Engaging Gospel Doctrine (Episode 67)
LESSON 38
“In Mine Own Way”
Hook
Goal
Overview
One of the most urgent problems we face today is also the most
overwhelming… incomprehensible wealth inequality and literally a world
of desperate need.
Class members should gain a greater understanding of the problem of poverty and
wealth inequality, understand God’s commands to care for those in need, and feel
empowered to take steps to address the problem as they are able.
The problem
*Wealth inequality/poverty in the world
*Wealth inequality/poverty in the US
*Wealth inequality/poverty in the Church
The solution
*The very first step: Acknowledge there is a problem
*Caring for the needy in the Church (Go over assigned readings)
*Additional approaches (government, charities, NGOs etc)
*Thoughts on increasing well-being (what is our responsibility? How can we
care for ourselves? How can we give? How can we serve? More than tithing
and fast offerings)
What can we do?
There are many more complex ways to look at this issue, but I find the “If the world were a
village of 100 people” narrative compelling.
The village would have 61 Asians, 13 Africans, 12 Europeans, 9 Latin Americans, and 5 from
the USA and Canada
50 would be male, 50 would be female
75 would be non-white; 25 white
67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian
80 would live in substandard housing
16 would be unable to read or write
1
50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
33 would be without access to a safe water supply
39 would lack access to improved sanitation
24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76 that do
have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)
8 people would have access to the Internet
1 would have a college education
1 would have HIV
2 would be near birth; 1 near death
5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth; all 5 would be US citizens
48 would live on less than US$ 2 a day
20 would live on less than US$ 1 a day
Problems in the US
400 households own 50% of the wealth in the US. I don’t know how anyone can be ok with that.
“Wealth redistribution” seems like a bad word to many, but it seems unavoidable that is exactly
what we need—the question is how. Should this happen naturally and voluntarily? Of course.
But that is not happening.
Bring up fourth mission of the church
One of the great evils with which our own nation is menaced at the present time is the wonderful
growth of wealth in the hands of a comparatively few individuals. The very liberties for which
our fathers contended so steadfastly and courageously, and which they bequeathed to us as a
priceless legacy, are endangered by the monstrous power which this accumulation of wealth
gives to a few individuals and a few powerful corporations. By its seductive influence results are
accomplished which, were it more equally distributed, would be impossible under our form of
2
government. It threatens to give shape to the legislation, both State and National, of the entire
country. If this evil should not be checked, and measures not be taken to prevent the continued
enormous growth of riches among the class already rich, and the painful increase of destitution
and want among the poor, the nation is liable to be overtaken by disaster; for, according to
history, such a tendency among nations once powerful was the sure precursor of ruin."
BRIGHAM YOUNG, CHARLES C. RICH, GEORGE A. SMITH, LORENZO SNOW,
DANIEL H. WELLS, ERASTUS SNOW, JOHN TAYLOR, FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS,
WILFORD WOODRUFF, GEORGE Q. CANNON, ORSON HYDE, BRIGHAM YOUNG,
JUN., ORSON PRATT, ALBERT CARRINGTON.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY, JULY 10TH, 1875.
(James R. Clark, comp., "Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints," 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-75), 2: 267-72.)
(walk listeners through each of these resources)
http://www.withoutend.org/winter-quarters/
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/279666/2/Tenn-pastor-goes-undercover-as-homelessman-for-week
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hole-Our-Gospel-Changed/dp/0849947006
http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Consecration
http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Humanitarian_Service
And this: https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wpcontent/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V27N02_85.pdf (Relief society charity work between the
world wars)
If you want to mess with your head, two excellent, uncomfortable RadioLab episodes:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/91508-morality/
http://www.radiolab.org/story/91930-killing-babies-saving-the-world/
3
TED talk on how wealth inequality harms societies
http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html
Life expectancy, literacy and math, infant mortality, homicides, imprisonment, teenage
pregnancies, trust, obesity, mental illness, addiction, social mobility
A playlist if you want to go deep:
http://www.ted.com/playlists/67/the_quest_to_end_poverty.html
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/providing-in-the-lords-way?lang=eng
Abundance
Nudge!
http://www.ldsinternationalsociety.org
The Problem
http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?authorMDK=91636&theSitePK=469382
&piPK=64214942&pagePK=64214821&menuPK=64214916 (lots of reading if you really
want to dig into wealth inequality)
http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/30/the-typical-americanhousehold-is-richer-than-93-percent-of-the-world/
wealth inequality in America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM
http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx
http://www.magpictures.com/aplaceatthetable/ (on Netflix
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/A_Place_at_the_Table/70229262?sod=searchautocomplete)
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-26-2013/lori-silverbush---kristijacobson (and not a single word of profanity) 
Hunger and Poverty in America Documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yL8oJJAEDs
4
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562123/1-in-7-Utah-households-struggle-toafford-food-USDA-reports.html?pg=all
http://www.worldvision.org/sponsor-child
Potential Solutions
I came across a disturbing exercise in imagination while preparing for class (It was a handbook
in Moral Philosophy, so serves me right): If you could push one button and give your child a
memorable birthday, or push another button and save ten lives, which would you choose? Do
you choose the nice shoes button, or the save twenty lives button?
I am not saying we should not enjoy comforts and even luxuries. We should however do so with
our eyes open and an awareness for ways we can help others while also caring for ourselves. And
if we feel called to give up some of those comforts so others can have the necessities of life, well
there is plenty of scriptural backing for that as well.
We need to understand and take into account the limitations of human nature. Highly
recommend the book “Nudge” which discusses “libertarian paternalism”
Perpetual Education fund http://pef.lds.org/?locale=eng
http://www.crowdrise.com/halftheskymovement
http://www.kiva.org/start
5
http://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/
http://www.charitynavigator.org/
http://www.actionaid.org.
Further Reading
Abundance
Some recommendations in Nudge about preventing another financial crisis
 Main thesis: We need to take into account our human limitations and frailty when making
policies and approaching problems
 Specific problems include bounded rationality, self-control problems, and social
influences
 Bounded rationality: We have limited ability to understand complexity and an abundance
of choices overwhelms us. This has had serious consequences when it comes from
mortgages changing from borrowing money from the bank to “mortgage backed
securities”
 Refinancing has been presented in such a way that people have been drawn to that instead
of paying off the mortgages
 Baseless optimism for rising home values became contagious—until it popped.
 Potential solutions: “Government and market should collaborate” Require more saving
for mortgages, institutions could encourage paying off mortgage sooner rather than later.
at the latest by retirement (instead we have “reverse mortgages”!) (Note that these pieces
of good advice also fit well into our assigned reading) Refinancing should shorten not
lengthen the payment period.
6