pepsi products check it out!

[MSDukDog]

I have a need to explain the Church of Jesus Christ (The Mormons) position on ownership of Pepsi or Coke as well as what doctrine within the church is relating to drinking and eating caffeinated products:

I just want to put the FACTS before you.

The Coca-Cola Company is far too sizeable a business entity for any one person or group to own, even if that group were Bill Gates and Kerry Packer. Big Red is a publicly traded company (New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol KO), with 15% of the shares held by insiders (former and current executives plus the families of those who built up the company) and 9% by SunTrust Bank. The remaining 76% of the company is owned by various and sundry institutional and individual investors, some of whom may indeed be Mormon.

Coca-Cola's largest individual shareholder is Berkshire Hathaway, a company run by Omaha, Nebraska, stock-picking guru Warren Buffett. Berkshire Hathaway holds 200 million shares, or 8% of the company, a stake valued at $11 billion. Atlanta's Emory University has Coca-Cola holdings amounting to $3 billion, making it one of the richest universities in the U.S.A. (Harvard holds that particular claim to fame, with endowment holdings of $13 billion.)

A variant of this rumor states that the Mormons own the Pepsi-Cola Company. That too is untrue. Like Coca-Cola, Pepsi is far too large for any group to own even a noticeable part of, let alone own it outright.

Underpinning this legend is the notion that Mormons are forbidden caffeinated beverages, thus how deliciously ironic it would be if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quietly owned a company it raged against from the pulpit.

Though we hate to ruin a good bit of lore with the facts, the truth is that although Mormons have been advised by church leaders to avoid caffeinated beverages, this suggestion has not been passed down as official church doctrine:

"I never drink any of the cola drinks and my personal hope would be that no one would. However, they are not included in the Word of Wisdom in its technical application. I quote from a letter from the secretary to the First Presidency, 'But the spirit of the Word of Wisdom would be violated by the drinking or eating of anything that contained a habit-forming drug.' With reference to the cola drinks, the Church has never officially taken any attitude on this at but I personally do not put them in the class as with the tea and coffee because the Lord specifically mentioned them [the hot drinks]."
(Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 202.) Former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until his death in 1985.

to which all members in good standing must adhere (unlike, say, the admonitions against coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol, which are church doctrine). Mormons can swill Coca-Cola, eschew it and all other caffeinated beverages, or indulge in the occasional Coke and still be considered churchgoers in good standing.

[Delta Duck]

Wildflower,
DU has cowarded to peta's threats!!!!!

[jstanard]

WHAT????????
No more Coors, Taco Bell or Pizza HUT?

I'm a stand up guy, but I like my silver bullets, stuffed crust pizza and chalupas!

[peewee]

[Wildfowler]

When did that happen Delta Duck?

Thanks.

[tunica du4u]

I too would like to know that DD.

[Delta Duck]

Acouple of years ago DU buried biologist reports on predator control in the nesting grounds. It was all because, DU did not want to be seen as an org that would destroy one to protect another.

Tunicadu could make a few phone calls and find that out.

[Wildfowler]

Delta, how do you know such info? Where can I find out these things for myself?

Thanks.

[tunica du4u]

DD. John is here today and I showed him this. His reply was " Ya'll must be needing something to do with so much spare time." He nor Batts had any idea what you're talking about. The reports you refer to were supposedly a study the biologist done on feasibility of predator control in breeding grounds and results were you could spend millions of $ on predator control but when you stop they would come back unless you entirely eradicated them which no one would allow( look at the snail darter snafu years ago) But you could take that same millions of $ and invest it in habitat and restoration and see results for many years to come. PETA never entered the equation. Better investment there I think don't you?
BTW
Dr. Bruce Batts, DU's chief biologist will be the guest speaker at a North Mississippi Area DU committe meeting Tuesday Sept. 10 at 6:30 pm at Ryan's Steakhouse on Goodman Rd in Horn Lake. Will field any questions anyone might have

[Wildfowler]

Hey Tunica, which report are you refering to? I havn't read it and would like to see it. Is it still available?

Thanks.

[tunica du4u]

Wildfowler, I ain't got a clue! John is a regional director for Mississippi DU. He keeps up with a lot of that. I ain't got the time as I am just a lowly district chairman for north Mississippi. I get tons of the fact sheets as far as fundraising, habitat or conservation $ and project work in Mississippi only. DW I believe has done a lot more studies on predator control than DU has, from what I'm told.
I will ask him though. He will be back tomorrow or you could go to that meeting in Horn Lake tomorrow night and get it straight from the horses mouth.

[Delta Duck]

It was not a cost factor with DU. It was a preception factor. DU did not want to be tied up with trapping animals.
Up North they have org. like DU, NWTF, Quail Unlimited and so on. Their are guys that their big deal is trapping. They have a magizine and so forth. They offered to trap for free, DU declined because PETA got wind of it. DU did not want the PR. I would have agreed if DU had just said they do not want a bunch of yahoos stomping around on the nesting habitat.

DUs answer to the problem was it would cost to much money to build a chain link fence. Of course it would cost to much!!!!

I kept waiting on DU to come out with a statement about putting timik in 50,000 hot dogs and putting them out. I think that would get some folks stirred up, wouldn't it!!!!!

[Wildfowler]

Delta Duck, this is what I am trying to find out. Where do you get this information from? Is this just word of mouth, or are there some hard cold factual documents out there?

I'm just trying to make an educated opinion for myself.

Thanks.

[tunica du4u]

False rumor, as usual. Actually it was Dr. Pepper
http://www.pepsico.com/

[Bobby Williams]

I have never been a Pepsi fan myself especially when they got Michal Jackson to do their commericals.