United Order
Encyclopedia
In the Latter Day Saint movement
, the United Order (also called the United Order of Enoch) was one of several 19th century church collectivist
programs. Early versions of the Order beginning in 1831 attempted to implement the Law of Consecration
, a form of Christian communism, modeled after the New Testament
church which had "all things in common". These early versions ended after a few years. Later versions within Mormonism
, primarily in the Utah Territory
, implemented less-ambitious cooperative
programs, many of which were very successful. The Order's full name invoked the city of Enoch
, described in Latter Day Saint scripture
as having such a virtuous and undefiled people that God had taken it to heaven.
The United Order established egalitarian communities designed to achieve income equality, eliminate poverty, and increase group self-sufficiency. The movement had much in common with other communalist
utopian societies formed in the United States and Europe during the Second Great Awakening
which sought to govern aspects of people's lives through precepts of faith and community organization. However, the Latter Day Saint United Order was more family and property oriented than the utopian experiments at Brook Farm
and the Oneida Community
.
Membership in the United Order was voluntary, although during a period in the 1830s it was a requirement of continued church membership. Participants would deed
(consecrate
) all their property to the United Order, which would in turn deed back an "inheritance" (or "stewardship") which allowed members to control the property; private property was not eradicated but was rather a fundamental principle of this system. At the end of each year, any excess that the family produced from their stewardship was voluntarily given back to the Order. The Order in each community was operated by the local Bishop
.
The United Order is not practiced within mainstream Mormonism
today; however, a number of groups of Mormon fundamentalists, such as the Apostolic United Brethren
, have revived the practice. The United Order was also practiced by a liberal Mormon
sect called the United Order Family of Christ
.
Joseph Smith, Jr. learned of a group of about 50 people known as "the family" living on Isaac Morley
's farm near Kirtland, Ohio
, who had established a cooperative venture based on statements in the Book of Acts. Members of "The Morley family" were originally followers of Sidney Rigdon
, a minister associated with the Restoration Movement
who later converted to Mormonism. Many of these communalists also joined the new church and several, including Isaac Morley, served in leadership positions. Levi Hancock records an early event wherein a 'family member' stole his pocket watch and sold it, claiming it was "all in the family."
Smith was troubled because of the number of members joining the church in poverty in Kirtland, Ohio
. Revenue was needed for the church to publish books and tracts. At this time, Smith and Rigdon were both in economic distress. Smith and his wife Emma lived on the Morley farm for a period of time.
On February 4, 1831, Smith said he had received a revelation calling Edward Partridge
to be the first bishop
of the church. Five days later, on February 9. 1831, Smith described a second revelation detailing the Law of Consecration
.
Stewardships
Joseph Smith said he had received a revelation directing the saints to impart of their land and money to the church. Partridge assigned the incoming saints from New York lots according to another revelation. Smith directed Colesville immigrants to settle in Thompson, Ohio
, a few miles east of Kirtland, on a farm owned by Leman Copley
. Saints from Seneca County were assigned to the Isaac Morley
farm.
Partridge tried to implement the full law in Thompson. However, disagreements broke out and he was unsuccessful. Shortly after, Smith announced a revelation directing Newel Knight
to lead the saints on the Copley farm to settle in Missouri.
Dissolution
Originally, the United Order was intended to be "an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come". In practice, however, the Order was relatively short-lived during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
, church members were instructed to prepare deed
s of consecration
, but these deeds were never acted upon perhaps due to the community disruption caused by the Utah War
.
It was not until 1874 that Young initiated the United Order of Enoch, beginning in St. George, Utah
on February 9, 1874. There were a number of differences between the United Order of Enoch and United Order communities established years earlier by Joseph Smith. Under Young's leadership, producers would generally deed their property to the Order, and all members of the order would share the cooperative's net income, often divided into shares based on the amount of property originally contributed. Sometimes, the members of the Order would receive wages for their work on the communal property.
The cooperative plan was used in at least 200 Mormon communities, most of them in rural areas outlying the central Mormon settlements near the Great Salt Lake
. Most of the communities held out for only two or three years before returning to a more standard economic system. One of the last United Order corporations established the new community of Bunkerville, Nevada
in 1877. The Bunkerville cooperative dissolved, under pressure from limited water and a lack of individual dedication and initiative, in 1880.
Like the United Order established by Joseph Smith, Young's experiment with the United Order was short-lived. By the time of Brigham Young's death in 1877, most of these United Orders had failed. By the end of the 19th century, the Orders were essentially extinct. Historian Andrew Karl Larson pointed out that the failure of these ventures are rooted in the frailties of human nature.
Some leaders and members of the LDS Church believe that the United Order will be reestablished some time in the future. Many leaders have taught that the church's present system of welfare and humanitarian aid is a predecessor or stepping stone to the renewed practice of the United Order in the future.
towns beginning in 1874. One in particular was the United Order of Kanab, which was a communal experiment initiated by Brigham Young
. Kanab
was established in 1870. That year John R. Young and the local bishop, Levi Stewart
, began colonization of this area and twelve families followed to begin this endeavor. However, there was confusion as to who was the leader of this society. LDS Church authorities appointed the bishop and only they could revoke his status. But many wanted to elect John R. Young as president because he was related to the prophet Brigham Young. This conflict of power lasted until January 5, 1875 when Levi Stewart became the president. Eventually Stewart resigned from his position and John Nuttall of Provo took his place.
Eventually other families followed that were either unhappy in their own lives or were from other failing colonies. By 1874 there were eighty-one families and about seventeen percent of the men that lived in this community practiced polygamy
. The households were simple in structure and were usually two to three bedrooms. There were about three children per mother in every household and polygamous wives lived in the same home as well. Large families in all Mormon communities were regarded as a spiritual practice and the child-woman ratio in Kanab reflected that.
The main source of income for the community was by raising livestock. Most of their wealth was in livestock, vehicles, and shares of stock in corporate enterprises. The land and the improvements made up the rest of their wealth. This particular United Order was very wealthy but within the society there were major gaps. Everyone owned property but some pieces of land were better than others. Eventually Brigham Young ordered the community to diminish the financial gap that set them apart from the other communities.
Many suffered hardships while living on the frontier and tended to move frequently, around the same area to escape the harsh conditions and find greater opportunities. It also made it easy to migrate since most of the wealth people had was movable. The number of families moving three or more times was below fifty. Only twenty-three families moved four times or more and thirteen moved five times or more.
By the year 1880, the United Order at Kanab had greatly decreased. Only thirty-two families were left out of the original eighty-one families that came within the first year of it being established. Many eventually migrated to Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Mexico. Also the young men tended to leave home before they were married and started families of their own.
, was voluntary. Members of the church who chose to participate in the United Order voluntarily deeded their properties to the church, which would then, give all or a portion of it back to the original property owner as a stewardship. The "residue", or property which was over and above what the owner and his family required for themselves, was used by the church to provide to the less fortunate, who would be required to pay it back either monetarily or by labor. The private property owner was not forced to participate in the Order nor was his property forcefully confiscated. Private property owners were free to join or leave the orders and were in control of their stewardship. J. Reuben Clark
, First Counselor in the First Presidency explained:
Lorenzo Snow
, 5th President of the church also highlighted the United Order's preservation of individual free will:
LDS Church leaders in the 20th century sought to make a clear distinction between communism and the Law of Consecration, teaching that the two practices' differed as related to the topics of free agency, private property and deity. The Law of Consecration and the United Order can be compared to Christian communism/communalism
, presented in the New Testament as practiced by 1st century Christian
saints. LDS Church leaders have claimed that communism, communalism, and socialism are counterfeits of the Law of Consecration. Nevertheless, communal unity and equality are central tenets of the Latter Day Saint doctrine of Zion
as described in Moses 7:18, "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."
LDS Church leaders, including David O. McKay
, Harold B. Lee
, Ezra Taft Benson
, Marion G. Romney
, and J. Reuben Clark
, spoke of the stark differences between the United Order and communism. An official church statement on this subject stated:
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
, the United Order (also called the United Order of Enoch) was one of several 19th century church collectivist
Collectivism
Collectivism is any philosophic, political, economic, mystical or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivists usually focus on community, society, or nation...
programs. Early versions of the Order beginning in 1831 attempted to implement the Law of Consecration
Law of Consecration
In the Latter Day Saint movement , the term law of consecration was first used in 1831 by Joseph Smith, it was a doctrine of covenanted Christian communalism....
, a form of Christian communism, modeled after the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
church which had "all things in common". These early versions ended after a few years. Later versions within Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
, primarily in the Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
, implemented less-ambitious cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
programs, many of which were very successful. The Order's full name invoked the city of Enoch
Zion (Latter Day Saints)
Within the Latter Day Saint movement, Zion is often used to connote a utopian association of the righteous. This association would practice a form of communitarian economics called the United Order meant to ensure that all members maintained an acceptable quality of life, class distinctions were...
, described in Latter Day Saint scripture
Book of Moses
The Book of Moses is part of the scriptural canon of Mormonism dictated by founder Joseph Smith, Jr. It is an amalgamation of the "Vision of Moses," which Smith dictated in June 1830, the "Book of Enoch," dictated December 1830, and material deriving from Smith's revision of the Book of Genesis in...
as having such a virtuous and undefiled people that God had taken it to heaven.
The United Order established egalitarian communities designed to achieve income equality, eliminate poverty, and increase group self-sufficiency. The movement had much in common with other communalist
Communalism
Communalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
utopian societies formed in the United States and Europe during the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
which sought to govern aspects of people's lives through precepts of faith and community organization. However, the Latter Day Saint United Order was more family and property oriented than the utopian experiments at Brook Farm
Brook Farm
Brook Farm, also called the Brook Farm Institute of Agriculture and Education or the Brook Farm Association for Industry and Education, was a utopian experiment in communal living in the United States in the 1840s...
and the Oneida Community
Oneida Community
The Oneida Community was a religious commune founded by John Humphrey Noyes in 1848 in Oneida, New York. The community believed that Jesus had already returned in the year 70 AD, making it possible for them to bring about Jesus's millennial kingdom themselves, and be free of sin and perfect in this...
.
Membership in the United Order was voluntary, although during a period in the 1830s it was a requirement of continued church membership. Participants would deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
(consecrate
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
) all their property to the United Order, which would in turn deed back an "inheritance" (or "stewardship") which allowed members to control the property; private property was not eradicated but was rather a fundamental principle of this system. At the end of each year, any excess that the family produced from their stewardship was voluntarily given back to the Order. The Order in each community was operated by the local Bishop
Bishop (Mormonism)
Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. A bishop is usually the leader of a local congregation of church members. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations,...
.
The United Order is not practiced within mainstream Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
today; however, a number of groups of Mormon fundamentalists, such as the Apostolic United Brethren
Apostolic United Brethren
The Apostolic United Brethren is a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist church within the Latter Day Saint movement. The sect is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, have revived the practice. The United Order was also practiced by a liberal Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
sect called the United Order Family of Christ
United Order Family of Christ
The United Order Family of Christ was a schismatic sect of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which was founded in 1969 in Denver, Colorado by David-Edward Desmond and existed until at least 1973-74....
.
Under Joseph Smith, Jr.
Initial revelationsJoseph Smith, Jr. learned of a group of about 50 people known as "the family" living on Isaac Morley
Isaac Morley
Isaac Morley was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement and a contemporary of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. He was one of the first converts to Smith's Church of Christ...
's farm near Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, who had established a cooperative venture based on statements in the Book of Acts. Members of "The Morley family" were originally followers of Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
, a minister associated with the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
who later converted to Mormonism. Many of these communalists also joined the new church and several, including Isaac Morley, served in leadership positions. Levi Hancock records an early event wherein a 'family member' stole his pocket watch and sold it, claiming it was "all in the family."
Smith was troubled because of the number of members joining the church in poverty in Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
. Revenue was needed for the church to publish books and tracts. At this time, Smith and Rigdon were both in economic distress. Smith and his wife Emma lived on the Morley farm for a period of time.
On February 4, 1831, Smith said he had received a revelation calling Edward Partridge
Edward Partridge
Edward Partridge was the grandson of Massachusetts Congressman Oliver Partridge, Esq., and a member of a family noted for commercial, social, political, and military leadership in Western Massachusetts. One of the first converts to the Latter Day Saint movement, he was baptized in or near Seneca...
to be the first bishop
Bishop (Mormonism)
Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. A bishop is usually the leader of a local congregation of church members. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations,...
of the church. Five days later, on February 9. 1831, Smith described a second revelation detailing the Law of Consecration
Law of Consecration
In the Latter Day Saint movement , the term law of consecration was first used in 1831 by Joseph Smith, it was a doctrine of covenanted Christian communalism....
.
Stewardships
Joseph Smith said he had received a revelation directing the saints to impart of their land and money to the church. Partridge assigned the incoming saints from New York lots according to another revelation. Smith directed Colesville immigrants to settle in Thompson, Ohio
Thompson, Ohio
Thompson, Ohio can refer to:*Thompson Township, Delaware County, Ohio*Thompson Township, Geauga County, Ohio, also the location of the community of Thompson*Thompson Township, Seneca County, Ohio...
, a few miles east of Kirtland, on a farm owned by Leman Copley
Leman Copley
Leman Copley was an early convert to Mormonism. Prior to his conversion, Copley was a Shaker.In March 1831, Copley was called by Joseph Smith, Jr. to preach the gospel to the Shakers along with Sidney Rigdon and Parley P...
. Saints from Seneca County were assigned to the Isaac Morley
Isaac Morley
Isaac Morley was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement and a contemporary of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. He was one of the first converts to Smith's Church of Christ...
farm.
Partridge tried to implement the full law in Thompson. However, disagreements broke out and he was unsuccessful. Shortly after, Smith announced a revelation directing Newel Knight
Newel Knight
Newel Knight was a close friend of Joseph Smith, Jr. and one of the first branch presidents in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
to lead the saints on the Copley farm to settle in Missouri.
Dissolution
Originally, the United Order was intended to be "an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come". In practice, however, the Order was relatively short-lived during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
Under Brigham Young
From 1855 to 1858 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) once again considered living under the United Order. During this period, under the leadership of Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, church members were instructed to prepare deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
s of consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
, but these deeds were never acted upon perhaps due to the community disruption caused by the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
.
It was not until 1874 that Young initiated the United Order of Enoch, beginning in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
on February 9, 1874. There were a number of differences between the United Order of Enoch and United Order communities established years earlier by Joseph Smith. Under Young's leadership, producers would generally deed their property to the Order, and all members of the order would share the cooperative's net income, often divided into shares based on the amount of property originally contributed. Sometimes, the members of the Order would receive wages for their work on the communal property.
The cooperative plan was used in at least 200 Mormon communities, most of them in rural areas outlying the central Mormon settlements near the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
. Most of the communities held out for only two or three years before returning to a more standard economic system. One of the last United Order corporations established the new community of Bunkerville, Nevada
Bunkerville, Nevada
Bunkerville is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,014 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place of Bunkerville has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is...
in 1877. The Bunkerville cooperative dissolved, under pressure from limited water and a lack of individual dedication and initiative, in 1880.
Like the United Order established by Joseph Smith, Young's experiment with the United Order was short-lived. By the time of Brigham Young's death in 1877, most of these United Orders had failed. By the end of the 19th century, the Orders were essentially extinct. Historian Andrew Karl Larson pointed out that the failure of these ventures are rooted in the frailties of human nature.
- The habits of an acquisitive society were too strongly forged to be broken without the utmost devotion and selflessness to the cause, and rugged individualism triumphed over the abortive attempt at communal ownership and communal living here.
Some leaders and members of the LDS Church believe that the United Order will be reestablished some time in the future. Many leaders have taught that the church's present system of welfare and humanitarian aid is a predecessor or stepping stone to the renewed practice of the United Order in the future.
Kanab
Many United Order communities were set up amongst MormonMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
towns beginning in 1874. One in particular was the United Order of Kanab, which was a communal experiment initiated by Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
. Kanab
Kanab, Utah
Kanab is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, United States. The area was first settled in 1864 and the town was founded in 1870 when ten Mormon families moved into the area. The population was 3,564 at the 2000 census...
was established in 1870. That year John R. Young and the local bishop, Levi Stewart
Levi Stewart
Levi Stewart was a Mormon pioneer and a founder of Kanab, Utah.-Early years:Stewart was born in West Edwardsville, Illinois in 1812. His parents divorced when he was 12, and he lived with his mother and brothers until adulthood.He married his cousin Melinda Howard in 1833, and moved to Vandalia,...
, began colonization of this area and twelve families followed to begin this endeavor. However, there was confusion as to who was the leader of this society. LDS Church authorities appointed the bishop and only they could revoke his status. But many wanted to elect John R. Young as president because he was related to the prophet Brigham Young. This conflict of power lasted until January 5, 1875 when Levi Stewart became the president. Eventually Stewart resigned from his position and John Nuttall of Provo took his place.
Eventually other families followed that were either unhappy in their own lives or were from other failing colonies. By 1874 there were eighty-one families and about seventeen percent of the men that lived in this community practiced polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
. The households were simple in structure and were usually two to three bedrooms. There were about three children per mother in every household and polygamous wives lived in the same home as well. Large families in all Mormon communities were regarded as a spiritual practice and the child-woman ratio in Kanab reflected that.
The main source of income for the community was by raising livestock. Most of their wealth was in livestock, vehicles, and shares of stock in corporate enterprises. The land and the improvements made up the rest of their wealth. This particular United Order was very wealthy but within the society there were major gaps. Everyone owned property but some pieces of land were better than others. Eventually Brigham Young ordered the community to diminish the financial gap that set them apart from the other communities.
Many suffered hardships while living on the frontier and tended to move frequently, around the same area to escape the harsh conditions and find greater opportunities. It also made it easy to migrate since most of the wealth people had was movable. The number of families moving three or more times was below fifty. Only twenty-three families moved four times or more and thirteen moved five times or more.
By the year 1880, the United Order at Kanab had greatly decreased. Only thirty-two families were left out of the original eighty-one families that came within the first year of it being established. Many eventually migrated to Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Mexico. Also the young men tended to leave home before they were married and started families of their own.
Communalism
LDS Church leaders stated that under the United Order, private property was not abolished. The sharing of goods, often cited as communalismCommunalism
Communalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
, was voluntary. Members of the church who chose to participate in the United Order voluntarily deeded their properties to the church, which would then, give all or a portion of it back to the original property owner as a stewardship. The "residue", or property which was over and above what the owner and his family required for themselves, was used by the church to provide to the less fortunate, who would be required to pay it back either monetarily or by labor. The private property owner was not forced to participate in the Order nor was his property forcefully confiscated. Private property owners were free to join or leave the orders and were in control of their stewardship. J. Reuben Clark
J. Reuben Clark
Joshua Reuben Clark, Jr. was an American attorney, civil servant, and a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Born in Grantsville, Utah Territory, Clark was a prominent attorney in the Department of State, and Under Secretary of State for US president Calvin Coolidge...
, First Counselor in the First Presidency explained:
"The fundamental principle of this system was the private ownership of property. Each man owned his portion, or inheritance, or stewardship, with an absolute title, which he could alienate, or hypothecate, or otherwise treat as his own. The church did not own all of the property, and the life under the United Order was not a communal life... The United Order is an individualistic system, not a communal system."
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
, 5th President of the church also highlighted the United Order's preservation of individual free will:
"In things that pertain to celestial glory there can be no forced operations. We must do according as the spirit of the Lord operates upon our understandings and feelings. We cannot be crowded into matters, however great might be the blessing attending such procedure. We cannot be forced into living a celestial law; we must do this ourselves, of our own free will. And whatever we do in regard to the principle of the United Order, we must do it because we desire to do it..."
Communism
This United Order was an attempt to eradicate poverty and promote a sense of unity and brotherhood within Latter-day Saint communities. The LDS Church's view is that the doctrine and the various attempts at practicing it should not be seen as part of the 19th century utopian movement in the United States, and is distinct from both communism and capitalism.LDS Church leaders in the 20th century sought to make a clear distinction between communism and the Law of Consecration, teaching that the two practices' differed as related to the topics of free agency, private property and deity. The Law of Consecration and the United Order can be compared to Christian communism/communalism
Communalism
Communalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
, presented in the New Testament as practiced by 1st century Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
saints. LDS Church leaders have claimed that communism, communalism, and socialism are counterfeits of the Law of Consecration. Nevertheless, communal unity and equality are central tenets of the Latter Day Saint doctrine of Zion
Zion (Latter Day Saints)
Within the Latter Day Saint movement, Zion is often used to connote a utopian association of the righteous. This association would practice a form of communitarian economics called the United Order meant to ensure that all members maintained an acceptable quality of life, class distinctions were...
as described in Moses 7:18, "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."
LDS Church leaders, including David O. McKay
David O. McKay
David Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , serving from 1951 until his death. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church...
, Harold B. Lee
Harold B. Lee
Harold Bingham Lee was eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from July 1972 until his death.- Early life :...
, Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, Marion G. Romney
Marion G. Romney
Marion George Romney was an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:...
, and J. Reuben Clark
J. Reuben Clark
Joshua Reuben Clark, Jr. was an American attorney, civil servant, and a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Born in Grantsville, Utah Territory, Clark was a prominent attorney in the Department of State, and Under Secretary of State for US president Calvin Coolidge...
, spoke of the stark differences between the United Order and communism. An official church statement on this subject stated:
"Communism and all other similar isms bear no relationship whatever to the United Order. They are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the Gospel plan ... The United Order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys man's God-given free agency; the United Order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies ..."
See also
- Bishop's storehouseBishop's storehouseA bishop's storehouse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints usually refers to a commodity resource center that is used by bishops of the church to provide goods to needy individuals...
- History of the Latter Day Saint movementHistory of the Latter Day Saint movementThe Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement within Christianity that arose during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century and that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism and to the existence of numerous Latter Day Saint churches...
- Mormonism and the national debate over socialism and communism
- Religious communismReligious communismReligious communism is a form of communism centered on religious principles. The term usually refers to a number of egalitarian and utopian religious societies practicing the voluntary dissolution of private property, so that society's benefits are distributed according to a person's needs, and...
- Libertarian socialismLibertarian socialismLibertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
- Communalism (political philosophy)Communalism (Political Philosophy)Communalism is a libertarian socialist political philosophy coined by author and activist Murray Bookchin as a political system to complement his environmental philosophy of social ecology....
- TitheTitheA tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
- Zion's Co-operative Mercantile InstitutionZion's Co-operative Mercantile InstitutionZions Cooperative Mercantile Institution was founded in 1868 by Brigham Young and was one of the earliest department stores in the United States...