Christians and Socialism

I have heard it time and again, people saying that the Church as established by Christ is rooted in Socialism. I disagree. Not to be contrary, but to clarify.

Yes, there are some things in the scriptures that can be interpreted as being socialist in nature, but Christ also taught about Stewardship, Responsibility, and Accountability.

“Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.(D&C 42:42)” Let us hope that that spirit of independence that was with our pioneer fathers may be re-awakened in us, and that none who are Latter-day Saints holding the Priesthood of God will be guilty of being idle.”
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant)

In Genesis, the LORD tells us how life should be:

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Psalms remids us why we should work:

Psalms 128:2
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

No person who has "made their way" ever got their wealth because they were afraid of work:

Proverbs 13:11, 19:15, and 21:25
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

Here is one of the "socialist" scriptures, only, it isn't what you think...

Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

There are 2 parts here, we should labour to support the weak... not those that won't work or don't work... and we should GIVE our support, not have that support TAKEN from us.

To take what isn't yours is stealing:

Ephesians 4:28
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

So when the Government takes my money and gives it to someone who could earn their own, that is stealing.

The Church in the time of Christ supported helping the weak, but for those that could work, work was required:

2 Thessalonians 3:8, 10
Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Whether or not you believe in the Book of Mormon, it contains many good words of wisdom.
This is essentially the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have done unto you", would you like someone leaching off your labor, and would you leach off someone else's labor?

Mosiah 27:4
That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

In this verse, we get the same feeling as from 2 Thessalonians 3:8 and 10 and 27:4, that we should all labor and help those that are weak, sick, or otherwise afflicted.

Alma 1:26-27
And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.
And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.

We are reminded to not be idle. Why? Well, we have all heard the phrase, "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" - this might also explain why there is so much crime among those that use/abuse social services.

Alma 38:12
Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

and

D&C 52:39
Let the residue of the elders watch over the churches, and declare the word in the regions round about them; and let them labor with their own hands that there be no idolatry nor wickedness practised.

Even in the Doctrine and Covenants (another LDS Scripture), we get some good advice.
I think the message here covers many that are using/abusing social services, it is among these people that we have the highest crime rate in the nation:

D&C 56:17
Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!

Some might say this scripture supports socialism, but in reality, we are told to do as the gospel requires, and that is described above:

D&C 88:123-125
See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be einvigorated.
And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.

Charity...the act of giving selflessly. Note: we should GIVE support not have our support TAKEN...
And in Thessaloniki, the saints were taught to "love one another" and to "work with [their] own hands" so that they would be "honest" and "lack nothing":

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

So, did Christ support socialism in the early Church? Well, one thing is for sure, He DID NOT support what we commonly call Socialism today. The LDS Church has social welfare programs, but they don't just give; they also require. If you can work, in any capacity, they require you DO something for your support. They have programs where you can make quilts, crochet, help stock shelves, work in the cannery, clean the churches, etc, etc, etc... and for things like making quilts, the Church will provide all the materials you need, but you provide the labor.
The Federal Government has been looking into an overhaul of our government's social services for many years, and they look to the LDS Church for ideas on how to fix things. Unfortunately, they are unable to create a program that requires something of the people using the services. I am not sure of all the details, but people are, basically, unwilling to do anything. They might suffer from the "entitlement" mentality - that somehow, they are entitled to or deserve something for nothing. Or it might be something else.
The one thing I do know for sure is, if we continue to support the modern day socialistic trend, we will fail, we will fall into a very dark place. If crime follows those that use/abuse social services, then the more people using/abusing services the more crime. And it doesn't help to have the government taking our money and giving it to those that don't deserve it.

Support Social Welfare reform, but not the current plans being touted by this adminstration. There are better solutions.