4 of 4

Write now Article Tools

I bring to you another article inspired by one from the East Valley Tribune about the conflict between Mormons and anti-Mormons. This one not quite as fair minded as the one that triggered my Easter Pageant article. According to this article written by E. A. Torriero of the Chicago Tribune, A couple in Nauvoo, Illinois, a town rich with Mormon history which I will get to later, has opened a "Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center" which according to their billboard seen in a photograph featured with the article is "Defending Christianity From Mormon Doctrine". What needs to be recognized immediately is that they are not defending anything; they are attacking the Mormon faith, and doing it in an area where we have only recently returned after being driven out unjustly by bigotry and hatred in direct violation of the 1st amendment. Now as much as it upsets me to have my religion viciously attacked by ignorant bigots like this who claim to be serving Christ in their contentious arguments, I realize that the first amendment also guarantees them the right to freedom of speech. However what bothers me the most is that they are claiming that they received a threatening e-mail that was traced to an address in Utah and now believe the entire Church is out to get them and run them out of town. While it seems they are not well loved by the people whose faith they are attacking and whose Christianity they are questioning, there is no clear evidence that the church itself is against them. If these people were to go to an area heavily populated by Jews and attack them as brutally as they have done to the Mormons, and preach about them being a threat to Christianity because they don't believe in Christ, chances are somebody would kill them and nobody would blame them. Yet a single e-mail from another state prompts these people to live in fear that the entire church is against them. We Mormons are followers of Christ's doctrine to "Turn the other cheek" and while some of us do get riled, and as with any church we may have some who, if sufficiently provoked, might be driven to murder, the vast majority would not condone such behaviors and if anything might even defend these people from the few who would let their tempers and raw nerves get the best of them. I know I would treat them the same as any of human being in my desires to protect them from any attack. I'm sure there are plenty of Mormons in Nauvoo who feel the same. When the prophet Joseph Smith was murdered in Carthage,

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about The Nauvoo conflict begins anew with rebuilding of Mormon Temple?
We want to hear your view. Write now!