29 And now, because of
the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having
abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks
and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of
gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and
fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
30 And thus, in their prosperous
circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry,
or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and
they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all,
both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of
the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood
in need.
31 And thus they did prosper
and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church.
32 For those who did
not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry
or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly
apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying,
thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of
wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did
transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible.
33 And it came to pass
that by thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to
that which he had done, they became more still, and durst not commit any
wickedness if it were known; therefore, there was much peace among the people
of Nephi until the fifth year of the reign of the judges.
Alma 1:29-33
The Nephite church has grown. The people have followed its teachings and
principles. Subsequently, they began to
be a wealthy people. They had large
flocks, herds, an abundance of grain, gold, and silver as well as silk and
linen.
Is it possible the Nephites had silk? Doesn’t it come from Japan? Daniel C. Petersen responds.
If, by "silk," we are
required to understand only the fiber spun into a cocoon by the Asian moth Bombyx
mori, there may well have been none in the Nephite New World. However, many
cloths are known to have existed in the Americas, deriving from both plant and
animal sources, that are virtually indistinguishable from silk proper.
(Furthermore, few Americans-emphatically including the uneducated frontier farm
boy Joseph Smith-would have had even the slightest clue as to their precise
actual names. "Silk" would be about as close as they could come.) As
one account of the question summarizes the available data, "Mesoamerica .
. . exhibits almost an embarrassment of riches for the 'silk'. . . of Alma
1:29. All but the most trivializing critics should be satisfied with the
parallels."[1]
In all societies, there is income inequality. In Nephite society, the wealthy voluntarily
helped the poor. “While any economic
system except consecration produces inequalities, during periods of at-one-ment
under the judges, inequality was moderated by voluntary redistributions…”[2]
Their riches were earned in the proper spirit, as described
by Jacob, Think of your brethren like
unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they
may be rich like unto you. But before ye
seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ
ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent
to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the
captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:17-19).
The wealthy were generous in their donations. “In contrast to the confusion among
economists about the causes of economic development, the Book of Mormon offers
a simple solution. It teaches that economic prosperity depends on the spiritual
condition of individuals as shown by their unity, caring, and voluntary
sharing.” [3]
When the lives of the people are in
harmony with the Lord’s will, all of the essential factors that produce the
blessings God deigns to give to his children seem to come into line. Love and
harmony prevail. Even the weather, the climate, and the elements seem to
respond. Peace and tranquility endure. Industry and progress mark the lives of
the people.[4]
All received help, young and old, bond and free, male and
female, church member or not. Those who
were in need were helped.
Good Samaritanism is contagious.
Providing in the Lord’s way humbles the rich, it exalts the poor, and
sanctifies both (see D&C 104:15–18). The giver helps those in need by
sharing what he has received. The receiver accepts the offering with gratitude.
As the receiver rises to his full potential, he then is able to reach out to
help others.[5]
Interestingly enough, those that were in the church were
much better off than those who did not belong to the church. Those that were
not in the church practiced some strange things. Among these were sorceries, idolatry,
babblings, idleness and envyings.
We again see the wicked turning to “costly apparel.” They have
to strut and show off, letting all know just how cool they are. Sins included murder, theft, robbery, and
sexual sins.
The law did punish those whenever it was possible.
Knowing that they could be punished, they stopped committing
such public sins. Things settled down
and there was peace for the next few years.
The Book of Mormon contrasts the
economic prosperity of members of the Nephite church with that of those who did
not belong to the church. This contrast provides evidence of the economic
advantages of loving one another and the economic disadvantages of loving
things. In one era, members of the church "did prosper and become far more
wealthy than those who did not belong to their church" (Alma 1:31) … Instead
of serving one another they indulged in "idleness, and in babblings, and
in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of
their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms,
and murdering" (Alma 1:32). All of these evil tendencies had the effect of
creating a self-interested elite, thereby reducing opportunities to specialize
and trade, and increasing economic inequality.[6]
[1] Yet
More Abuse of B. H. Roberts, Daniel C. Peterson, Maxwell Institute, accessed
January 15, 2015.
[2] "No
Poor Among Them," Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute, accessed January
15, 2015.
[3] Economic
Insights from the Book of Mormon, Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute,
accessed January 15, 2015.
[4] The
Lord Will Prosper the Righteous, Dean L. Larsen, October 1992 Conference.
[5] “Go,
and Do Thou Likewise,” H. David Burton, April 1997 General Conference.
[6] "No
Poor Among Them," Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute, accessed January
15, 2015.
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