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In Mormonism, the 'United Order' was one of several 19th century church programs established to manage and administer the Law of Consecration (a voluntary practice with some similarities to Christian communism/communalism). The United Order was an egalitarian community designed to achieve income equality, eliminate poverty, increase group self-sufficiency, and create an ideal utopian society Mormons referred to as ''Zion''. The movement had much in common with other utopian societies formed in the United States and Europe during the Second Great Awakening. These also sought to form communities where aspects of people's lives could be governed by precepts of faith and community.
Members who chose to enter the United Order would deed (consecrate) all their property to the United Order, which would deed back an "inheritance" (or "stewardship") which allowed members to control the property; private property was not eradicated but was rather a fundamental principle of this system. At the end of each year, any excess that the family produced from their stewardship was voluntarily given back to the Order. The Order in each community was operated by the local Bishop.
The United Order is not practiced within mainstream Mormonism today; however, a number of groups of Mormon fundamentalists, such as the Apostolic United Brethren, have revived the practice.
Latter Day Saint President Joseph Smith, Jr. learned of a group of about 50 people known as "the family" living on Isaac Morley's farm near Kirtland, Ohio. They had established a cooperative venture based on statements in the Book of Acts (''See ; '') "The Morley family" were originally followers of Sidney Rigdon, a Campbellite/Restorationist minister, who later converted to Mormonism. Many of these communalists joined the new church and several, including Isaac Morley, received leadership positions. Levi Hancock records an early event wherein a 'family member' stole his pocketwatch and sold it, claiming it was "all in the family."[#Notes 1]
Smith was troubled because of the number of members joining the church in poverty in Kirtland, Ohio. Revenue was needed for the church to publish books and tracts. Smith and Rigdon were both in economic distress. Smith and his wife Emma lived on the Morley farm for a period of time.
On February 4, 1831, Smith claimed to have received a revelation calling Edward Partridge to be the first bishop of the church. (See ) Five days later, on February 9. 1831, Smith claimed a second revelation detailing the Law of Consecration. (See )
Joseph Smith claimed to have received a revelation directing the saints to impart of their land and money to the church. () Bishop Partridge assigned the incoming saints from New York lots according to another revelation. () Smith directed Colesville immigrants to settle in Thompson, Ohio, a few miles east of Kirtland, on a farm owned by Leman Copley. Saints from Seneca County were assigned to the Isaac Morley farm.
Bishop Partridge tried to implement the full law in Thompson. However, disagreements broke out and he was unsuccessful. Shortly after, Smith announced a revelation directing Newell Knight to lead the saints on the Copley farm to settle in Missouri. ()
Originally, the United Order was intended to be "an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come" (). In practice, however, the Order was relatively short-lived during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
From 1855 to 1858, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once again attempted to live under the United Order. Under the leadership of Brigham Young, church members were instructed to prepare deeds of consecration, but these deeds were never acted upon. It was not until 1874 that Young successfully initiated the 'United Order of Enoch' in at least 200 Mormon communities, beginning in St. George, Utah on February 9, 1874.
There were a number of differences between the United Order of Enoch and the United Order established years earlier by Joseph Smith. Under Young's leadership, producers would generally deed their property to the Order, and all members of the order would share the cooperative's net income, often divided into shares according to how much property was originally contributed. Sometimes, the members of the Order would receive wages for their work on the communal property.
Like the United Order established by Joseph Smith, Young's experiment with the United Order was short-lived. By the time of Brigham Young's death in 1877, most of these United Orders had failed. By the end of the 19th Century, the Orders were essentially extinct. Some leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the United Order will be reestablished some time in the future. Many leaders have taught that the Church Welfare system is a predecessor or stepping stone to the United Order to come.
Under the United Order, private property was never abolished. The sharing of goods, often cited as communalism, was completely voluntarily. Members of the Church who chose to participate in the United Order voluntarily deeded their properties to the Church, which would then, deed all or a portion of it back to the original property owner. The "residue", or property which was over and above what the owner and his family required for themselves, was used by the Church to provide to the less fortunate, who would be required to pay it back either monetarily or by labor. The private property owner was never forced to participate in the Order nor was his property forcefully confiscated. Private property owners were free to join or leave the orders and were in total control of their deeded properties, as taught by President J. Reuben Clark Jr., First Counselor in the First Presidency. In his own words:
This doctrine and succeeding practice, which was similar to that of many other religious groups in the early 19th century, was an attempt to eradicate poverty and promote a sense of unity and brotherhood within Latter-day Saint communities. Although many leaders of the Church clearly distinguished between communism and the Law of Consecration, due to the practices' distinct differences as related to the topics of free agency, private property and Deity, many throughout the 20th century and up to the present continue to incorrectly equate the two practices. These individuals often compare the Law of Consecration and the United Order to Christian communism/communalism, which they also claim was practiced by 1st century Christian saints (Acts 2:44, 4:32). In reality, the Church has officially stated that communism, communalism, or socialism are simply counterfeits of the Law of Consecration whereby many are swindeled into believing that these godless practices are divine. Nevertheless, community unity is central to the Latter Day Saint doctrine of Zion as described in Moses 7:18, "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."
Church leaders, including David O. McKay, Harold B. Lee, Ezra Taft Benson, Marion G. Romney, and J. Rueben Clark, Jr, often spoke of the stark differences between the United Order and communism. An official Church statement on this subject stated:
★ History of the Latter Day Saint movement
★ Religious communism
★ Christian communism
★ Communalism
★ Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution
1. See ''Church History in the Fulness of Times'', p. 95
★ ''Church History in the Fulness of Times'' (Revised Edition, 1993), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
★ Doctrine and Covenants, sections 41, 42,
★ Acts 2:44-45; 4:32
Members who chose to enter the United Order would deed (consecrate) all their property to the United Order, which would deed back an "inheritance" (or "stewardship") which allowed members to control the property; private property was not eradicated but was rather a fundamental principle of this system. At the end of each year, any excess that the family produced from their stewardship was voluntarily given back to the Order. The Order in each community was operated by the local Bishop.
The United Order is not practiced within mainstream Mormonism today; however, a number of groups of Mormon fundamentalists, such as the Apostolic United Brethren, have revived the practice.
The United Order under Joseph Smith, Jr.
Initial Revelations
Latter Day Saint President Joseph Smith, Jr. learned of a group of about 50 people known as "the family" living on Isaac Morley's farm near Kirtland, Ohio. They had established a cooperative venture based on statements in the Book of Acts (''See ; '') "The Morley family" were originally followers of Sidney Rigdon, a Campbellite/Restorationist minister, who later converted to Mormonism. Many of these communalists joined the new church and several, including Isaac Morley, received leadership positions. Levi Hancock records an early event wherein a 'family member' stole his pocketwatch and sold it, claiming it was "all in the family."[#Notes 1]
Smith was troubled because of the number of members joining the church in poverty in Kirtland, Ohio. Revenue was needed for the church to publish books and tracts. Smith and Rigdon were both in economic distress. Smith and his wife Emma lived on the Morley farm for a period of time.
On February 4, 1831, Smith claimed to have received a revelation calling Edward Partridge to be the first bishop of the church. (See ) Five days later, on February 9. 1831, Smith claimed a second revelation detailing the Law of Consecration. (See )
Land Purchases and Stewardships
Joseph Smith claimed to have received a revelation directing the saints to impart of their land and money to the church. () Bishop Partridge assigned the incoming saints from New York lots according to another revelation. () Smith directed Colesville immigrants to settle in Thompson, Ohio, a few miles east of Kirtland, on a farm owned by Leman Copley. Saints from Seneca County were assigned to the Isaac Morley farm.
First Inauguration
Bishop Partridge tried to implement the full law in Thompson. However, disagreements broke out and he was unsuccessful. Shortly after, Smith announced a revelation directing Newell Knight to lead the saints on the Copley farm to settle in Missouri. ()
Dissolution of the United Order
Originally, the United Order was intended to be "an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come" (). In practice, however, the Order was relatively short-lived during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The United Order as practiced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
From 1855 to 1858, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once again attempted to live under the United Order. Under the leadership of Brigham Young, church members were instructed to prepare deeds of consecration, but these deeds were never acted upon. It was not until 1874 that Young successfully initiated the 'United Order of Enoch' in at least 200 Mormon communities, beginning in St. George, Utah on February 9, 1874.
There were a number of differences between the United Order of Enoch and the United Order established years earlier by Joseph Smith. Under Young's leadership, producers would generally deed their property to the Order, and all members of the order would share the cooperative's net income, often divided into shares according to how much property was originally contributed. Sometimes, the members of the Order would receive wages for their work on the communal property.
Like the United Order established by Joseph Smith, Young's experiment with the United Order was short-lived. By the time of Brigham Young's death in 1877, most of these United Orders had failed. By the end of the 19th Century, the Orders were essentially extinct. Some leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the United Order will be reestablished some time in the future. Many leaders have taught that the Church Welfare system is a predecessor or stepping stone to the United Order to come.
Private Property, Communalism, and the United Order
Under the United Order, private property was never abolished. The sharing of goods, often cited as communalism, was completely voluntarily. Members of the Church who chose to participate in the United Order voluntarily deeded their properties to the Church, which would then, deed all or a portion of it back to the original property owner. The "residue", or property which was over and above what the owner and his family required for themselves, was used by the Church to provide to the less fortunate, who would be required to pay it back either monetarily or by labor. The private property owner was never forced to participate in the Order nor was his property forcefully confiscated. Private property owners were free to join or leave the orders and were in total control of their deeded properties, as taught by President J. Reuben Clark Jr., First Counselor in the First Presidency. In his own words:
""The fundamental principle of this system was the private ownership of property. Each man owned his portion, or inheritance, or stewardship, with an absolute title, which he could alienate, or hypothecate, or otherwise treat as his own. The Church did not own all of the property, and the life under the United Order was not a communal life, as the Prophet Joseph, himself said, (History of the Church, Volume III, p. 28). The United Order is an individualistic system, not a communal system." (President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. on The United Order and Communism, 113th Semi-Annual Conference, October 1942
The United Order Versus Communism
This doctrine and succeeding practice, which was similar to that of many other religious groups in the early 19th century, was an attempt to eradicate poverty and promote a sense of unity and brotherhood within Latter-day Saint communities. Although many leaders of the Church clearly distinguished between communism and the Law of Consecration, due to the practices' distinct differences as related to the topics of free agency, private property and Deity, many throughout the 20th century and up to the present continue to incorrectly equate the two practices. These individuals often compare the Law of Consecration and the United Order to Christian communism/communalism, which they also claim was practiced by 1st century Christian saints (Acts 2:44, 4:32). In reality, the Church has officially stated that communism, communalism, or socialism are simply counterfeits of the Law of Consecration whereby many are swindeled into believing that these godless practices are divine. Nevertheless, community unity is central to the Latter Day Saint doctrine of Zion as described in Moses 7:18, "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."
Church leaders, including David O. McKay, Harold B. Lee, Ezra Taft Benson, Marion G. Romney, and J. Rueben Clark, Jr, often spoke of the stark differences between the United Order and communism. An official Church statement on this subject stated:
"Communism and all other similar isms bear no relationship whatever to the United Order. They are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the Gospel plan .... The United Order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys man's God-given free agency; the United Order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies ...." ("Message of the First Presidency," 112th Annual Conference, April 6, 1942.)
See also
★ History of the Latter Day Saint movement
★ Religious communism
★ Christian communism
★ Communalism
★ Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution
Notes
1. See ''Church History in the Fulness of Times'', p. 95
References
★ ''Church History in the Fulness of Times'' (Revised Edition, 1993), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
★ Doctrine and Covenants, sections 41, 42,
★ Acts 2:44-45; 4:32
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