

One thing all of us know: if something bad happens and a Mormon is involved, you will see that plastered all over the news reports. Murderers, thieves and spies of other religions - you will never know what their faith is. Not so with Mormons. That's usually the lead sentence in the story.

With that thought in mind, consider the following: Think back during the worst days of the Iraq War, when America was pretty much despised around the world, even among our usual allies. Now ask yourself: What if George W. Bush had been a Mormon? You know the answer to that: all the negative stuff being said around the world would have applied to the Church, not just America. What kind of an effect do you think that would have had on the missionary work?

Most Latter-day Saints have only thought of the upside of having a Mormon in the Oval Office; they haven't thought of the negative ramifications. Let me put it this way: the folks who work at 50 E. South Temple are wise men of the world. Given the possible negative effects of an unpopular Mormon American president on the Church's image, something tells me they probably weren't participating in the fast and prayer thing to have Romney elected. Their letter congratulating President Obama actually sounded pretty sincere. Maybe this is part of the reason.

Here are some passages from the New Testament requiring equality and condemning wealth. I included a couple of verses that less explicitly deal with temporal welfare/egalitarianism to show the underlying principles. I hope these help people out!

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We've already expressed on this site our disappointment with Obama in addition to our severe disagreement with Romney's policies. We said we wanted to hear what the candidates would do to address climate change. We heard nothing. We said we were concerned with America's agressive global military actions. While Obama is better than Romney on each of these, his record isn't stellar. All people have to navigate a balance of pursuing their ideals/goals with realism/pragmatism. The pragmatic reality in the US is that it is a two-party state. We hear truisms that votes for 3rd party candidates are wasted, or that they benefit the major party candidate with the most different ideology. This is an unfortunate reality. 

“Suspected Militants” killed by drone attacks.

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Post by Joseph M

While Ray Suarez interviewed Rahm Emanuel for PBS NewsHour's coverage of the election, the crowd at the McCormick Place broke out in cheers, causing Rahm to break away mid-sentence to see what had happened.  (CNN had just called the election for President Obama.)

Rahm Emanuel threw up his hands and belatedly cheered at the news, (and my sister in Louisiana undoubtedly began to cry.)  This has been a roller-coaster of an election for us Mormons, and doubly so for us Mormons for Obama.  While my faith and hope in the President's reelection campaign never "officially" wavered, I did find myself responding to his donation email requests more than I'd ever thought I would.  So I greet the news of President Obama's election with happiness and an assurance that the future of our country is in good hands.  Four more years is no longer a chant, but it is a reality -  even if Romney isn't accepting it and is still challenging Ohio.

This website and the Facebook group have been an uplift for me and for many of us.  I am so grateful for the support and good wishes that we have received from the many Mormons for Obama across the nation and also in the greater world community.  I believe I will reflect on this more in the upcoming days.  But for now, it is with a tinge of anticipatory nostalgia that I write this post.

But alas, the moment is here, and we have cause to celebrate!  So press forward Saints!  Let's not forget the charge to do our part to bring peace, equality, and opportunity to our great nation!  Whether this is through our service in Church or in our wider communities, we possess the awesome ability to do good, and that has been evident through this Mormons for Obama group!

I love America. I love President Obama. And I love being a Mormon.

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Well, we're continuing to increase the functionality of mormon sites online. We're excited about the latest edition. We've loved the Joseph Smith Papers Project which the church made available online. There are so many gems in there. However, it was difficult to quickly search and find particular words or phrases (like trying search the Nauvoo Relief Society Minutes for "priesthood"). To address this we've created an extension for chrome (the firefox add-on will come later). Please check it out and let us know what you think.

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One thing I try to do is read posts occasionally from a few intelligent conservative voices. I think everyone needs to keep an open mind, and this helps. For me, one of those voices is former George W. Bush Special Assistant David Frum, and he penned some of the wisest words I've ever read in his CNN post, "Let's Get Real About Abortion." I would encourage you to study this and pass along to family and friends.

I have always felt that 80% of Americans were about in the same place on this issue; namely, that high abortion rates are bad, but that outlawing all abortions no matter what is not the answer. I don't question the sincerity of those who believe life begins at conception; if that's truly your belief, it's obvious you will be passionate on the subject.

However, there is a difference between respecting someone's religious beliefs and allowing those beliefs to dominate the conversation for the rest of us. I've always felt if the middle 80% got together, we could agree upon a common-sense approach to minimize the number of abortions performed, while not imposing an undue burden on those rare situations where the vast majority of Americans believe the mother, her family and her clergy should decide. One rule we must abide by: a society must not criminalize something unless there is virtual consensus among all members of society that the activity is criminal. The few who believe all abortion should be criminalized, regardless of circumstances, need to remember that fact.

Another thing we must recognize: prevention of unwanted pregnancies is the most effective way to protect unborn life. Given this fact, Planned Parenthood is the most pro-life organization in America. I don't agree with all their policies, but there is no question they prevent more unwanted pregnancies than any other organization. It is folly of the worst order when some Republican politicians talk of ending Planned Parenthood to score political points. Such an act, if successful, would result in a huge increase in the number of abortions.

Hopefully, there will be more voices of moderation and reason on the abortion issue like David Frum, so Americans can put this divisive issue behind us and really work together to make Jimmy Carter's dream come true: "Every baby conceived deserves to be a wanted child".