The law of consecration is a commandment in the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

in which adherents promise to dedicate their lives and material substance to the church. It was first referred to in 1831 by

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

Origins

On February 4, 1831, Smith received a

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

calling

Edward Partridge Edward Partridge Sr. (August 27, 1793 – May 27, 1840) was one of the earliest converts to the Latter Day Saint movement and served as the first Bishop of the Church. Early life Edward Partridge was born on August 27, 1793 to William and Jem ...

to be the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the church. Five days later, on February 9, 1831, Smith received another revelation detailing the law of consecration. As practiced by the Latter Day Saints in Smith's day, the law of consecration was for the support of the poor and to ensure that all members would be "equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs." Adherents were asked to voluntarily

deed In common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions, sealed. It is commonly associated with transferring ...

, or

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

, their property to the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

, and the church then would assign to each member a "stewardship" of property "as much as is sufficient for himself and family." If consecrated property became more than was sufficient for the assigned steward, the "residue" was "to be consecrated unto the bishop" kept for the benefit of "those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants." Under Smith, members attempted to implement the law of consecration through the establishment of the

United Order In the Latter Day Saint movement, the United Order (also called the United Order of Enoch) was one of several 19th-century church collectivist programs. Early versions of the Order beginning in 1831 attempted to fully implement the law of consecr ...

, but it was never fully instituted due to conflict and disagreements.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

During the 1850s,

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

, leader of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church), attempted to revive the law of consecration. The US Congress used this practice to delay granting land ownership to

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

. Under scrutiny from the national press and facing advancing federal troops, the church dropped the plan in 1857 in favor of the law of tithing. Since that time, the LDS Church has not asked its members to give all of their property to the church: leaders of the church have taught that members "are not now required to live the law of consecration". However, adherents

covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

with God to accept the law of consecration as part of the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

endowment ceremony. In the 1970s, LDS Church

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

Bruce R. McConkie Bruce Redd McConkie (July 29, 1915 – April 19, 1985) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1972 until his death. McConkie was a member of the First Council o ...

stated that " e law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church: such are to be available to the extent they are needed to further the Lord's interests on earth." Rather than fully living the United Order to keep the law of consecration, members are asked to

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...

their income to support the church, to pay a generous monthly

fast offering Fast offering is the term used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to denote money or usable commodities donated to the church, which are then used to provide financial or other assistance to those in need. The local Bish ...

to care for the poor, and to donate their time and talents in assisting in the operation of the church. Adherents believe that the law of consecration will be fully practiced in the future, including during the thousand-year millennium after the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

of Jesus."Q&A: Questions and Answers: 'Will the righteous members of the Church be asked to live the law of consecration?'"
'' New Era'', May 1979.

Mormon fundamentalism

In some

Mormon fundamentalist Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, ...

sects, including the

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century, ...

and the Apostolic United Brethren, adherents live the law of consecration by deeding their homes and other personal property to the church, which then administers it to the members as needed.

Notes

References

* J. Reuben Clark, Jr., ''The United Order and the Law of Consecration'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1945) *{{Citation , last = Hirschi , first = Frank W. , year = 1992 , contribution = Consecration , contribution-url = http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5628 , editor-last = Ludlow , editor-first = Daniel H. , editor-link = Daniel H. Ludlow , title =

Encyclopedia of Mormonism The ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' is a semi-official English-language encyclopedia for topics relevant to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church, see also "Mormon"). The five-volume texts have been digitized and are availabl ...

, publication-place = New York, NY , publisher =

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

, pages = 312–314 , isbn = 0-02-904040-X , oclc = 24502140 . *William O. Nelson
"To Prepare a People"
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', January 1979. * Stephen B. Oveson
"Personal Consecration"
'' Liahona'', September 2009 Latter Day Saint practices Latter Day Saint terms Mormon fundamentalism Christian law 1831 establishments in the United States 1831 in Christianity Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) Economy and Christianity

Origins

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Mormon fundamentalism

See also

Notes

References