Ex-Mormon harassed for Nauvoo witness

Townhall ^ | February 28, 2008 | Jerry Higgins

[Zakeet]

NAUVOO, Ill. (BP)--Nestled along the banks of the Mississippi River about 270 miles southwest of Chicago, the Illinois town of Nauvoo is just a dot on the map for most people.

Nauvoo had seen better days as a thriving producer of cheese and wine until the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built a $30 million temple in the community that was founded by Mormon patriarch Joseph Smith in 1939.

Now an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 visitors come to Nauvoo each year. Many of them pass the stucco storefront of the Christian Visitors Center, where Rocky Hulse and his wife Helen stand ready to tell anyone who will listen the differences between Mormonism and authentic Christian faith.

Hulse, 52, is a former Mormon and a retired U.S. Navy chief warrant officer who served in the Persian Gulf. Instead of using his Navy skills to land a high-paying job in San Diego or Dallas, however, the Hulses settled in Nauvoo to focus on sharing the truth about Jesus Christ with the town's 1,000 residents and the influx of tourists visiting the Mormon "mecca."

According to Mormon history, Joseph Smith received his last revelations in Nauvoo, where he served as mayor and built a temple. He was murdered in 1844 by a mob while awaiting trial on charges of destroying an opposition Mormon newspaper. The Mormon migration to Utah came a couple of years later.

Hulse has a weekly television show called "Truth Proclaimed" and is the author of a new book, "When Salt Lake City Calls: Is There a Conflict Between Mormonism and the Public Trust?" dealing largely with Mormon temple ceremonies. He says all he is doing is comparing Mormon teachings to the Bible and exposing the true history of Mormonism.

Not everyone welcomes his message.

Bishop David Wright, a Mormon leader in Nauvoo, described Hulse's ministry to The Chicago Tribune as "a non-Christian center or anti-Mormon center," saying, "I don't see anything Christian about it."

Hulse said his home office above the visitors center has been trashed and he has received several threatening e-mails. One e-mail, received a couple of days before Christmas 2006, read: "I'd love to watch you all die, then witness the looks on your faces when you realize how stupid and counterproductive your fight really was."

Hulse reported that threat to police in Nauvoo, who passed it on to Illinois and Utah authorities. The e-mail was traced to the computer of Phil Rogers, a Mormon who works as a court officer in Farmington, Utah, near Salt Lake City. An April 15, 2007, article in The Chicago Tribune quoted Rogers as saying that someone hacked into his Internet account while he was using an open router. The Tribune interviewed Internet security experts who said such tampering could have easily occurred.

Nauvoo Chief of Police Don Faulkner said Utah authorities refused to prosecute because they didn't have enough evidence. Faulkner, who is not a Mormon, said, "It's up to the state, the county and the attorney in the jurisdiction. It's up to the attorney whether he thinks the case is winnable. Opinions bear no weight. He won't take a case to court if he doesn't have enough evidence regardless of what anyone thinks."

Hulse said he wasn't surprised at the decision not to prosecute.

"In the Mormon world, the absolute worst thing you can be is an apostate ," Hulse said. "In their doctrine, on Judgment Day Hitler will go to a better place than someone who leaves the Mormon Church."

After the death threat, the Hulses increased security around the visitors center and were much more careful in their daily routines. Faulkner said he believes they have nothing to worry about from the locals. Police investigations have not come up with any suspects in the ransacking of his office.

"He spent time in the Navy protecting everyone's rights," Faulkner said. "He protected Mormons' religious beliefs, whether he agrees or not, along with Islam, Catholic, Baptist, Jewish … whatever religious beliefs."

But, Faulkner said, "When you have radio and TV programs and a storefront establishment preaching against a religion, people of that faith look at you and will make comments about you."

Hulse's straightforward evangelistic technique obviously rubs people the wrong way, said Jane Langford, editor of the local weekly newspaper, The Nauvoo New Independent. She said Hulse's expertise gives him credibility and rankles the Mormons.

"Rocky has done his research," said Langford, a Catholic who has published several of Hulse's articles. "I've given him a platform and he took it. At times maybe he took it too far. I've had a backlash, but I've tried to keep the tradition of the newspaper. I'm sure if I folded up, the Mormon Church would finance and start a newspaper which would have their slant to it."

Hulse was a Mormon for 31 years before he heard a "cowboy preacher" at a rodeo on Jan. 1, 1986. He was saved on the spot and felt God leading him to evangelize Mormons and tell Christians about Mormonism. In 1999, while stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Hulse and his wife started an outreach to Mormons. Their first taste of Nauvoo, according to the Tribune news story, came in 2002 when Hulse was barred from an open house at the new Mormon temple because he was deemed "disruptive."

The Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center is one of three visitors centers in the community. One is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the other by the reorganized Community of Christ, an offshoot of the main Mormon body. The other visitors centers, Hulse said, claim the only true church is the one started by Joseph Smith.

The visitors center the Hulses operate existed before they arrived in Nauvoo in 2005.

"No one ever challenges the Mormon Church at the level we do it," Hulse said. "Our TV show has us in many markets. They have rewritten doctrines that they don't tell anyone.

"If we are being untruthful, they have every right to expose us. No one has come forth because there is nothing to expose."

The Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center may be found on the Internet at http://www.nauvoochristian.org/.

[Alex Murphy]

Love the Bigfoot attack!

[MHGinTN]

On nearly a daily basis (lately, since mormonism apologists and company have been posting daily Mormon propaganda threads for ‘discussion’), freepers exposing the heresies in Mormonism—using the actual written words of the Mormon founders—are told by Mormons and their aethist allies that those exposing the truth about the peculiar religion are not Christian to do so. Satan works like that, political correctness is his invention.

[MHGinTN]

These folks sound like my kind of people! ... I’ve been looking for a small town to which I could move and live, I think I may have to visit this Nauvoo with my little motorhome this Spring and see what sort of real estate is available.

[MHGinTN]

LC, you need to get into our group, not the Imams ... “We Flying Imams ...” CC, help this fella out here, we’re named the ‘Flyin’ Inmans’ because of a fox paw (faux pas) one of the angry mormonism apologists made trying to toss an invective at us.

[colorcountry]

I don’t have the original post, but I’m sure it still stands (not a personal attack, nope) where a Mormon called us “flying inmans.” It was certainly funny and so we adopted it as our own.....Flying Inmans....we got the last laugh.

Since then we have been called a “hateful cabal” and other such names (by atheists even). Those posts still stand. Nothing personal there either. (wink wink)

[greyfoxx39]

we’re named the ‘Flyin’ Inmans’ because of a fox paw (faux pas) one of the angry mormonism apologists made trying to toss an invective at us.

Here is the quote MGH, CC:
"Henceforth, you and your co-FR-theologians shall be known as the FR Flying Inmans, because in a secular setting you make a big fuss out of religion, and are a threat to hijack."...posted on 5/30/2007

One of the first times the "terrorist" smear was applied to those posting opposition to the mormon proselytizing on FR, but certainly not the last...and the "terrorist" name applied as a PERSONAL attack has been allowed to stand without being removed by mods on several posts.

But, of course, the NON-MORMONS are the ones consistently called

by the mormons.

[Zuriel]

**the downtown business district of Nauvoo**

Don’t blink while passing through, you might miss it.

My wife and I have driven through Nauvoo several times. IL 96 is quite scenic south of town for several miles; but don’t take your eyes off of the road or you’ll miss a curve and drive right into the big river!

We drove around the town once, through the park near the river, and stopped for moment, remaining in our car. We beheld the statues, that were posed in dramatic fashion, pointing across the river (I guess, to emphasize the move westward). I don’t know who they were supposed to represent, Smiths, Young? It didn’t matter. My wife said at the time: “They were blind leaders of the blind, makes me sick to think about it, lets go!”

Our oldest son was in basic at Great Lakes in the summer of 99, maybe he met Mr. Hulse.

[Religion Moderator]

Disparaging remarks about groups are not "making it personal." Disparaging remarks about religious leaders, authors, etc. - as long as they are not Freepers - are also not "making it personal."

I draw the line on hate mongering and trouble making – but I also set the bar high so that the Religion Forum posters can have robust debates on the open threads.

As to the rumor that I am a Mormon, you should know that I have also been accused of being anti-Mormon, anti-Catholic, Catholic, anti-Protestant, Protestant, etc.

I would only be concerned about bias if there were a group which had no such complaint.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Wow! I’m glad to hear about the Hulse’s testimony for the TRUE Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of the Bible, not the false,gnostic-like “Jesus” peddled by Mormonism.

[Religion Moderator]

The News Forum is not as strict on not "making it personal."

However, Jim Robinson and the moderators by implication were accused of being jihadist anti-Mormons on the Religion Forum - and the poster got a week off.

Your post however will be removed because this is the Religion Forum and "making it personal" is not tolerated here.

[ansel12]

“Unfortunately those religions whose origin begins with Joseph Smith do not provide to their membership an accurate picture of the person of Joseph Smith or an accurate recounting of their history and origins.

It is the mission of NCVC to provide that information, which clearly shows the various Mormon sects cannot be Christian and then to assist those caught up in these false religions to come to know the Jesus of the Bible as their Lord and Savior.”

“If we are being untruthful, they have every right to expose us. No one has come forth because there is nothing to expose.”

---

They are real soldiers for Christ, I’m glad that FR has quite a few of those here too, lots of them have been pinged to this thread.

There are many of us fellow Christians and I’ll bet more than a few Mormons who are following your efforts that are being positively helped.

It is amazing the beating down and the nastiness that some of you have to endure as you perform your Christian calling but it is a noble thing that you do and I hope that you never tire of furthering Christ’s truth among us here at FR.

The more we read these threads the more we see that Mormonism decomposes very rapidly when exposed to light, please keep helping to free them from their spiritual detour, and at the same time reminding the complacent that the Christian is called to witness for Christ.

We lurkers appreciate all of the heavy lifting that you guys do.

[bonfire]

Well said, ansel122. ITA

[Tennessee Nana]

:)

[greyfoxx39]

!!

[greyfoxx39]

Your post however will be removed because this is the Religion Forum and "making it personal" is not tolerated here.

I would like to repost that info, taking out the personal elements. Just what was objectionable? I have seen mods make the judgement that if a post was re-posted, a link must be attached. If I take out the poster's name who made the posts, and leave in the links, will it then be judged impersonal?

Or if I delete the links, will that pass? The names at the end were examples by the poster of these "jihadists" posts....are THESE to be removed?

The posts themselves fit into the theme of this thread. Just trying to follow the rules here.

[SkyPilot]

I understand the difficult job you have to do sir/ma'am - and I appreciate it.

However, if you will permit me, it is wrong for you to ignore the comments of some that clearly are more antagonistic than others - and then to say you don't care who "started it.".

That is akin to a Police Officer saying he doesn't care if the owner of a home fended off an intruder - because in his eyes they are both equally guilty.

If I continue to see LDS posters enjoy a double standard, I will respectfully point it out.

Thank you again.

[MHGinTN]

On the FLDS thread, one of the mormonism defenders is ignored even when calling an oppostion person ‘a homo’. There is definitely a double standard, I’m just trying to understand why and how to deal with it short of taking FreeRepublic out from my computer activities.

[SkyPilot]

I noticed the "homo" comment on that one thread, and then saw Elsie admonished for being "too personal" for quoting Mormon scripture and commenting with sarcasm that was neither profane nor personal.

The thread where Old Mountain Man's comments about Rev Billy Graham being an "apostate" were removed as well - kind of like where a criminal in CSI Miami scrubs the entire crime scene down with bleach.

As you said, it is a very disturbing trend to a forum I have been on for 10 years. I was at the Impeachment Rally with JR, the House Managers Dinner in Washington DC, and other rallies that this forum has supported.

To see the Religion forum delve into double standards that are clearly favoring LDS poster is a horrible trend - but just another obstacle towards getting out the real truth of Jesus Christ.

[greyfoxx39]

I’m just trying to understand why and how to deal with it short of taking FreeRepublic out from my computer activities.

Perhaps we are to understand as if it were in mormon-speak:
"When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy" (LDS Ward teachers message, June 1945).

FR ISN'T a democracy, you know! ;)