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For want of correct information on the subject, many Latter-day Saints conclude that the
law of consecration and stewardship, as it is designed to function under the United Order, is some
form of socialism. They therefore justify the development of the welfare state on the assumption
that such an economic order is compatible with the ideal plan revealed by the Lord. Nothing could
be farther from the truth. In the following article, the writer briefly contrasts some of the basic
principles within the United Order and Socialism, and develops the basic outline of the divine
society as revealed in latter-day revelation.
The question is often asked, “How does the United Order, as an ideal economic system,
differ from socialism?” While the two systems are so vastly different that a book would hardly
suffice to note the distinctions, some basic contrasting elements can be mentioned in this brief
article.