Was Hugh Nibley wrong? Is global capitalism compatible with a Zion society? And when is a Latter-day Saint actually justified in defying a corrupt, oppressive government?
Copyright © 2026
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
Hugh Nibley was wrong?
First, Professor Oman challenges the popular anti-capitalist teachings of the legendary LDS scholar Hugh Nibley. While Nibley viewed commerce as being driven primarily by greed and pride, Oman argues for the 18th-century ideal of doux commerce (“sweet commerce”). He explains how the necessity of trade actually forces us to consider the needs of others and argues that markets have done more to alleviate global poverty than any other economic system. While acknowledging that the modern global economic order is not Zion, Oman points out that early Mormon revelations—such as those concerning the for-profit Nauvoo House—prove that commerce and markets will absolutely be a part of a Zion society. Then, the conversation pivots to the agonizing moral paradox of civil disobedience and the 12th Article of Faith.
Civil Disobedience
Using the tragic story of Helmuth Hübener—a young Latter-day Saint who was excommunicated and executed by the Gestapo for distributing anti-Nazi pamphlets—Oman explores why the Church historically demands strict legal obedience to survive under hostile regimes. From the East German Stasi to Pinochet’s Chile, we explore the dangerous tightrope the Church must walk. Does strict obedience to the law risk moral complicity with dictators, or is it a necessary safeguard to protect a vulnerable church from being entirely suppressed? Oman argues that there are no easy answers when balancing the dangers of institutional complicity against the naive, potentially destructive consequences of grand individual defiance.
Be sure to check out Professor Nathan Oman’s extensive work on these topics in his two-volume set, Law and the Restoration, as well as his newest book from Oxford University Press, Living Oracles!
CHAPTERS
0:00 Taking on Hugh Nibley
9:13 Civil Disobedience (Hubener)
