Labor

The primary way that most people contribute to society is through their labor. We spend our adult lives working to provide for our families and ourselves; yet before we receive any benefit, our labor adds to the overall wealth of the nation. Furthermore, labor is one way by which we take after God, the Maker of heaven and earth. God created us to find satisfaction in our labor and to enjoy its fruits. By our work we become co-creators with Him.

No society can be prosperous unless its members are educated to have a work ethic and have the opportunity to better themselves through their labor. A practical function of religion is to encourage the virtues that make for economic success: industry, thrift, dependability, responsibility and integrity in the workplace, and the love of one’s job.

Although certain religious traditions exalt a life of poverty and mendicancy above a productive life of work, most traditions promote honest work and self-sufficiency, even for members of the clergy. Although most religions reject a life devoted solely to worldly profit, they value work as having divine approval when its gains are spent appropriately—in serving others, charity and proper worship.