What is Prosperity?

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.

The "Prosperity Gospel" of some mainstream Christianity suggests that material wealth is a sign of personal righteousness, while poverty is evidence of moral degradation.  It is assumed that one can pull oneself out of poverty by keeping the commandments of God, and therefore government welfare and even charity programs are unnecessary and even obstructive to ultimate poverty reduction.

In the strongest of words may I suggest that the Book of Mormon does not at all support these assumptions, or any other similar ideas t the 'prosperity gospel'.

However, the Book of Mormon does talk about prosperity and how 'prospering' is connected to keeping the commandments, which could lead one to believe the Book of Mormon supports the many errors of the prosperity gospel.  This article will address what the Book of Mormon says about prosperity, and how its concept differs from the modern economic errors today.

The Book of Mormon's "Prosperity Gospel"

"Keep the commandments of God and you shall prosper in the land"

This is one of the most common phrases of the Book of Mormon - 19 times by my count.  The total usage of the word 'prosper' is 64 times.  Many have interpreted this phrase, or simply the word prosper, to mean the same as the prosperity gospel - that following the commandments leads to becoming wealthy.

But does 'prosper' really mean to become rich?  Does it have to do with money at all?

I have looked over the context of every passage, and this is how I would define prosperity in each circumstance.

• Being Protected from Enemies - 2 Nephi 1:9; Omni 1:6; Jarom 1:9; Mosiah 2:31; 12:15; Alma 48:15; 50:20; Helaman 4:15; 3 Nephi 22:17 

• Having the Lord's Presence and Spiritual Help - 1 Nephi 4:12-15; 13:15; 2 Nephi 1:20; 4:4; Mosiah 25:24; 26:37; Alma 9:19; 36:30; 37:13,43; 38:1; 45:8; 50:20; Helaman 3:20

The first two categories contain all of the references to "keep the commandments of God and you shall prosper in the land", plus several other references to the word 'prosper'.  Neither of the two categories have anything to do with money.

• And Public Wealth - 2 Nephi 5:11-13; Mosiah 9:9; 10:5; 21:16; 23:19; 27:7; Alma 1:31; 9:22; 50:18; 62:48-51; Helaman 11:20; 3 Nephi 6:4; Ether 6:28; 7:19; 9:16; 10:4-28; Nephi 1:7 

This third category contains many of the usages of the word 'prosper' in the Book of Mormon.  In this category the word is indeed associated with wealth, and even becoming 'rich'.

But there is an important distinction, and that is that in every passage the wealth that is being referred to is public wealth, not personal wealth.  The people became wealthy or rich as a group, with no evidence that individuals were being 'blessed' with wealth.

To ensure that every individual benefited from the prospering society, the people were commanded to share their resources.  The commandments of the Law of Moses required people to share, and to forgive debt; the commandments of King Benjamin and Mosiah, and the covenants of the church, required the people to share with those who had less.  Thus "keep my commandments and you will prosper" is a recipe for an economic outcome, not a promise and unrelated reward.
 
In Mosiah 21 the people as a whole prosper after becoming more righteous, and then King Limhi creates a welfare program which taxes families to pay for poor widows, who were plenty righteous, and also poor.  In Mosiah 27 and Alma 1 the people as a whole become more wealthy and then share that wealth with the poor in their society, who were also righteous. 

In each of these circumstances, if every individual prospered according to their righteousness then there would be no need for social programs and charity.  But on the contrary, it is when the people are righteous and prospering from the Lord that they are commanded to share the most.

Incidentally, in each of the above examples, the word 'prosper' or 'prosperity' occurs during periods of low pride, no persecution of the poor, and minimal wealth inequality - in other words, not during pride cycles.   When riches and wealth inequality occur, the word 'prosper' is not used, but 'riches' instead.

 So why is it that the people prosper when they keep the commandments?

Are they blessed?  Sure, but that is not implying that wealth is magically beamed to people.  "Keep my commandments and he shall prosper in the land" is a statement of fact. 

The commandments the Nephites receive include several attributes that naturally create wealth - like industriousness, and an ethic of equality and justice.

More importantly, the commandments include the requirement for the rich to give to the poor, "that they may be rich like unto you" (Jacob 2), thus ensuring that each individual could prosper so long as everyone actually keeps the commandments.


The Lord never intended to grant every individual material prosperity when they alone kept the commandments, but that a society could be materially prosperous when they kept the commandments, and that every individual could also prosper if these commandments were kept because the fortunate would give to the unfortunate.

Again, this phrase is an economic recipe, not a promise with an unrelated reward.

We will explore these ideas more closely in the next chapter on Origins of Wealth.

Jacob's Promise

There is a specific promise in the book of Jacob which can cause confusion, and so deserves attention here.  The passage does not use the word prosper, but it contains a promise that seems to guarantee material wealth for righteousness:

18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them...

A pretty good promise huh?  Just reading this portion could inspire all sorts of prosperity gospel errors.  So lets first consider the context of these verses, and then lets read the whole passage.

In this chapter Jacob has identified the inequalities and pride of the early Nephite people and is berating them for it:

16 O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination... and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!

17 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.

Being rich while others around you are not, and the pride that comes with it, is "iniquity and abomination" according to Jacob.

In our modern culture, when someone seeks to become rich, the goal usually isn't to just have money, the goal is to have more money than most.  That's generally the difference between the word 'prosperity' and 'rich', everyone can be prosperous, but only some can be rich.

Yet, this is obviously not the type of seeking after riches that Jacob would promote, since inequality is an 'abomination', and the rich should give their riches so other people may be rich like unto them.

Let's continue:

18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

19 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 afflicted.

There are character requirements for this promise which I would imagine necessitates the rarity of this promise ever being fulfilled.  This promise requires someone of pure enough heart to only seek after riches to do good, and then to give those riches away as she/he receives them.  This process is the only way in this verse that the Lord will bless an individual with riches.

This verse is not the prosperity gospel of mainstream Christianity - but actually very opposed to it. 

Today, there are a lot of rich Christians, Mormons, and other pious people in the world, but I would expect very few, if any, have followed this pattern, became wealthy, and then gave that wealth away (and they wouldn't be rich anymore anyway, at least not rich relative to the rest of us).  There are many charitable people in the world, including many millionaires and billionaires, but how many of them wanted to give away their wealth from the beginning?  And how many of them have not raised their standard of living to match their increased wealth, instead of simply facilitating their lives and giving the excess away?  

As the fulfillment of this promise is rare, if actually existent at all, wealth today comes largely for the same reasons that the Nephites sometimes became wealthy - which will be our topic in the next article.

For now, lets close this article with the rest of Jacob's quote:

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it?

21 Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh?  And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other.  And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.