When I was 15, I became involved with a girl in my class. I already felt shame from this, as the church instructs kids to wait until age 16 to date. I became really close with this girl and we would kiss often. It was a very innocent relationship. However, when I went in for an interview, I admitted to not following the law of chastity, because I felt I was not by kissing this girl. The bishop asked further questions and asked me to elaborate on what happened. I told him what I just shared and he stopped asking questions after that.
This seems harmless enough, but what followed was unhealthy years of shame and guilt. I avoided all relationships to prevent again becoming unworthy. I refused to touch myself even when showering as I feared God would be disappointed in me. This led to years of sexual issues that needed many many therapy sessions to remove this shame.
If the church hadn’t asked me that one question, I would not have had to go through that due to a normal thing for a 15-year-old to do.
I support Sam and his cause so no other child will have to go through what I had to go through. The question of “do you live the law of chastity” in of itself is harmful and dangerous to ask impressionable children.