Nowadays any mention of economic equality gets you accusations of communism.
As Hugh Nibley said, many labels are meant to discredit good things: “Every rhetorician knows that his most effective weapons by far are labels. He can demolish the opposition with simple and devastating labels such as communism, socialism, or atheism” (Hugh Nibley, What is Zion? A distant View)
But apparently Jesus is really, really for economic equality as you can see from these revelation in the early church
D&C 49:20
But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.
D&C 78
5 That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things.
6 For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;
D&C 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.
D&C 51
3 Wherefore, let my servant Edward Partridge, and those whom he has chosen, in whom I am well pleased, appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.
I know many of you are saying that the difference between this and communism is that equality is done through free will and not through government programs. If this is true than we have a whole lot more repenting to do, stop setting our hearts on riches and be willing to share until as Elder Christofferson says
“to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us.”
Many are under the illusion that we are not required to do this now until Zion comes. That it’s okay to seek for personal riches and not share because “I earned it” but Elder Christofferson disabuses us of this notion:
“We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen—Zion will come only as they happen.”
The Book of Mormon describes the difference between a good use of riches and a bad one
First the good one:
Alma 1:
29 And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
30 And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.
Now the bad example just three chapters later
Alma 4:
6 And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.
7 Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people.
8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure….
12 Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.
Bottom line, stop saying equality is communist as it’s clearly part of the heavenly order. Second of all, if you are to fight against government programs because it needs to be done through free will, then you and all of us need to start giving a whole lot more. Until then perhaps you should be a little willing to stop judging people for using government programs.
Worshipping our economic system is leading a lot of people to do things that are contrary to the gospel. Many are also preaching things as righteous that are contrary to the gospel as well.
A series of posts on different aspects of this