Samuel the Lamanite and the Curse of Wealth

Today at Church, I pointed out that Samuel the Lamanite established that there is a point where the curse of wealth is inevitable because it's on the person AND the amount of wealth they possess, and no amount of "good" wealth management can prevent it.

21 Behold ye, the people of this great city, and hearken unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which the Lord saith; for behold, he saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, and also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you.

22 Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities.

The woman who taught me many years ago that subversion is a spiritual gift rejected it most wholeheartedly. The idea that wealth can rot a person's brain, that this is the real curse in The Book of Mormon, came too close to home for many of them.

Some of you will recall I had a very similar moment of reflection in September when this came up as part of our Book of Mormon study. And I promise, I didn't bring this up a second time apropos of nothing. We were supposed to be talking about Helaman and the stumbling block of wealth! It was exactly what the teacher asked for! Then shut it down the same way that instructor had.

I'm fascinated by the willingness of so many to deliberately misinterpret this scripture, like that camel is somehow going to magically fit through the eye of that needle. The rich young ruler didn't get a different assignment because he balked.

We take none of it with us, y'all! None of it!

I've never had the kind of money to have a psychological need to misinterpret these verses deliberately. I pray I never do. I hope I have enough to meet my needs and preserve my dignity. Because this? This is a problem I never want to have.

Every billionaire is a policy failure, including the ones in my church. It's impossible to become a billionaire without labor exploitation. Exploitation is the persecution Samuel the Lamanite warned about. It's a sin that requires repentance. But that line doesn't start and stop at billionaire.

It begins at whatever point that remembering Jesus was poor and had no regard for wealth, and doesn't care if you lose it all, starts making you deeply uncomfortable.