Assuming you owned a business it is pretty much a given that Mormons would boycott your business if you are an ex-member, belong to a non approved group or even if whisper talk is mentioned about you. What are your thoughts on boycotting a Mormon owned business for them believing in their weird fictional beliefs?

People make purchasing decisions based on a variety of factors. I doesn't bother me if people decline to patronize a particular business for whatever reason.

I try not to patronize mormon owned businesses in Utah. It may not make a financial impact, but I sleep better at night.

StillAnon Wrote:
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> I try not to patronize mormon owned businesses in
> Utah.

So what the f*ck, dude? You go shopping in Wyoming or Nebraska? Colorado maybe?

Wow, I guess you're really showing those Mormons a thing or two about a thing or two.

Wow.You made a new moniker just to reply to this? Troll. Nordstroms, Macy's, Kroger & the Ducati dealer are not LDS owned. It's easy if you try.

Your "John Donald" post was deleted, so now you're trying again as "Jake Harmon"? LOL.

Idaho. You haven't heard of La Tienda?
All good mormons buy their beer & lottery tickets there.
Now scram.

The only line I'd draw is owned by the church, not the religion of the owner.

I could care less what religious beliefs the owner has. Do I get what I am looking for at a good price and am I treated fairly?

Beyond that I am only hurting myself.

Only support Mormon owned coffeshops, taverns, gentlemens clubs, saloons, casinos, and brothels.

Avoid LDS financial advisors, physicians, dentists, undertakers, landlords, employers, and insurance salesmen.

As a small business owner who caters almost exclusively to members, please know some of us remain closeted to the public for the sake of our livelihoods. When people ask if I'm a member I say yes, because technically I still am. I might as well torch my business as to be outed.

This ^^^ gets directly to the OP's point (IMO). It's a shame that you have to hide your genuine feelings, lest your business be ruined.

I don't live in the Moridor, so it's not difficult, but I do my best to avoid "Mormon" businesses. For example, I do my best not to stay at a Marriot hotel. I know, someone will chime in and say "they don't own it anymore," but if a company is gonna put a BOM in my room, that's "Mormon" enough for me to avoid it.

To the extent that TBMs would choose a TBM owned local small business over a non-TBM competitor, I think it's reasonable for the consumer to patronize the non-TBM place of business first too if that suits their personal convictions.

I don't like the thought of any of my money winding up in the Morg's coffers, not one thin dime.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2016 05:48PM by nomonomo.

I don't really care what an individual believes, as long as it does no harm to others.

That's not the case with moism, so yes, it disturbs me that 10% of those business profits go to harming people, especially, exmos of many stripes.

As a non Mormon who owned businesses in Utah let me clue you in. Once the town your in hears your not a "member" you notice some things.

1. Your traffic gets a lot slower. Now if you aren't in a Utah town that has an even split of Mormons to non then surviving is much easier but you still feel it.

2. Because you are not a member but have your business in a Mormon area the Mormons in said area consider you easy pickn's. They know that they, the Mormons, can and will Fuck you as hard as they can because they are doing Joeseph's work. In other words because you are not a member and you complain. All the way through law enforcement down to the guy who screwed you, your rights do not matter. You are considered less than, therefore you deserve to be treated the way Mormins treat you.

3. And this. Is a biggie. That happy go lucky Mormon who is just glad to do business with you. Two things are happening. He is Flirting to convert. And as he shakes one hand he has is other hand holding the knife he is about to shank you with.

Yeah Mormons are great people to do business with. And we non member business owners. We should have the right to cut your throats out of your knecks and hang your body's from overpass bridges. But hey we are just less than whole people so what do we know

I'd like to see a boycott of all Mormon owned businesses. Both privately owned and those owned buy the church.

If I think a percentage of my money is going to the church via tithing or whatever.. then yes, that influences my purchases. This doesn't really influence my buying habits though--grocery stores, larger dept. stores, bookstores..

I have a relative that owns a family counseling practice and about 50% of their clients are Bishop referrals. The therapist have to use the study, pray and repent theory for healing or their business would dry up. All of the therapist also have to be recommend holding for the Bishops to refer clients to them.

The business may not be LDS Inc owned but LDS Inc still controls them.

Therapists being influenced by a religion's tenets, not to say leaders, is not ethical. A client's issues could relate to Mormonism and what? Their "therapy" is to fall in line with the thinking of the church?

"Study, pray and repent"? What if their problem arises with the Mormon idea of study, or pray, or repent? Especially repent, as if they did something wrong. Them. Not the other party. Not the leaders. Not the church.

I understand small businesses having to cater to survive (if they can stand to do it). But not MDs and therapists. It is a huge ethical conflict. You may be actually prescribing as treatment the thing that is causing the problem. And if you know it, that's malpractice.

agreed! this sounds like a huge ethical problem

What others call boycotting I call choosing were to do business.

There were only two mormon owned businesses in town that I knew of. I don't live in Utah or Idaho.

One of the businesses was a cupcake store. Next-door was a very over priced, over the top diet and exercise business. Both mormon owned.

They were both out of business in a year.

That sounds so nazi.

We could be without a dentist I am afraid. I was wondering this too as a NEVERMO who notices Mormon places and I not do not want to give them by business, but want to say why---but it doesn't matter. Go in good faith, if you chose not to, then don't.
As someone who dated a TBM, I now am sick over how sneaky and predatory the whole thing was. VOMIT.
Boycott. yes.

In the early days of Idaho settlement by Mormons, Brigham Young sent out a decree that Mormons who patronized the businesses of non-Mormons would be excommunicated. Only Mormon owned (this basically meant church owned at that time) businesses and schools were allowed. Many Presbyterians had moved west to convert native americans and had established schools. When BY discovered Mormons were sending their children to the established Presbyterian schools he order them to stop OR ELSE!

I believe in a free market where anyone can shop where he pleases but it's important to know that the buyer should beware. I dislike knowing that my dollars might be going to support LDS, Inc. thru tithing. So I'd probably pick a non-Mormon on that basis. But it would be fair to let the owner know this. He might not be paying tithing and he might be a Name Only Mormon but you won't know it unless you discuss it.

I continue to do business as usual, but drop a thought: "Well, no I haven't been to the ward lately because those essays have troubled me." "I really want to keep believing, but that book, what was it? --Oh, yes, 'Rough Stone Rolling' had some disturbing stuff in it--but I won't bore you with it."

Be a missionary wherever you go ...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2016 12:55PM by kathleen.

One nearly sure way to not patronize Mormon businesses is to limit your shopping to Sunday. Especially if you are afraid of running into S'Mormons you know from church while you're buying your coffee. Do everything on sunday. It's not exactly fool proof, but goes a long way to avoid patronizing their business and to not run into any when you're buying Mormon contraband.

If that's helps someone recover, I say go for it.

I'd be more inclined to boycott polig businesses because they're far worse than mainstream mormons. Don't hire them for construction jobs. They victimize women and children.

I hired an FLDS contractor and he set me up with a great price. When it comes to dollars and cents, show me the money $$$

My standards don't include belief or idiocy. They do however include price and quality. If a Mormon can provide a quality item at a competitive price than I will buy from them.

The flip side to this is that Mormons do not generally provide quality items at competitive prices.

Depends on who owns it.

RB

It's a great idea. Free markets are always a great idea.

I was offered a "position" at Melaleuca, and I said no, since Mrs Melaleuca donated 100K to Prop 8.
I still have one of their products, which I find to be mediocre.
And I don't want my money going for their tithing (IF they pay tithing).

I no longer fraternize the Osmonds, but don't go out of my way not to do business with a Mormon enterprise when in the Morridor.

I will support my family who are entrepreneurs and still LDS when I'm able.

Other than that, I have no hard and fast rules about supporting any company based on the religion of its owner.

Heck, I'm Jewish by birth! Why would I want to subject any religious creed to the same religious persecution my ancestors endured for eons because they were Jewish?

The bigotry goes both ways, my friend.

Singling out a business because it's owned by a Mormon is out and out bigotry. I'd have to have more reason than this to boycott a business. If the owner is dishonest or engaging in some unethical business practice, that would be why I wouldn't want to shop there. NOT because he (or she) is a Mormon.

Good points about bigotry, Amyjo.

But.

For those who are averse to having their $$ go towards Mormon tithing, that's an understandable choice when you think of all the reasons a person may have cause to avoid Mormonism, especially someone who has been hurt by the church, such as losing their family for leaving. Other reasons include problems caused by the absolute mind games played by leaders and other members (on purpose or as a consequence of following their idea of "truth"). (For me, it was the lying, which always bends my mind, and also the non-answers to pertinent questions, getting to the point of castigating you for even asking a question).

For ex-Mormons or anyone who cares deeply about the causes and businesses they support I think it's reasonable to withhold their shopping dollar from people and places where principles they hold dear are trampled over. Or certainly places/people that have hurt them in any way.

Cheryl has an excellent point (above) in that FLDS victimizes women and children. I would not feel compelled to give them $$ for any reason due to that alone. It would not be "because they're fundy Mormon" but because I abhor their ruling principles.

Of course it's good to be cautious and not lapse into unintentional bigotry. But having good cause to bypass certain businesses does not equate to bigotry, in my view.

Of course, Amyjo, you have a different perspective when we consider the bigotry faced by Jews through the ages and into our current time, unfortunately.

So, it's a case of weighing up our reasons, seeing as many sides as we can, and making the choice that's right for us. If I knew a business had racist owners or that they didn't pay a fair wage to their workers or failed to be fair and rational in other ways I would have no problem with avoiding them.

I recently severed ties with a volunteer organization I was helping due to them being taken over by a (non-mo) church that I have had problems with in the past. I don't see that as bigotry ("I won't work there because they're XYZ religion") but rather that I volunteered with that denomination before and it was a decidedly negative experience (to the point that I "lost my faith" in the sense of what I believed before, that I cherished, and also losing any desire to attend church services, almost beyond my own control to change, that I miss). In the words of a therapist friend, why would you go back to the place that hurt you? Good thought.

So, for those who don't wish to patronize Mormon business, church or activities and seek to avoid Mormon people, I can understand that decision, or even need when it comes to their own physical and mental well-being.

Not bigotry. Avoidance for the sake of self-preservation in many cases. Or to make a statement via the power of their dollar. Payback. If that's all you can do. It feels good.

Fear of being seen as a bigot or unfair or whatever negative does NOT compel me to go on hurting myself.

Do I care about the Mormon Church or even its employees being hurt by people choosing not to attend its meetings, patronize its businesses or shop with its people?

NO.

I live in "the mission field" and therefore see very little business done by mormons, that I know of. However, I took a job for while at a mormon business. They did not know I was ex-mo, and probably still don't...as it is not something I advertise. I knew the owners were mormon before I took the job. The problem was, it was during "the recovery" and good jobs were hard to find. I worked for them to pay my rent and buy food. (Sometimes when you're poor, you don't get to have principles, i.e. maslow's hierarchy of needs.) I worked there for 6 months...and I couldn't stand it! It wasn't so much the idea that I was contributing to the tithing base, it was how the owners acted and treated each other. It was the meanest, most angry place I've ever worked.

I feel for the mormon business owners who have to hide their non-belief. I know how it is to have to hide your identity to feed your family. applesauce

applesauce: (Sometimes when you're poor, you don't get to have principles, i.e. maslow's hierarchy of needs.)

Understandable. We all do what we have to do. Sure enough, it's easier to uphold our principles, well, in principle. Life intrudes and reality bites. Often it is necessary to be flexible, yet keeping as close to our own standard as we can for our own sakes not due to some outside force insisting on our choices for the sake of appearance more than anything else.

"I feel for the mormon business owners who have to hide their non-belief. I know how it is to have to hide your identity to feed your family."

This is a nice comment and a good reminder that we walk a tricky line when we judge from afar.

I'd say that working in a Mormon-owned business due to need (literally that you need the income or because that's all that's in your area) may be different from shopping in that tithing is not involved in your work or salary (as far as I can think it through). The tithing comes in when the business owners generate income and share it with the church.

But the principle of need still applies to shoppers - maybe the Mormon business has the best prices or maybe it's the only game in town.

applesauce makes a good point that people do what they have to do and standing on principle sometimes doesn't work out in a practical way.

I can avoid Mormonism (like the plague) as there isn't a chapel within a country mile of my neighbourhood and no Mormon-owned businesses that I know of. And I don't necessarily pay attention to who owns which businesses so I may be "sinning" unintentionally. I was thinking too that I am more concerned with trying to buy local (living on the west coast in a farming community why buy eggs from back east - which is what many shops offer - when they are fresher and healthier from the farmer down the street; same goes with tomatoes and potatoes grown almost in my own back yard but many shops stock only imported produce - I detest this practice!! At least offer us a choice).

So yeah. Sometimes we choose to die for principles (protests, wars). Other times we can or need to bend them somewhat depending on our circumstances. I wouldn't fault a person for that.

I don't shop at church-owned businesses or businesses that cater to Mormons, mostly because of the anti-gay, anti-woman, racist policies. If a company has publicly announced its bigoted or racist stand, or donates to groups that promote inequality, I won't buy from them. I don't care what their religious affiliation is.

What about businesses that aren't owned by the Mormons (or an individual Mormon) but happen to employ some Mormon people?

I know Marriott hotels are a common target of these discussions since they were founded by a Mormon family. Even though they've been publicly traded for decades, and their current CEO is Lutheran, they still have some Marriott family members in prominent roles. One presumes they tithe from their not-insignificant salaries.

However: the way the hotel industry is structured financially, the top executives receive a tiny share of the profit from a whole lot of locations, and that's the source of their larger salary. Out of the money we might spend at an individual hotel, the minimum-wage housekeeper gets a bigger share (by far) than the CEO does. And that housekeeper might be TBM. Even if the hotel isn't a Marriott.

Is that something worth checking into as well? Why or why not?