The south side of Temple Square hosts a group of independent religious demonstrators from various faith backgrounds with a strict intent to debunk the beliefs of any who do not believe as they do—particularly the beliefs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many have wondered why they do what they do and how they feel about the social role they play.
Rob Sivulka, graduate student of philosophy here at the University of Utah, and Jordan Barrett, Rob's temporary partner from southern California, agreed to a simultaneous interview to find out why they feel the need to "break down what the Mormons believe" and "build people into the traditional Christian current."
The Temple Square protestors come from many different organizations, namely Protestant and evangelical congregations. However, they do not necessarily speak for all Protestants and evangelicals.
They pay their own way to come to Utah from all over the United States for short periods of time. Some are temporary missionaries while others, like Mr. Sivulka, reside in Salt Lake City reserving around 3 to 8 hours of their daily schedules to demonstrate.
These demonstrators have been banned from entering Temple Square—even for a drink of water or to make use of the restrooms. Standing outside the LDS Church's main headquarters, they carry signs and protest literature, speaking with anyone who will listen.
The literature they hand out, published and funded by some 17 different religiously based organizations, offers what they consider the truth about the LDS Church. Inside the front cover of their most common flier one can find two columns of information, the first is a list of selected passages that illustrate what they feel it means to be a "true Christian." The other side lists passages from the canon of LDS scripture meant to appear contradictory to those beliefs.
Both Rob and Jordan agreed that their intentions stem from the desire to "love people into the kingdom of God and into truth. And the truth is, these people need to repent or they're going to spend an eternity in hell."
When asked how they felt about their social role, particularly the possibility of creating social conflict, responses varied. Typically, however, one can determine that the demonstrators on temple square aren't concerned about creating social conflict, regarding it as worth the effort, especially if that conflict will convert people to their way of religious practice.
It became evident that these evangelists feel that the divide between their beliefs and the beliefs of the Mormons is so great that no possible bridge between faiths could be built without one faith forsaking their traditional beliefs. Their work would instigate this type of religious imposition at any cost.
dhite@chronicle.utah.edu
