[Blindtlk] an awkward experience

[Mike Freeman]

I've had members of a Christian group traveling Capitol Hill as I was during the Washington Seminar lay hands on me right there as we walked. For some reason, it fails to sink into their brains that if they truly believed what they say they did, they'd know that God was omnipotent and, as others have said, if He wanted me to have sight, he could have made it so and did not need their help. But Logic 101 doesn't seem part of most religious education.

Mike Freeman


-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mark Tardif
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2013 7:13 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] an awkward experience

Obviously, she meant well, and it's very hard to deal with that because you 
don't want to hurt her feelings.  I had that happen to me many years ago 
once and was completely taken off guard, and in my case it was a guy who 
tried to speak to me in Spanish while I was standing at a bus stop and then 
placed his hands on my forehead.  I was caught off guard and did nothing. 
But I think now I would thank that person and gently place his/her hands 
where they belong, at their side, flat on the table, whatever.  For some 
reason there are people out there who do not see us as human, all they see 
is blindness, blindness, and oh, you poor child.  And, either because they 
are just intrusive by nature or forget that you are human as well, it 
doesn't occur to them that they are violating your personal space in a big 
way.  I have a belief that in order to get that physically close to me where 
you are actually touching me, you need to know me a little first, you have 
to earn that right.  She violated your personal space in the name of 
evangelism, and I think one needs to treat that gently but firmly, and maybe 
tell her that God has shown you many ways to handle your blindness, that you 
are okay, but thank you for the concern.

Mark Tardif
Nuclear arms will not hold you.
-----Original Message----- 
From: Michael
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2013 9:23 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: [Blindtlk] an awkward experience

Good morning folks,  I lost my sight six years ago and went through a very 
dark time for a couple of years and eventually became comfortable with who I 
am and have since then gone on to do most of what I did before.

But I had an experience yesterday that I didn’t know how to handle.  I was 
at the gym and had just completed an hour of cardio.  I was sitting at a 
table located in the center of the gym floor cooling down when a woman began 
a conversation with me.  She said that she was sitting at the table also 
(which I doubt) and that God had put her there to talk to me and that she 
was an evangelist.   She asked if she could talk to me.  When I answered in 
the affirmative she stood next to me, took my hand in both of her hands, and 
began praying over me.  She asked God to help this poor  child, saying that 
Jesus had healed the sick, cured the blind, and raised the dead.  She prayed 
for over a minute (at least it felt like), using verbage that I only hear on 
Sunday morning.  Then she finished and left me sitting there.  I was shocked 
and didn’t know what to say.  I let her do her thing thinking that I had 
probably made her feel positive about herself by helping
“this poor child”.  Understand that I am a christian but have never had such 
an embarrassing display since losing my sight.  Has this happened to others, 
and how did you handle such a display?

Michael
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