Explorations In Faith: Beyond Self-Reliance

Welfare is kind of dirty word in some circles, especially during a government budget crunch, so I approach it with some trepidation. A discussion of the pros and cons of a welfare state or any form of government welfare in general would certainly be interesting but it is not what interests me at the moment. My interest is in the kind of welfare, or care for the poor, that comes from voluntary sources. These could be contributions made from one individual to another or perhaps through some organization. They could be secular or religious. The welfare program I am most familiar with is the welfare program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints can help to care for the poor through fast offerings or humanitarian funds. And of course, we can share of our substance directly to those in need, whether they are family, neighbors, or strangers.

I have been very pleased to see those donations put to use providing aid to people in disaster-stricken areas like in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and in Haiti after the massive earthquake. These are just a few examples of the many ways we as a church help to care for the poor and needy. One thing we especially emphasize in our welfare program is the goal of self-reliance. It’s the basic idea of teaching someone to fish rather than just giving away fish again and again. This is a very noble goal and I certainly would not argue against someone working toward self-reliance. But I do think the Gospel provides an even nobler goal that we could emphasize beyond just self-reliance. When we teach a man to fish he can certainly feed himself but he can also feed others. He can teach others to fish and they can feed others and then they can teach those to fish. And the process can continue exponentially. Self-reliance is great, but why stop there? We can reach further and aim to live to serve others. The next step beyond self-reliance is service and consecration.

Of course, we already teach this. As I understand, many Bishops ask people on church welfare to serve in the cannery or some other area of service. But I still think we can make this a little more explicit. I am afraid that some of the conversation about self-reliance may be more reactionary than constructive. The reaction is probably to an underlying fear that people will get lazy. If I can get money and goods just sitting at home then why should I go work? Where is the incentive? It’s this fear of freeloaders. I don’t deny that this is problematic. But I think it is more inspiring to teach someone to work so he can serve and be a blessing to others rather than just to avoid being a freeloader.

Another thing to consider is that no person is truly self-reliant, no matter how much he may believe it. Hugh Nibley taught this many times in his speeches. “Remember that everything you have is a free gift from God: You had nothing and he gave you everything.” [1] It is nearly an unquestioned edict that there is no such thing as a free lunch. It even has a fancy acronym: TANSTAAFL, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” But Jesus said “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.” [2] Hugh Nibley also cautioned: “Never get the idea that you have earned what you have.” [3] Then quoting Deuteronomy, “And thou say in thine heart, my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…” [4] In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught the people to remember that they were wholly dependent on the God who had created them: “And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted to him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?” [5]

In addition to our dependence on God we all rely on each other in a vast social network to sustain ourselves. Even the smallest bands of hunter-gatherers, which have much less complex networks of interdependence, still work together in groups to survive. No person is an isolated, independent unit. Strict self-reliance without the help of other humans would be extremely difficult. Without the blessings of the earth provided by God it is absolutely impossible.

When we talk about self-reliance, I doubt we mean the extreme kind of independence or isolation I have illustrated above, at least if we think it through. So what are we talking about? Rather than removing oneself from this network of community we want all to participate in it fully and help to lift each other. This is the vision beyond simple self-reliance. We want to lift people to the point where they can join in the work and lift others.

Wealth itself is not the goal. If self-reliance is understood as just hoarding enough in the bank so that you don’t have to ask anyone for help anymore then we have completely missed the point. In fact, the hoarding of wealth is part of the problem. It is one of the disturbing facts of the world that some people have more than others. What’s more, some have great abundance while others starve. In a revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord said: “But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.” [6] What are the wealthy supposed to do then? One wealthy man asked Jesus what he should do and Jesus said: “Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor.” [7] That seems a little extreme doesn’t it? Yes, it does.

Jesus said: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” [8] Of this verse Hugh Nibley commented: “It has become customary to interpret this as meaning that one should first go on a mission or get a testimony some other way, and then turn to the business of getting ahead in the world. But the word for first, proton, means first in every sense—first and foremost, before all else, in preference to all else, and so on. It usually refers to time, but not in this passage. We are not told to seek first the kingdom and then seek “all these things”; nothing whatever is said about seeking them except the explicit command not to seek them. There is no idea of a time sequence here: Does one ever stop seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness in this life, or was there ever a time before, during, or after a mission when one did not need food and clothing? We are not to seek them ever, for God supplies them ever.” [9]

I do know of one passage of scripture where seeking riches is condoned and does refer to the seeking of riches in more of a temporal sequence. But there is an interesting condition attached. In the Book of Mormon, Jacob chastised the people because they had been “lifted up in the pride of [their] hearts”. They had begun to wear costly apparel and to think they were better than their brethren. But Jacob taught them: “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. 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.” [10] In my own interpretation, the reason you must seek for the kingdom of God first is because the only legitimate reason to obtain riches is to build up the kingdom of God. This is the only reason some people have more than others—so they can give it away. It is natural that some people are more skilled than others and better able to use the resources of the earth or their hands and minds. But that doesn’t mean they have a right to keep a greater share. The only reasons to obtain riches are those listed in the Book of Mormon:

1. To clothe the naked

2. To feed the hungry

3. To liberate the captive

4. To administer relief to the sick and the afflicted

This is what the person receiving aid or welfare should strive to do. It’s not about just getting enough for yourself so that you don’t need help from anyone else anymore. The greater goal is to be able to help others. This is a communal work that requires help from everyone. We all need each other. We are all here to serve and to be served. The step beyond self-reliance is service; it is consecration. It is to “lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” [11] It is to “impart of the substance that [we] have one to another.” [12] To be ZION is to be of one heart and one mind, to dwell in righteousness, and have no poor among us. [13]

Notes

[1] Hugh Nibley. Approaching Zion. p. 213. In his address Work We Must, But the Lunch is Free.

http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=119

[2] Matthew 6:26

[3] Nibley. p. 213

[4] Deuteronomy 8:17-18

[5] Mosiah 2:23-24

[6] Doctrine and Covenants 49:20

[7] Matthew 19:21

[8] Matthew 6:33

[9] Nibley, p. 233

[10] Jacob 2:18-19