Collective or Individual Salvation?

President Obama has said that he believes in 'collective salvation.' gotquestions.org states: Basically, “collective salvation” means “unless we are all saved, none of us will be saved” or “we as individuals must cooperate and sacrifice for the good of the whole.” Another way to state what collective salvation means is: “I can't be saved on my own. I have to do my part by cooperating with the group, even sacrificing, to ensure everyone else’s salvation. It is then that we’re all saved together.”

This idea is Satan's plan. It was the premise of the war in heaven: be saved together or don't be saved at all. We rejected that plan. You decide for yourself: do you believe a politician or a prophet of God?

PRESIDENT OBAMA said: You can take your diploma, walk off this stage and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and the other things that our money culture says you should buy, you can choose to narrow your concerns and live life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America's, but I hope you don't, not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, although I believe you do have that obligation; not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get to where you are today, although I do believe you have that debt to pay. It's because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. And recognizing that my fate remain tied up with their fates, that my individual salvation is not going to come about without a collective salvation for the country.


(Prophet) DAVID O. McKAY said: "An outstanding doctrine of the Church is that each individual carries this responsibility [of their own salvation], and that the salvation of man is a process of gradual development. . . . A man may say he believes, but if he does nothing to make that belief or faith a moving power to do, to accomplish, to produce soul growth, his protestation will avail him nothing. 'Work out your own salvation' is an exhortation to demonstrate by activity, by thoughtful obedient effort the reality of faith" (Gospel Ideals, p. 330).