Latter-Day Saints

and me, the ass

Published on July 16, 2004 By CS Guy In Life Journals

A while back I was playing some on-line game... I think it was Planetside. I was using the name Gideon, as I often do.

So here I am, running around blasting the fools who enter my sight, and I get a tell from some fellow.

Other-dude: "Hey, great name! Are you a LDS?"

Now, I have several mormon friends. I dated a mormon (but I wasn't mormon enough, or at all), my best friend's whole family is mormon, though he left the church as a teenager. So I knew what LDS meant. But I was in a wierd, ass-like mood, so I decided to mess with this guy.

Me: "No man! Drugs are bad, just say no!"

Other-dude: "No, not LSD, LDS."

Me: "What's the difference? You're stuff stronger or something?"

Other-dude: "LDS! Latter-Day Saints"

Me: "Oh, are they like the Jehovah's Witness dudes?"

Other-dude: "No, the Mormons."

Me: "Oh, I try to stay away from cults. Thanks for asking, though!"

Other-dude: "The Church of Mormon is not a cult! Would you like me to explain it to you?"

Remembering some comedians rip on Latter-Day Saints, I replied...
Me: "Naw, I gotta launch a few grenades at these asshats... maybe latter in the day!"

Was that insensitive of me?

Comments (Page 1)

Kayles

on Jul 16, 2004

Was that insensitive of me?

Do you really want our opinions, or are you asking rhetorically?

Poetmom99

on Jul 16, 2004

Was that insensitive of me?

Maybe not insensitive, but IMO you were rude to him unnecessarily.

citahellion

on Jul 16, 2004

I would have thought that he would have realized you weren't an LDS after your first or second reply.

And I personally have nothing against being rude to people who attempt to "witness" to you as this guy was apparently angling for at the end.

dharmagrl

on Jul 16, 2004

They're everywhere! Theye're no longer satisifred with knocking on your door and calling you on the phone, they're ambushing you on the internet!

It's an infiltration, I tell ya! A master plan to take over the world!!!

No, I don't think you were insensitive. I'd have been ruder. Much blunter.

Kayles

on Jul 16, 2004

I just tell them I'm Jewish (which is true) and they run away screaming!

CS Guy

on Jul 16, 2004

Maybe not insensitive, but IMO you were rude to him unnecessarily.

Maybe. but there is a time and place for certain things. If this person had come to me as a missionary to my home, I would not have reacted the same way. Trying to recruit me in the middle of a video game was assinine. He didn't know who I was, or how old I was. The idea of cultists possibly recruiting children online is repugnant to me.

Poetmom99

on Jul 16, 2004

You actually, IMO, set yourself up for him to respond the way he did. When he first asked if you were LDS, you could have simply said "No, I'm not, and I don't wish to discuss religion here." More than likely, that would have been the end of the conversation...instead, you acted as though you had no clue what LDS was, and he felt led to explain it to you.....that doesn't mean he was trying to recruit you, just to clear up your misconceptions.

CS Guy

on Jul 16, 2004

You actually, IMO, set yourself up for him to respond the way he did.

I didn't ask him to initiate the conversation asking me if I was LDS. What the hell kind of question out of the blue is that for an online military game?

Gideon MacLeish

on Jul 16, 2004

I don't think it was insensitive or rude, frankly. I used to have a much nicer take on the LDS church (my mother is LDS) until recently. I would explain further, but I'd be hijacking your thread

CS Guy

on Jul 16, 2004

I used to have a much nicer take on the LDS church

So did I until I started to learn about their inner policies.

BlueDev

on Jul 16, 2004

Hmm, well as an active member of the LDS Church I think that fellow was out of line trying to initiate religious discussion in a game. I don't think his initial question was out of line though. It can be fun to find other members of the Church in that sort of arena and I think it probably started out as a simple "Hey, we might have something in common" question.

CS Guy

on Jul 16, 2004

"Hey, we might have something in common"

So out of the couple thousand people playing, he had some credible reason for thinking I was LDS?

BlueDev

on Jul 16, 2004

Absolutely. "Gideon" is the name of a figure in The Book of Mormon, and we "Mormons" have a really weird habit of naming our children with those types of names. I know lots of folks with names like Nephi, Moroni, Helaman, etc. Heck, I have even heard of someone named Mahonri.

Is the name Gideon exclusive to The Book of Mormon? Of course not. But someone raised around that kind of atmosphere (as I was) sees a name familiar from The Book of Mormon and instantly thinks "Oh, maybe they are Mormon too?". Silly, but it happens.

Poetmom99

on Jul 16, 2004

I don't think his initial question was out of line though. It can be fun to find other members of the Church in that sort of arena and I think it probably started out as a simple "Hey, we might have something in common" question.

That's sort of what I was thinking....you just expressed it better than I did.

BlueDev

on Jul 16, 2004

Hah, Poetmom99, thanks. I think I "get it" because I have done similar things in the past. I hear or read something someone says that triggers a switch in my mind along the lines of "Hmm, that was a sort of 'Mormon' thing to say/do. I wonder. . ." and then you ask. Afterall, the worst they are going to do is get pissed off at you for asking, and I am fine with that.

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