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.