A dark part of American history has recently come to light. On Friday, the Illinois House of Representatives approved a resolution asking for “the pardon and forgiveness” of Mormons, and expresses regret for the mob violence that drove many Mormon communities out of Illinois in 1846. This is an effort on the part of the people of Illinois to cope with a part of their history that is less than flattering.

In the early days of the Mormon faith, lethal mob attacks against Mormon communities were commonplace, including massacres of women and children. The violence that drove the Mormon movement to Utah was also responsible for the murder of Joseph Smith, founder of the faith and the first Mormon prophet.

The persecution of Mormons has declined over subsequent years, and it has been decades since there has been a recorded case of a Mormon being murdered for being a Mormon.

However, there is still a culture of hate and misinformation dedicated to fighting Mormonism in this country. Back in 1846, those hoping to stop Mormons tried to crush the will of a few small communities of people joined by their faith.

Today, they are fighting one of the world’s fastest-growing religions.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also called Mormons, have grown from a handful of believers in New York to tens of millions of members strong worldwide today. Twice a year, in April and October, the members of the church come together for what they call General Conference. The main meetings take place in a conference center in Salt Lake City, and the proceedings of those meetings are broadcast to members of the church across America and the world. The meetings are set to sustain church leaders, show community and camaraderie, solidify faith-wide goals and preach the faith to the members.

This past weekend the General Conference met for the 174th time since the faith was officially founded April 6, 1830 by Joseph Smith and several others.

On April 3-4, an estimated 500 translators worked to translate the conference’s message into 66 different languages to be broadcast across the world. It is one of the most important events on the Mormon calendar each year, and is a tribute to the diversity of religious expression in America.

If you’ve ever met a Mormon or traveled through Utah, you certainly know their reputation for strictly observing their beliefs and being upbeat over just about anything. Instead of trying to conform to a generalized view of Protestant faith in America, Mormons take distinct pride in being a “peculiar” people. Even though it has brought them ridicule and persecution from the beginning, Mormons have always refused to compromise their ideals.

I was raised Mormon, and although I do not attend church anymore, I can still remember the pain I felt when I saw protesters around the dedication of the Nauvoo, Ill., temple in 2002. Other Christians actually protested the dedication of the building by handing out anti-Mormon literature to tourists and members. They did not protest the use of the land for the temple, or any other civic issue involving buildings. They were there protesting against the Mormon faith itself.

Would this be tolerated by any other religious group in America? Would there not be a firestorm of outrage if any group of people protested the building of a synagogue simply because it was a synagogue?

Sadly, new ordinances regarding preaching in the streets had to be adopted in Salt Lake City this year to bring some order to the multitude of preachers who come to the city every year for the General Conference to preach the failings of Mormonism. Local newspapers like the Salt Lake Tribune caution church members to take the ridicule and scorn with patience, and to not let the preachers inflame emotions into outbursts or violence.

The preachers are allowed to speak, but in designated public areas around the conference center. The city has expressed a desire to maintain the first amendment rights of those preachers so long as they don’t interfere with the conference.

I’ve found through my own experience with anti-Mormonism that Mormons aren’t really affected by the negativity. They simply wonder why they are so hated and misunderstood.

Even after 174 years, Mormons seem doomed to fight a battle to legitimize their religion in the eyes of their fellow Christians.