HOW WE TREAT THE POOR

This seems to be the most obvious thing to all followers of Christ. How can politicians who SCREAM that they are Christians not understand this? (and in particular, follow the current administration in cutting all sorts of care for the poor!?) Poverty in the scriptures: An introduction

D.T. Bell lives in Salt Lake with his wife and three kids. He works in technology, but used to work in international aid and development. He first developed an interest in issues relating to poverty while serving a mission in Argentina. He was into the Bloggernacle before it was cool. Just kidding, it will never be cool. 

I've been trying to read the Book of Mormon sequentially, which is something I don't usually do as part of my scripture study. As I've read sequentially, I've been surprised by the amount of scriptures I've encountered that deal with how the disciples of Christ are to treat those who are poor, as well as by the intensity of the content of these scriptures.

Curious to see whether my impression of the frequency and intensity of poverty-related scriptures was borne out by a more analytical approach, I cracked open my old friend, the Topical Guide. It turns out it was.

I've posted my analysis below, wherein I looked at every scripture in the Topical Guide for Poor, Almsgiving etc., as well as scriptures I found by looking at every footnote for every verse I read. I then created a framework that could contain the concepts I found in those scriptures. There are obviously different ways to approach it, but almost all the scriptures I found fall into at least one or more of the following categories:

1. Commandments for how we are to treat the poor;
   
2. Promises of what will happen to us based on how we treat the poor (both blessings and punishments);
   
3. Statements of fact with regard to our treatment of the poor.

I'll dedicate some successive posts to some of the main ideas found in these categories, as well as some of the thorny issues they present to the modern Latter-day Saint who seeks to follow the Lord's counsel regarding the poor. But for now, I'll leave you with the scriptures I found and the categories they fall into. (If you'd like to read all of the scriptures I used in my analysis you can go here):

Commandments:

• Don’t harden your heart to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7-11,
• Given the poor what they need/want/ask for unbegrudgingly (Deuteronomy 15:7-11 Matthew 5:42, Jacob 2:17-19, Mosiah 4:16-23, 26-27, 3 Nephi 12:42)
• Give away your goods to the poor (Luke 3:11, D&C 42:30)
• Seek riches with the intent to help others (Jacob 2:17-19)
• Remember and visit the poor and administer relief to them (D&C 44:6, D&C 52:40)

Promises:

• Blessings from helping the poor
  • The Lord will bless you in all your endeavors (Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Psalms 41:1-3)
  • The Lord will deliver you in times of trouble and from your enemies (Psalms 41:1-3)
  • The Lord will preserve your life (Psalms 41:1-3)
  • You will be happy (Proverbs 14:21)
  • That which is given to the poor will be repaid by the Lord as though it were a loan to Him (Proverbs 19:17)
  • You will not lack (Proverbs 28:27)
  • Eternal salvation (Matthew 25:31-46)
  • Yours sins will be remitted (Mosiah 4:16-23, 26-27)
• Punishments for not helping the poor
  • If you refuse to hear the cries of the poor, your own cries and prayers to the Lord will not be heard (Proverbs 21:13, Alma 34:28)
  • If you hide your eyes from the poor you will be cursed (Proverbs 28:27)
  • Eternal damnation (Matthew 25:31-46, D&C 56:16, D&C 104:17-18)
  • Your soul will be cankered by your riches unless you share with the poor (D&C 56:16)
  • Those who believe the poor have brought their poverty upon themselves and therefore refuse to help them will perish and not obtain the Kingdom of God (Mosiah 4:16-23, 26-27)
  • Temporal inequality will lead to the Spirit being withheld (D&C 70:14, Alma 16:16, D&C 78:5-6)

Facts:

• The wicked persecute the poor (Psalms 10:2)
• Despising the poor is a sin (Proverbs 14:21, 2 Nephi 9:30)
• To oppress or mock the poor is to reproach God (Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 17:5)
• To have mercy on the poor is to honor God (Proverbs 14:31)
• To have pity unto the poor is to lend unto God (Proverbs 19:17)
• The purpose of the fast is to give bread to the hungry, bring the poor to your house, and cover the naked (Isaiah 58:7)
• One of the sins of Sodom was failing to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49)
• He who has goods and sees others in need does not have the love of God in him and is not a disciple/saint of Christ  (1 John 3:17, D&C 52:40, D&C 105:3)
• Persecution or robbery of the poor is a sign of pride (2 Nephi 28:12-13)
• Failure to help the poor is hypocrisy and a denial of the faith (Alma 34:28)
• Failure to help the poor is one of the sins that results in societal and military destruction (Helaman 4:11-13, Helaman 6:39-40)
• In the latter days many people will love material things more than they love the poor (Mormon 8:37, 39)
• It’s sin for one man to possess more than another (D&C 49:20)
• Failure to help the poor correlates to lack of obedience and evil (D&C 105:3)
• There are no poor in Zion (Moses 7:18)

If you know of other scriptures - or key concepts - that I've missed, please weigh in in the comments. Thanks!

NO, THE BEST PEOPLE AREN'T ALWAYS IN THE USA

Some Sundays, I get more than a little irritated by some church-goers "airs."

Especially with the "we are obviously better than they are."

By the virtue of being born in the United States - of being white - of being born into the LDS church.

Like we are the top dogs, in every possible way.

I've been looking at it a little bit differently.

If we come down to earth to gain a physical body and learn and accept the gospel, yeah, this makes it easier, perhaps, being born in America.

But we also do temple work for those who don't get the opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ in this life.

So people who DON'T learn about it, get their temple work done, and ACCEPT it, aren't denied any blessing.

So perhaps....

Just perhaps....

Those of us who get dumped (in the mortality sense) into a comfortable, clean, civilized area like the U.S. of A..... maybe it's because we couldn't HANDLE a more difficult environment.

And perhaps, just perhaps, people who are born in deepest darkest Africa or being the Great Wall in China, are the MORE valiant - the MORE righteous - the MORE spiritual ones.


And CAN handle a darker world.

How about the people who lived through the Dark Ages? 

Most of them had no resources - no scriptures - very little direction, and in a lot of Europe, very little hope.

Maybe they JUST needed to come down to get a physical body.

Hmmm.

Maybe you comfortable Americans SHOULDN'T be so proud of being you.

WOMEN'S LIBERATION

The last couple of days I have been keenly aware of things I can do that not every woman can do.



I can drive.

I can own property.






I am paid with money when I hold a job.




I have been able to feed my family.




I have a doctor. And several medical specialists.


I have electricity in my home.

I have running water (well, at least when the electricity is working).

I was asked today as part of a medical appointment in Tucson if I was in fear of violence from anyone in my household

 I have the right to vote.



I am blessed.



And there are a lot of women in this world who are not.