I remember being asked in every interview if I was keeping the law of chastity. I had always answered ‘yes’ until I was 18. Me and my boyfriend at the time had engaged in some “inappropriate” behaviors, and I knew I had sinned. During my next interview I was asked if I kept the law…
I have a lot of stories, but I would like to share the two most important ones. Shortly after turning 16, I had my first kiss. It was totally innocent but, as a good Mormon girl, I believed that it was the height of sexuality. Of course, I never experienced anything more than that, even…
Beginning at the age of 12, I had annual interviews with my Mormon bishop. These were always one-on-one. The first time I was asked if I “Had any problems with masturbation,” I was 13. I had no idea what that word meant. These questions continued in annual or semi-annual interviews until I turned 18. The…
I was born and raised a Utah Mormon girl. I couldn’t have asked for better parents, or a better upbringing. I was always the easy child that never gave my parents any grief, and I always felt a strong inner commitment to never do anything to jeopardize that. I always hated bishop interviews because they…
I grew up in the LDS Church, though I was not very active. I would meet often with the Bishop and have personal interviews with him, often about sexual matters. It tended to be the focus of each meeting whether or not I was masturbating and how I would be blessed if I stopped. This…
I remember when I was about to turn twelve. My friend’s dad was the bishop at the time. We grew up in downtown Salt Lake City, basically in Church headquarters. I had always been rebellious, but I liked going to church for the most part; I liked the people, and I felt the sense of…
I pretty much lied about my masturbation habits. I felt pretty crappy about myself all growing up because not only was I “sexually impure”, but I was also a liar. This shame probably fueled my pornography use more than it curbed it. Then, as I was preparing for missionary service, I got a “deep, searching”…
I wasn’t affected (that I know of) by being asked these questions as a youth or as an adult. But my heart was touched by hearing the many troubles that this practice causes others. My concern went immediately to my daughter, an LDS teen. I wanted to take the step that so many others have…
This story is as an adult, but my last bishop asked wildly inappropriate questions to me during an interview. I felt sexually harassed, despite knowing that he had no right, even by Mormon standards, to ask those questions. I can’t imagine how he treats youth during worthiness interviews. In my case, my wife had told…
After having to switch to a different bishop, (the Bishopric was changed in the middle of my mission interviewing process), I showed up to a meeting where the new bishop acted like he had no knowledge of the things from my past that I had been working on with the previous bishop. (After a few…