REVIEW: Mason, Restoration, Pt. 4

From my area of interest, the core of Mason's book is the two pages where he details Church members' current baggage with respect to economic inequality (pp. 65-67). This is more applicable to Millennial Social Thought (MST) than the later section recommending action on refugee and immigrant issues, social justice, and community (pp. 83-7), because those are Zion-adjacent projects that can only be approached once the average member's aversion to consecration is addressed.

Mason begins with the observation that "one of the most consistent targets of divine condemnation throughout Restoration scriptures is inequality" (p. 65). In the Book of Mormon this is mostly tangential--if you don't want to see the economic aspect of the pride cycle, you can pretty successfully ignore it. Even the Zion society built in 4 Nephi can be viewed as a result of the Savior's preceding visit. The reference to the Zion society built by Alma by the Waters of Mormon is a blink-and-miss-it moment (Mosiah 18:29). The only explicit discussion of economic inequality and its evil nature is in Jacob 2.

The Doctrine and Covenants, however, contains many sections with strong condemnation of inequality. Section 38 of the Doctrine and Covenants, received in January 1831, introduces the topic of economic inequality to the Church. It is in this section that we get the repeated instruction to "let every man esteem his brother as himself" (vv. 23-4). We can think of the rare instances that the Lord immediately repeats himself as Tyler Durden verses (from the man who devised the second rule of Fight Club). Another example of Tyler Durden verses is contained in Ezra Taft Benson's April 1989 General Conference talk "Beware of Pride," when he first says, "Pride is the universal sin, the great vice. Yes, pride is the universal sin, the great vice," and later says "Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion. I repeat: Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion." When the Lord or His prophets immediately repeat themselves, you can bet it is important counsel that is widely ignored.

Mason writes, "Jesus was not a capitalist" (p. 65), which to many (too many) members of the Church is fighting words. Perhaps recognizing that, Mason walks it back a little when he adds, "It may be that free market capitalism is the least bad economy that humans can devise and implement in a telestial world" (p. 66), but I disagree. Scriptural Zions were built by mortal people in this, the telestial world. I used to think Zion was something Jesus would bring back with Him, and all we had to do was be ready to enter it. The reality is that Zion is something we are to build that will be here to welcome Him. We can't cling to capitalism until Jesus shows up with its replacement. We must get over our capitalism fetish on our own. That is going to require us to acknowledge that it is NOT the least bad economy that humans can devise. We can do better. Mason mentions an 1875 denunciation of capitalism by the First Presidency (which will be my next project here), wherein the Church leaders called for "an alternative economic system based on the principle of cooperation, not competition" (p. 66). Mason recognizes this duty when he writes later

While the Restoration eagerly anticipates the return of Jesus, it also impels us not to wait until he comes to renovate the world. At the heart of the Restoration message is the clarion call to build Zion--here and now, not tomorrow and somewhere else. [p. 78]

When we adhere so tightly to American capitalism is it any wonder, then that "we picked up America's allergy to talking about inequality" (pp. 66-7), as Mason writes? He adds

At times we have even verged dangerously close to embracing a Latter-day Saint version of the "prosperity gospel," the operating assumptions of which are that God wants us to be rich and comfortable, and that wealth is a sign of his favor. [p. 67]

I will look later at how Jacob 2:19 and Doct. and Cov. 67:2 might support or refute the prosperity gospel. But let's start with an honest assessment of the responsibility we face. We aren't asked to be good capitalists until Jesus arrives with a better system. Recently we've heard more reminders in General Conference that the Restoration is an ongoing process, not something that happened in the 1820s. Mason writes it "will remain ongoing and incomplete so long as there are any poor or 'any manner of -ites' among us" (p. 20). Marion G. Romney once said

This welfare program was set up under inspiration in the days of President Grant. It was thoroughly analyzed and taught by his great counselor, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. It is in basic principle the same as the United Order. When we get so we can live it, we will be ready for the United Order. You brethren know that we will have to have a people ready for that order in order to receive the Savior when he comes.

The welfare program is the training ground. Capitalism is not.