LDS Freedom Forum

Mormon-owned Marriott against anti-gay-marriage law? Hardly a surprise
Published on Jan 29, 2013 01:56PM
To the Los Angeles Times, it is surprising that Marriott International would join the Human Rights Campaign’s coalition of companies calling for the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
After all, writer David Colker reasoned, the giant hotel chain was founded by a devout Mormon, John Willard Marriott, and is still run by his son, Bill Marriott, also a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
That Utah-based church pushed its members to support California’s Proposition 8, which defined marriage as only between a husband and wife.
What the story didn’t note, however, is that neither Bill Marriott nor his company contributed to Prop 8. When gay-rights activists threatened to boycott the Mormon-owned hotels in the aftermath of the measure’s passage, Marriott made his position clear.
Marriott International has had domestic-partner benefits since the late 1980s and has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for two years in a row, Marriott said in a Nov. 13, 2008, release quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune.
Many of the hotels have hosted gay-community functions and events for years.
"The Bible that I love teaches me about honesty, integrity and unconditional love for all people," Bill Marriott said then. "But beyond that, I am very careful about separating my personal faith and beliefs from how we run our business."
This time around, Marriott is making the same point.
The Times describes Marriott’s 2012 interview with Business Insider in which the hotel titan said that "he personally believed that marriage was between a man and a woman" but does not impose his religious views on the business.
"We have to take care of our people, regardless of their sexual orientation or anything else," Bill Marriott told the Insider (also found in Bloomberg Businessweek) "We have all the American values: the values of hard work, the values of integrity, the values of fairness and respect."
He further pointed out, "Our church is very much opposed to alcohol and we’re probably one of the biggest sales engines of liquor in the United States. I don’t drink. We serve a lot of liquor." http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsfaith ... s.html.csp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If I owned this business, I would not run it the way that this brother is. However, his decision is between him and the Lord.

"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" - 3 Nephi 14:2-3

I have so many imperfections, who am I to point his out? There is a member of the church in my community that owns a Papa Murphy's Pizza and keeps it open on Sunday. I cannot judge this brother because I am nowhere near being perfect. I know him to be a good man, and he has taught me many things. We served together in the Jordan River temple for a year and I have come to know his good qualities. I would much rather praise his good qualities than condemn what I consider to be not keeping the Sabbath holy. I race cars, I love the feeling that fast acceleration and high velocity give me. I love spending Saturday mornings working on cars to make them faster. Lots of people probably think that I am going to hell for engaging in these activities ) But I find it a great way to meet people who are not members of our Church and to make new friends. I'm not justifying brother Marriott's actions nor condemning them, that is for the Lord to decide.

Why does it make him a hypocrite? He does not force people to be homosexuals, he allwos them the free agency to choose that for themselves. He states he believes homosexuality is a sin but does not condemn others for their beliefs. As I recall, Jesus didn't condemn an adulterer, either, but allow her to go on her way with an admonishment to sin no more. You may be assured that Marriott's people know his personal feelings, and if he does not have stewardship over them, He's not responsible for more than being a good Latter Day Saint to them. He may offer to share mroe of his beliefs, but to demand they accept his faith is called tyranny.

embryopocket wrote:I have so many imperfections, who am I to point his out?

As I have said elsewhere, I will not condemn others for sinning differently than I do.

Is Marriott still a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy?

We've had this discussion 10 times. We basically said yeah can't.judge his final judgement, but in all reality he's a smut peddler not much different to Larry Flynt
anyone want to link to those threads? I can't do it on this phone

AussieOi wrote:We've had this discussion 10 times. We basically said yeah can't.judge his final judgement, but in all reality he's a smut peddler not much different to Larry Flynt
anyone want to link to those threads? I can't do it on this phone

Yes, AussieOi I think I found it here:
http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopi ... ronography" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Glaring imperfections are easier to perceive and declare by those with glaring imperfections!"

GeeR wrote:"But beyond that, I am very careful about separating my personal faith and beliefs from how we run our business."

I fail to see how this qualifies Marriott as a hypocrite? That doesn't mean he is doing the right thing, but he's being upfront about his belief that there should be two standards. I disagree with him for sure.

I remember as a young man facing a Bishops court because I looked at a newspaper that had lurid stories and seedy adverts. My wonderful Bishop later laughed and joked that he read the same newspaper but then that didn't stop him holding kangaroo courts and having some fun with the souls of young men and women.

His brother in law told me never to tell him anything as the confessions of his sheep provided the entertainment on Family Home Evening Night.

So I guess I'm the hypocrite.

Bill Marriott is not a hypocrite. Everyone knows he sells porn and alcohol and holds gay conventions and they love him for it. Bill Marriott has lots of money. We have the promise of Satan that money will buy you virtually anything in this world. I guess for once Satan was telling the truth.

Wake up Luke
what would you know.
I don't see YOUR name.on university business schools.
are YOU a GA?

Wait till Mark and oldman set you straight

The Lord has calls Bill Marriott and his ilk to whatever positions in the church...and a lot of other marginal people of the same ilk who need to be in positions of responsibility...not bacause they are righteous enough but because they are needing it the most.

If you think you are better than marginal then you need to think again.

Thats a really interesting post.
Not sure what you are saying though
Can you elaborate?

I continue to find it really amazing that there are Mormons who would throw the book at a 14 year-old boy who gets caught looking at porn on the internet, even some who would advise the parents to put him through bogus counseling programs designed to fight “porn addiction” who would, if at a future date, shower praise upon him if he became a multimillionaire in the publishing industry even though one of his most profitable publications might be pornographic. This is not the only forum I have encountered with primarily LDS people as participants who defend the rich and powerful who are connected to unwholesome money-making activities yet would burn at the stake a single LDS mother who was desperate for money if she were to take a job as a stripper to survive.
I have read the Bible and Book of Mormon many times. Maybe I missed the part saying that “Verily I say unto you, money can cleanse all inequity and thou may profit off the sin of thy brother and sister if it bringeth forth good fruits and expansion of thy wealth.” Can someone please point me to that scripture?
Seriously though has the religion of materialism and consumerism crept into our people so much that we defend the rich who facilitate actions we condemn for the poor? We see people condemn an LDS dancer in a televised competition who dresses in a slightly revealing outfit yet say if one has a business that makes a fortune off porn that is justifiable as it provides a service to the customers? Do you know what is in porn? It is not women posing naked as that is in no way pornographic. What people watch are scenes of (usually) complete strangers paid to engage in sex – group, lesbian, heterosexual you name it. And who are the people in most of these shows? People from the working class with no other means to make money except maybe to be a paid mercenary for the military. Oh sure, there are college grads and ex-professional men and women who do the upscale porn aimed at couples and women, and women who do girl-on-girl porn aimed mostly at middle-class feminist-oriented women, but is this the stuff that makes money for the mega-trans-national chains? Just asking.
When I was in university I was offered a job as a bartender. It only involved serving beer and the hours fit perfectly with my schedule at school. However, I felt I should ask my bishop. He said in no uncertain terms that LDS people should never take a job in which they were associated with sinful practices. He said it was up to me, and I would not be subject to any disciplinary actions if I did, but I felt I should take his counsel.
A friend of mine said that back in the 1970s there was a popular movie in which a group of businessmen were sitting around a table and sang a parody in which the song was “We thank thee oh God for a profit.” Has fiction become more reality in recent years within our people?

Avoid the appearance of evil?

Profit a man, gain the world, lose his soul?

Rich people are that way because God blessed them for their righteousness.

Poor arepoor because they are lazy

Retrospective justification

Hold on everyone I am business major and running a business does not mean you run it the way you want too. He has shareholders that wants those things in there and so therefore he puts them in there. To put it straight he puts them there because we have a choice and he does not violate those free agency if he did then he would be a communist and believe me he is not. So therefore be careful who you are pointing fingers at because it will come back to you. I have some friends who are gay and they know that I am LDS and I do not impose my believe on them and yet we remain friends because of that so that does not make me a hypocrite because I associate with them.

Like we said in the other thread, Hugh heffner would make a great g.a then....no?

Well, Mr/Bro. Marriott has his freedom to choose his path in life how ever he sees fit regarding every aspect of his life. The only person's soul I can save is my own. As for me....if I had a business of my own, that business would be ran based on gospel principles. There is a big difference between allowing people to make their own decisions/exercise their agency by letting them go to the video store down the street to purchase their pornography and "providing the convenience for them" right in their own room. Someone in a previous post said he was just allowing them to make their own choice. I disagree. This comparison is like comparing apples and oranges; there is no comparison. You are providing the sinful act for others, or one could even call it "provoking or placing the temptation in front of the individual potentially causing/contributing him/her to commit sin. Umm...for me, I'll pass. I have enough to repent for. But, like I said....to each his own. The only person's salvation I can work on is my own.

LukeAir2008 wrote:Is Marriott still a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy?

No, he was released in Oct 2011 General Conference - thankfully.

AussieOi wrote:Like we said in the other thread, Hugh heffner would make a great g.a then....no?

It's beyond my understanding how you can come up with asinine statements like that. Hef is whoever he is, I have no idea what kind of person he is nor what values he espouses. I do know he doesn't share my religious beliefs, and therefore he'd make a pretty lousy GA.

As I said in the other topic, I've lived in the same ward with the Marriott family, Richard Marriott was in the Bishopric at the time. I have no problem with saying he is a great leader, a man dedicated to living the Gospel, and a humble man willing to submit to the direction of his priesthood authority. Since I'm not in a position over him, I have no stewardship to pass judgement on him beyond what I would of anyone else, that of how I would associate with him. Having known him personally, I am satified that he is someone I consider a worthwhile acquaintance.

Goodie for him

He's still a smut peddlar

Can a good member of the church sell drugs, as long as he does not take them personally? I mean he or she would be providing a service to the public.

Maybe it is true or isn't true, I don't know, but I have a hard time buying this whole image that there are a bunch of CEOs on the board or stockholders that are so dedicated to making sure porn is available for customers that they are forcing it to be so.

I know that alcohol is far more dangerous to society than pornography is, and yes you can get alcohol at a Marriott hotel, but maybe the reason this topic comes up so much is due to the hysteria many members have towards pornography lately. One can only guess how many marriages have been shattered, or how many youth have thrown their hands into the air and said, "Enough of going to church!" due to the new witch trial hysteria over it. In fact I would say far fewer marriages have ended due to a man or woman looking (occasionally) at regular porn than from a result of a woman finding out that her husband has looked at it and, due to cultural expectations, feeling like he is a loser. I say women freaking out because the average man who discovers his wife is looking at porn is probably not going to make a huge issue of it. So due to this hysteria I find it incredible that so many members will excuse the issue if a person is rich. They will find any and all explanations or justifications, as we have seen.

Interesting to say the least. Almost like seeing a peace bumper-sticker on the back of a car with an Obama-2012 sticker.

If he wasn't loaded, then he would be fair game for criticism.

Just like people that work on Sunday aren't willing to sacrifice their lifestyle for the Lord. Except for Steve Young.

skmo wrote:Why does it make him a hypocrite? He does not force people to be homosexuals, he allwos them the free agency to choose that for themselves. He states he believes homosexuality is a sin but does not condemn others for their beliefs. As I recall, Jesus didn't condemn an adulterer, either, but allow her to go on her way with an admonishment to sin no more. You may be assured that Marriott's people know his personal feelings, and if he does not have stewardship over them, He's not responsible for more than being a good Latter Day Saint to them. He may offer to share mroe of his beliefs, but to demand they accept his faith is called tyranny.

I would say it doesn't make him a hypocrite, as to be a hypocrite he would have to publicly state he was against gay rights while privately promoting them. Again, I still don't agree with him, but I think a lot of people don't understand the meaning of the word hypocrite as alluding to a deliberate actor, who pretends to believe or practice something. Hypocrite isn't the only bad thing out there. Someone could also be heretical, double-standard bearing, or simply disagreeable, yet not be a hypocrite.