I was in Junior High, and struggling. I already didn’t believe in the church. Which put me at odds with my Dad. My sibling had an illegitimate baby, which brought major shame to the family, back then. Another sibling got into drugs, which eventually took his life, a little later down the road. This sibling…
I was a hyper-sexual child who didn’t know the word masturbating until five or six years after I’d started having regular orgasms. I started cutting myself as I learned about the church’s stances on everything outside of standard married intercourse and that my value had been diminished as a result. I felt so out of…
I was sexually abused as a primary sunbeam (age 4-5) by my primary teachers during sunday school lessons (a husband and wife). There was at least one other girl with me that I can recall. These memories stuck with her, but I repressed them until just recently. I can now look back at how the…
My stake president wanted to meet with me in advance of going to the temple for baptisms for the dead. I’d known him my entire life and lived around the corner from me. It began with the usual questions. These interviews always made me nervous. I was a very good kid, but I felt like…
In 2012, I was serving in the Stake Young Women’s presidency and my oldest turned 12. Between my calling and my oldest child, the lives, interests, and struggles of youth were in the forefront of my mind, and thus the forefront of my study. Years before, struggling with small children, I asked a bishop why…
Hello Sam, After your efforts brought this issue to my attention I too recognized how important it is to protect children and felt that I had a moral obligation to make my opinion heard. One child hurt is one too many. I wrote an email to my stake president expressing my support for your call…
As I have started to read the stories others have shared, I decided I should share mine. I grew up in a divorced household, primarily living with my mother. I would have the standard every other weekend with my father growing up. The last time I saw my father I was 10-years-old. Most of my…
Dear Sam/Bishop Young, I wanted to write to you to thank you for the information you are sharing. I know this has been so troublesome for you and a heavy load to bear. I also know that the burden of hurt carried by so many members and their children has been heavy and lonely. I…
I was about 14 years old, I was forced to go to church by my mom. I decided to try and be more active and more involved. I wanted to get my temple recommend so I could go to the temple with my Young Women’s group and friends. I remember being asked by the bishop…
In the spring of 2012, the Stake President of the Winnipeg Canada Stake told us in the annual stake priesthood mtg. that “masturbation leads to murder”. God forbid there was some teenager there that night that had done it and felt like crap and who knows maybe thought about killing themselves before killing someone else,…