United Order
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In Mormonism, the United Order was one of several church organizations established to manage and administer the Law of Consecration (a voluntary form of Christian communism/communalism) within the Church of Christ. 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. Its practice within Mormonism is now very rare, generally limited to small sects of Mormon fundamentalists.
Members who chose to enter the United Order would deed (consecrate) all their property to the United Order, which would grant back an "inheritance" (or "stewardship") which allowed members to control the property according to their needs, but not own it. At the end of each year, any excess that the family produced from the stewardship was given back to the Order. The Order in each community was operated by the local Bishop.
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[edit] The United Order under Joseph Smith, Jr.
[edit] 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 Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32) "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 received a revelation calling Edward Partridge to be the first bishop of the church. (See Covenant 41) Five days later, on February 9. 1831, Smith received another revelation detailing the Law of Consecration. (See Covenant 42)
[edit] Land Purchases and Stewardships
Joseph Smith received a revelation directing the saints to impart of their land and money to the church. (Covenant 48) Bishop Partridge assigned the incoming saints from New York lots according to another revelation. (Covenant 52) 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.
[edit] First Inauguration
Bishop Partridge tried to implement the full law in Thompson. However, disagreements broke out and he was unsuccessful. Smith received a revelation directing Newell Knight to lead the saints on the Copley farm to settle in Missouri. (Covenant 54)
[edit] 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" (Covenant 104:1). In practice, however, the Order was relatively short-lived during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
[edit] 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, the largest of the Latter Day Saint sects which developed after the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., 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. In most cases, the United Order of Enoch was not a true religious communism as envisioned by Joseph Smith , but was instead a producer cooperative. A notable exception was the commune established in Orderville, Utah. In Young's Order, 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 communalism 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.
[edit] See also
- History of the Latter Day Saint movement
- Religious communism
- Christian communism
- Communalism
- Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution
[edit] Notes
1. See Church History in the Fulness of Times, p. 95
[edit] 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
