A recent story suggests that Israel’s Kibbutzim — a widespread form of communal settlement — may be moving towards a more capitalist model. (Link via David Bernstein).
As Mormons, this is an interesting development. Scholars have pointed out that there are some similarities between Israeli communal groups and early LDS consecration. The decline of the kibbutz may be similar to the decline of consecration. Of course, members who want to live more of the law of consecration today may still decide that they want to do less kibitzing and more kibbutzing.
There was a bit of a discussion going on about Mormon consecration, past and present, over on my little blog a couple of days ago–in response to the cover story of last week’s Salt Lake City Weekly.
An excerpt from the article:
“Recently, a friend mentioned a conversation she’d had in the early ’90s. In this casual interchange with a man from London in Salt Lake City to work on a CD-Rom contract for the LDS genealogical vaults in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Verabel Cluff told him she’d been born and raised in Brigham City, Utah.
“Brigham City,” he said, his eyes lighting with interest. “I’ve heard about Brigham City many times. I used to live in a commune in London founded by Karl Marx. In the 1800s, Marx actually sent someone to Utah to look at the communalistic society created there with such success.”
A link to the post:
http://orsonstelescope.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_orsonstelescope_archive.html#107957787211382258