At 7/8 years old I was introduced to the sexual side of myself. I won’t tell that story, but as a young child, I only knew that what I was experiencing felt good. I wanted to recreate that feeling, so I started masturbating. I was taught in church, by leaders, that masturbating was a sin…
I recieved yearly worthiness interviews to go to the temple. Around 13 when puberty hit I discovered masturbation. Ultimately because of the church’s strong emphasis not to participate in the ‘sin’ it seemed to make me more aware and curious about it than my other girl friends. I always lied in the bishops interviews when…
I’ve been the therapist for hundreds of people who have expressed feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and self-loathing after having had interviews with their LDS Bishops. And I’ve also been a therapist to a number of bishops. One of them, in particular, used to describe his problem with a type of voyeurism. He would listen…
When my brother Keith was in high school he had an interview with our local bishop, who was a cruel, condescending and judgmental person. Keith confessed to some sexual activity with a girl and the bishop shamed him, put him down and left him completely devastated. That night my father came home and Keith had…
In college, my boyfriend and I started experimenting sexually and I never felt guilty about it, but I knew that I should probably go talk to my bishop. While my bishop was very kind and I (thankfully) didn’t have a negative experience going in and talking to the bishop… I was humiliated at the fact…
Approximately 50 years ago, I was molested and raped as a young girl in a small Mormon farming community in SE Idaho. It has taken years for me to realize the impact that this has had on my life. The abuse took place over time by the area counselor to the Stake President. The covert…
My mission president’s monthly interviews with sister missionaries in my mission were emotionally abusive and left me spiritually debilitated and suspicious of all priesthood leadership and closed-door interviews. Our president tried to make it sound like he was just checking up on our worthiness, but he always wandered into vulgar territory with lewd, probing questions…
I grew up in Utah and went to a pediatrician named Glen C. Griffen who had authored numerous books about maturation and sexual development published by LDS publishers which I was given to read. Those books, and the writings of President Kimball, and other talks in General Conference (there was a particularly horrible one by…
It has taken a lot of thought and courage for me to even begin to share my experience. I have only ever shared the consequences I have suffered as a result of the church, but not the worthiness interviews themselves. Though I believe many people who are LDS are good people, my dad wasn’t one…
I was raped by a stake president’s son when I was 14 (in 1994). The bishop did not let my mother come into the interview she arranged (which she did because she thought I slept with someone — not bothering to know the details of my rape). Instead of suggesting I press charges or get…