(For those who are new to the board, the below was actually the second time someone has tried to convert me to your former religion--the first time occurred in 2007 when I feigned boredom and sleep.)

As a few of you may remember, I proofread the braille versions of the AIMS tests used by grade school and high school students in the state of Arizona. Three Saturdays ago, the woman I was supposed to work with (the one who tried to convert me back in 2007) was unable to attend because of a prior commitment. After some phoning around, our boss found someone else who initially was to take this woman's place, and he said the new person's grandmother could probably give me alift to the job (as my monicker indicates, I am totally blind).

It turned out that my new partner was partially sighted and in her early 40s, not much younger than myself. She could read print only with a magnifying glass (which resulted in me getting a fully sighted partner once I got down there--but that is getting away from the subject of my story). Anyway, the partially sighted woman's grandmother got both of us to the place where we were going to be doing the proofreading an hour early. Fortunately, my boss pulled in just as we were getting out of the car, and he let the partially sighted woman and I into the building and led us to where the proofreads were to be done on the building's 4th floor. Then he returned to the first floor to await the next group of people.

Since we had time to kill, I started chatting with this woman--she seemed friendly enough. When I mentioned that I had considered dating her predecessor in the past but decided against it after finding out she was LDS, this woman informed me (nicely) that she was also LDS. She wondered aloud what religion I was and why I hadn't converted to her faith.

I explained that while I had been raised Roman Catholic, I now considered myself a "practicing agnostic"--the evidence really didn't match up with the claims being made. I further went on to say that after learning of the predecessor's religion, I investigated it on the Internet (I didn't mention this site or Bob McCue's .pdf files) and by interviewing relatives and friends that had dealings with the group. I told the story of my brother who married a blind LDS woman of navajo/Hopi descent (they later divorced). My brother told me that during the marriage, he had ample opportunity to observe LDS church behavior--the missionaries were always friendly and trying to convert him. However, he said that when they found out he wasn't interested in conversion, they basically ignored him, and that had it not been for his involvement in Buddhism, he might have actually joined the LDS church just to stop the shunning.

The partially sighted woman's response to this story was to say that the Mormons were wrong to shun my brother, and that it was not LDS church policy to do this (I didn't tell her that I had read several similar stories on websites, including this one). She went on to say that she thought that I might make a good Mormon.

The partially sighted woman then asked me if I had ever read the Book of Mormon. I then said that I had read a portion of the first few chapters when I was attending the state school for the deaf and blind back in the 1970s (I later remembered that what the blind Mormon boy shared with me was a copy of the Mormon version of the Old Testament, a fact I didn't tell her). She asked me what I thought of what I had read. I demured and said noncomittally that it really didn't appeal to me. I said that I was pretty sure I knew where to get one in braille or online if I ever had the interest.

The partially sighted woman then said that I should read more of it, that "most guys like the war stuff in it."

My response? "I am antiwar and a leftie."

The partially sighted woman's response to me? "I don't know how to respond to that one." She went on to say that while she had gone to be trained as a female LDS missionary when she was younger, the elders kicked her out of the MTC after discovering her vision problems (I wonder if that is still the case; if so, the LDS church, being a public institution, might be in violation of laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA). after that, the subject was dropped and was never discussed again.

As I said, I thought the attempt was pretty lame.

And she said it is not the policy of the LDS to shun. RED FLAG!!! She is in denial. She is surely joking. I lived among the Mormons in Utah for over 4 yrs. and as soon as they realized we would not convert we were shunned by the whole neighborhood. No woman would talk to me....at the school where our kids went, on the soccer field, at a 4th of July celebration. Mormons are such liars. Open you eyes. How many LDS associate with nonmormons in highly populated Mormon areas. VERY VERY few!!!! You have a point about them kicking her out of the MTC.

Blindguy! Someone that might understand!

Yes I use the name blind mag I love the character from the 18 rated film that mormons arnt aloud to watch.

The MTC if you dont pass the medical(yes you get doctors pokeing at you apparently) will send someone in that womans situation on a service mission or a few mini six weeks missions. Personaly I even found the shorter mission for women insulting so being told because I cant see past the end of my noze I might spend six weeks at a time in another place with everybody knowing about it and talking bout it just makeing me feel even more blind was desgusting.

You kind of have to feel sorry for people like that though.Thats all they have.

I'm an almost blind ex mormon who's been stuck in a bad sutiation because of my sight problems. You dont get treated the same as everyone else you always get treated diffrently in the church. Unfortnatly I have just enough sight to see the diffrence.

Hi blindmag. Yes I've seen some of your posts.

You're correct! It is much more difficult for blind people both inside and outside of Mormonism. This is because many sighted people, whether Mormon or not, have difficulty relating to people whose emotions don't usually show on their faces (the poker face, it's called). Psychologists tell us that more than 50% of the verbal communication we both give and receive is nonverbal and is related to reactions to hand gestures, facial expressions, and body movements that many blind people, particularly those who were born blind like myself, have absolutely no idea of. Mormonism, with its "fake" friendships, can be a godsend to people in such situations, especially if they don't have other friends or hobbies to occupy their time.

Add to that the issues surrounding blind people getting jobs and functioning fully in society (there is a 70% unemployment rate among working-age blind people that stubbornly refuses to budge), and you have a recipe for disaster for a blind Mormon in Utah who has finally found a job (probably menial at that) who questions his/her faith.

I do not know where you live, but I do hope you have some very good supports, because even though your belief in Mormonism has desserted you, your blindness has not.

Thats worse i'm afraid!

That wondful support system is mostly Mormon and trying to get me back and makeing sure I have to realy on them... Thay wnt a captave audiance. I'm trying to get out now but here in this contry its harder than it might seem. One of my friends made sure he got himself a small house. He wanted a house because I think he plans in the future to get a girl to have in it. I'm not intested. The bus survice in his area went and that means he has to ask for a lift from the nabors every so often to get into town and get to a reader to read his mail. writeing is something computers still struggle masivly with. Thats only one example and theres hundreds of others. One family tried to get thair blind child a sighted wife.

blindmag:
Whether you are inside or outside of the U.S., you might try contacting the following two U.S.-based blind consumer organizations. While there are Mormons involved with both of them, the leaderships at the national level in both cases are not Mormon. And, whether or not you agree with their philosophies or ideals, they can assist you in finding alternative support arrangements.

The first organization is the American Council of the Blind (ACB), and their website can be found at http://www.acb.org. I am a current member of this group, and they participate in both social and political activities.

The other organization is the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), and their website can be found at http://www.nfb.org. I was a member of this group back in the 1980s, and I still know people involved with it (it has an almost cult-like belief in its philosophy about blindness, but the organization can still be helpful in some areas). This group is also heavily involved in politics.

If you live outside of the U.S. (which I think may well be possible), getting in contact with these organizations and letting them know where you live and what your needs are is still a good thing to do. Both groups are members in good standing of the World Blind Union (like the UN, only the goal is to improve the lives of blind people worldwide), and they can put you in contact with people in your area who can provide assistance and help you gain new supports.

"Most guys like the war stuff in it." Oh brother! So adding war stories to scriptures helps keep guys interested? Loved your response.

I hate to say this will probably not be the last time someone tries to convert you. Every member a missionary, you know.

It's good to see you drop by.

How nauseating and what an insulting thing to imply ... really quite bizarre! However, one thing she inadvertently exposed is the obsession with ("comic book" style) war in the Book of Mormon ... which is most certainly a window into the juvenile mind of the creator of the book!

Thanks for the interesting post!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2011 08:51PM by Fetal Deity.

I like war stuff in books. And the war stuff in the bom was rather stupid