A few weeks ago, Jake wrote a great article on welfare, the state, and the Church. You can read it Here.

Somewhat along those same lines, I've been studying about the highest bankruptcy filings per capita and per household in the nation: Utah. You can read my article Here.

But, just to whet your appetite, here are a few of my conclusions and selected excerpts from a phone interview I had with Robert Cahoon who worked at Wells Fargo. The interview was transcribed to the best of my memory shortly after the completion of the interview--no audio recording was made, so the words may not be exact, but the ideas reamain accurate.

Cahoon:

One of the big things I've noticed here is that people in Utah generally do an awful lot to compete with their neighbors—especially the neighbors they go to church with.

Within Utah and the church, so many people have so much in common, I think people use things—their material possessions—to define who they are and make themselves different from the rest. They have the same morals, live in the same area, believe the same, go to the same church, have similar houses, incomes—all that, and how do they differentiate themselves? They do it with their possessions.

Having lived in Utah, as well as outside Utah, I think I have a pretty good view of the way things really are in relation to other parts of the country. The mentality just isn't the same in the other places I've lived. I take that back—I saw a little of it with members of the church in Australia when we lived there, but in Texas where I've lived twice, it doesn't really exist. In Oregon, it just doesn't exist at all from what I've seen. In Oregon, it's not even close. In Utah, I think it's just become a way for people to differentiate themselves from so many people who have so much in common.

Me:

Interesting that more and more Utahans now have bankruptcy in common.

Cahoon:

Here's something: with tithing, I suppose I can say this…the leaders of the church tell us that as long as we pay our tithing, we'll be ok. We can trust that. I think the problem comes when people think "I pay my tithing, I can go into debt and the Lord will watch out for me and things will be okay—he'll help me because I'm faithful in paying my tithes." That's so dangerous. Sure, the Lord asks us to pay tithing and promises we won't go without—but he doesn't tell us to go into debt. We do that on our own, and when we engage in those kinds of things, we can't expect the Lord to support us, that's not part of the plan.

Me:

While the Tribune article cited that "about 12 percent of filers reported making tithing payments to the LDS Church through their financial troubles," I think the underlying factor there is that church members misinterpret how tithing will lead to their prosperity. It is not the money they are giving that creates the problem, it is the mentality they might be developing as a result. It must be emphasized that one who spends himself into debt with the notion that paying tithing will keep him above the tide of debt default and bankruptcy, does not understand the purpose of tithing, nor is he following the counsel of the prophets.

I believe the greatest thing we can do is to change our attitudes and behavior toward possessions and money. It's a behavioral thing. When we realize we're in competition with no one, and that we have a responsibility to be independent, free, and charitable (yes, we should pay tithing and fast offerings, but should not expect those things to keep us safe from or immune to creditors), we will change our spending habits and start savings and investment habits instead.

I don't believe wealth and prosperity was ever achieved through maximization of the limit on a credit card. I don't believe anyone can honestly believe someone is better than another because their house is bigger, or because they have more toys in their garage, or any of those things. Cahoon said "While they aren't drinking and smoking and doing damage to their health in those ways, the spending they do—which might be taking the place of those other activities—is becoming seriously harmful to their financial health." We would be well-advised to instead develop healthy habits in regard to how we value our assets and how we value ourselves in relation to things that really matter—not where "moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves…break through [and] steal." -Matthew 6:20