LDS General Conference weekend ended without incident for the various protesters taking issue with church doctrine, limitations on free speech or the protest themselves.

No arrests were made. "It was very quiet overall this weekend," Salt Lake Police Lt. Dana Orgill said.

Shortly after conference concluded, thousands crossed the Main Street Plaza, passing Lonnie Pursifull and his associates. Pursifull is an independent Baptist preacher who has preached outside the conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the past eight years with associates who believe the LDS Church is "hypocritical, " "a cult" and too lenient on homosexuals.

"The Bible says, 'Preach the Gospel to every creature,' and that's what I'm doing," said Kevin Deegan of Buffalo, N.Y., who recently arrived in Salt Lake City after preaching at Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. "We want to turn people to Jesus Christ."

The group held up large signs with messages such as "Not by the works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, (Jesus Christ) saved us."

But the shouts of Pursifull and his associates were at times drowned out by Provo resident Peter Larsen and others who defended their LDS faith and protested the protesters.

"We don't believe you should tear everyone down. We're trying to be positive, pro-American, pro-LDS," said Larsen, who was prompted to protest Sunday afternoon because he was tired of hearing Pursifull's group telling him he will "burn in hell."

Larsen's group waved signs saying "God bless America's true religion." They sang "God Bless America" and "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," sometimes making it difficult to hear the shouts and hymns of Pursifull's group, such as "Blessed Redeemer."

Standing outside Temple Square, however, were Jeff Woodhead and Daniel McGuire, who purposefully avoided the "yelling matches" inside the plaza.

The two men said they were successful in engaging others in a more civil dialogue. Woodhead, a less active church member, held up a sign stating "Mormons of conscience: Research (the) Book of Abraham."

The two men question the legitimacy of the LDS Church scriptures because of a 1968 translation they believe shows the Book of Abraham was an Ancient Egyptian funeral manual and not a religious document.

For Weston Clark and his sign-wielding friends who walked around the plaza Sunday, "This is about freedom of speech, not religion."

The group supports free speech and assembly on the public easement of the plaza, formerly a city street that in 1999 was sold to the LDS Church. A lawsuit followed, and the LDS Church has appealed a recent 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to the U.S. Supreme Court as it negotiates the matter with Salt Lake City.

Clark and his friends said they met little opposition as they walked around the plaza. "People were indifferent. A few had nasty comments," Colin Smith said.

Holladay resident Peter Crawford passed the protesters as he left general conference. He called the scene "entertaining."

"Our impression is, if they want to sway people from the Mormon religion, they should preach their own religion and not against ours. But I'm sure they're nice people," he said.

E-MAIL: lhancock@desnews.com