Abstract
Scripture and doctrine canonized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suggests two potential fates for society: perpetual growth and expansion of wealth and prosperity, or division, class wars, destruction and death. Attitudes toward material wealth play a key role in determining which path society will follow. More specifically, the trajectory of society is determined by one core decision: the choice between God and Mammon. In this chapter, we examine the spirit of conscious capitalism in its various incarnations and then look at how LDS doctrines and beliefs as a Christian faith relate to the spirit of conscious capitalism. We then explore unique LDS theology that connects wealth and societal prosperity with the LDS doctrines of exaltation and eternal life, examine scriptural warnings about the potential of wealth to lead to social destruction, and identify the religious principles and injunctions that form the doctrinal switch point between societal success and societal failure. We discuss the ways in which two ideal types (“Zion” and “Babylon”) represent the extremes of possible social outcomes and examine the current state of business practice—which falls on a continuum between these two extremes—through examples of prominent Latter-day Saint business leaders.
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Witesman, E., Agle, B.R., Oates, B. (2022). Wealth as the Path to Heaven or Hell: A Latter-day Saint Perspective on the Spirit of Conscious Capitalism. In: Dion, M., Pava, M. (eds) The Spirit of Conscious Capitalism. Ethical Economy, vol 63. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10204-2_10
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