Rights/Property

• D&C 31:5

"Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live."

• D&C 42:42

"Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer."

• D&C 49:20

But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.

• D&C 51:3

Wherefore, let my servant Edward Partridge, and those whom he has chosen, in whom I am well pleased, appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.

• D&C 70:14

Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.

• D&C 78:5-6

That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things.

For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;

• D&C 78:19

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

• D&C 134:2

"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual ... the right and control of property."

• Moses 4:25

"By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground—for thou shalt surely die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return."

• Genesis 3:19

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

• Luke 10:7

"And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house."

• Acts 4:32

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

• J. Reuben Clark Jr., "Private Ownership under the United Order and the Guarantees of the Constitution", Improvement Era, Nov. 1942

• John Locke, "Second Treatise of Government", Chapter V

John Locke describes a basic philosophy in which the basis for property ownership is labor; that by laboring on something in a state of nature we make it ours, and that our right to property is limited to what we can labor on.

• Terry L. Anderson, "Property Rights Among Native Americans", Foundation for Economic Education, 1 Feb 1997

Treats on the existence of property rights among Native Americans.

• i_hate_you_guys, "How accurate is the popular US perception that Native Americans lost their land 'because they didn't understand the concept of ownership?'", Reddit, 2003

A Reddit discussion on the validity of the popular notion that Native Americans didn't have a developed concept of property rights.

Notes

The message here seems to be a bit conflicted. On the one hand, property rights are held sacred, and working to support one's self is held to be necessary. In addition, we know that the heavens have many mansions. On the other hand, we are told that the lack of equality, in possessions, indicates that the world lieth in sin.

One way I can think of to resolve this dichotomy, is to think that, if all men were perfect, we would have equality in possessions, but each greedy or gluttonous man who steals or appropriates more than he can rightly make use of, and refuses to contribute and serve, and each lazy man who refuses to work, creates inequality both spiritually and temporally.

I am greatly enamored with the basic premise of John Locke's philosophy. When a child or any person is given some materials and labors with them to make something of them, does he not then care for them, and lament when they are taken from him? Our labors naturally create investment, as our labors are ours, and when we put our labor into something; if someone takes or destroys that something, they also steal our labor, to which they have no right.

Cross-References

• Capitalism
• Communism
• Equality
• Gratitude
• Rights
• Work