Book of Commandments on Health Care Reform

I need to explain to readers my circumstances. I live in Utah. Utah is controlled by the LDS Church. I am not a member of the LDS Church.

Anyway, In 1833, Joseph Smith published a work called "The Book of Commandments which was renamed to "The Doctrine and Covenants." You can find the original plates on the The Institution for Religious Research.

This is the part of the work relevant to the health care debate.

25 Thou knowest my laws, they are given in my scriptures, he that sinneth and repenth not, shall be cast out.

26 If thou lovest me, thou shat serve me and keep all of my commandments; and behold, thou shalt consecrate all thy properties, that which thou hast unto me, wih a covenant and deed which cannot be broken; and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church, and two of the elders, such as he shall appoint and set apart for that purpose.

27 And it shall come to pass, that the bishop of my church, after that he has received the properties of my church, that it can not be taken from the church, he shall appoint every man a steward over his own property, or that which he has received, in as much as is sufficient for himself and family:

28 And the residue shall be kept to administer to him who has not, that every man may receive according as he stands in need:

29 And the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer the poor and needy, as shall be appointed to the elders of the church and the bishop; and for the purpose of purchasing lands, and the building up of the New Jerusalem, which is hereafter to be revealed; that my covenant people may be gathered in one, in the day that I shall come to my temple.

The first sentence emphasizes that these are commandments directly from God. These commandments were intended to be the beating heart of Mormonism.

A person who does not follow God's Commandments is a sinner. God commands that the faithful cast out anyone who challenges the commandments revealed by Joseph Smith.

The Commandment is that people are to give all their property to the church. The church will give back to people as the church sees fit. This new system was called "The United Order of Enoch." Mormon Fundamentalist groups such as the FLDS continue to practice the laws of the United Order. The church owns all the property. The people subsist on what the church doles out.

Joseph Smith's followers rose up after he published the "Book of Commandments." Smith changed the word "all" to "of" in the "Doctrine and Covenants." Members of the mainstream LDS Community take the commandment to mean that they are to buy insurance.

I want to argue for true free market reform as an alternative to insurance. I routinely experience the following. I go to a meetings hosted by the GOP or other Conservative group. I mention that I favor free market reform. An enforcer from the LDS church realizes that free market reforms are against the fundamental teachings of the LDS Church. I get thrown out of the meeting. I have actually been called "a Servant of Satan" simply for considering the free market alternatives to a socialized market.

I would like to point out that most LDS politicians favor the basic structure of PPACA. Senator Harry Reid (a Democratic Senator from Nevada) was the primary architect of PPACA. His plan was based on the plan by Mitt Romney. Governors Mike Leavitt, Gary Herbert, and Jon Huntsman all support variations of PPACA. Most LDS politicians are all openly opposed to free market reforms.

As for the accusation that I am a Servant of Satan for considering free market reform. This argument is based on the dubious claim that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of God. In the same book that Smith proposed socializing our economy, Smith restored the doctrine of polygamy. This self-proclaimed Prophet of God said that God demanded that he sleep with multiple women. There is documentation that Smith sealed himself to at least 49 wives. Some were as young as 14. There are reports that he made advances on many more.

I read the Book of Mormon and the D&C several times. They appear to be written by a con artist.

I prefer the US Constitution to the words of a con man.

The Mormon notion that one should cast out people for questioning their prophet is against the principles of freedom of speech, but the LDS Church controls the state and there is really not much I can do except hope that I can find a group outside of the state of Utah interested in free market care. Quite frankly, I feel things are quite hopeless.