The more I read the scriptures, the more I am struck that every time people were most devoted to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, "there were no poor among them." (Moses 7:18) In the book of Acts it describes how the saints sold their possessions and gave all they had to the church. Or apparently were struck dead if they didn't. (Acts 5:1-11) Certainly the United Order asked similar things of the saints in these latter-days. (D&C 78:3-7) Though I don't think death was on the line. OK, spiritual death was on the line but not physical death. The Nephites, after the resurrected Christ established this church among them, "had all things common among them." (4 Nephi 1:2-3)
While the Nephites at the time of King Benjamin don't appear to be living the law of consecration, Mosiah 4:16-26 is a very powerful sermon on giving to those in need.
Given that the ideal society, in the eyes of God, involves us taking care of each other so that there are no poor, what is wrong with having a system of government that has that as its goal?
Some people say that the difference is in agency. When the Lord asks you to do it you are free to say no. When the government asks you to do it you are not so free to refuse. But what if we use our agency to vote for a government that has taking care of the poor and needy as it's goal? Many people live, quite happily, in socialist systems for which they have voted. They are not evil and socialism is not evil. I might even argue that if our goal is to produce a government that will be similar to what things will be like in the millennium then they are further along than we.
Go ahead, tell me that if I like socialism so much maybe I should leave America and move to a socialist country. Tempting, very tempting. Instead I will stay here to defend those who think government should be used to better the lives of it's people and be a safety net to get them back on their feet when they stumble.
I do not advocate lifetime government support and I do feel people need a path to success. Don't get me started on how a system of education that allows 30% of it's children to enter adulthood without a high school diploma is dysfunctional!
OK, so I'm a socialist. Though the more I think about it, the more I suspect I may be a communist libertarian.
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