The Latter Day Lens

Episode 181: Poverty in America vs. the World, Democratic Socialism, Are Religious People Conservative?

• Shawn & Matt

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Is communal property ownership an eternal gospel principle, and are Latter-day Saints commanded to live the Law of Consecration right now? In this episode, Matt, Shawn, and guest Melanie explore the scriptural tensions between property rights and consecration, the unique social isolation of American poverty compared to the developing world, and new survey data breaking down religion by college major.

They kick things off by answering a listener question from the mailbag: Are Latter-day Saints expected to live the Law of Consecration today, and what does that covenant actually require of us?

From there, the trio digs into three thought-provoking topics:

First this week. Brunella Tipismana, a Peruvian journalist, traveled through low-income areas in the United States (Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma) and found that American poverty looks very different from poverty in developing countries. While poor Americans often have cars, appliances, and air conditioning, they face deep loneliness, severe drug addiction, and social isolation without the strong family support networks common in Latin America. Additionally, American culture often blames poor people for their struggles instead of recognizing bad luck or lack of opportunity. Americans often say that the poor in the US have it much better than poor people elsewhere, but maybe we are wrong. Is it possible that it is worse to be at the bottom of the economic ladder in the US than it is to be at the bottom in Peru?

Next up.  Data analyst Ryan Burge examined survey data from over 68,000 American college students to study the link between academic majors, political ideology, and religious service attendance. Students in fields like nursing and finance attend services most often, while finance majors stand out as the most politically conservative group on campus. In contrast, students in the performing arts, English, and environmental studies attend services the least and lean far to the left politically. While frequent attendance generally correlates with right-leaning politics across most majors, notable exceptions exist: nursing students attend services at high rates while remaining politically centrist, and African-American studies majors combine regular attendance with strongly left-leaning political views. Do these data confirm the perception that conservative Americans are more religious than liberals?

Finally. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist and Florida state representative, won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. She defeated Alex Vindman, a more moderate candidate who raised far more money and was well known for testifying during Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Nixon supports policies such as universal health care, affordable child care, and a stronger economic message for working people. She will now face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in November. Some say that she will lose, but DSA members have won primaries in New York, PA, Colorado, and Michigan. Should Americans be worried about the successes of this movement in the Democratic Party?

The Big Question: Last one on property. I think that these verses from the New Testament suggest that God is a proponent of communal ownership of property. In fact, I think that the number of verses that teach communal property ownership is so much higher than the number that teach something different suggests that maybe communal property ownership is an eternal principle. Am I wrong about that?

Pro: Communal ownership and renunciation of possessions

  • Acts 2:44–45 — “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”
  • Acts 4:32, 34–35 — “neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common… as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them… and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”.
  • Luke 3:11 — “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”
  • Luke 12:33 — “Sell that ye have, and give alms…”
  • Luke 14:33 — “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
  • Matt. 19:21 — “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor…” (Parallels Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22.)
  • Luke 19:8 — Zacchaeus: “the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
  • 2 Cor. 8:13–15 — “But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want… that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.” (Quoting the manna economy, Exod. 16:18.)
  • 1 Tim. 6:17–18 — The rich are to be “ready to distribute, willing to communicate.”
  • Heb. 13:16 — “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
  • Jas. 5:1–4 — “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl… the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth.”
  • 1 John 3:17 — “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”

Con: passages protecting property against rulers and neighbors

  • Exod. 20:15, 17 — “Thou shalt not steal”; “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house… nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”
  • 1 Kgs. 21:3, 19 — Naboth refuses Ahab’s offer (“The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee”), and the seizure draws divine judgment: “Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?” 
  • Ezek. 46:18 — “Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession.”
  • 2 Sam. 24:24 — David refuses a free threshing floor: “I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer… of that which doth cost me nothing.”
  • Deut. 17:16–17 — The king “shall not… greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” limits on royal accumulation.
  • Deut. 19:14; Prov. 22:28 — “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark…”
  • Isa. 5:8; Mic. 2:1–2 — Prophetic woes against those who “join house to house, that lay field to field” and who “covet fields, and take them by violence.” 
  • Acts 5:4 — Peter to Ananias: “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?” 


Chapter Markers

  • 00:00 – Welcome, Choir Class, and Vacation Catch-Up 
  • 01:44 – Mailbag: Are We Living the Law of Consecration Today? 
  • 05:43 – Philosophers, Karl Marx, and Karl Popper 
  • 08:18 – Thought Provoker 1: Material Wealth vs. Isolation in American Poverty 
  • 14:46 – Family Support, Church Communities, and Culture 
  • 22:20 – Thought Provoker 2: Survey Data on College Majors, Politics, and Faith 
  • 27:35 – Generational Shifts in Conservatism and the National Debt 
  • 33:07 – Thought Provoker 3: Democratic Socialism, MAGA, and Political Homelessness 
  • 37:46 – Healthcare Debate: Government Competition vs. Free Markets 
  • 43:54 – Scriptural Debate: New Testament Proof Texts on Communal Property 
  • 50:10 – Doctrine & Covenants 134 vs. Acts: Individual Rights or All Things Common? 
  • 53:12 – Closing Reflections

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Matthew Miles

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Shawn Record

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