Temple Recommend: A Solution To The Freerider Problem

Utah State University

DigitalCommons@USU
Undergraduate Honors Theses

Honors Program

8-1-2010

The Temple Recommend: A Solution to the FreeRider Problem
Austin Bowles
Utah State University

Recommended Citation
Bowles, Austin, "The Temple Recommend: A Solution to the Free-Rider Problem" (2010). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 62. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/honors/62 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors
Program at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in
Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of
DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [e-mail]. THE TEMPLE RECOMMEND: A SOLUTION TO THE FREERIDER PROBLEM by Austin Bowles

Thesis submitted
From that small membership, the church has seen rapid growth
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worldwide. In 1947, membership reached 1 million. It reached 2 million 16 years later, in 1963.
In 1971, there were 3 million members worldwide. This rapid growth has continued until now.
Current membership is reported to be approximately 13.8 million.
Although it is a Christian church, several beliefs and practices distinguish the LDS church from other Christian denominations and contribute to its “strictness”. The Word of
Wisdom prohibits the use of tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee. The Law of Tithing requires that
10% of members’ incomes be donated to the church. The Law of Chastity prohibits sexual relationships outside of a legally recognized marriage.
In addition to these beliefs, membership in the church demands a significant amount of members’ time and effort. Sunday services, meetings, and other church programs demand a rather substantial time commitment. In the Pew Forum Religious Landscape Survey, 75% of
Mormons in the United States claim to attend church meetings once per week or more,
The temple is where members receive what they believe to be the greatest of God’s blessings. However, not just any individual or member of the Mormon faith can enter a Mormon temple. One must be in good standing with the church and have an interview with a church authority to verify this standing. The interview verifies that the individual is observing required practices and attending necessary meetings. It is through these interviews that a member obtains a temple recommend. The temple recommend then acts as the member’s “license” to engage in temple worship. The recommend is typically valid for one or two years. The LDS temple recommend will be an integral part of our economic model explaining the church’s efficiency.
The temple recommend makes the benefits of temple worship excludable. Only members who contribute enough to obtain a temple recommend are able to enter the temple and enjoy the benefits thereof. The benefits produced within the temple club are non-excludable within the

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club, but excludable to those members who don’t meet the minimum requirements of the