Here's a few more great quotes from the bretheren of the church on the dangers of dependency and attitudes of entitlement to government welfare.
The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance
By President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988)
This was printed in the March 2009 Ensign
Gullible Gulls
I clipped the following article from the Reader’s Digest some time ago. It reads:
“In our friendly neighbor city of St. Augustine great flocks of sea gulls are starving amid plenty. Fishing is still good, but the gulls don’t know how to fish. For generations they have depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from the nets. Now the fleet has moved. …
“The shrimpers had created a Welfare State for the … sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish for themselves and they never taught their children to fish. Instead they led their little ones to the shrimp nets.
“Now the sea gulls, the fine free birds that almost symbolize liberty itself, are starving to death because they gave in to the ‘something for nothing’ lure! They sacrificed their independence for a handout.“A lot of people are like that, too. They see nothing wrong in picking delectable scraps from the tax nets of the U.S. Government’s ‘shrimp fleet.’ But what will happen when the Government runs out of goods? What about our children of generations to come?
“Let’s not be gullible gulls. We … must preserve our talents of self-sufficiency, our genius for creating things for ourselves, our sense of thrift and our true love of independence.”2
The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so fixed in our society that even men of wealth, possessing the means to produce more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens.
We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and political, temporal, and spiritual independence.In some countries it is extremely difficult to separate earned from unearned benefits. However, the principle is the same in all countries: We should strive to become self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence.
Governments are not the only guilty parties. We fear many parents are making “gullible gulls” out of their children with their permissiveness and their doling out of family resources. In fact, the actions of parents in this area can be more devastating than any government program.
Bishops and other priesthood leaders can be guilty of making “gullible gulls” out of their ward members. Some members become financially or emotionally dependent on their bishops. A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country.
We know there are some who, for reasons beyond their control, cannot become self-reliant. President Henry D. Moyle had these people in mind when he said:
“This great principle does not deny to the needy nor to the poor the assistance they should have. The wholly incapacitated, the aged, the sickly are cared for with all tenderness, but every able-bodied person is enjoined to do his utmost for himself to avoid dependence, if his own efforts can make such a course possible; to look upon adversity as temporary; to combine his faith in his own ability with honest toil. …
“We believe [that] seldom [do circumstances arise in which] men of rigorous faith, genuine courage, and unfaltering determination, with the love of independence burning in their hearts, and pride in their own accomplishments, cannot surmount the obstacles that lie in their paths.”3
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles – General Conference April 2009
We live in a time when sacrifice is definitely out of fashion, when the outside forces that taught our ancestors the need for unselfish cooperative service have diminished. Someone has called this the “me” generation—a selfish time when everyone seems to be asking, what’s in it for me? Even some who should know better seem to be straining to win the praise of those who mock and scoff from the “great and spacious building” identified in vision as the pride of the world (see 1 Nephi 8:26–28; 11:35–36).
The worldly aspiration of our day is to get something for nothing. The ancient evil of greed shows its face in the assertion of entitlement: I am entitled to this or that because of who I am—a son or a daughter, a citizen, a victim, or a member of some other group. Entitlement is generally selfish. It demands much, and it gives little or nothing. Its very concept causes us to seek to elevate ourselves above those around us. This separates us from the divine, evenhanded standard of reward that when anyone obtains any blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law on which that blessing is predicated (see D&C 130:21).
The effects of greed and entitlement are evident in the multimillion-dollar bonuses of some corporate executives. But the examples are more widespread than that. Greed and ideas of entitlement have also fueled the careless and widespread borrowing and excessive consumerism behind the financial crises that threaten to engulf the world.
Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually
Elder Robert D. Hales
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles General Conference April 2009
What is a provident provider?
All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways. To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.
Being provident providers, we must keep that most basic commandment, “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17). Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have. As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually. We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude. Money we could have used to care for ourselves and others must now be used to pay our debts. What remains is often only enough to meet our most basic physical needs. Living at the subsistence level, we become depressed, our self-worth is affected, and our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and the Lord are weakened. We do not have the time, energy, or interest to seek spiritual things…
We must want, more than anything else, to do our Heavenly Father’s will and providently provide for ourselves and others. We must say, as did King Lamoni’s father, “I will give away all my sins to know thee” (Alma 22:18). Then we can go to Him with steadfast determination and promise Him, “I will do whatever it takes.” Through prayer, fasting, obedience to the commandments, priesthood blessings, and His atoning sacrifice, we will feel His love and power in our lives. We will receive His spiritual guidance and strength through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Only through our Lord’s Atonement can we obtain a mighty change of heart (see Mosiah 5:2; Alma 5:14) and experience a mighty change in our addictive behavior.
With all the love I have in me and with the Savior’s love through me, I invite you to come unto Him and hear His words: “Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted” (2 Nephi 9:51).
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Provident Living while students?
A year ago we moved into student housing at a public university. After a few weeks of interactions with other mothers on the playground and at church activities I was surprised by the culture of government welfare. It was casually talked about as though it was the same as the weekly ads that come in the mail. I knew I was uncomfortable during the discussions, but it has taken me time to study, pray and ponder to better understand why. Government welfare is not the Lord’s program to provide for His children and prepare them for eternal exaltation. My greatest concern is that those who accept government welfare do not realize the damage they do to their own soul in the process. They rob themselves of the opportunity to increase in character, self-respect, and faith in the Lord.
The Lord’s plan for welfare combines principles of self-reliance and provident living with work at its core. When a need arises beyond what a family can take care of on their own we are advised to first seek help from immediate and extended family. After all resources are exhausted we are to council with our bishop for guidance, support and if needed, church welfare assistance. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should counsel with the bishop before accepting government welfare.
The Brethren of the church have been very clear on where they stand, we just need to be willing to listen with a humble and open heart.
In a talk to BYU students in 1977 Elder Ezra Taft Benson shared the following regarding government welfare.
“We stand for independence. The aim of the church is to help people help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our church members. When you accept food stamps, you accept an un-earned hand out that other working people are working for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers’ money to pay his heat, electricity or rent. There is no difference in the principle between them. You did not come to the University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society. Society may rationalize immorality but God cannot condone it. I know what it is, as many of your faculty members do, to work my way through school taking classes only during winter quarters. If you don’t have the finances to complete your education, drop out a semester and go to work and save. You will be a better man or woman for so doing. You will have preserved your self-respect and initiative. Wisdom comes with experience and struggle, not just going through a university matriculation. I hope you will not be deceived by current philosophies which will rob you of your godly dignity, self-respect and initiative. Those attributes that make a celestial inheritance possible.”
Elder Oaks spoke of the dangers of dependency in October General Conference of 2003.
“The gospel plan is based on individual responsibility. Our article of faith states the eternal truth "that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression" (Articles of Faith 1:2). This requirement of individual responsibility, which has many expressions in our doctrine, is in sharp contrast to Satan's plan to "redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost " (Moses 4:1). The plan of the Father and the Savior is based on individual choice and individual effort.
The doctrine and practice of personal responsibility and personal effort collide with individual traditions and local cultures in many lands. We live in a world where there are large differences in income and material possessions and where there are many public and private efforts to narrow these differences. The followers of the Savior are commanded to give to the poor, and many do. But some gifts have promoted a culture of dependency, reducing their recipients' need for earthly food or shelter but impoverishing them in their eternal need for individual growth. The growth required by the gospel plan only occurs in a culture of individual effort and responsibility. It cannot occur in a culture of dependency. Whatever causes us to be dependent on someone else for decisions or resources we could provide for ourselves weakens us spiritually and retards our growth toward what the gospel plan intends us to be.
The gospel raises people out of poverty and dependency, but only when gospel culture, including the faithful payment of tithing even by the very poor, prevails over the traditions and cultures of dependency. That is the lesson to be learned from the children of Israel, who came out of hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt and followed a prophet into their own land and became a mighty people. That lesson can also be learned from the Mormon pioneers, who never used their persecutions or poverty as an excuse but went forward in faith, knowing that God would bless them when they kept His commandments, which He did.
The changes we must make to become part of the gospel culture require prolonged and sometimes painful effort, and our differences must be visible. As the "salt of the earth," we are also the "light of the world," and our light must not be hidden (see Matthew 5:13–16). The Apostle John warned that this will cause the world to hate us (see 1 John 3:13). That is why those who have made the covenant to change have a sacred duty to love and help one another. That encouragement must be extended to every soul who struggles to come out of the culture of the world and into the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John concluded, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).”
I have heard many ways of thinking to rationalize the use of Government welfare; including WIC , unemployment, Food Stamps or Medicaid. In my own opinionated ways I explain the truth behind the myths that have become acceptable in our culture.
1. It’s Free – There is no such thing as free. Someone somewhere pays for it. The difference is that the money is taken from someone else to give to you. Many would gladly give any amount of money to help those in need, but government welfare removes that opportunity for charity.
2. We don’t make any money, how else are we supposed to make ends meet? – It’s no secret that the first years married and in school are hard. Working and going to school requires sacrifice for everyone in a family, but the blessings will be reaped later on. Education is a privelege, not a right. That is the purpose of student loans.
3. It is just while we are in school, then we will pay it back. – Government welfare is not a loan. The money will never be paid back. Taking something for nothing and then paying what is already expected is not paying back.
4. The prophet told us to stay out of debt. – We are also counseled to work hard and be honest in our earnings. Taking something for nothing is not honest. We have been told that appropriate debt for a home or for education is an acceptable reason to spend more than we have.
5. My husband wants to make sure his family is provided for; we are picky eaters, so the basics just aren’t enough. - There is a difference between the high cost of living and the cost of living high. It is possible to learn to make inexpensive foods and to learn to love them.
6. I am going to be paying taxes for the rest of my life, I might as well get what I can now. Taxpayers money is not intended to take care of those who are capable of taking care of themselves with sacrifice and hard work.
7. That is how the law of consecration will work right? We all get what we need and give what we can. We can’t give now, but we will later. – The law of consecration will involve those who are all working to their best ability to provide the very best for all. With everyone working hard in his or her own responsibilities there is sufficient for all. The reason our federal government is bankrupt is because too many citizens want something for nothing. We will all pay a VERY HEAVY price for such attitudes of entitlement.
8. My husband studies too much to get a job and if one of us does get a job, we wouldn’t qualify for food stamps year round. Where there is a will there is a way. Jobs are always available for those who are willing to work. A little bit of money earned for a part time job fit in between classes will go a long way if used carefully.
9. It saves so much money. – It may save you money, but really it is just lost opportunities to rely on the lord and increase in faith,character and self-respect.
10. If we don’t use it, someone else will. – You can say NO, when someone or some entity wants to give you something for nothing. If we lived in a society where everyone worked for what they earn the government would not be bankrupt by trillions and the dollar would still have value.
Over the years, the brethren of the church have been very clear on their attitude towards government welfare and the dangers that it presents.
As a family we chose not to use government assistance while in school, and have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives for so doing. I have prayed for tomatoes and received them. I have wanted a few extra dollars for groceries at the end of the month and found money in a pocket. After increasing our fast offerings on faith because of the recommendation of a well respected priesthood leader, we were blessed with twice the amount of food we paid for while volunteering at the food co-op. I know that the Lord gives us challenges to learn to rely on Him and work together, that we may learn the principles and gain the attributes of our Savior necessary to return to His presence.
The Lord’s plan for welfare combines principles of self-reliance and provident living with work at its core. When a need arises beyond what a family can take care of on their own we are advised to first seek help from immediate and extended family. After all resources are exhausted we are to council with our bishop for guidance, support and if needed, church welfare assistance. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should counsel with the bishop before accepting government welfare.
The Brethren of the church have been very clear on where they stand, we just need to be willing to listen with a humble and open heart.
In a talk to BYU students in 1977 Elder Ezra Taft Benson shared the following regarding government welfare.
“We stand for independence. The aim of the church is to help people help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our church members. When you accept food stamps, you accept an un-earned hand out that other working people are working for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers’ money to pay his heat, electricity or rent. There is no difference in the principle between them. You did not come to the University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society. Society may rationalize immorality but God cannot condone it. I know what it is, as many of your faculty members do, to work my way through school taking classes only during winter quarters. If you don’t have the finances to complete your education, drop out a semester and go to work and save. You will be a better man or woman for so doing. You will have preserved your self-respect and initiative. Wisdom comes with experience and struggle, not just going through a university matriculation. I hope you will not be deceived by current philosophies which will rob you of your godly dignity, self-respect and initiative. Those attributes that make a celestial inheritance possible.”
Elder Oaks spoke of the dangers of dependency in October General Conference of 2003.
“The gospel plan is based on individual responsibility. Our article of faith states the eternal truth "that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression" (Articles of Faith 1:2). This requirement of individual responsibility, which has many expressions in our doctrine, is in sharp contrast to Satan's plan to "redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost " (Moses 4:1). The plan of the Father and the Savior is based on individual choice and individual effort.
The doctrine and practice of personal responsibility and personal effort collide with individual traditions and local cultures in many lands. We live in a world where there are large differences in income and material possessions and where there are many public and private efforts to narrow these differences. The followers of the Savior are commanded to give to the poor, and many do. But some gifts have promoted a culture of dependency, reducing their recipients' need for earthly food or shelter but impoverishing them in their eternal need for individual growth. The growth required by the gospel plan only occurs in a culture of individual effort and responsibility. It cannot occur in a culture of dependency. Whatever causes us to be dependent on someone else for decisions or resources we could provide for ourselves weakens us spiritually and retards our growth toward what the gospel plan intends us to be.
The gospel raises people out of poverty and dependency, but only when gospel culture, including the faithful payment of tithing even by the very poor, prevails over the traditions and cultures of dependency. That is the lesson to be learned from the children of Israel, who came out of hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt and followed a prophet into their own land and became a mighty people. That lesson can also be learned from the Mormon pioneers, who never used their persecutions or poverty as an excuse but went forward in faith, knowing that God would bless them when they kept His commandments, which He did.
The changes we must make to become part of the gospel culture require prolonged and sometimes painful effort, and our differences must be visible. As the "salt of the earth," we are also the "light of the world," and our light must not be hidden (see Matthew 5:13–16). The Apostle John warned that this will cause the world to hate us (see 1 John 3:13). That is why those who have made the covenant to change have a sacred duty to love and help one another. That encouragement must be extended to every soul who struggles to come out of the culture of the world and into the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John concluded, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).”
I have heard many ways of thinking to rationalize the use of Government welfare; including WIC , unemployment, Food Stamps or Medicaid. In my own opinionated ways I explain the truth behind the myths that have become acceptable in our culture.
1. It’s Free – There is no such thing as free. Someone somewhere pays for it. The difference is that the money is taken from someone else to give to you. Many would gladly give any amount of money to help those in need, but government welfare removes that opportunity for charity.
2. We don’t make any money, how else are we supposed to make ends meet? – It’s no secret that the first years married and in school are hard. Working and going to school requires sacrifice for everyone in a family, but the blessings will be reaped later on. Education is a privelege, not a right. That is the purpose of student loans.
3. It is just while we are in school, then we will pay it back. – Government welfare is not a loan. The money will never be paid back. Taking something for nothing and then paying what is already expected is not paying back.
4. The prophet told us to stay out of debt. – We are also counseled to work hard and be honest in our earnings. Taking something for nothing is not honest. We have been told that appropriate debt for a home or for education is an acceptable reason to spend more than we have.
5. My husband wants to make sure his family is provided for; we are picky eaters, so the basics just aren’t enough. - There is a difference between the high cost of living and the cost of living high. It is possible to learn to make inexpensive foods and to learn to love them.
6. I am going to be paying taxes for the rest of my life, I might as well get what I can now. Taxpayers money is not intended to take care of those who are capable of taking care of themselves with sacrifice and hard work.
7. That is how the law of consecration will work right? We all get what we need and give what we can. We can’t give now, but we will later. – The law of consecration will involve those who are all working to their best ability to provide the very best for all. With everyone working hard in his or her own responsibilities there is sufficient for all. The reason our federal government is bankrupt is because too many citizens want something for nothing. We will all pay a VERY HEAVY price for such attitudes of entitlement.
8. My husband studies too much to get a job and if one of us does get a job, we wouldn’t qualify for food stamps year round. Where there is a will there is a way. Jobs are always available for those who are willing to work. A little bit of money earned for a part time job fit in between classes will go a long way if used carefully.
9. It saves so much money. – It may save you money, but really it is just lost opportunities to rely on the lord and increase in faith,character and self-respect.
10. If we don’t use it, someone else will. – You can say NO, when someone or some entity wants to give you something for nothing. If we lived in a society where everyone worked for what they earn the government would not be bankrupt by trillions and the dollar would still have value.
Over the years, the brethren of the church have been very clear on their attitude towards government welfare and the dangers that it presents.
As a family we chose not to use government assistance while in school, and have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives for so doing. I have prayed for tomatoes and received them. I have wanted a few extra dollars for groceries at the end of the month and found money in a pocket. After increasing our fast offerings on faith because of the recommendation of a well respected priesthood leader, we were blessed with twice the amount of food we paid for while volunteering at the food co-op. I know that the Lord gives us challenges to learn to rely on Him and work together, that we may learn the principles and gain the attributes of our Savior necessary to return to His presence.
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