#328 Name Hidden. CS: 1,4,6

As a child, I wish I had known about the grooming processes that sexual predators use. The way they gain a child’s trust, maybe even their parents’ trust, before attempting anything inappropriate. Instead, the church indoctrinated me to believe that men have the absolute authority and the power to act in God’s name. I was…

#327 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,7

When I was a 12 year old I went to my father full of shame and confessed I had masturbated. His reaction led me down a path of intense self-loathing that lasted well into adulthood. Because what he didn’t say was “Literally everyone, especially kids your age, masturbates sometimes.” What he did do was make…

#323 Sally T. CS: 1,2,3,4,6,7. Other: mis-information, or perhaps a blatant lie used to coerce???

I went through those highly emotional and impactive teen years, in the 70s. This was when our LGBTQ brothers and sisters were still in the closet. A time when much that we now understand about our sexuality was misunderstood and frankly the LGBTQ community was demonized. (I regret that my opinions and likely comments as…

#321 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,4,7,8,9

Innocence Taken I grew up going to the Sugar Land wards of the Houston Texas South Stake. I was going in for my first temple interview to do baptisms for the dead. I was very naive and at the time didn’t know what self pleasure or masturbation were or what sexually active meant. I was…

#320 Cheryl N. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,7

You may use my name, I resigned from the Church a couple years ago and I am not afraid of the Church discipline or threats anymore. ” A current active bishop raped my 12-year-old daughter. In the middle of a night at 3:30 am she came to me hysterical and told me what happened. I…

#319 Lisa O. CS: 1,2,4,6,7

Lisa O. Idaho, USA My story takes place in the 1980s, in a town of about 30,000 people in Los Angeles County, California. One Sunday when I was about 15 years old, all the girls were brought together to watch a film called “Morality For Youth” (1982). The video used a group of teens on…

#310 Melissa G. CS: 1,4,7,8,9. Other: Shame after a rape

I was raped when I was 17 by the Stake President’s 22 year old RM son. I was terrified to say anything to anyone because I was afraid I would be punished. When I finally told my parents, they helped me report it to the police, the police told me they didn’t believe me and…

#308 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8

Local church leaders conduct worthiness interviews with their members, even the children. Every child in a Mormon congregation will have at least one interview with the presiding member of their congregation (Bishop or branch president) at age 7-8, and several more from the age of 11 to 18 prior to temple attendance or full-time missionary…