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,…
My story has layers of complexity, but I’ll do my best to share it. I’ll start out with the simple facts of being asked about masturbation as a teen some 34 years ago when I was 14. My mom died when I was 11 and I was the oldest of 6. So exact obedience was…
The worthiness interviews containing questions of a sexual nature drove me to avoid relationships with the opposite sex out of fear of sinning for my entire young adult life. I could have dated as a teenager. I didn’t. I was asked to prom. I didn’t go. I could have had normal healthy relationships, but I…
I started masturbating when I was maybe 13 years old after reading about it in a book about puberty and learning about it at school. I was simply curious. It didn’t feel sexual at all to me, more like having someone tickle your back or something. Just a pleasant physical sensation. I didn’t know for…
When I turned eight years old, my parents took me to the bishop’s office to have my baptism interview. Before I went into the room, I asked my parents if they would go with me. They assured me there was nothing to worry about, the bishop was a priesthood holder and could be trusted. Then…
My Mormon story: growing up in Utah you had to be Mormon to be able to play with your friends. So i had been baptized around 4th grade. I took the lessons on my own, would go to church and sit by myself. I would fast alone as a young child because my dad and…
My heart just breaks. I was subjected to these interviews as a youth. I had endured many years of sexual abuse as a child beginning at the age of 4. The perpetrator was not a member of the LDS church, but was my mother’s step-brother. My victimizer threatened me that he would hurt me and…
When I turned 14, I was like any normal child. We had moved to a new town, and I was finding my footing. I went to a youth dance for LDS children and I met some friends. I asked my mom if I could stay over at my new friends house, and she said that…
Something that I realized I needed to share was the generational effect of abuse victims. My father was raised in incestuous Mormon family. His father, the predator was at one point, a bishop, a school teacher, a temple worker. After decades of terrorizing his family and uncounted children not related, he was finally excommunicated after…
My childhood was very painful. This was not necessary the fault of the Mormon church, but rather my biological father was/is pedophile and abused me sexually, multiple times. Which lead to my brother’s sexually abusing me as well. He also physically abused my brothers and this went on for about 12 years. Never was I…