ONE of many disturbing things that happened to my son by himself behind closed doors with our bishop (besides the fact that he was even in there, as I had told the bishop it wasn’t allowed just weeks earlier after my experience with this and other bishops) My son was 11, nearing his 12th birthday…
When I was about 13, a new bishop was called to my ward. From my very first encounter with him, he made me dread going to church. To everyone else he was a happy, jovial, fun-loving goofy guy, but to me (and from what I remember, other young women – my friends and classmates) he…
I was born and raised in the church and had both fantastic Bishops and then Bishops and other leaders that made my skin crawl. I was asked if I masturbated during Bishopric’s interviews and although I had I ALWAYS lied. The guilt from being “sinful” enough to masturbate was bad enough but when you add…
In the year 1991, when I was 16, in Portland, OR…..I was date raped. I said NO. Several times. It was not consensual. At the time, I didn’t even understand what that was and that it was rape. Call me naive at that age, but I didn’t. Those topics just weren’t discussed in my family…
My church upbringing taught me that sex was something to feel guilt and shame for. Starting around age 12 My Bishops regularly asked sexually explicit questions regarding my sins. I was sexually abused from the ages of 8 to 11 by a family member who was also a member of my ward. The perpetrator’s father…
When I was fifteen years old I had a boyfriend who was manipulative, coercive, and abusive. I was confused because he told me he loved me and he bought me flowers. He made me feel special. Behind a closed door, he started to force me to do sexual things that I didn’t want to do.…
I am a mother. When my children were young, two of them were sexually and ritually abused by a family member. The children came forward with their story when that family member was far away serving an LDS mission. Through two family therapists, a child play therapist, DCFS and a police detective investigation – the…
When I was 8 years old, the Sunday School teacher told the class that the bishop was the best friend we had. We could take our problems to him, and he’d always listen, and help. I took myself to visit him as soon as class dismissed. I told him what daddy had been doing to…
My father sexually abused me when I was 9 years old. It was not complete penetration, but unwanted touching and fondling and he made me touch him. The abuse began occurring while my mother was out with relief society meetings and visting teaching or shopping. It went on for about a year and was beginning…
Growing up, I believed ANY and ALL questions asked by members of the bishopric helped them decide my level of worthiness and understand the nature of my sins. I never thought to ask my parents to sit in each interview with me; it just wasn’t ever done or encouraged. I saw that my parents trusted,…