Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare

In his libertarian manifesto, For a New Liberty, Murray Rothbard [15] points to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an excellent model for what a private welfare program would look like in a free society. In analyzing this same organization, we can see that nearly 50 years later Rothb...

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Main Author: Iglesias David R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2020-07-01
Series:Studia Humana
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2020-0011
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author Iglesias David R.
author_facet Iglesias David R.
author_sort Iglesias David R.
collection DOAJ
description In his libertarian manifesto, For a New Liberty, Murray Rothbard [15] points to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an excellent model for what a private welfare program would look like in a free society. In analyzing this same organization, we can see that nearly 50 years later Rothbard’s analysis is truer than ever. Unlike the public welfare programs in the U.S., the LDS church has successfully helped lift countless individuals out of poverty and off the welfare rolls by increasing their level of productivity – a point that Henry Hazlitt [7] made in his book, The Conquest of Poverty. Public welfare, on the other hand, has continuously failed to increase the standard of living or even lift those it ostensibly seeks to help out of poverty; on the contrary, it is a system that prevents economic independence. The analysis in the present paper seeks to revive, amplify and bring up to date Rothbard’s observation and provide further insight on key factors that other private organizations can take from the Church’s model. Ultimately, it reveals that the successful journey out of poverty is not a public but rather a private endeavor.
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spelling doaj.art-74ba4a7ce2a34721a460e9c53333f9e62022-12-21T21:25:35ZengSciendoStudia Humana2299-05182020-07-0192374410.2478/sh-2020-0011sh-2020-0011Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public WelfareIglesias David R.0Loyola University6363 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans LA 70118In his libertarian manifesto, For a New Liberty, Murray Rothbard [15] points to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an excellent model for what a private welfare program would look like in a free society. In analyzing this same organization, we can see that nearly 50 years later Rothbard’s analysis is truer than ever. Unlike the public welfare programs in the U.S., the LDS church has successfully helped lift countless individuals out of poverty and off the welfare rolls by increasing their level of productivity – a point that Henry Hazlitt [7] made in his book, The Conquest of Poverty. Public welfare, on the other hand, has continuously failed to increase the standard of living or even lift those it ostensibly seeks to help out of poverty; on the contrary, it is a system that prevents economic independence. The analysis in the present paper seeks to revive, amplify and bring up to date Rothbard’s observation and provide further insight on key factors that other private organizations can take from the Church’s model. Ultimately, it reveals that the successful journey out of poverty is not a public but rather a private endeavor.https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2020-0011welfarepovertylibertariancharitycapitalism
spellingShingle Iglesias David R.
Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare
Studia Humana
welfare
poverty
libertarian
charity
capitalism
title Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare
title_full Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare
title_fullStr Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare
title_full_unstemmed Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare
title_short Rethinking Welfare: The LDS Welfare Program vs Public Welfare
title_sort rethinking welfare the lds welfare program vs public welfare
topic welfare
poverty
libertarian
charity
capitalism
url https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2020-0011
work_keys_str_mv AT iglesiasdavidr rethinkingwelfaretheldswelfareprogramvspublicwelfare