Weekly Poll: Do Governments In Utah Favor The Mormon Church Too Much?

The Salt Lake City government sold a plaza to the Mormon Church, leading to a lawsuit that alleged the sale to be a sham, giving the church power to limit free speech in a place that should have remained open to the public. This wasn't the first time when Utah state government acted on apparent favoritism to the Mormon Church and Mormonism -- but is it something that happens too often?

In another recent case, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) was given total control over Martin's Cove, a site where a large number of Mormon converts died from starvation and exposure. An energy bill signed by President Bush in 2004 authorized a 25-year lease agreement with the Mormon church and renewals are all-but-automatic.

This effectively transferred ownership not just over the site of Martin's Cover, but also over the story about it. Because visitors must cross private church land, the Mormon church can even deny access to whomever they wish. Mormon missionaries, of course, are ever present and have baptized quite a few non-Mormon tourists after their visits.