The Catholic Church v. Coca-Cola

Recently, my mother-in-law informed me that she would only drink Pepsi products, although they made her sick, because she refused to support Coke. I was mildly perplexed by this statement but didn't ask any further questions at the time because I never want to start any debates with her. But I don't have that problem when it comes to my husband so later that night I asked him what his mother had against Coke. He didn't seem to have a problem with taking my Coke, so what was offending her so much? He explained that in South America somewhere Coke had been running a sacrilegious advertising campaign so his mother was boycotting. I asked which South American country did these ads run in, and what exactly did they say, but he didn't know. I asked if Coke had retracted it and/or issued an apology, but he didn't know that either.

I would think if they were doing something that so offended the Church, they would have retracted it by now or they'd risk alienating 99% of the South American market. Does anyone here know what this alleged sacrilegious campaign was, Coke's response to the public outcry, if there actually was any public outcry, and the Church's official position regarding the purchase of Coca-Cola products?

(The next weekend, we went to my husband's grandmother's house and she served us all Cokes so evidentially it bothers her about as much as it bothers my Coke swiping husband.)

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

Sounds to me like the start of another brand name product bashing myth to me, a la spider eggs in Bubblicious.

The bane of PR people everywhere.

Why would she drink Pepsi if it makes her sick? It's not like it's an either/or proposition. There's no point trying to reason with people like that.

Nickrz, interesting thought so I checked snopes. Coke has been perceived as being anti-Semetic (http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/israel.htm) but nothing so far about anti-Catholic or anti-Christian. I'll keep looking.

Greg, I dunno. That's just her. Gotta be miserable about something ;)

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

And I'm wondering how she can drink Coke if Pepsi makes her sick. They're all virtually the same product after all.

I recall that several years ago one of the major cola companies was sponsoring a Madonna concert series. Shortly after this was announced, Madonna released a video that featured some religious imagery that many Christians found offensive. I believe the company cancelled its sponsorship. This might be what your mother-in-law is talking about, but as I said this was awhile ago.

On the subject of bizarre Christian boycotts, I just read today that some people are calling for a Christian boycott of the United States Army. It seems they're upset because the Army has begun allowing Wiccans to practice their faith on miliatry bases.

Mike, I vaguely recall the Madonna incident, and I think the cola was Pepsi. They built an ad campaign around her "Like a Prayer" song, and then she released the video and they dropped the ad after only one or two airings. But this is based on my fuzzy memory so take with a grain (or ten) of salt.

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

Coke "virtually the same" as Pepsi? Not for people with tastebuds. Whether or not Coke is served is a significant factor regarding whether I will patronize a restaurant. I rarely ever eat at Pizza Hut.

Recently, in Toronto we were looking for a restaurant (I asked whether they served Coke), and the maitre d' said "You tell me" and offered me a sample glass. It was certainly not Pepsi, and close enough to Coke (it turned out to BE Coke) for me to eat there.

voguevixen, I remember kids saying that in high school, too, but not even that was enough for me to give up my beloved Coke (I'm a hard core addict, I confess). Now that Nelson Mandela is president, though, I know longer feel guilty about that. So now I want to know what bug is up my m-i-l's butt and if it's more offensive than Apartheid.

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

This is a private outcry of my personal boycott of all public outcries of alleged
misconduct by all corporations and organizations, both public and private.

quote:
I recall that several years ago one of the major cola companies was sponsoring a Madonna concert series. Shortly after this was announced, Madonna released a video that featured some religious imagery that many Christians found offensive. I believe the company cancelled its sponsorship. This might be what your mother-in-law is talking about, but as I said this was awhile ago.
---------------------------------------------

It was Pepsi. It pretty much went as described by Gr8cat.

Quote: "On the subject of bizarre Christian boycotts, I just read today that some people are calling for a Christian boycott of the United States Army. It seems they're upset
because the Army has begun allowing Wiccans to practice their faith on miliatry bases."
Mike King

(Sarcasim on) Oh good everyone knows how threatining those Wiccans are to Christens.(Sarcasim off). Jesus Christ people! What the heck happened to "Judge not lest ye be judged"?

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Chaos
When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.
Albert Einstein

I can't find anything on DejaNews to corraborate this story. I'm confused now, usually the corporation-bashing legends are all over the Christian newsgroups.

When I was in college about 10 years ago one of my classmates was buying a Pepsi from a machine and commented in an offhand way that he didn't drink Coke because they refused to divest South Africa and supported Aparthied. I now wonder, how do people come up with this stuff?

I looked for Coca Cola/Christianity info also and couldn't find any. Of course, I wasn't able to find any more information on the Madonna/Pepsi controversy either.

But the story about Army Wiccans is out of the current (July 5) issue of Time magazine.

I don't think she knows what she's talking about. I've searched myself using Excite and the words "Catholic church coca cola." What did I find? Tons of Catholic sites with a.) pictures of people drinking Coke, b.) Church functions being sponsored by Coke, or c.) links to the Coke company.

No signs of boycott here. I'm considering going to alt.folklore.urban. Let you know if I find anything.

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

Madonna was paid five million dollars by Pepsi for the rights to use "Like a Prayer." (Got this from Pop-Up-Video). The commercial never aired because of all of the contoversy, and Madonna kept the five million.

My personal pop-star-hawking-soda commercial was the one in which a little white boy played Michael Jackson as a kid. It only aired in Europe, so I'm told.

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Lissa*

* Name has been changed to protect the guilty.

If I may mix my urban legends here, I think I have an answer. Let me turn on my sarcasm transmitter here...

The Catholic church may be anti-Coke because Coke, as everyone knows, lowers your sperm count. The Catholic church considers it a contraceptive.


Alphagene

Alpha, pretty frickin' hilarious :)

I posted the question on the afu newsgroup and so far all I've gotten back is that there's a beer ad in Britain that's offended by showing clergymen exchanging the names of girls who've confessed their promiscuity over a pint of beer, and a referral to the snopes site about Coke and Pepsi being considered anti-semitic.

I think either my husband or my mother-in-law (or both) have got their causes all mixed up. But thanks for your help :)

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

I checked the web site of The Catholic League (which could find anti-Catholic bigotry in the Gospels). A search of their site for "Coca" or "Cola" turned up no hits.

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Tom~

Gr8Kat, this is just a test. Go back to Mother-in-Law. Ask her for a sincere reference. You really, really want to know where she got this info.
You might, just might, be at the beginning of an UL in the making.
There's always that chance you'll be kinda like that G.I. shipping back from the Pacific at the end of WWII (interviewed on NPR's "Mornining Edition" a few years ago).
His civvy occupation: lexicologist.
He listened with wonder as "boondocks" started with soldiers in the Phillippines began traveling stateside with them.
Understand that if you really dotrace an Urban Legend defamatory of Coke, you'll become a very interesting person to their legal staff.

My memory is hazy on this, and I'm not at home to check, someone will surely correct me if I goof it up.

Anyway, the reason Coke (I thought it was Pepsi, but never mind, whichever) was viewed as anti-semitic was that, for many years, the Arab states had a boycott of any product sold in Israel. Thus, a company wishing to sell its product in Israel had to run the risk of losing the market in the (much more populous) Arab states. Coke (I guess? I thought it was Pepsi) caved in to this pressure and declined to sell its product in Israel. The other company didn't cave in, and sold in Israel.

It's all pretty much moot now, and I think both products are available in Israel nowadays, and the Arab boycott is a thing of the distant and unlamented past.

My question is : As any Christian boycott of a product/theme park every actually worked on the big evil conglomerate to change their wicked ways?

If I may mix my urban legends here, I think I have an answer. Let me turn on my sarcasm transmitter here...
The Catholic church may be anti-Coke because Coke, as everyone knows, lowers your sperm count. The Catholic church considers it a contraceptive.

Or what about using Coke as post-coital douche? Is this another urban legend about the many uses for Coca-Cola? Supposedly using Coke "afterwards" kills the sperm, which could be a reason that the church disdains the beloved beverage. Anyone else ever hear of this?

There are many a UL regarding Coke. As for ULs that are related to the Catholic Church, I can't find anything either.

As for Coke being anti-semitic, Dex and Gr8 pointed out one story about Israel

Another suppposed rationale could be that that Nazi Germany was a major market for Coca-Cola. See http://www.urbanlegends.com/products/coca-cola/coke_fanta_nazis.html :


One more thing, Coke is spermicidal (when applied directly to the spermies) but makes a lousy douche.
http://www.urbanlegends.com/products/coca-cola/coca-cola_douche.html


Alphagene

I've been afraid to ask because she is rather touchy. So my husband asked yesterday. Specifically, he asked: What have you got against Coke? Her answer: (this is the short version, trust me you don't want the long one) It makes me sick, but not as sick as Pepsi.

Later, he tried again. Her answer: I don't remember. I think they ran some ads with a nun or a priest that I thought were not in good taste. Maybe it was Pepsi. It was a long time ago.

Later that evening she purchased a Coke. Whatever. Forget I ever brought it up. I'm going to try to before I have an aneurysm.

(Have you ever heard Lewis Black's routine about how hearing stupid things--"If it wasn't for my horse, I never would have made it through college"--causes strokes in otherwise healthy people? If I quit posting, assume I'm dead and file charges against her. Thanks.)

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

Kitty, as a matter of fact I do remember hearing about that, in Jr. High. I would put it down as teen wishful thinking along with orange juice kills the smell of vodka and cigs. so your parents can't smell them.

It seems that Coke and Satan-worshipping Proctor&Gamble are in bed together.

I vote that your mother-in-law heard some kind of urban legend.

What I'm really worked up about is: who was it that said that Coke and Pepsi taste the same? Have you been swilling battery acid all your life? (There was that New Coke thing, but that's ancient history.)

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"I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms." -The Secret of Monkey Island

Anyway, the reason Coke (I thought it was Pepsi, but never mind, whichever) was viewed as anti-semitic was that, for many years, the Arab states had a boycott of any product sold in Israel. Thus, a company wishing to sell its product in Israel had to run the risk of losing the market in the (much more populous) Arab states. Coke (I guess? I thought it was Pepsi) caved in to this pressure and declined to sell its product in Israel. The other company didn't cave in, and sold in Israel.

My understanding was that until 1967, both Coke and Pepsi complied with the Arab boycott. But when Israel conquered all of Jerusalem during the 6-Day War, Coke found that its bottling plant was now in Israeli hands, so rather than waste the plant, they began selling in Israel.

Pepsi continued complying with the Arab boycott until very recently. Interestingly enough, now that Pepsi does sell in Israel, it is now the top selling brand amongst Haredim (sometimes called "Ultra-Orthodox Jews"), because they went out of their way to get Kosher certification from the preferred Haredi agency (called "Badatz"), whereas Coke's certification, while perfectly fine, was not done through the Badatz, so is considered inferior...though not less kosher.

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Chaim Mattis Keller
ckeller@schicktech.com

"Sherlock Holmes once said that once you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be
the answer. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible.
The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it that the merely improbable lacks."
-- Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective

Kat,interesting that Coke would advertise (or supposedly advertise) something offensive to Catholics, especially in S.A. since S.A. is a very heavily Catholic collection of countries (hey, nice alliteration! sp?) If true, sounds like their PR people are brain-dead or culturally out-of-touch.

That' what I thought, too, Bunnygirl. That was a big part of the reason I posted. Now it looks like it was just something that upset her personally. And now she can't even remember what exactly it was that upset her so much. I should have thought about that before I posted. She's a nut.

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy