Socialism and our Church

Socialism/Communism/Marxism never worked in any country - past or present. The prophets have also counseled us to fight against socialism and communism.

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God,” Ensign, Jan 1988, 3
“Now, we have not been using the Book of Mormon as we should. Our homes are not as strong unless we are using it to bring our children to Christ. Our families may be corrupted by worldly trends and teachings unless we know how to use the book to expose and combat falsehoods in socialism, rationalism, etc. Our missionaries are not as effective unless they are “hissing forth” with it. Social, ethical, cultural, or educational converts will not survive under the heat of the day unless their taproots go down to the fulness of the gospel which the Book of Mormon contains. Our Church classes are not as spirit-filled unless we hold it up as a standard. The situation in the world will continue to degenerate unless we read and heed the words of God and quit building up and upholding secret combinations, which the Book of Mormon tells us proved the downfall of ancient civilizations.”


Ezra Taft Benson, “Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” Tambuli, May 1977, 20
"In his dedicatory prayer for the Washington Temple, President Kimball referred to the Book of Mormon, as did the Prophet Joseph, as the most correct book. The Prophet Joseph Smith also called it the keystone of our religion. He said that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts than any other book.” (History of the Church, 4:461.) That book was written for our day. Mormon, who compiled it, saw us in vision and was directed to put into the book those things God felt we would especially need in our time. There was inspiration in making the Book of Mormon a required religion class at Brigham Young University. The faculty and student-body there and members of the Church everywhere should know the Book of Mormon better than any other book. Not only should we know what history and faith-promoting stories it contains, but we should understand its teachings. If we really did our homework and approached the Book of Mormon doctrinally, we could expose the errors and find the truths to combat many of the current false theories and philosophies of men, including socialism, humanism, organic evolution, and others."

The united order, according to Elder Harold B. Lee, is “more capitalistic … than either Socialism or Communism, in that private ownership and individual responsibility will be maintained.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1941, p. 113)


Marion G. Romney, “‘In Mine Own Way’,” Ensign, Nov 1976, 123
"As our modern societies follow the course which led to the fall of Rome and other civilizations which succumbed to the deceptive lure of the welfare state and socialism, I think it not inappropriate for me to emphasize again the Lord’s plan for the temporal salvation of His mortal children."

Daniel H. Ludlow, “Moral Free Agency,” New Era, Nov 1976, 44
"But Lucifer is trying to run up as high a score as possible, and he does this by trying to keep us individually from achieving the great divine purposes for which we came here upon this earth, including the exercise of our free agency. He can do it by denying us any one of the four essential qualities of moral free agency. He can do it by denying us the opportunity of choice, and he tries to do this through certain types of governments (dictatorships), through the lack of governments (anarchy), and so on. He tries to do this by destroying, in our minds at least, the idea that there is a necessity of opposition, and therefore he tries to teach us “there is no sin. It mattereth not what a man does; whatsoever a man doeth is not sin. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Thus he destroys the role of opposition in our lives, or at least he attempts to do so.
He can also do it by destroying our freedom of choice, and he does this by enticing us to give up our right of free agency to other persons or to other institutions and allow them to make our choices for us, resulting in the evil that presidents of the Church have repeatedly warned against in communism and socialism and other orders of this type."

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Farewell to a Prophet,” Ensign, Jul 1994, 37–40
"I am confident that it was out of what he saw of the bitter fruit of dictatorship that he (Benson) developed his strong feelings, almost hatred, for communism and socialism. That distaste grew through the years as he witnessed the heavy-handed oppression and suffering of the peoples of eastern Europe under what he repeatedly described as godless communism."

Ezra Taft Benson, “Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” Ensign, Jan 1973, 57
"Are you concerned about the increasing subversion in this blessed country, and other countries of the free world, and the spread of wickedness by a giant conspiracy? Would you be interested in reading the Book of Mormon, which records the downfall of two great ancient American civilizations as a result of internal secret conspiracies and contains a warning to us today that when we see these conditions in our midst, the Lord commands us to awake to our awful situation? With the increasing amount of aid and trade that we are providing the enemy of freedom, you might be interested to know what the Book of Mormon says will happen to a nation that upholds this conspiracy. Would you like to know of the warnings of the prophets about our increasing descent down the soul-destroying road of socialism and what they have told us to do about it?"

“The Church in Europe,” Ensign, Aug 1973, 16–35
"Beginning in 1935 the Church began to feel the pressure of National Socialism in Germany. Books were burned and banned from libraries. In 1938 missionaries were transferred out of Germany. They later returned but were evacuated under the direction of President Joseph Fielding Smith just one week before the beginning of World War II."

Loren C. Dunn, “Drink of the Pure Water,” Ensign, Jun 1971, 81
"Even in Russia, where its people have drunk at the well of socialist morality for fifty years, there is an indication of a desire for something more nourishing. In studying religion in Russia today, journalist Paul Wohl states that “socialist morality has been accepted as the official yardstick of good behavior, but whether Soviet man is more harmonious than his predecessor is a moot question. A scientific outlook is there,” says Wohl, “but so is religion. Its comeback,” he says, “is a phenomenon which the ideologists of communism cannot explain and about which they prefer to remain silent.” He states that the move toward religion is primarily sparked by young people."

Sidney B. Sperry, “The Book of Mormon’s Message on Brotherhood,” Ensign, Mar 1973, 57
"It should not be inferred from their frequent concern with the rich and riches that the Nephites were socialists. Riches and the rich were denounced only when fundamental human rights and well-being were violated."

Ezra Taft Benson from Teachings 1988, p 692 - 693
"We cannot afford to minimize the threat of socialism in America. We must be on guard against unsound theories and programs which strike at the very root of all we hold dear... Today's Socialist are using the federal government to redistribute wealth in our society - not as a matter of voluntary charity, but as a so-called matter of right... Yes, we have traveled a long way down the soul-destroying road of socialism. Men ascended to high political offices by promising what was not theirs to give, and citizens voted them into office in hopes of receiving what they have not earned. Theses enhancement of political power at the expense of individual rights, so often disguised as 'democracy' or 'freedom'or 'civil rights' is 'socialism' no matter what name tag it bears."