The United Order - a Zion Society

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 92 which is only 2 verses long. It was s commandment to Frederick G. Williams to join the United Order. The United Order is what is commonly referred to in the church as the law of Consecration. It is my understanding that it was the united order that had all things in common, consecrated all their belongings to the church and then received back what was needful for their families.

I can understand why it was such a stumbling block for the early Saints. It would be a hard thing to have to turn over all your belongings to the church. Some people cannot even pay a full tithe and give just 10% of their earnings to the church. I think I might have had a bigger problem with tithing if I had not grown up in the church. To me it just seems natural because that is what I have always done and it's all I have ever known. But if I had joined the church as an adult I might have had a real problem with it, so I can understand how some might struggle with it.

But to give all one's possessions away? That would be even more hard I think. But the scriptures state that the people in a Zionistic society, the city of Enoch, the Nephites after the Savior visits them are the two that spring to mind, had all things in common. I do not quite understand what that means but I believe it means that they freely gave to all who had need. I don't think they gave away all possessions and were given them back as a stewardship, although it certainly could mean that, we don't have any records to confirm or refute that. What makes more sense to me though is that if they saw someone in need of something and they had it, they freely gave it to that person. It says there was no poor among them. That to me means that they took in any who were homeless, helped them find work, gave them food to eat, perhaps even let the person live with them, who knows. But it certainly seems to me that they were actively looking out for one another and not just themselves.

That would be really nice wouldn't it? To live in a society where your neighbors cared as much about you as they did about their own family? To not have to worry about thievery or being robbed. To let your children go over to a friends house and not have to worry about them in the slightest. It sounds like heaven on earth to me. That is what we are all working towards though I think, we are all working towards caring about others more than we do ourselves. That's what charity is.

As we do all the things the Lord asks of us, home teaching, providing service, performing vicarious temple ordinances for the dead, our hearts increase in charity for our fellow men and women and we become that much closer to a Zion society on earth. It is possible, it's been done at least twice that we know of. The scriptures state it will happen again and if we are not ready for it when it happens, we won't be part of it. I cannot wait to be part of it if it happens in my day. And if not, well, there's always the Celestial Kingdom. Until tomorrow.