Please see the disclaimer.
Introduction
Jesus Christ said that in the Last Days, “there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect…” (Joseph Smith–Matthew 1:22)
One of the biggest lies accepted by many of the elect, most of which are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is that Communism is the closest Earthly analog to God’s Law of Economics: The Law of Consecration.
Nothing could be further from the truth because Communism is Satanic. Literally.
I want to talk about why, as well as shatter other falsehoods about the Law of Consecration since that is part of the law we will live during the Millennium in Zion.
Living the Law of Consecration is, in fact, what defines Zion. See Moses 7:18 and D&C 97:21.
But in order to live it, we must understand it. Thus, learning about the Law of Consecration is part of the greatest project in all history: the Gathering of Israel and the building of Zion.
And that is why I am writing this post.
In this post, I am lumping Socialism in with Communism, for they came from the same source: Satan. Karl Marx, the “inventor” of Communism, also “invented” Socialism and said that Socialism is a “pit stop” on the way to Communism.
Vladmir Lenin, the most successful Communist of all time, said, “The goal of socialism is communism.”
Thus, they are one and the same; the only difference is a matter of degree.
Implementation
To see why Communism is Satanic and the Law of Consecration is from Heaven, we only need to look at how both are implemented.
Communism Is Implemented by Force
Communism is implemented by force and coercion.
“No, it’s not, Gavin! Everyone is free in Communism; they just share everything!”
Supposedly, anyway.
Actually, for the sake of argument, I will assume that followers of Communism actually believe that and that they are being sincere about it.
My first question to the Communists is this: “what do you do with those who refuse to follow Communism?”
This is always where the true, ugly nature of Communism is revealed, for I know not of any Communist that has said, “We will leave them alone.” Instead, those who refuse are compelled to obey.
So let’s assume that Communism is fantastic, if we can get there. But as so many Communists have complained ever since Lenin that “no nation has ever implemented true Communism.”
Do you know why? Because you reap what you sow!
When I talk about “implementation,” I am not talking about how the system actually works. I am talking about how it is started, how it is bootstrapped.
Inevitably, since Communism requires complete submission by everyone to work, the implementation or bootstrap is always done by force and coercion, which usually involves murder.
Communists insist that they have to implement it cleanly; there cannot be any opposition.
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
But isn’t that a confession of the weakness of Communism itself? Other systems can mix with others, but Communism cannot? Seems like that’s a major flaw.
And so it is, for any economic system that needs force to even begin will need that force to maintain itself. If it is born by force, by force will it remain alive.
And that is why it is Satanic: Communism is an economic system that requires coercion, the very thing Lucifer campaigned for in the Council in Heaven!
By the way, should you want to leave Communism, good luck; Communists will give you no peace, or shouldn’t according to Marx.
For the sake of argument, I imagined that Communism would mean what its proponents say it means, but even when accepting that lie, it is possible to see the truth by just digging a deeper because it is really just an excuse for removing those that stand in their way, for all “true” Communists are actually authoritarians.
God is not. His way, the Law of Consecration, is different.
The Law of Consecration Is Implemented Voluntarily
First of all, agency, the ability for everyone to act for themselves, is sacred because God gave it to us.
The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
That begs the question: would He take away our agency just to implement His Law?
No, of course He wouldn’t. To suggest otherwise is false on its face.
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass,
Entering into the Law of Consecration is voluntary, and it always will be. That fact is in its very name, for consecrating something unto the Lord is something we must choose to do.
Also, there still exists the possibility of leaving the Law of Consecration.
And let my servant Edward Partridge [the first bishop], when he shall appoint a man his portion, give unto him a writing that shall secure unto him his portion, that he shall hold it, even this right and this inheritance in the church, until he transgresses and is not accounted worthy by the voice of the church, according to the laws and covenants of the church, to belong to the church.
And if he shall transgress and is not accounted worthy to belong to the church, he shall not have power to claim that portion which he has consecrated unto the bishop for the poor and needy of my church; therefore, he shall not retain the gift, but shall only have claim on that portion that is deeded unto him.
– D&C 51:4-5, emphasis added
In layman’s terms, when a man and his family enter into the Law of Consecration, they give, consecrate, everything to the Lord. But then the bishop gives him a portion back! And if he leaves the practice of the Law, he is to keep what he was given, though he loses what he consecrated (except for that which he received back, should there be something that he did receive back).
So not only does God make the Law voluntary, it is voluntary all the time! Those who live the Law are not locked into it.
Property
Of course, one of the biggest ways to discriminate between economic systems is how they treat property.
Communism Rejects the Idea of Property
Communism, of course, rejects the idea that property should exist. That is supposed to be the very definition of Communism.
The early Saints often practiced what Communists might describe as Communism before they joined the Church. A description of one such commune, in Ohio, went as follows:
The disciples had all things common, and were going to destruction very fast as to temporal things: for they considered from reading the scripture that what belonged to
one man, bela brother belonged to any of the brethren, therefore they would take each others clothes and other property and use it without leave: which brought on confusion and disappointments: for they did not understand the scripture.
It is easy to see that actually having “all things common” causes confusion, disappointments, and contention, which all are Satanic.
For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity.
– D&C 123:7, emphasis added
Obviously, having no private property is not good because it means there are no controls on who can use resources, tools, clothes, or anything else.
Thus, Communism cannot be from God.
The Law of Consecration Requires Private Property
Perceptive readers would have quickly noticed something unusual about D&C 51:4-5, quoted above: it assumes private property.
When a man and his family enter into the Law, it is assumed that he consecrates property that he already owns. This means that private property must exist before the Law of Consecration can be practiced! It also assumes that the man will own private property when leaving the Law.
All of this means that not only is Communism not analogous to the Law of Consecration, but Communism actually prevents God’s people from practicing the Law!
“But Gavin, that’s only when entering or leaving the Law. Once in the Law of Consecration, all things are common, which means that everything is shared.”
No, that is not what that means.
First, the Lord explained that private property still exists in the Law of Consecration:
And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me; and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church and his counselors, two of the elders, or high priests, such as he shall appoint or has appointed and set apart for that purpose.
And it shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church, agreeable to my commandments, every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family.
– D&C 42:31-32, emphasis added
The key phrase is “steward over his own property.” Does that sound like the property is shared?
Absolutely not. It’s definitely private property. In fact, as the steward of that property, he has all power over its use.
Thus, the Lord preserves every man’s agency for himself, even in the Law of Consecration.
Misinterpretation of “All Things Common”
Specifically regarding the phrase “all things common” (or variations), I think that we have been interpreting that in the wrong way, and the fact that the Lord has put His blessing on private property is evidence of that.
So what does it actually mean? We can look for a clue in another scripture:
But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.
Basically, no one should posess more than anyone else. I don’t think it can get any clearer than that.
Of course, this will be based on what we need for our stewardships. For example, if I were to be a helicopter pilot in Zion, I should probably own the helicopter, which would be “above another” unless taking into account that I need that for my stewardship.
From here on, when I talk about what people will have, I am disregarding what people need for their stewardships.
But what does that mean for the phrase “all things common” and variations?
Well, I think it means that when practicing the Law of Consecration, the things that people have are “common,” which means that if someone has something, everyone has their own as well.
If I have a dishwasher, everyone has their own dishwasher. If I have a fridge, everyone has a fridge. If I have a house, everyone does (sized to their needs). If I have a car, so does everyone else. If I have a private pilot’s license, everyone else should have had the opportunity to get one or do something equivalent. And if I have a private jet, others will have their own to enjoy, or something of the same value.
God doesn’t care if His people are all rich; in fact, I believe He would love it if all of His children are comfortable and enjoying things in life. If we all had private jets (and licenses to fly them), I think He would be happy because then we would be able to travel quickly, enjoy time as a family as a result, and see more of our world.
What He doesn’t like is when there are those that have more that are not willing to share.
“That sounds like God doesn’t like Capitalism!”
Sure, but if you look at Communism, which concentrates wealth even more when there exists a central authority (or destroys it in anarchy), I think He accepts Capitalism as the best of the Earthly systems we have.
In fact, the Law of Consecration could be considered the “higher law” version of Capitalism.
Despotic Central Authority
Let’s now look at whether or not each system has an all-powerful central authority.
Communism Requires Central Authority to Work
Earlier, I said,
Obviously, having no private property is not good because it means there are no controls on who can use resources, tools, clothes, or anything else.
Any economic system without controls is doomed to fail by collapsing into anarchy.
Communists know this, so inevitably, they set up an all-powerful central authority to provide the controls that are so desperately needed. Conveniently, whenever such central authorities become despotic, as they invariably do, the Communists can claim, “Well, that wasn’t real Communism.”
Sure, but if real Communism would actually collapse into anarchy, that’s not good, either.
In fact, tyranny is only slightly better than anarchy, simply because it might provide some semblance of peace.
The Law of Consecration Is Administered by Local Bishops
Did you notice when I quoted D&C 51:4-5 that the Law of Consecration was administered by the bishop?
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, bishops are in charge of a ward, a local unit.
And in the Law of Consecration, bishops are the authority that administers the Law of Consecration. It is not the Church as a whole that administers it, but a local, decentralized authority that can be removed by the Lord at any time.
Revenue
Now let’s look at how each of these systems manage revenue.
Communism Demands All Revenue Go to the Central Authority
In Communism, you don’t get to keep anything. You have to turn over everything to the authority, and they get to decide what you get back.
How can a limited amount of people do this for a vast majority? Easy: they set what everyone can have based on some criteria, such as how many people are in the household, how far away jobs are, etc.
It is obvious that doing things in this way will lead to problems for those that, for reasons that the authority cannot know, need more than what they are given. And since this life is unpredictable, there will be times when every household needs more than what it is given.
That, along with the fact that once a household is in poverty from not having what is needed, means that over time, more and more of the people will be in poverty.
Oh, and it goes without saying that demanding everything violates the agency of man.
The Law of Consecration Asks for Profits to Be Given to the Bishop
In the Law of Consecration, God asks for our profits:
And it shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church, agreeable to my commandments, every man shall be made accountable unto me, a steward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family.
And again, if there shall be properties in the hands of the church, or any individuals of it, more than is necessary for their support after this first consecration, which is a residue to be consecrated unto the bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants.
Therefore, the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy, as shall be appointed by the high council of the church, and the bishop and his council;
– D&C 42:32-34, emphasis added
In other words, God asks us to turn over to the bishop all of our profits (residue), keeping for ourselves only what we need. Thus, God lets us each decide what we need.
But the other part of that is that we are accountable to Him for what we keep. In other words, if we keep more than we need, He will require that of us someday.
Or we have an out: we can leave the Law of Consecration. If we decide to do so, we can begin, from then on, to keep everything we gain. But we lose the blessings of the Law as well.
Monopolies
I hate monopolies. They are terrible.
So let’s see if Communism and the Law of Consecration can prevent monopolies.
Communism Results in Monopolies
Not only is it impossible for Communism to prevent monopolies, they are the direct result of Communism.
Why? Since everybody “shares” everything, if someone were to outcompete another, the revenue would just be shared equally anyway. So there would be no incentive to compete. There might be competition in name, but in practice, it would amount to collusion, which is effectively a monopoly made of several entities.
Oh, and a duopoly is a monopoly too.
The Law of Consecration Uses Competition for Efficiency
“But Gavin! The Law of Consecration will produce the same thing since all profits are given to the bishop.”
It certainly looks that way, and I struggled with this when studying the Law. However, it turns out to not be the case.
First of all, every man has a stewardship, a little section of the economy that he is in charge of. This stewardship was given by the Lord, through the bishop. (See D&C 42:32.)
Second, the Lord expects us to be wise stewards. This is illustrated in the Parable of the Talents:
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
It turns out that the Lord is not pleased when we are not wise stewards, just as He will not be pleased if we do not turn over our profits to the bishop.
But there is yet another thing in this parable that most miss: the stewards gained more in their stewardship by faithfulness and lost all or part of their stewardship through slothfulness.
The true implication of those two things is subtle, but it is the key by which true competition is maintained.
This is the key: that those who compete well become stewards of larger things.
Imagine for a minute that you are given a stewardship over a tiny steel mill. It is only large enough to support you and your family. You decide that you would like to be in charge of a larger steel mill, but you choose to go about it the right way by proving to the bishop that you are capable of more.
So you work hard and manage to produce one percent more steel in a year than you expected. You go to the bishop and tell him this, offering the profits from that one percent.
He says, “That’s great! Fortunately, we don’t have any pressing needs for that money. What could you do with it to bless your stewardship.”
You prepared for this. You say, “I could buy a lathe, which would allow me to repair the machinery myself instead of paying for it.”
He approves, and you buy the lathe.
I am not a steelworker, so I am not sure a lathe would help with that. Please excuse my ignorance if not.
At the end of the next year, you did not manage to grow your mill’s output more than the one percent from last year because you spent time repairing machines yourself instead. However, that means the cost to run the mill went down by five percent, so you bring that to the bishop.
He says, “Great! I will need about half of that to take care of some needs; five women lost their husbands this year. But what can you do with the other half?”
You prepared for this. You say, “With half, I could get a powered hammer and a few more tools to be able to repair more things.”
He approves, and you do so.
The next year, you have not improved the output of the mill again, but the costs have fallen seven percent.
The bishop says, “Great! I have a new couple, and he is currently unemployed. I have noticed that your output hasn’t gone up any for awhile. I don’t blame you; you have been doing a lot of repair work. But could you employ a young man with that extra seven percent?”
“Yes, I can.”
And so you gain an employee. And so it goes for several years until you find yourself with the largest steel mill in 200 miles and a workforce of about 200.
You grew your stewardship by your faithfulness. And that young man you initially hired? He grew his too, becoming a manager at your plant until a bishop in another far away ward asked if he could move and build a steel mill there.
I don’t know many people that would be satisfied with small stewardships; most of us have a desire to be in charge of more.
And that is what we would “compete” for in the Law of Consecration.
I put “compete” in quotes because in reality, there isn’t any competition but as our stewardships grow naturally through wise maintenance, we will then be in charge of more.
This means that those who are wisest will grow their stewardships the most.
Of course, in order to grow our stewardships, there will need to be competition in the market. And so it is. But as we will see, that competition, which in Capitalism incentivizes dishonest behavior, will be tempered by a knowledge that dishonesty destroys wealth.
Fundamental Principle
Next, let’s look at the fundamental principle that undergirds Communism and the Law of Consecration.
Communism Assumes Limited Wealth
It is obvious to me from the writings of Marx and other Communists that they assume one thing: there is only limited wealth.
Why is it obvious to me? Because they say that wealth needs to be taken from the rich to give to the poor. They they thought wealth could grow, they would say to just give the new wealth to the poor, rather than taking from others.
The Law of Consecration Assumes Growing Wealth
By now, it should be evident that the Law of Consecration is all about giving the new wealth to the poor. The new wealth comes in the form of profits that are given to the bishop, which he then passes out to the needy.
Thus, the Law of Consecration assumes that wealth can grow!
In fact, the Lord made this assumption clear when He said,
And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.
But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.
For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.
Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.
– D&C 104:15-18, emphasis added
Regarding verse 15, since God wants us to be equal (see D&C 49:20), He does not mean for the rich to be made poor and the poor rich, but for the rich and the poor to be equal.
Thus, Christ has told us that there is plenty for us all, including plenty to spare.
This is an uplifting thought, that all could be equal and wealthy, that all could be comfortable.
The Higher Law of Economics
When you think about it, the Law of Consecration allows profits and allows competition. It also assumes that the cumulative wealth of a society can grow.
That sounds a lot like Capitalism, because it is.
In fact, Capitalism is really a form of the Law of Consecration that allows its practitioners to be less perfect.
In that way, Capitalism is like the Law of Moses, and the Law of Consecration is like the Law of the Gospel taught by Jesus Christ during His mortal ministry.
Earlier, I admitted that God does not like Capitalism. Did you know that He also does not like the Mosaic Law? The fact that God does not like Capitalism does not mean that He approves of other systems more. It is, unfortunately, the best we can do right now, just like the Mosaic Law was the best the Israelites could do.
Of course, the analogy is more fitting for the Law of Consecration because it is actually a part of the Law of the Gospel.
So Capitalism is the Mosaic Law of cconomics; it is still the best law of economics that people can actually follow, but it comes short of perfection.
Because the Mosaic Law was from God, it still is a better legal system than any other we have, except for the US Constitution, which was also from God.
Of course, the Law of the Gospel, which Moses brought down from Sinai before he knew that the Israelites had apostatized, is better. The Mosaic Law was tacked on as additions later to be a “schoolmaster” (Galations 3:24-25) to teach them the “rhythm of obedience” (see The Third Thousand Years by W. Cleon Skousen).
For this reason, God wants us to live a higher law, and to do that, we need to know what might stand in our way.
Roadblocks to the Law of Consecration
In all of the history of the world, we know of only three civilizations that managed to live the Law of Consecration:
- City of Enoch
- Salem, the City of Melchizedek
- Nephites after the coming of Christ to them after His death
Why do so few manage to do it?
It’s because the Law of Consecration requires a peculiar people, a people with none of the attributes that will serve as stumbling-blocks on the way to implementing the Law.
Let’s look at what those roadblocks are.
Greed
The first roadblock is obviously greed. In fact, this is the one the Lord and His prophets speak most vehemently against.
Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you.
Capitalism allows greed; it feeds greed. This is why it is only the Mosaic Law of economics. Real Celestial law would not do such a thing.
The Law of Consecration aspires higher. It strives to be efficient, yes, but then it asks of men that they do not keep that which others do not have. If men live by greed and serve mammon, they will not be able to do so.
Greed can be manifested in so many ways. It can be manifested by wanting a better car when the one you have serves the purpose. It can be manifested by wanting nicer clothes than everyone else.
And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world.
Jealousy/Envy
A companion flaw to greed is jealousy or envy.
People will come into the Law of Consecration with differing amounts. Perhaps someone has a nicer car that they are allowed to keep. If jealousy is the response, it can cause the bearer to withhold that which he should have given.
Maybe the bishop gives better things to his son or daughter. Would we be charitable enough to accept that?
The Law of Consecration needs a willing heart and mind. When jealousy invades, it crowds out that willingness.
Impatience
When a society is living the Law of Consecration, the cumulative wealth of that society increases over time. Over time, all citizens living thus will become equally wealthy.
But it takes time and sacrifice.
A person who would like to be more comfortable than they are now has a choice: wait patiently knowing that others are in the same boat, or he can shortcut and try to keep back what he ought to give.
An Apostle of the Lord said,
Patience — the ability to put our desires on hold for a time — is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now.
In other words, patience is the ability to sacrifice something now for something later. And we struggle with it.
In the Law of Consecration, that ability to sacrifice must exist in every practitioner of the Law. Without it, the wealth may still grow, but it will surely be concentrated even if it does, and the system will collapse into raw Capitalism, if not worse.
We must be willing to put off better things now and wait for better things in the future. If we can do that, all will taste of the fruits.
Pride
In all of the stumbling-blocks to implementing the Law of Concentration, there is one common thread: pride. Why pride?
The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.”
Greed is caused by enmity toward our fellowmen, wanting more than others have.
Jealousy and envy are caused by enmity toward our fellowmen, wanting what we do not have.
Impatience is caused by enmity toward God, wanting wealth now instead of in the future when it is best for everyone.
When pride exists, the Law of Consecration cannot abide. For this reason, it is significant that when Mormon was writing about the degradation of the Law of Consecration among the Nephites in 4 Nephi 1:24, he said simply,
…there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride…
If we are to build the Law of Consecration and a Zion society, we must conquer pride.
Results of the Law of Consecration
In the course of this post, I have assumed that the Law of Consecration is better than Capitalism, but I have not explained why. And I must, for if the Law of Consecration is no better than Capitalism, there is no reason for it to exist.
The first and most important fruit of the Law of Consecration is in Moses 7:18: “there was no poor among them.”
This is the most important fruit because it is the root of most of the other fruits:
- No poor means no poverty (obviously).
- No poor means no homeless.
- No poor means less drug use.
- No poor means fathers have the time to be at home.
- No poor means no one needs to resort to crime to feed themselves.
Another important fruit is that the Law of Consecration requires a good people. This may not seem like much, but it has great side effects:
- People are faithful to their spouses.
- And this means even more fathers in their homes.
- Children honor parents.
- Leaders lead with justice, honor, and dignity.
- No economic parasites.
That last item, along with the fact that, in the Law of Consecration, a greater amount of resources are put towards those things that raise the wealth of the society, implies the last great benefit of the Law of Consecration: no more economic waste than necessary.
Minimum Economic Waste
What do I mean by “minimum economic waste”?
Well, first, let’s imagine a perfect world. Nothing wears out or gets used up. When you eat food, it nourishes you, but it is magically replaced as well. A car does not get older, nor wear out. Electricity is used, but it too, magically appears out of thin air.
Basically, no one has to spend any money for upkeep or supplies. No one would have to “waste” money to survive or thrive.
Obviously, such a perfect world does not exist, but it is a useful metric to measure “economic waste”:
- economic waste
- money or resources spent on something other than creating and building more societal wealth.
So what kinds of waste are there?
- Creating useless things, things that do not build wealth.
- Maintenance of all existing things.
- Consumption of consumable items.
- Healthcare.
- Cutting corners.
Numbers 2, 3, and 4 are necessary, unfortunately. We cannot just magically create food, fuel, or other consumables, nor are things so perfect that they need no maintenance. And we are not immortal yet.
When we are actually living the Law of Consecration in the Millennium, people will be effectively mortal because if they die, they will be instantly resurrected. So number 4 will be much less necessary.
But it is numbers 1 and 5 that actually suck most of the wealth from other economic systems, including Capitalism.
Useless Things
First of all, why does creating useless things waste wealth?
There are plenty of things that we need that also don’t build wealth. Such things include:
- clothes
- houses
- dishes
and many more.
But we certainly don’t need to make our clothes, houses, or dishes any fancier than needed to fulfill their purposes, so spending extra wealth on making them fancy would be wasted wealth. Yes, we need them, but we should not spend any more for them than necessary.
I would include things that automate necessary work, like dishwashers or fridges, under the category of “things that build wealth.” The reason why is that since wealth is directly correlated to labor, and labor is directly correlated to time, anything that saves us time indirectly creates wealth.
What this means is that the economic system that encourages less spending on unneeded things, as well as encourages only spending what is necessary for those things that are needed, will be the most efficient economic system, so long as it also encourages a market economy.
And since the Law of Consecration does all of those things, it is the most efficient economic system. Bar none.
Yes, because it requires so much of us, it will take a while for us to get used to it. Thus, it will take a while for wealth to start accumulating, but once it does, it will accumulate faster than any other system because the waste will be the absolute minimum possible.
Cutting Corners
Second, it should be obvious why cutting corners wastes wealth, but if it isn’t, here’s why: cutting corners destroys things that could serve a purpose.
Anything that cannot serve a purpose, such as cars that are completely worn out, would actually serve us better by being destroyed and reusing what we can. I am not talking about that here.
Say, for example, that a factory decides to dump toxic chemicals into the river nearby instead of spending the money to dispose of those chemicals properly.
Downstream farms are unaware, and the food they produce has those chemicals. People get sick or have chronic healthcare problems, and wealth is wasted on their care.
This is the sort of waste that can happen with cutting corners and needless destruction.
So how will the Law of Consecration reduce cutting corners? It won’t, by itself. It will require good people, which will help, but that may not be enough.
However, every person that knows the principle of growing wealth will understand that any corner cutting they do will eventually lead to them losing wealth.
The hope is that people would like to be wealthy, and they will easily see that acting honestly will be the best, and only, way to build that wealth.
Conclusion
The following table should make it easy to see that the Law of Consecration is Celestial and why Communism is Satanic.
| Aspect | Communism | Law of Consecration |
|---|---|---|
| Voluntary to enter? | No | Yes, by consecration |
| Possible to leave? | No | Yes, with their property |
| Private property? | No | Yes, required |
| Share everything? | Yes | No |
| Individual agency? | No | Yes, over a stewardship |
| Central authority? | Most likely | No, decentralized |
| Revenue allowed? | No | Yes, residue requested |
| Keep what we need? | No | Yes, accountable to God |
| Monopolies? | Yes | No, uses competition |
| Principle? | Limited wealth | “There is plenty to spare” |
| Results? | Few wealthy | “No poor among them” |
But the biggest takeaway from this post should be that everyone should be looking forward to the day when we will put aside our faults, flaws, and frailties and live the Law.
I invite you to prepare now by seeking to perfect yourself. Seek to develop charity, patience, and compassion. Seek to be the kind of person that can live the Law.