My life is going through a massive transition right now as I go through a sad breakup, and I’m sitting in a hotel right now which is owned by the Marriott family.
I read through the Wikipedia page of Bill Marriott and I learned that he is a leader of the LDS church.
Which made me have a few thoughts…
Three things should never touch directly, religion, state, and business.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
I also believe that if someone chooses to serve in politics, they should put all of their investments in a trust which they cannot access until they leave office.
We need to analyze what happens when the three mix.
When state and business mix we get politicians who make decisions to their own benefit, not for the benefit of the people they are entitled to serve. Perfect case in point is when Donald Trump did what he could to keep his hotels open, the health of the nation be damned. People in business can run for office, but they need to sell their assets before they take office.
When state and religion mix you get theocracy. Laws reflect the personal beliefs of the religion, and they won’t reflect the needs of society. You get theocracy which is never a good thing.
When religion and business mix you get more conflicts of interest. Religious leaders need to be focused on the well being of the world. If they also try to run a business at the same time they will make decisions which fail to serve the public but instead serve their own personal financial benefit. You end up with a corrupt religion which often will exist not for the well being of people but for the financial gain of the religious leaders.