Oh shit, I’ve been giving theists money
I’m giving up weet-bix. For many years I have been eating it for breakfast, safe in the knowledge that my dollars were going towards an Australian made, Australian owned product. You see, I’m one of those annoying shoppers who go through every different brand of cereal looking for the tiny labels declaring that my money will support local industry. What the labels don’t say, is that Sanitarium, the company that make weet-bix, is wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In my time I have probably eaten thousands of ‘bix from hundreds of boxes. Horribly, all of the money I’ve spent on them has gone towards a theistic company – a church. And because it’s a church, they don’t even have to pay tax on their profits! What a scam! If I ever start up a business, I’ll be sure to apply for a tax exemption under the banner of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
So no more weet-bix for me. I’ve also decided to keep a list of theist owned or affiliated companies, so that I can avoid giving them money. Here’s what I have so far:
- Sanitarium Health Foods – the Seventh-day Adventist Church
- Dick Smith Foods – affiliated with Sanitarium
- Gloria Jean’s Coffee – Hillsong Church
- Auntie Anne’s (pretzels) – Christianity
If you can think of any to add to the list, post a comment below and I’ll update it. Be sure to include both the company name and the theistic organisation. Hopefully this way we can ensure the separation of church and my money.
February 7, 2008 at 16:47
Could Weetbix then be said to be one of the positive side-effects of religion? Like charitable organisations, Christmas and comfort for the fearful?
That said, I’ve known about the 7th Day Adventist/Weetbix connection for years and I still eat them. I figure that the good/evil ratio of a church and a large capitalist organisation is about the same, and seeing as I’m not willing to grow and assemble my own breakfast cereal, my money is bound to go to one or the other. A religious breakfast cereal isn’t much worse than a capitalist breakfast cereal, to my mind.
February 8, 2008 at 11:07
At least capitalists pay taxes!
I scrutinize all companies for evilness when filling my trolley. I generally stay away from the big brands and go instead for fresh, local produce. Chicken from lilydale, turkey from aldinga, salmon from tassie, and fresh vegetables.
Apart from avoiding big corporations known for exploiting third world labourers, I really, really hate branding and advertising. Thanks for letting me borrow No Logo!
As for breakfast, I’ve switched to locally grown muesli.
February 8, 2008 at 14:29
Fuck man, it must take you ages to do the shopping …
What muesli do you get?
February 18, 2008 at 07:30
See, now I feel even more stupid for falling for this…
Good on you for making such a big effort!
February 18, 2008 at 15:12
Imagine my chagrin when I found out that I was related to a number of the people who actually make it.
I still eat Weet-Bix though.
I wonder if it would help if I blaspheme between mouthfuls to take the curse off.
February 18, 2008 at 16:28
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. They sell those giant soft pretzels and are typically found in shopping malls. The founder is one of those uber-Christians and God guides everything they do, blah blah blah.
February 18, 2008 at 17:17
[...] tells us about fundie pasta. Meanwhile, Aussie Daniel Kinsman, the 327th Male, exclaims “Oh shit, I’ve been giving theists money!” (see image [...]
February 18, 2008 at 22:58
I think the trick is getting the information out there. We need a list of companies owned by (or who regularly make large donations to) rabid Christians if we are to avoid them. Given that we have so many choices as consumers, it seems reasonable to exercise our buying power to support reality-based companies over those that sponsor superstition.
February 19, 2008 at 00:51
You might want to skip breakfast entirely
Kellogg Company was started by Adventists. (WK Kellogg helped his brother run the Battle Creek Sanitarium.) (Of course, Post ‘borrowed’ the flaking process from the Kelloggs after going to BCS for his health.) Morningstar Farms (meatless breakfast products) was introduced by Worthington Foods, another company founded by an Adventist. (Interestingly enough, Kellogg now owns both of them.)
February 19, 2008 at 07:01
Also, don’t forget that Kellogg’s Cornflakes were invented specifically to stop people wanking. Seventh Day Adventist guys again trying to encourage sexual abstinence. See the Wikipedia page here for disturbing info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornflakes
The whole world is nuts.
February 19, 2008 at 08:28
I ran across a website some time ago which listed businesses associated with Moon’s Unification Church. After seeing this post, I checked it for Australian businesses (I am in Texas myself). I only found one listed (after realizing they had misformatted): Newman Art Designs. Have any of you come across their businesses? They are heavily into seafood here.
February 19, 2008 at 09:54
Conflakes as a sex drive inhibitor? That’s crazy. I’m going to invent my own version laced with testosterone – I’ll call them pornflakes.
Newman art designs looks like a very small (and creepy) business. I’m more interested in the big guys selling everyday products. I also couldn’t find any info confirming a link between them and the Unification Church, so will leave it out for now.
Seems that Auntie Anne’s is indeed a religious company, so it goes on the list.
As for Kellogs, it was started by the Adventists, but is it still owned by Adventists? If you buy their products, does the money go to a church? Do they pay taxes? Kellogs is listed on the share market, so I will leave it off the list for now.
February 19, 2008 at 17:48
i’m assuming most of you reading this are from australia (from the weetbix mention) but yeah, i’ve always found it interesting how many big corporations are connected to various religious groups.
in the US, chick-fil-a and in and out burger are two HUGE fast food chains, considered probably the top 5 chains in the country. (if there’s one good thing to say about religious affiliation and food, is that it probably doesn’t hurt the quality, and quality is the reason those two chains are so popular. ) there are references to bible verses on a lot of in and out’s paper things like cups and fry wrappers, and at chick-fil-a, they are closed on sundays and i’ve gotten kiddie meals that promote veggie tales characters. its hilarious and unsettling at the same time.
i do love weetbix though, and i went through 3 boxes of that fruity weetbix cereal stuff when i was in australia in about a month and a half.
February 22, 2008 at 15:23
Never heard of Weet-Bix. Now I’m curious. Does any distributor import them into the USA? SDAs here in the USA have several vegetarian products. Most of which aren’t bad. Loma Linda in one I think. They make these weenies in a can. Not too bad, but don’t tast exactly like real meat. They’re usually a bit pricy.
February 25, 2008 at 04:38
While Kellogg’s isn’t directly owned by the Adventist church, the Kellogg Foundation is funded in large part by company stocks. The Kellogg Foundation in turn often funds a lot of Adventist projects. (ADRA, Schools, hospitals, etc. Something strange won’t let me post any more links in the comment, but do a search here http://tinyurl.com/34o6×2)
And a note to the previous comment, Loma Linda is now part of Worthington, which again is now owned by Kellogg. While Morningstar is targeted at the mass market, Worthington / Loma Linda are targeted primarily for Adventists. (Who often will never have tasted a real hot dog, so for them, the canned Linkettes are the real thing.)
(I grew up as an Adventist. I have even visited one of San’s locations when I went to Australia.)
(BTW: Sanitarium also makes [New Zealand] Marmite.)
February 25, 2008 at 06:10
(And Adventists make no pretense about the money not going to “mission work”: The Kellogg Foundation Grant Supports NASDAD Mission Projects. The “Health Message” is always seen by Adventists as the first step towards converting someone, a philosophy going all the way back even before JH Kellogg and the Battle Creek San. Why the bowels are so important to God is a question I never quite figured out.)