I was raised LDS and when I was 14 I felt I needed to talk to the bishop about my first sexual experience because I believed that God could only forgive such horrible sins next to murder with the bishop as a tool. I was 14 and got felt up by a 15 year old…
When I was 3 years old and finishing my last year in nursery before going to Sunbeams I can vividly remember a Sunday at church the has affected my life forever. The nursery leaders didn’t make sure we had a parent come get us before letting us leave the classroom. That day I took off…
My story isn’t as destructive as some, but still disturbing as I think about my young age and where the conversation was allowed to go with myself, a 13-14 year old girl sitting in a room all alone with a man in his mid 30s. I was asked the usual “do you obey the law…
I was raised in the church, and while I didn’t always know if I believed it was the ONLY true church I did my best to follow its basic teachings through my childhood. I didn’t drink, didn’t do drugs, didn’t date until I was 16, held leadership positions for youth, and didn’t miss any temple…
I was a teen in the 70’s, the days of bi-annual Bishop interviews. I was asked about masturbation every time. I hated those interviews, it was crushingly shaming. I’m furious now that I was guilted for completely normal and healthy teen behavior. The thing that makes me the most angry is that those interviews taught…
Growing up I had a bishop who was just trying to do his best. I get it, we all want to please the Lord. However he took it across the line a few times. This is one of those times and how it affected me later on. When I turned 16 and was ready to…
I was going to start this story at 16, but in truth it starts at 12. President Hinckley had come out with questions that he wanted father’s to ask their children once a month. My dad only did the first month of questions. I choose to believe it’s because he saw that they were harmful…
My first Bishops interview I remember being so nervous! He asked me ALL the questions, but when he asked me if I masturbated I was scared, nervous and confused… I thought, how do I answer this because I don’t know what it is and I didn’t dare ask. I said, “I don’t think so but…
I can’t remember exactly how old I was I want to say, 12 or 13… I know is was quite Young. I was called into the bishops office for an interview so I could go do baptisms for the dead on our Temple trip coming up (as my parents wanted). I remember one of the…
I have never been formally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, but I have so many Aspie traits that I identify as one. I have been blessed with many wonderful leaders over the years in church, but I have had some very traumatic experiences with others. I grew up making good grades in school but was very…