Was born and raised in the Mormon Church in Provo Utah. I have been questioned inappropriately by Bishops since age 8. When I was 12 years old, My Bishop’s name was _____. He would always start on our sessions with a hug and hold my hands. While holding my hands he asked questions about masturbating…
Too much to share… decades of shame due to a couple of choices I made. The very thought of Bishop interviews give me anxiety. I always believed it was a necessary thing to participate in and always would be in tears when I left the room. I considered suicide many times as my sin was…
I was raised in the church, and while I didn’t always know if I believed it was the ONLY true church I did my best to follow its basic teachings through my childhood. I didn’t drink, didn’t do drugs, didn’t date until I was 16, held leadership positions for youth, and didn’t miss any temple…
I was a teen in the 70’s, the days of bi-annual Bishop interviews. I was asked about masturbation every time. I hated those interviews, it was crushingly shaming. I’m furious now that I was guilted for completely normal and healthy teen behavior. The thing that makes me the most angry is that those interviews taught…
Story #1 I was taken to a member of our stake presidency when I was 15 because my parents learned my boyfriend and I had “gone too far.” He asked lots of questions but the one that stuck with me was “Do you think you are oversexed?” I truly thought there was something WRONG with…
When I was sixteen, I had a boyfriend. He was handsome, funny, and smart. He was a gentleman, always opening doors and carrying things for me. He was investigating the Church, so everyone was delighted that we were dating, because I was so active in church activities and held many leadership positions. This man was…
As the only member in my family, I’ve fought hard to carve a path for myself in this church. As a 15 year old new member I had already experienced sex and reigning in all my previous experience was hard. I was not accustomed to accountability, least of all to men I didn’t have a…
I’ve been wanting to share with you my experience with the baptismal interview I had at the age of 10. I was currently being sexually abused by a close family member. The Bishop worthiness interview is something I’ll never forget. When he asked me if I was having sex with family members, I froze. I…
When I was a teenager, my bishop asked me if I was involved in masturbation. I had no idea what that meant. He explained it to me in detail. At my next interview, he asked me about masturbation again. I still did not understand. So he proceeded to describe it again. I was very uncomfortable…
I was made to feel I was the ONLY ONE of all the deacons, teachers & priests who had ever masturbated. My bishop scheduled interviews without my parents’ knowledge, and I had to go to his house, alone, to talk to him. I was shamed. I thought I was the worst person alive, and probably…