Out-of-state opponents object to Mormon expansion in Carmel

With the opening of Indiana’s first regional Mormon temple in Carmel, some out-of-state Christian opponents say they will set up a tent across the street to declare what they think is “the truth” about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Utah-based Tri-Grace Ministries stirred controversy last week when it took out a 12-page advertising supplement in community newspapers in Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville that warn about the “deception” of the religion.

Now the group says it plans to hold an event to depict the multiple wives of Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, as the Mormon temple holds open house tours for the public. (The Mormon church officially renounced polygamy in 1890.)

“In a sense, we believe they are not telling people the truth,” said Tri-Grace Ministries founder Chip Thompson. “They’re not following what Jesus taught. It concerns us that Christians are being deceived by their message.”

The tension dates back ages between Mormons and some Christians who reject Mormonism as non-Christian. But some say the strife is out of place in Carmel and see Tri-Grace Ministries’ mission trip as a hateful attack on a minority religion.

“We don’t treat people, who have been seriously picked on, in that way,” said Chris Duckworth, pastor of New Joy Lutheran Church in Westfield. “We know better than that. We are better than that.”

He was irked by the advertisement in the weekly Current publications in Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville, viewing it as a disparaging diatribe against Mormonism — and not a constructive way to talk about different faiths.

“If my Mormon brother says he’s a Christian, I’ll accept his word at that,” Duckworth said. “We might disagree in theology or have differences in opinion about what core tenets of Christianity are. But I’m not going to deny him the right to call himself what he or she in their faith believe they are.”

Mormon church officials declined to comment for this story.

The temple at West 116th Street and Spring Mill Road opens for tours Friday through Aug. 8, before its dedication Aug. 23. The temple is expected to serve 30,000 Mormons throughout Indiana and eastern Illinois, according to the LDS Church, many of whom previously had to travel to Louisville for special ceremonies.

Among Mormons, temples are considered to be a place where someone can make a commitment to God, different from local houses of worship where services are held.

Tri-Grace Ministries has targeted what it sees as “malice in Mormonism,” calling temple rituals “secretive,” criticizing its polygamist past, questioning the truth of the Book of Mormon and connecting Mormon symbols with paganism.

The organization’s mission, as stated in federal tax documents, is to “produce believers who are grounded in biblical truth and who will make a lasting contribution to the kingdom of God. We are committed to challenging heretical documents and leading as many unbelievers as possible into a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ.”

“We’re not attacking,” Thompson said. “We’re just informing people."

“We love Mormon people, and we really want the best for them,” he added. “We’re here to encourage Mormons to stop following what we believe is a false prophet — Joseph Smith — and we want them to follow Jesus Christ.”

Hostility toward Mormons goes back “to the very beginning,” when the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, said Peter Thuesen, a religious studies professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis who teaches a course called “Mormonism and American Culture.”

It angered some, he said, who felt the Book of Mormon added to Scripture. Opponents of Mormonism often feel distrust toward holy rituals conducted privately in temples, Thuesen said, and Mormons also deal with lingering baggage from the long-discontinued practice of polygamy.

“They’re still tarred with this image of doing something that’s somehow antithetical to American values,” Thuesen said, “when in reality Mormons are probably among the most conservative Americans right now when it comes to the so-called traditional family.”

Thuesen said dismissing Mormons as non-Christian is disrespectful.

“Part of the reason I take them at their word that they are Christian is they believe that Jesus is the savior of the world,” Thuesen said, “just like other Christians do.”

Protestors often crop up at Mormon temple openings, said Sara Patterson, an associate professor of theological studies at Hanover College.

“For these groups, a temple opening is a sign of something being lost,” she said. “They often imagine America as this battleground, and they are fighting to save it as a Christian nation.”

Cathy Knapp contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Stephanie Wang at (317) 444-6184. Follow her on Twitter: @stephaniewang.