#732 Name Hidden. CS: 1,3,6,7,10

When I was 16, I had sex with my boy friend, my bishop at the time told me that no worthy return missionary would ever have me. DEVASTATING my world! The SHAME was overwhelming! My hopes/dreams in all that I’d been taught/molded to live for!!! Within 2 years I had ‘found’ an older (18 YEARS…

#731 Kristine D.K. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Other: PTSD, anxiety, persistent nightmares

Around my eighth birthday I was excited to be baptized. The plan was my father would baptize me. Both he and my grandfather would be there on Sunday for confirmation. Since I was born in April, it felt good to be joining the ranks of my older classmates. I don’t remember exactly which day the…

#730 Name Hidden. CS: 1,3,6

I joined the church as a 21-year-old woman who had been sexually active prior to joining. After my baptism I struggled with masturbation. I went to my YSA branch president after each time crying and repenting. Lots of self-loathing, shame and mostly guilt. Fast forward a few years and I was married. My husband was…

#729 Name Hidden. CS: 1,4,6,7

When I was 13 or 14 years old, I was asked by my bishop if I had ever masturbated. I felt a terrible sense of shame, because I had masturbated. I felt like I had committed a terrible, disgusting act; something that I was ashamed of. I admitted to my bishop that I had masturbated.…

#728 Sarah R. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

I am a convert. I was born and raised into a catholic family on both sides. I was introduced to the church at 15 and soon desired to be affiliated and grow in my testimony of the gospel. I was interviewed at 15 and asked several questions that made me feel entirely dirty. I felt…

#727 Tara T. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Other: Eating disorder for 15 years, postpartum anxiety and depression

My story is difficult for many to believe, but I have spent many years healing and finding evidence to validate to myself that it is true and many of my family member have started speaking about abuse they remembered years after I held onto the hope that my experiences were to crazy to be true.…

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

When I was 15 I had an almost 18 year-old boyfriend. He tried to force things on me and sometimes had the upper hand He tried to go too far and almost did, he broke up with when I told him I wanted to wait. I was devastated. Shortly after, I had to have my…

#716 Name Withheld. CS: 1,2,3,5,6,7

The following is my personal story of childhood abuse and how church leadership concealed and diminished its significance. It is long. I come from a large Mormon family. I was born-in-the-covenant and raised “knowing” that it was all true. There was no choice in attending church, seminary, or serving a mission. Those choices were made…

#714 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,6,7

Mine is a story of abuse. Not from a bishop but from a mormon dad who rose in the levels of mormon leadership because he did things like eloquently pray. He was, also,to put it bluntly a suck-up and as we all know this is a feature that helps you get far in mormonism (or…