Approximately 11 years ago I was busy with work and school as well as dealing mentally with the loss of my mom to suicide a few years prior. I let my bishop know that I needed a blessing. I told him I was taking Benadryl to sleep a lot through a depression. The bishop at the time was bishop ______ in Denham Springs, La. He was my mothers age and knew my mom and her brothers from Baton Rouge.
I lived in a studio house at the time of the blessing. The bishop came over ALONE to my house(which is never suppose to happen in the church) he gave me a blessing, and afterwards asked me for a hug. I have him a hug and went to pull away from the hug when he told me to put my head on his shoulder as he started rubbing all over my back. He made the comment ” you don’t like hugs from men, do you?”
This was very strange and upsetting to me. The blessing he had just given me meant nothing after this weird accusation. The bishop left and knew I was upset with what he said and did. I went and laid in my bed and started crying. It was almost like things went from bad to worse after the blessing.
The bishop returned a short time later with more Benadryl for me. He came over to my bed and started rubbing up my legs and then under my bra. To be honest, I was in complete shock! I look back now and don’t know why I didn’t punch his fucking face!
After he fondled my breast, he said he better go. I have had a few other sexual abuse cases in life, but this one was by far the worst being it was from a man who was in charge of the church. I fell off the bed after he left bawling my eyes out.
The last person on earth I thought I could trust was the bishop, and once again, he proved me wrong. I started screaming at God telling him if he is a “man” he is just as sick as the ones on earth and that I would never worship him again.
I attempted suicide that night. When I was in the emergency room from attempting, the bishop walked in. I had a devil voice in me and when I saw him I screamed for him to GET OUT!
It took me a month later to turn him into the stake president. The stake president’s last name was Johnson. I didn’t know. I was nervous and scared to turn him into the stake president but felt I had to in order to possibly save anyone else from going through this.
I made an appointment with the stake president and when I told him what happened, his reply was ” The bishop already came to me and said you were crazy.” My face turned red and my cheeks were on fire! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I looked him in the face and told him we will see who is crazy when we die, and told him I would never step foot in the Mormon church again. I don’t know why I didn’t go to the police after. The anger I have now about it is sickening!!! Bishops should NEVER be aloud to be in the room alone with a child or a woman, EVER!