Do you mean something like this.
From the talk Socialism vs the United BY Marion G Romney Apirl 1966 confernce
The United Order
Now as to the United Order, and here I will give the words of
the Lord and not my words.
The United Order, the Lord's program for eliminating the
inequalities among men, is based upon the underlying concept that the
earth and all things therein belong to the Lord and that men hold earthly
possessions as stewards accountable to God.
God has commanded us to be basicaly equal in possesions. He just wants us to do this willingly, not be forced.
He has done no such thing. Now, as an antidote to Thomas' rather brazen intellectual dishonesty here with regard to Elder Romney's teachings relative to the United Order, let's take a look at Enrichment Section L of the D&C Student Manual:
The expressions in the revelations describing the portion or stewardship as “equal” (D&C 51:3; see also D&C 70:14) does not mean equality in the sense that all are exactly the same. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. explained: “One of the places in which some of the brethren are going astray is this: There is continuous reference in the revelations to equality among the brethren, but I think you will find only one place where that equality is really described, though it is referred to in other revelations. That revelation (D. & C. 51:3) affirms that every man is to be‘equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.’ (See also D. & C. 82:17; 78:5–6.) Obviously, this is not a case of ‘dead level’ equality. It is ‘equality’ that will vary as much as the man’s circumstances, his family, his wants and needs may vary.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1942, p. 55.)
Further, each stewardship is private, and is not collective or socialized:
The stewardship is private, not communal, property.
The consecrator, or steward, was to be given a “writing,” or deed, that would “secure unto him his portion [stewardship]” (D&C 51:4). Although it has been acknowledged that all things belong to the Lord, a stewardship represents a sacred entrustment of a portion from God to
the individual. The stewardship is given with a deed of ownership so that individuals, through their agency, are fully responsible and accountable for that which is entrusted to them. The deed protects individuals if they are disqualified from participation as stewards (see D&C 51:4). For legal purposes, the stewardship was private property, even though the stewards themselves understood that it ultimately belonged to God.
President Marion G. Romney explained: “This procedure [of providing deeds] preserved in every man the right of private ownership and management of his property. Indeed, the fundamental principle of the system was the private ownership of property. Each man owned his portion, or inheritance, or stewardship, with an absolute title, which, at his option, he could alienate [transfer], keep and operate, or otherwise treat as his own. The Church did not own all of the property, and life under the united order was not, and never will be, a communal life, as the Prophet Joseph himself said.
“The intent was, however, for him to so operate his property as to produce a living for himself and his dependents.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1977, p. 119; or Ensign, May 1977, p. 93.)
The United Order is in no sense a socialistic, communistic, or "communitarian" social and economic order:
“They had all things common.”
The phrase “they had all things common” (Acts 4:32; see also Acts 2:44; 3 Nephi 26:19; 4 Nephi 1:3) is used to characterize those who lived the law of consecration in ancient times. Some have speculated that the term common suggests a type of communalism or “Christian
Communism.” This interpretation is in error. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the true nature of having all things common: “I preached on the stand about one hour on the 2nd chapter of Acts, designing to show the folly of common stock [holding property in common]. In Nauvoo every one is steward over his own [property].” (History of the Church, 6:37–38.) Each stewardship is considered private property (see Reading L-4), and the residues and surpluses consecrated for the storehouse became the “common property of the whole church” (D&C 82:18). It is referred to as the “common property” because the covenant members of the order had access to it, according to their just “wants” and “needs,” including the need to improve their stewardship (see D&C 82:17–18). The word equal is frequently used in the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants: “In . . . temporal things you shall be equal” (D&C 70:14); “for if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things” (D&C 78:6); “appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs” (D&C 51:3).
The Lord gave His definition of the term equal: “And you are to be equal, or in other words, you are to have equal claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just” (D&C 82:17). Equal claims by all members in the covenant were upon the common property or resources for the administering of stewardships. Through these mutually shared rights or claims all became “alike” (D&C 51:9) or, in other words, had equal standing. The procedure for determining whose claim should be satisfied was established through the approval
and consent of all who participated in the order (see D&C 104:70–71).
The Brethren expand upon this theme further:
(L-6) The Lord’s Way Versus the World’s Way
Some have suggested that the practice of the law of consecration and the system of the united order are only a religious kind of socialism or communism. Others assert that it was a development either from the economic philosophies of Joseph Smith’s day or from communal experiments within the new religion. Such assumptions are false. The Prophet Joseph Smith attended a presentation on socialism in September 1843 at Nauvoo. His response was to
declare that he “did not believe the doctrine” (History of the Church, 6:33). In more recent times Elder Marion G. Romney outlined the differences between the revealed system of the united order and the socialistic programs:
“(1) The cornerstone of the United Order is belief in God and acceptance of him as Lord of the earth and the author of the United Order. “Socialism, wholly materialistic, is founded in
he wisdom of men and not of God. Although all socialists may not be atheists, none of them in
theory or practice seek the Lord to establish his righteousness.
“(2) The United Order is implemented by the voluntary free-will actions of men, evidenced by
a consecration of all their property to the Church of God. “. . . Socialism is implemented by external force, the power of the state.
“(3) . . . The United Order is operated upon the principle of private ownership and individual
management. “Thus in both implementation and ownership and management of property, the United Order preserve to men their God-given agency, while socialism
deprives them of it.
“(4) The United Order is non-political. “Socialism is political, both in theory and practice. It is thus exposed to, and riddled by, the corruption that plagues and finally destroys all political governments that undertake to abridge man’s agency. Enrichment L 425
United Order.
“Socialism argues that it as a system will eliminate the evils of the profit motive. “The United Order exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process both are sanctified. The poor, released from the bondage and humiliating limitations of poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both temporally and spiritually. The rich, by consecration and by imparting of their surplus for the benefit of the poor, not by constraint but willingly as an act of free will, evidence that charity for their fellowmen characterized by Mormon as ‘the pure love of Christ.’ [Moroni 7:47.]” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1966, p. 97.)
Notice that in the United Order, the profit motive is preserved, allowing gospel welfare to alleviate the needs of the poor while at the same time preserving the individual wealth creation that is the necessary precondition for the existence of the welfare system itself.
President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said: “The United Order has not been generally understood. . . . [It] was not a communal system. . . . The United Order and communism are not synonymous. Communism is Satan’s counterfeit for the United Order. There is no mistake about this and those who go about telling us otherwise either do not know or have failed to understand or are willfully misrepresenting.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1943, p. 11.)
As to modern notions of welfare statism:
President Marion G. Romney warned about the continuing imitations of the adversary: “In this
modern world plagued with counterfeits for the Lord’s plan, we must not be misled into supposing that we can discharge our obligations to the poor and the needy by shifting the responsibility to some governmental or other public agency. Only by voluntarily giving out of an abundant love for our neighbors can we develop that charity characterized by Mormon as ‘the pure love of Christ.’ [Moroni 7:47.]” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1972, p. 115; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, p. 98.)
President Romney noted:
“I suggest we consider what has happened to our agency with respect to . . . government welfare services. . . . “The difference between having the means with which to administer welfare assistance taken from us and voluntarily contributing it out of our love of God and fellowman is the difference between freedom and slavery. . . .
“When we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, might, mind, and strength, we will love our brothers as ourselves, and we will voluntarily, in the exercise of our free agency, impart of our substance for their support. . . .
President [J. Reuben] Clark, . . . referring to government gratuities, said:
“. . . Both history and prophecy—and I may add, common sense—bear witness to the fact that no
civilization can long endure which follows the course charted by bemused manipulators and now being implemented as government welfare programs all around the world. “Babylon shall be destroyed, and great shall be the fall thereof. (See D&C 1:16.) (In Conference Report, Apr. 1976, pp. 164–66, 169; or Ensign, May 1976, pp. 120–21, 123.)
Now, let's not use the Lord's anointed to bolster our own agendas by isolating and carefully cherry picking selected statements.
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