Since its beginning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been warning its members about the dangers of debt. In 1830, the Lord instructed Martin Harris that he "pay the debt thou hast contracted.... Release thyself from bondage (Doctrine and Covenants 19:35). In more recent times, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: Reasonable debt for the purchase of an affordable home and perhaps for a few other necessary things is acceptable. But from where I sit, I see in a very vivid way the terrible tragedies of many who have unwisely borrowed for things they really do not need