Posted by:
exminion
(
)
Date: May 22, 2019 09:22AM
I have to object to Jordan's stereotype of converts being different from, and having more problems than the "old-time families." Oh, I read more posts, and others objected, too. Thank you!
My brother had asperger's. He was also bi-polar, and had anger issued. He was the school bully. He beat and tortured me all my life--and got away with it. He was able to put on a front of helplessness and innocence, that made him the darling of our ward. (My other brother thought he was not asperger's at all, but a skilled sociopath, as autistic spectrum people are not good at manipulating others, or reading others in order to push their buttons, or putting on a false front.)
My crazy brother was from a prominent GA family, and was given a stateside mission, that was nearby, and the mission president was also a relative. He finally wanted to send my brother home, and my father convinced him to let my brother stay, by offering the mission a car, which my father and I drove and delivered to the mission home. It is all about appearances.
No one would date my abusive brother, and everyone felt sorry for him, and they tried to fix him up with available girls in the ward, who got younger, as he got older. No one would date him a second time. A Mormon ward is a field ripe to harvest, for potential victims.
He bore his testimony, at every testimony meeting, every fast Sunday, until he died. He did have a gift of humor, and I think he was welcome comic relief to the boring meetings. Often, the officiator would have to tell him to keep it brief.
He secretly hated the Mormon church, and hated women, which he told us at home. He smoked, used foul language, and was a pedophile with our nieces. He tried with me, but I got him into trouble, made a fuss, and when I got bigger, I fought back and/or ran away. When he came after my daughter, I cut off all contact with him. when I warned my other brothers about his behavior with my nieces, they laughed at me. My nieces are very messed-up, and not adjusting well to life, in their 30's.
I think, as a group, Mormons and other groups sometimes go overboard to PROVE that they are accepting of others--and accept people that actually cause harm to others. Criminals and scammers know this about Mormons, and they sometimes succeed.