Power, politics, romance...normally, this is the stuff of cheap novels and bad movies. You know...corrupt CEOs, women of loose morals...throw Marlon Brando in the mix and you've captured the romantic world of corruption that we all imbibe now and again. Anyone who has played the parlor game "Mafia" knows whereof I speak.
Yet do such ideas manage to creep their way into our faith? While there were many reasons why Mormons rallied behind Romney for President (and this was unusual...Orrin Hatch never enjoyed such mobilization), what role did his wealth or riches (the choice of words makes a difference) play into our formulation of him as a spiritual man? Ask yourself, "Why is he wealthy?" Do you catch yourself saying: "Because he's made good decision, because he lives a good life"? If so, be careful...you might be trapping yourself into a doctrinal dilemma that could be very awkward if you are pressed. After all, I can point to scads of individuals who are wealthier than Mitt Romney...and definitely do not live the same kind of "good life" as Mitt Romney.
We might respond that it's not the wealth that is evil...it's the people that make it evil. Therefore, I would extend the argument--wealth is a neutral blessing. It is the kind of "blessing" that is given to the general populace who abide by particular principles (and these kinds of blessings are few and far between) regardless of their righteousness. Those who breathe get air (barring a respiratory condition, like myself)...those who eat get food, etc.
Now this begs the question: how does one "seek riches" without having the attitude of seeking riches? Sure, we can remind ourselves that it all comes from God...but are we thinking that as we buy the mongo house, the brand new 08 car? Additionally, let's face it: making a lot of money requires that we do "good business" (which normally implies layoffs), that we represent slimeballs as attorneys. True, there are plenty of professions that do not face such conundrums (dentists, medical doctors--though they too have their moments). One fairly active Latter Day Saint told me when discussing Saints in wartime: "Sometimes you just have to turn off your humanity." Whatever is to be said about the problematics of that statement, do we sometimes apply similar "wisdom" to the acquisition of wealth?
If nothing else, I would suggest that we train ourselves to cease associating wealth with righteousness in any way. And given that the association is rather subterranean (we aren't fully cognizant of it), it's all too easy to make thoughtless comments in Sunday School and priesthood about how the Lord blesses the righteous with temporal resources. While he's not going to let his Saints starve, I have known too many gospel-living, scripture-believing Latter Day Saints in the slums to believe that somehow they're second-rate Saints. Let's kill the myth of the Protestant work ethic once and for all.
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