What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Inequality? Series
The Book of Mormon contains some surprising insights concerning economic inequality. This series explores several topics addressed by the LDS scripture and its insights for today.This article part of a chapter on the teachings of the Book of Mormon concerning inequality, organized in order to deconstruct the prosperity gospel and other modern bad ideas. If you haven't already, take a look at the introduction to this chapter which explains what I mean by 'prosperity gospel', otherwise enjoy and feel free to join in the discussion.
Concerning the concepts of 'free will', freedom of choice, or 'free agency', most ideas in modern discourse gravitate towards two main extremes. On one side is the argument that there is no actual freedom of choice, only an illusion of one, and that our choices are determined by a number of social, historical, biological, and environmental conditions. On the other extreme is the idea that all of our choices, and ultimately our destiny, are open to us because of a powerful force called 'free will', or the religious equivalent 'free agency', which grants absolute self-determination. Of course, the debate is far more complicated than one paragraph can allow, but hopefully you get the idea.
This debate bleeds into discussions about inequality and poverty, particularly in finding solutions to these problems. The Prosperity Gospel, and other related bad ideas, suppose that because all people have 'free agency', and can therefore choose for themselves their own destiny, people can choose to pull themselves out of poverty, and therefore there is no need for social or government solutions to poverty. Inequality then is simply the consequence of people's choices, and a phenomenon that ultimately can't be helped through society and government.
Such extreme conclusions can lead to disastrous social and economic consequences when applied - which the Book of Mormon attests to in its historical narrative which is rife with periods of inequality - and yet, it is all too easy to come to such conclusions while holding opinions about agency which are similar to the prosperity gospel stance mentioned above.
Fortunately, the Book of Mormon offers an explanation of agency that ultimately debunks the prosperity gospel.
Book of Mormon Concept of Agency
The Book of Mormon redefines the agency debate, and establishes a position that is decidedly neither of the two extremes mentioned above, and instead provides a new way to look at the agency debate.
Although the Book of Mormon frequently speaks of agency, and also speaks of freedom, there is no mention of the term 'free agency' in the book - and certainly no mention of 'free will'. Agency is not "free", but is a gift granted, and only granted when certain conditions are met. The most important condition is that one must first receive a knowledge of good and evil concerning their choice - a specific knowledge granted from a member of the godhead, the Holy Ghost, that a particular action is right or wrong. Only with that knowledge does the agency to choose even exist.
Once that condition is met, and the knowledge is acted upon correctly, then the practitioner becomes free, at least in the sphere of the knowledge and agency granted.
Confusing perhaps, but let's look at a couple of passages from the Book of Mormon to clear this up.
The people had been granted a spiritual knowledge of their iniquities, and near the end of Samuel's sermon he reminds them what this means:
14:30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you. (emphasis added)The people had been given both a knowledge of good and evil regarding their iniquities, and had been given a choice to continue following in them - the two gifts are inseparably connected, as one leads to the other.
These people would "perish unto themselves" because they had been given a specific knowledge that their actions were wrong in the sight of God. However, it is clear from other parts of the Book of Mormon that those who do not have such knowledge are innocent, lacking accountability. This is a topic we will explore more closely in the next article on accountability.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah…
14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon…
16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other. …
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.(emphasis added)There is a lot of this chapter that we are not able to address here, but essentially it is saying that our knowledge and bad choices cause us to be fallen from the presence of God. But by granting us a knowledge of Jesus the Messiah, and a knowledge of our sins, we can then choose the Messiah, and choose to cast off our sins, and be redeemed.
With redemption we are then free forever to choose an ultimately destiny of freedom with the Messiah (freedom within the bounds of His commandments), or captivity with the devil. Teaching the Gospel is thus important because without knowledge and its concomitant agency one cannot have liberty and eternal life.
3 - King Benjamin's address in Mosiah 2-6. In this jam-packed address, Benjamin teaches the people about Jesus Christ, His power of redemption, the need for repentance, and the importance of knowledge of those things being granted. The Holy Ghost grants a knowledge of the truthfulness of Benjamin's words to the people, and they choose to repent and enter into a covenant to keep the commandments of God.
5:7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you...
8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.In this passage, the people become free only after entering into a covenant, and could become free by no other way. The covenant itself was only possible once the people first received knowledge, and then used their agency to choose to repent.
Each of these passages agree that agency is not an automatic gift granted in every choice, but is a special gift granted when spiritual knowledge is first given.
The passages also talk about freedom, but appear to offer three different times when freedom is granted; listed respectively: 1) with knowledge, 2) after repentance, choosing Jesus, and redemption, and 3) after entering a covenant.
These passages actually are in agreement - they each refer to a different step in the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith (receiving a knowledge), Repentance (exercising agency righteously), and entering a covenant (both an inward commitment and social/formal covenants, like Baptism) - in other words, the oft repeated phrase: Faith, Repentance, and Baptism. Ultimately, each of these passages are saying the same thing, as knowledge, repentance, and entering a covenant really occur all at the same time. Learning of the Gospel, and then choosing to follow it, is what grants freedom.
The process of the Gospel - receiving knowledge, making a choice - does not apply to every decision that is made, but to special choices with consequences that ultimately lead to salvation with Jesus, or damnation with Satan, as Lehi referred to. Obviously, not every choice made has these dire consequences; nor does every choice involve receiving knowledge from the Holy Ghost and requiring repentance and covenant keeping. Therefore, Book of Mormon agency really does not refer to freedom of choice, or at least freedom of every choice - but it is a special freedom granted in the process of the Gospel.
In other words, agency does not refer to your choice of breakfast cereal. Furthermore, true freedom is only obtained in choices between believing the Gospel and following Jesus, and giving in to temptation and a concomitant loss of freedom.
In short, the Book of Mormon states that agency is the ability to choose salvation or damnation once a knowledge of good and evil is granted; and freedom refers to the state when salvation is obtained. There is no 'free agency'.
If you are interested in how agency fits in the broader Book of Mormon themes of the plan of
salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including more details about the above passages and
others, I address the topic here.
What are the Implications to the Agency Debate?
Does the Book of Mormon offer insights on other choices we make, or general free will? Day to day choices that do not involve the Gospel? In other words, does it say you have freedom of choice for your breakfast cereal in the morning?
No, it offers no direct insights.
Personally, I think your choice of breakfast cereal is determined by what you have been exposed to, your biological predispositions, the opinions of those you admire, and what is economically available to you - not by some force of self-determination.
I also personally think that most, if not all, choices affecting wealth are the same - but lets explore that more closely.
Using the content the Book of Mormon has on agency, it is clear that its concept is decidedly different from the two extreme views mentioned at the beginning of this article. In the book, agency is indeed a powerful force of self-determination, but this agency only refers to special choices involving spiritual knowledge.
When such knowledge is acted on correctly, then freedom is thereafter granted; it is a freedom 'to act' and 'not to be acted upon' (but not a freedom from consequences as failing to keep covenants means a loss of freedom). To me this means freedom from the forces of outside determination - economics, genetics, etc.
This implies that such freedom from outside determination does not exist before the application of the Gospel. We are subject the conditions of our environment determining our choices, without any supernatural power of self determination. If knowledge is granted and then misused, we are again returned to a state of no freedom, but also a state worse than the first, being supernaturally subject to the power of the devil.
So in short, is there a power of self determination? Yes, in certain circumstances. Are we subject to our environment, without freedom of choice? Yes, in certain circumstances. Is anyone wholly either? No, that would require having all knowledge, and all obedience to that knowledge, leading to all freedom (or leading to all captivity in the case of disobedience), and that is simply not the case for anyone that I am aware of, and at least not the average person.
Does the Book of Mormon say any of these things directly? No. It was not written to comment on modern discourse on the existence of free will. However, I believe that we can reasonably come to these conclusions based on what is said in the book - but I would enjoy any insights you have otherwise.
What are the Implications to the Prosperity Gospel?
The Prosperity Gospel assumes that all people have the power and freedom to choose their way out of poverty. According to my interpretation of the Book of Mormon, this is incorrect. The only people who would have that power are those who are specifically taught knowledge from the Holy Ghost relevant to economics; and the only people with "freedom" would be those who use that knowledge appropriately and are made free through the Great Mediator, Jesus.
Does God in the Book of Mormon reveal economic knowledge, and thus grant the possibility of 'freedom' from economic forces, like poverty?
Sort of. He does reveal knowledge of right and wrong in economic situations - which is a large part of what this entire series is about - however He distributes the economic rewards for righteous economics through the society, requiring those who have more to share with those who have less.
As was explained in the article on prosperity and the economics of wealth, sometimes certain types of righteousness can lead a society to wealth, including industriousness and an ethic of equality and sharing, but wealth is not distributed to individuals according to righteousness.
This is why God repeatedly tells his people to share their resources, and why He is so angry and the 'iniquity and abomination' of inequality. God's solution to poverty was never to cure individuals of their poverty independently by their following the gospel, but to cure it socially by a whole society following the gospel. His people enter into the gospel and in doing so covenant to care for the poor, they are redeemed and 'made free' in part because the covenants and commandments require the society to correct poverty, or to 'free' people from poverty.
And for individuals? There is never a time when prophets in the Book of Mormon teach the poor gospel principles to individually cure them of their poverty. Never. There are times when laziness and idolatry are railed against, because those qualities are spiritually degrading, but as I discuss in this supplementary article, discussions on laziness are not prescriptions for inequality, and certainly are not directed towards the poor.
This was a long article, so be sure to post any questions you have. Also take a look at the next several articles on Accountability and Economics, Jesus and King Benjamin on Accountability, Self-Reliance, and The Gospel and the Free Lunch, each which will continue aspects of this discussion.
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