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Welcome back to the Latter Day Lens! This week, hosts Matt and Shawn are joined by Marc to tackle pressing questions at the intersection of faith, economics, and emerging technology.

We dive into the listener mailbag to explore the concept of Consecrationism—the idea that a perfect system requires people to willingly share their property and excess—and whether it represents a "third way" that addresses the moral failings of Socialism and Capitalism. The discussion heats up with personal anecdotes on political shifts and a look at Matt's recent Deseret News op-ed.

Then, we transition to the rapidly approaching reality of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). We analyze Matt's survey data on Latter-day Saint attitudes toward AI, defining the three major groups: the Silicon Saints, the Compartmentalizers, and the Spiritual Skeptics. We debate the spiritual litmus test: Is using AI for a talk or guidance a form of "lukewarm" seeking, or is it a valid tool for a divinely creative people?

Finally, we navigate two challenging ethical dilemmas:

1. Parental Loyalty vs. Justice: Should a father help his son evade police after a crime, or insist on accountability, particularly within a potentially flawed justice system?
2. Royal Justice: Did King Charles III stripping Prince Andrew of his titles represent a superior form of justice or merely an act of damage control and PR in the wake of the Epstein scandal?

This episode's key topics: Consecrationism, Capitalism vs. Socialism, Generous Capitalism, AI and Faith, AGI, Spiritual Skeptics, LDS Economics, Prince Andrew, Epstein Files, and the Ethics of Accountability.

Chapter Highlights (Jump to the Discussion!):

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
1:19 Mailbag: Consecrationism as the "Third Way"
2:27 The Ethics of Wealth and Charity (Billie Eilish)
3:00 Mark's Political Journey: From Marx to Capitalism
3:50 The Deseret News Op-Ed & Voting: To Vote or Not to Vote?
6:21 The Organized Intelligence Conference & LDS AI Survey
7:22 The Three Tribes: Silicon Saints, Compartmentalizers, & Spiritual Skeptics
8:16 The Litmus Test: Repenting to AI vs. Diligent Seeking
14:03 Elder Bednar, Creation, and the Danger of Passive Ingenuity
16:42 Justice Dilemma: The Ogden High School Shooting & Parental Loyalty
25:27 Royal PR vs. Real Justice: Prince Andrew & the Epstein Files
32:41 The AGI Utopia: Will AI Eliminate All Human Work?
37:25 The Downfall of Technology: From Telephones to AI Erotica