How could something like that be taken badly by me, you may ask? Well, it assumes that I have problems beyond my ability to comprehend or deal with.
After explaining to my m-i-l one of my many issues about joseph smith sleeping with young girls....again, only 1 of my many issues with this man, she shook her head, in a condescending way, and let me know she'd be praying for me.
Because, you know, I'm the one in the wrong. not the guy porking 14-16 year old girls....
It can be very frustrating. Especially when totally mindless robots, who believe the tales of old Joe the con artist, hook line and sinker, talk to you like YOU'RE the stupid one.
You just want to say, "honey, don't you have some crafts to do or some jello to make or some holy undies to wash? Don't try to act like you're thinking for yourself, it only makes you look more ignorant that you actually are, if that's possible."
Well, in all fairness, they pay 10 percent of their gross income for someone to inflate their pride, confirm they are better than everyone else, feed their narcissism. They are constantly taught they are chosen, special, have super-secret information about how the world works and in general, are better than those who don't want to work so hard to be as special as Mormons are. Because that's basically all Mormonism boils down to: Pay the money, be our slave and we will tell you that you are better than everyone else.
What really takes the wind out of their sails is to look at them, shrug and say "I really don't care what you think, you aren't important, you don't matter. Maybe if you were someone who was looked up to or admired, I'd take your opinion seriously but since you aren't, I'm going to ignore you now."
Say it calmly and in a totally non-plussed way, the way you'd address the guy who lives in the dumpster behind WalMart if he tried to tell you that you weren't living your life right. You know the tone - calm, slightly amused, slightly bemused. It's harsh but bullies do their thing because they are allowed to get away with it. Give them a verbal hand slap and they'll think twice about messing with you. And most of all, remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." You are better than people who behave like that and I know you are because this sort of treatment bothers you - you can recognize right from wrong and those TBMs annoying you can't.
probably good antidote is prayer like: heavenly father, please bless this condescending guy/gal/person in the name of jesus christ ahmen, the shorter the better but complete one, with sincereness. maybe immediate, right-before-the-person, even with articulate manner might go further better, i havent tried that one.