Growing Up Mormon - A Conversation With a Client

Normally on Thursdays I write some vignette or an episode from a longer story of my childhood in the Mormon Religion.  Today however, I had a conversation with a client that stayed with me and I'd like to share it with you.

We were talking about how he had become an attorney.

"I was a field agent with the F.B.I. for five years.  But when I found out that there was no chance for advancement I decided to apply to law school."

I said, "Were all the positions filled or were they just not promoting?"

"I don't suppose you know anything about Mormons," he said.  I remained silent at that.  "The FBI had a very high number of Mormons and in my office advancement was dependent on how well you got along with them.  Since I wasn't about to pretend to be interested in their religion and I wasn't interested in changing my supposed bad habits, I was far down the list."

"Really?  It was about the Mormons?" I asked.

"They are a very cliquish people.  They take care of their own first and foremost.  My partner wouldn't follow orders from our direct supervisor unless he cleared it with the highest ranking Mormon in our office.  He'd call him at home and talk about what he'd been told to do.  He said it was a matter of respecting his priesthood leaders.  To me it all seemed like some weird cult.  I could imagine them in robes around a dark altar offering blood oaths to each other." 

At that I laughed openly. 

He continued.  "I had to get out of there and law school seemed like a good place to make my own advancement."

"It really turned you off to Mormons, didn't it?" I asked.

"Yes, it did."

At that I told him a bit about my story, Alma the Lamanite, and my experiences growing up.  I also explained the doctrinal reasons why Mormons believe darker skin color is punishment delivered by God on his more unworthy children. 

My client is African American.  At the explanation he shook his head and sighed.

- rick, atheist

Comments

[a rose is a rose]

how effed up is that? they're all in cults i swear to goddess. all of 'em

[Ms. Jane]

I'd heard that the FBI preferred to recruit Mormons, I'm guessing because they're easily programmable robots who don't question authority and do as they're told.

My family is very Mormon, and my boyfriend is black. I was telling him how Mormons believe that black people are black because they're cursed for sins they committed in the preexistence, and that they will one day become "white and delightsome." His jaw was on the ground. He didn't understand how a black person could join the church knowing they'll be looked down on from day one. I said in all the wards I'd ever been in there was only one black lady, and she was blind. He started laughing and said, "Well, maybe no one ever told her she was black."

[CV Rick]

Funny, Ms. Jane. My family is very Mormon as well - of course that's painfully obvious by my blog.

You have a really nice blog by the way. Sometime soon I'm going to revise my blog linking policy. Stay tuned.