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Growing up I was always taught to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. At certain years it would be a little more hard core that other years. During all the years of my youth there were standard rules like you could not play with friends, not go shopping, not listen to worldly music, not watch TV (Unless it was Star Trek the Next Generation which my Dad Loved), not work for money, etc. There was a time that we were required to wear our Sunday Clothes all day but it only lasted a few weeks which we could then change into normal clothes at 5pm and after a few more weeks of that my parents gave up and we could change as soon as we came home from church. It seemed that once every couple of years we would try the "Sunday Clothes on the Sabbath" thing. There was a family next door that had 11 kids and they all had to wear their Sunday clothes all day so maybe my Dad was trying to keep up with them.

Anyway I want to discuss about LDS people owning business that operate on Sunday. It seems that many LDS think they are fine as long as they don't work on Sunday even though their business requires others to work on the Sabbath. I understand that some services have to operate on the Sabbath such as Hospitals, Police Work, and others that are required.

Usually I figured it was up to the individually to figure it out for themselves but with the recent passing of Gordan B. Hinckley something really stood out to me. KSL Channel 5 had a Marathon of Hinckley worship for about a week with people talking about his life and memories about him. One that stood out to me was Larry H. Miller. As many people know, Larry H. Miller owns a lot of business that operate on the sabbath including movie theaters, miller sportstrack, and the Jazz Basketball team that entertains people on the Sabbath so he can make money which in turn pays tithing on. Even thought he does not schedule home games on Sunday, the team plays on the sabbath in other areas.

Larry H. Miller talked about how he was thinking of selling the Jazz which would result in it moving out of Utah. He did not mention why he was thinking of selling it but he meet with Gordan B. Hinckley to get his advice. Mr. Miller stated that Gordan B. Hinckley told him that the Jazz brings a lot of attention to Utah which results in spreading word about the LDS Church. Hinckley told Miller that it would be a good thing for the LDS Church for the Jazz to remain in Utah.

I found it strange that a Prophet of God would encourage a member to keep a business that is solely for entertainment knowing that it does business on the Sabbath.

Does anybody else find it strange that it seems OK in LDS culture to be a business owner and have people in your company work on the sabbath? It seems that the single mother having to work every Sunday to provide for her family is looked down upon more than the wealthy business owner who is there every Sunday but who owns businesses that require people to work on Sunday.

I know the church owns a lot of businesses that also operate on the sabbath and they seem fine with that.

Neworder wrote:Does anybody else find it strange that it seems OK in LDS culture to be a business owner and have people in your company work on the sabbath? It seems that the single mother having to work every Sunday to provide for her family is looked down upon more than the wealthy business owner who is there every Sunday but who owns businesses that require people to work on Sunday.

I honestly don't have a problem working on Sundays or others working on Sundays. However, I think it is hypocritical of an LDS business owner to make his/her employees work on Sunday just so he/she can go to Church and put on a good face. If the business is open, then the business is open. Whether or not that owner is there, he/she is ultimately responsible for that business being open. I see no difference in a business owner keeping a business open on Sundays whether or not they are working that particular day, and an individual physically going into work on a Sunday. There is no difference. Anyone who thinks there is, is stupid, blind, or both.

It's not all that mysterious when you consider the most obvious goal of the church: to make money. Everything and anything can be rationalized in the name of this goal. High profile Mormons can get away with anything as long as those tithing dollars keep rolling in. Steve Young on ESPN every Sunday? No problem!

So no, I can't say I'm surprised by the church's blatant hypocrisy.

Provo demands the closure of the swimming pool on Sunday but allows the golf course to remain open. The difference? The swimming pool is for family recreation and business in conducted on the golf course. Family recreation is unholy and business generates profit.

Hope that helps to clarify things.

moksha wrote:Provo demands the closure of the swimming pool on Sunday but allows the golf course to remain open. The difference? The swimming pool is for family recreation and business in conducted on the golf course. Family recreation is unholy and business generates profit.

Hope that helps to clarify things.

I think there may be a bit more to it than this.

I doubt the pool has enough attendance to justify keeping it open on Sunday, whereas the golf course does a good amount of it's weekly revenue on Sunday.

On the opposite end, Macey's grocery store closes on Sundays, yet sells beer, tobacco and coffee. Is that hypocritical of them? If you're going to inconvenience people for the Lord, why only go 1/2 way?