Judge allows protest zones for LDS conference | Salt Lake Tribune

[Ediacara]

Judge allows protest zones for LDS conference

By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune

In an 18-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell refused today to issue a temporary restraining order against Salt Lake City's speech rules designed for this weekend's LDS Church worldwide conference.

The Pennsylvania-based World Wide Street Preachers' Fellowship sued the city this week, saying that speech zones violated their First Amendment rights to free speech, assembly and exercise of religion.

The city had announced new speech rules that would restrict protesters and preachers who want to stand during the busiest times of conference to certain standing zones on the public sidewalks.

More at the Salt Lake Tribune

[Momgonepostal]

1. Far be it from me to criticize protesters...

but it seems kind of lame to picket other people's church meetings.

Do you know anything about the group that brought the suit, what their agenda is?

[Ediacara]

2. I don't know the group specifically

But I do know many conservative protestant churches view the LDS Church as a dangerous cult, so that may be the agenda of the protesters.

[LiviaOlivia]

3. Maybe Hatch and Bennett shouldn't get too comfortable within the GOP

EOM

[BinkieGirl]

6. Protesting the Mormons is kind of a movement...

I’m originally from Nauvoo, Illinois (1000 people, 7 churches). It's the place they built up to a city that was (at the time) bigger than Chicago. They started the first University in Illinois, etc.

Then things got a little bit ugly. Depending on who you talk to they were either driven out of town because they were stealing and cheating or they were driven out because of religious persecution.

Onward to Utah they went. Nauvoo later became home to a short-lived communist group called the Icarians and then later just another town on the Mississippi.

About 40 years go the Mormons started coming back. There was a modest tourism business as I grew up there in the 80s but at this point it's become a big deal.

I call it Mormon Mecca.

In 2001 they rebuilt their first temple in the middle of town and Mormons are moving back in droves.

Interestingly, as the Mormon movement, has moved to the forefront, so has the anti-Mormon movement.

There is a Mormon visitor’s center, a Reorganized Mormon visitor's center and the "Christian" visitor's center. Housed in the old "Nauvoo Grapevine" building they plaster their windows with Anti-Mormon propaganda.

This contingent first appeared years ago at the yearly "City of Joseph" outdoor musical. They wander the crowd still as far as I know handing out anti-Mormon literature and trying to "save" people.

It's not a huge stretch to think they wouldn't go to Salt Lake as well. Letting them be there legally and controlling where they are will likely make them much easier to control. Know your enemy, as it were.

On the up side, my mom started selling real estate when the economy pooped out a few years ago (not much else to do there job wise unless you want to join the blossoming crystal meth industry….sad sad place to be) and she’s doing really well because of all the Mormon’s moving back. Silver lining!

[LiviaOlivia]

8. Yes, yes. I was born and raised Mormon...

I know all about Emma Smith's branch(the Reorganized-RLDS) vs. Brigham Young's branch.


Good to see the real estate capitalists making their move. By the way
Salt Lake City isn't cheap compared to Nauvoo. Maybe people are looking for cheaper real estate and cost of living.

I'm too old to breed a lot of Mormons but I need health care, food and shelter.

I have been laid off for over a year. Where's a decent job???

[Bandit]

4. So because it is lame their constitutional rights should be denied?

What is it about our constitution that bothers these right-wingers so much. I guess they just hate us for our freedom. They sure want to curtail it at every opportunity.

[Momgonepostal]

5. I didn't mean that but picketing a church?

Cripes, why not devote that time and effort into building up your own church or cause? Why make bitching about someone else's church your cause?

[Bandit]

7. I probably agree with you completely but that isn't the point

The point is they have the right to protest. All of America is supposed to be a free speech zone not just where they tell us.

[Momgonepostal]

9. I understand they have the right to protest.

We have all sorts of rights. I have the right to wear an orange shirt with red pants and pink socks, but I won't because it's stupid. They have the right to protest, but why would they want to?

I guess it depends on WHAT exactly they are protesting, but I suspect Dino's guess is right. So they are exercising their right to picket other people's house of worship and say those people are not the right kind of Christians or not Christian enough? Yeah, that's exactly what Jesus would do. <tic>