Why do some Mormon owned businesses sell items like: cigarettes, alcohol, condoms, caffeine products, etc.?

Question

Many Mormons know the Kroger Corporation is Mormon owned and/or controlled. Typically, Kroger has been known to own Albertson's and other chain grocery stores, like Fred Meyers in the Pacific Northwest. I've been informed that the 7-11 grocery stores is also Mormon owned.

Some people know that many herbal teas contain caffeine. Even so called "decaffeinated" teas contain some amounts of caffeine, usually smaller than regular teas.

Answer 1

economics

Answer 2

Since all of those products are legal it becomes a matter that is between the conscience of each individual and God. Many Christians would say that owning such a business was not consistent with being an ambassador of Christ here on earth but that's a matter of private interpretation and you can't find a passage in the Bible that says that a Christian cannot own a lawful business that sells products which the Bible does not call sinful. It would be a different story if the Christian was in the pornography business but the Bible doesn't say that a Christian can't light up a cigarette while drinking a beer and looking to see if the dollar they spent on a lottery ticket was a winner or not.

Answer 3

I've not heard the 7-11 is Mormon owned, but there are a lot of businesses that I don't know who owns them.
As for caffeine, it's not against the Word of Wisdom. I drink caffinated sodas all the time, and it's not a problem.
Ad for condoms, alcohol, and cigarettes, that's a personal choice of the seller and the buyer. If I owned a business, I don't think I would sell those types of items, but that's my personal choice. As for Kroger and Albertson's, that could be a corporate decision that the Board of Trustees made. And while I don't know for sure, I'm guessing that the Board isn't all Mormon.

Answer 4

To my knowledge, the Mormon Church does not own PepsiCo. Should any employee or owner of a small business happen to be Mormon they usually stock that which is in demand within legal and moral precepts. What many people do not realize is that the Mormon Church continues to operate huge farms for the relief of the unfortunate and to export such commodities to countries in need.

In every disaster world-wide, the LDS Church has been there to help and continues to do so. We don't toot our horn because, biblically, it says not to do so. We simply try to help those less unfortunate.

Every one has the free agency to choose for themselves and that means to buy and sell goods and commodities. If I were to work in a warehouse moving caffeinated drinks should I refuse to touch those cartons? Only if I don't want to keep the job.

So many of the anti-Mormon crowd strain at a gnat, but swallow a camel over what we Mormons do or not do.

Added note for "Godknows." The term Mormon was given the early Latter-day Saints from the Book of Mormon and the next to the last prophet bearing the same name. It was Mormon's son, Moroni, who had visited Joseph Smith and told him of the gold plates and their location.

Answer 5

First of all the companies you site are publicly traded (7-11 was recently bought out by a Japanese conglomerate) not "Mormon owned". That being said, I am certain there are retailers out there owned by Mormons which sell products that their owners wouldn't use themselves. In some cases that's purely an ecomonic question (if you're in the retail business your job is to meet client's demands within legal and ethical limits). However, I personally know Mormons who have changed or avoided careers that would require them to promote substances they consider harmful.

Answer 6

Individual shop owners stock a variety of items to please and satisfy their customer base.
Latter- Day saint (Mormon) business owners may or may not decide to stock the above items in any case not stocking an item will not stop people from using it, they will simply go elsewhere and may never use the store again may even smash a window in frustration so for instance I work in a job where young people sleep around it is a good job otherwise should i leave the job because as a christian I do dot believe in sex before marriage, I think not.

Answer 7

First off, you're talking about publicly traded corporations. Not mom and pop organizations.

Next, Mormons believe people have their agency to use products that may be harmful for them---even though they themselves don't use them.

Lastly, Mormons aren't catholic. There's nothing wrong with mormons selling condoms. Oh, and what's with the fascination with tea?

Answer 8

Mormonism = money, power and control. They do not worry about contradictions.

Joseph Smith, the man who introduced the temple ceremony into the Mormon church, would not be able to go through the Temple if he were living today because of his frequent use of alcoholic beverages. Joseph Smith continued to disobey the Word of Wisdom until the day of his death. Joseph Smith used tobacco - at one time he rode through the streets of Nauvoo smoking a cigar.

Mormon Apostle John Taylor used alcoholic beverages even after Joseph Smith's death. All of the early Mormon apostles seem to have used alcoholic beverages after the Word of Wisdom was given. Because of the fact that Joseph Smith did not keep the Word of Wisdom, Almon W. Babbitt felt that he had a right to break it. (History of the Church, vol. 2, p.252).

In Nauvoo Joseph Smith sold liquor.

Brigham Young spoke a great deal about the Word of Wisdom, but he seemed to have a difficult struggle applying it to his own life. On June 7, 1863, Brigham Young acknowledged publicly that he had built a distillery. In his sermons Brigham Young occasionally discussed the idea of Mormons producing their own tea, coffee, tobacco and whiskey. Brigham Young also recommended that the Mormons make wine.

One anti-Mormon writer claimed that the witnesses to the Book of Mormon were drunk at the time they received their vision concerning the plates.

Orson Pratt once quipped: "I do not wonder that the world say that the Latter-day Saints do not believe their own revelations. Why? Because we do not practice them" (Journal of Discourses, vol. 17, p.104).

Even the Mormon-owned Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution (now known as ZCMI) sold the items forbidden in the Word of Wisdom.

In 1908 the Salt Lake Tribune accused the Mormon leaders of trying to monopolize the liquor business in Utah.

Answer 9

Why do people just see the wrong from others? I m Mormon a person who has had good and wrong choices as every one, but I still learning I still have a long way to walk, I rather see the good of people, it doesn t matter the religion while they life worthy. I ve learned from church to help as they do to me ,if I need help they help me though I even doesn t meet them, I learned to give, etc, I can tell many good things as some bad things but I if I saw a bad thing is because we as people have to decide between good and bad , it doesnt related with church, but if you are not able to see the good, you are not able to see what a wonderful place and peolple we have. we all are daughters and sons of God :)

Answer 10

Majority of Mormons own Pepsi too which is a caffienated product. HEB is owned principly by a Baptist family that would not sell alcohol for the longest. Business is business.

Answer 11

I think they do it because the Mormons do believe in free will...you have the right to make you own good or bad decisions...and they believe you should be able to do it without being judged (to your face anyway)...I am sure money and all that plays a part...but for the most part they figure they are doing the right thing, they are going to heaven...if you want to be a sinner...SIN AWAY :)