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The whole reason Nauvoo, is Nauvoo, and not a suburb of the town of Commerce, is because of the vision, faith, work, and diligence of the Mormons. Those Mormons, who, having been brutally expelled from Missouri, by those who harbored the same hatred that inspires many to slander the Church today, gave their all to turn a mosquito infested, swampy bend on the Mississippi river into a small city that reflected the very meaning of the word Nauvoo, "City Beautiful." It is clear to the open minded reader that those who fear the "Re-building" of the temple has somehow hurt Nauvoo, are already suffering from a hate based bias against the Mormons. In fact, the psychosis of projection seems to prevail among those who are so engulfed in the cult of hate and bigotry, who so willingly drink the Kool-Aid of intolerance, and who anxiously embrace any man authored documents as authentic, as long as they cast aspersions on Mormonism. Such people are compelled by bigotry to see conspiracy and cult in any endeavor of their hated nemesis, the Mormon!

Here is a simple test for the free thinker, and spiritually clear minded. Walk the temple grounds of the Nauvoo Temple, quietly ponder and meditate. Then pray for wisdom from God. Ask Him to open your eyes to the truth. Plead with him to keep you unfettered by the prejudice and bias of those who exist only to denigrate the faith of others. You will feel nothing but peace and serenity, and for those really in tune, you will even feel the spirit of God. Then try that same test in any of the anti-Mormon commercial establishments in and around Nauvoo, and you will feel quiet the opposite.

To those in Nauvoo, who did not already harbor some resentment or hatred to the church, that is to the truly open minded, the Nauvoo Temple is nothing but a beautiful structure, a holy shrine restored by a people who were dispossessed of that same structure in years past. The open in heart will see that the same bigotry and anger that drove out the early Mormons, is what lays at the heart of those who slander such a building today. They will recognize the progress that our nation has made in allowing religious freedom to grow, and then see that the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple is actually a token of that increase of freedom and tolerance, in spite of those who still do not get it. In that light the Nauvoo Temple is much the same as the relatively new federal holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Both bespeak a move from hatred and intolerance toward liberty.

Learn more about this author, D. Keith Shurtleff.
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