🚀 go-pugleaf

pciszek@otherworld.std.com writes:
> 
> I was under the impression that the LDS church is a major shareholder
> in a lot of stuff including either Pepsi or Coke.

Your impression is wrong.

There was an article last year in Time magazine, that despite some
reporting flaws, had pretty good coverage of what the LDS church owns.
The church, being a private organization, doesn't have to tell the
public what they own, and they don't, but it's not too difficult to
figure out.

The "core" properties are Bonnaville Communications (printing, media,
and broadcasting), BYU (a private university), and a whole pile of
meeting halls and similar religious use buildings (not exactly high
yield money makers).

There is still I think a holding company that dates back to when the
Mormon settlers were trying to build an civilization and economy out
in the middle of the howling wilderness, and the church was the only
available organization to get the larger projects going. Today that
has evolved into a partial ownership in some commerical properties and
in an insurance company.

Also there is a bunch of agricultural land (which, in the eyes of the
octogenarian ex-farmers who form the core of the church's central org,
is the best place to park money when you don't need it), which is used
to grow food to feed to members on church welfare.

I have my own issues with the church of my ancestors, but the fact
that it owns property and guards it well is not one of them.

-- 
Mark Atwood   | But that's the way of the puritans - mind like a steel trap:
mra@pobox.com | you take the bait, and it snaps shut in its deathgrip.
              | -- Rich Grise <richgrise@entheosengineering.com>