Get Rid of Welfare? Pt. 3

In a modern day prophet's own words...

Harold B. Lee:

In our own day a pioneer leader, President Brigham Young, spoke as a pioneer statesman about the importance of work. Said he:

“My experience has taught me, and it has become a principle with me, that it is never any benefit to give, out and out, to man or woman, money, food, clothing, or anything else, if they are able-bodied, and can work and earn what they need, where there is anything on the earth, for them to do. This is my principle, and I try to act upon it. To pursue a contrary course would ruin any community in the world and make them idlers.” (Discourses of Brigham Young [Deseret Book Co., 1943], p. 274.)

Now I want to digress for just a moment and repeat something that was said in a previous meeting this morning where the leaders just a few years ago, when the welfare program was instituted, said this:

“This is the essence of the Church security program, not merely that men should be fed and clothed, we know that this is important, but that the eternal man should be built up by self-reliance, by creative activity, by honorable labor, by service; a generation raised in idleness cannot maintain its integrity.” (Richard L. Evans, Improvement Era, vol. 39 [1936], p. 768.)

“From the beginning the long-range objective of the Welfare Plan was to build character in the members of the Church, both givers and receivers alike, thus rescuing all that is finest down deep inside of them and bringing to flower and fruitage the ladened richness of the spirit, which after all is the mission and purpose and reason for the being of this Church.” (Albert E. Bowen, Church Welfare [Deseret Sunday School Union, 1946], p. 44.)

Now, again, where there is abject poverty in some heavily populated countries, we declare it is a grievous sin before God to adopt restrictive measures in disobedience to God’s divine command from the beginning of time to “multiply and replenish the earth.” Surely those who project such measures to prevent life or to destroy life before or after birth will reap the whirlwind of God’s retribution, for God will not be mocked.

What is sorely needed is a worldwide movement, with every means possible, to overcome the ignorance to be found among these unfortunate peoples, where the fundamental principles of right living and self-control and sound economic principles, patterned after the Lord’s plan of salvation, must be adopted.

This church must be in the forefront in showing the way. If we will do this, we will begin to see the beginning of the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy when, as the prophets said, the “mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, … nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord … and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:2–3. See also Micah 4:1–2.)

I earnestly urge all our people to unite under the true banner of the Master, to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ so powerfully that no truly converted person could ever be aligned with these controversial concepts and procedures contrary to the Lord’s plan of salvation.

Me again, the federal welfare system clearly does not meet this criteria. Millions of able-bodied men and women live entirely off of welfare...this is the welfare that needs to be cut. And the rest of it should be taken care of by churches and charities...NOT the government.