LDS: Have you ever had to deal with Anti-Mormon protestors at some big event?

Question

Like at General conference or Christmas pageants or temple open-houses/dedications, etc.

Answer 1

Not only that, I used to be one! I never waved a placard at an open house, but I was an active anti-Mormon, and was area director of an anti-cult organisation over here in the UK.

I have now been a member 14 years (Ward YW President now) and ran into some protestors at the Preston Temple open house. A couple of them I knew from my anti-Mormon days so I went up and said Hi. And then they noticed that I was wearing a Moroni pin and asked why. And I said "Because despite all my efforts to prove the church wrong, I now know that it is true." Their faces were a picture!

I have also seen protestors at General Conference, including the anti-abortion ones. Proves how little they know about the church. We are one of the most pro life churches on the planet. We have a whole website and social services department in the church persuading young girls to have their babies and offer them for adoption, and abortion is considered to be as bad as murder and you get excommunicated for it.

Mostly protestors behave, but some have tried to rile things up and got into scuffles. We had a couple at Preston who decided to "work the crowd" and went round all the people queuing to get in telling them how evil the church was. They got removed by security and then complained about it - but the thing was, the POLICE had asked the protestors to stay at the roundabout at the end of the road, so this couple were disobeying the police.

Answer 2

Yes, they are always outside of the General Conference building. But before you leave the general authourities tell you not to be mean to them, for they don't actually know what they're protesting about.

It's kind of funny sometimes to see how many wild ones there are. The signs that people hold up that say some whacko thing about the church.

One time I got interviewed by a newspaper columnist when I went to a fireside on new years eve at the general conference building where Pres. Hinckley was going to speak. He asked me why I would spend my new years eve at some fireside when there were so many other things to go do on that night. I told him that I wanted to be there more than anywhere else that night, and it was definitely one of my better experiences.

But it's just stupid things like that. There's really no big deal out there usually. Although one time I saw in the news some lady started to run up to the pulpit yelling crap about Pres. Hinckley, but she never quite got up there. There's security everywhere there!

Answer 3

Yep, at the Sacramento Temple open house we say protestors of all ages. And then, not necessarily a protester, but a nut-case...

At the Oakland Temple, about a week before Christmas, there was an ax-wielding lunatic who hacked off parts of the shepherds and wise men in the nativity scenes, and one of the hands off of the Christus statue. Finally some guys tackled him or something and obviously the weirdo got arrested.

It was horrible, there were body parts everywhere!

Answer 4

Yep, yep yep! When my youth group went to the Easter Pageant in Mesa AZ, I was surprised when I saw those folks with the big signs. I was also excited. I'm a curious sort so as soon as they let us free I went over to the sidewalk where they were talkin' up a crowd.
Did not understand a THING!!!
I only wanted to ask him ONE question. So I did. I had heard that most of the antis are apostates so I just wanted to know if he had once been a member of the Church.
"No Ma’am, I was not, thankfully. But my ancestors crossed the plains and helped build the Salt Lake Temple. My grandparents are Mormons, and mom was a Mormon, but she got right with God, and so I know the truth.”
I felt even sorrier for him then. Well, I ahd my question answered and was about to turn away when he started talking and talking. When he found out I was Mormon he talked even more! The more he talked the more confused I got. I don't mean I was doubting, I just mean he didn't make any sense at all! One sentence whooshed completely over my head. He talke and talked and talked. I didn't know how to SHUT HIM UP!! My friends, who were worried for my salvations, had to literally drag me away because I didn't want to be rude and just leave.
Anyway, that's my experience. My older bro had an even more awesom experience and if you want to hear about that email me and I'll tell you.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Yes, at the Manti Pageant in southern Utah...some were quite annoying. One of the funniest things though, there was a guy holding a big poster that had "josephlied.com" on it and there was another guy (who I am guessing was Mormon) standing next to him with a poster that had a big arrow pointing to the other guy that said "thisguyislying.com" and "pleasestopyelling.com" I thought it was comical.
We just tried to ignore them and sang some songs like "I Love to See the Temple" and others.
It is an abvious sign to me that satan is working overtime trying to get people away from the church. There will always be opposition, so I guess I do expect it.

Answer 7

When we went to the Cardston temple open house in 1991 and the Edmonton temple open house in 1999 we were not bothered at all by the anti's. But when we went to the San Diego Open house in 1993, they were standing outside, handing out their stuff...they weren't too aggressive at all. I remember them being quiet and just passing out as many tracts as they possibly could.

So long story short, my friend (he was Swiss and was an RM) took one and got us to tune in to some anti-Mormon program on a local talk radio station. Well, one of the things that this anti said has become a geographic (you had to be there) family joke.

Answer 8

I've heard horror stories of massive protests in Salt Lake during the General Conferences, but fortunately, I have not been exposed to any of the ax-grinders.

I live in a small town and attend my regular ward once a month and a branch the remaining time to which I am assigned as a stake high councilor. I often wonder what I might do if confronted with such hostility.

Answer 9

Yep, I've seen em at many church Sites (Cumorah, the sacred grove, Navuoo) along with General Conference and other things in Salt Lake.

They're funny people.

Answer 10

I was at the hill cumorah pageant this year, and they actually had to change the traffic and parking because of some of them, and I have seen them at Gen Conf when I have been in the area. I always just stay under the radar. My favorite was the year that a whole bunch of anti-abortion activists showed up at Gen conf with graphic posters and screaming at us to stop killing babies. I think enough people finally told them that they were crazy, cause I only saw them that one year.