Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that has occupied my time this morning. I wrote an article on it, focusing, as most of us who read it do, on how to use our wealth to help the poor. However, there is a small phrase tucked into this verse that caught my attention today:

“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 2:19)

The little phrase we tend to skip over is “liberate the captive.” In a time when few of us live in countries with slavery, what does this verse mean? The verse was spoken in a sermon the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob was giving to his own people, chastising them for losing sight of the teachings of God. However, the Book of Mormon prophets kept these records just for our day—the people of the time didn’t have them. This means, if he chose to record the sermon, it has application for us. How can we today liberate the captive?

There are many ways to be captive. One can be held captive through sin, debt, addiction, poverty, or lack of education. One can be captive by not knowing the teachings of God. Anything that keeps you from reaching your full potential as a child of God can hold you captive.

With that in mind, the verse is specifically about the appropriate use of excess income. What are some ways you can use your discretionary income to liberate the captive?

Since no one can solve every problem, one solution is to think of which forms of captivity are of particular concern to you. You can put your money to good use in those areas, allowing you to make a larger single contribution than if you spread your money out. Another solution is to choose a single organization to help. Some people also prefer to help individuals rather than to deal with organizations.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has several programs to help liberate the captive. Some programs focus on the needs of members, but many others serve regardless of faith. You can read on the church’s website about their humanitarian outreach.

This outreach is funded by donations from both church members and non-church members alike. None of the money donated to this outreach is used for administration or outreach, a rare situation. Those costs are paid from regular church funds.

The services offered span a wide range of ways to liberate the captive. For instance, the church’s outreach has donated more than 190,000 wheelchairs to people around the world who would otherwise be captives in their beds. The clean water initiative has provided clean water to over three and a half million people in thirty-four counties by providing such things as wells or boreholes, purification, or storage systems. LDS ophthalmologists have served more than 30,000 people in sixteen nations.

While we may not be in a position to help so many people individually, the collective good done when a group of people band together to help can be immeasurable. A former prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once said, “The goodness of the world in which we live is the accumulated goodness of many small and seemingly inconsequential acts.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “I Believe,” Ensign, Aug 1992, 2)

As we’ve been reading the Book of Mormon together, we’ve seen that the Nephites (the people who chose to follow God and so went with the prophet Nephi) had prospered since separating from their wicked family members, the Lamanites, who followed a rebellious young man named Laman, the brother of the prophet Nephi. Since this time, Nephi has died, a new man has been appointed king, and Nephi’s younger brother Jacob has become the leader of the church, assisted by the youngest brother, Joseph.

The Nephites had grown numerous over the years, and had been blessed for their worthiness. Some had now grown prosperous because they were fortunate enough to find gold and ore and other valuables. Instead of thanking God, and using their excess to help those who had been less successful, they took all credit for their finds and their wealth and even looked down on those who had not been as fortunate. We discussed this in the previous article on pride. Jacob called his people together to chastise them for this:

19 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.

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it? (Jacob 2)

The subject of how to treat the poor ties directly in with Jacob’s warnings about pride. It’s much easier to neglect the poor if you believe it is their own fault they’re poor—that they’re poor due to wickedness, laziness, or whatever excuse you have in mind. Later in the Book of Mormon, other prophets will also warn people that often the wealthy have wealth because they had opportunities for learning because of their wealth. Had they not been wealthy, they might well have been different. It was their advantages that put them in place for their wealth.

“I am concerned about some of our prosperous people who are beginning to criticize the poor for being poor. Some of our own church members believe that only shiftless, lazy people remain poor in this prosperous day and age and that welfare is necessary only to sustain those who are not competent enough to work. They simply do not realize the unexpected problems and expenses that can suddenly come to any one of us. On one occasion the Church came to my aid when I was sick and helpless to help myself, and I was truly grateful that it did.” Theodore M. Burton, “A Disease Called Pride,” Ensign, Mar 1971, 26

Notice that Jacob suggested we should seek after wealth “for the intent to do good.” In other words, while being wealthy is not, in itself a sin, wanting to be wealthy so you can be “better than other people,” or to have a fancy home, an expensive car, or other worldly goods is wrong. The only reason to seek wealth is to have more to spend helping others. This can take enormous self-control. Brigham Young once said his greatest fear was that his people would become wealthy. While many may start that way, it’s difficult to maintain over time. Once a person has a taste of nice things, it can be tempting to add just one more nice thing, and then another nice thing, and soon you’re making your annual donation to the Heart Fund and that’s it, not willing to sacrifice too much of your own comfort.

One way to avoid this challenge is to get into the habit of giving long before you have wealth. Another is to always keep your life simple, not upgrading every time your wealth increases. Luxuries should be chosen with care. For instance, we live in a tiny cottage in a modest neighborhood. We do have a few things we spend a bit more money on, such as computers, since we both make our livings on the computer, but in general our material possessions are very modest. Self-employment means our income fluctuates, and we try not to raise our way of living when things are going well. I would like us to stay comfortable with a modest lifestyle. It’s much easier to stay with the status quo than to “downgrade” to a simpler life.

When life hands you a more luxurious income, ask yourself, “What good can I do with this money?” This will keep you in line with Jacob’s admonition to seek wealth, if you really want it, only to help others.