When do nice things become pride? I don't know. How did Alma the Younger in the Book of Mormon ascertain that a person was proud. How did Mormon ascertain the same thing when he saw our day? Can an All In Common Church actually work in our day?
These are questions that go unanswered in my mind.
I sometimes believe, from my vantage point, that most Latter Day Saints in America would not be able to contribute much more of their substance than they already do if having all things in common was promoted and taught by the church leaders. I may be wrong about this but there are some reasons why this might be true.
Imagine that the church teaching the principle. Many members start to contribute what they perceive as their surplus. They are driving unreliable cars, have no health insurance, still have debts and have not retirement. Once the church realizes that this is going on, the teaching may change, explaining to the members that their personal needs must be met before considering their substance a surplus. Thus, perhaps upwards of 95% of the American church wouldn't contribute more that a regular fast offering each month.
The all in common church could quite possibly be implemented in other parts of the world where there isn't any debt, people live very humbly and are somewhat homogeneous in income. It would be wonderful to see a pilot program! Since that stake is living the 'laws of the celestial kingdom', the people would be blessed and prospered in unimaginable ways! Their standard of living would increase far beyond the rest of society. Why? Because they are all prospering together! It is the Lord's way. This stake would probably send their 'Samuel the Lamanite' to us in America to call us to repentance. We would be shocked that a foreigner would have the audacity to us, the center stakes of Zion to repentance! My imagination is quite vivid, isn't it?
