Free Agency, Hard Work, and the Justification of Economic Inequality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Authors

Allison M. Kelley

Keywords

economic inequality, free agency, charity

Abstract

How did we go from Joseph Smith saying “it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another” (D&C 49:02) to a multimillionaire openly expressing his indifference toward Americans who make less than fifty thousand dollars a year?3 I propose that two interrelated developments helped Saints normalize and justify economic inequality. First, beginning in the mid-twentieth century, church leaders used the theological term “free agency” to criticize economic interventionism and tax-funded antipoverty programs. Instead, they argued that the only way to preserve Americans’ free agency was to ameliorate poverty through voluntary acts of charity. While these charitable deeds have mitigated some of the most grievous effects of poverty, particularly within the church, they have done little to curb soaring levels of inequality over the last half-century. Put simply, wealthy Saints have not voluntarily ensured that there are “no poor among them.”

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Kelley, Allison M. (2023) "Free Agency, Hard Work, and the Justification of Economic Inequality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Mormon Studies Review: Vol. 10: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr2/vol10/iss1/4