When I was about 14 (about 35 years ago), all the girls had to go in for their “interview” with the bishop or first counselor. I recall an older girl telling some of us beforehand that we should say as little as possible, and answer “nothing,” “yes,” and “ok,” so it would be short and…
I grew up in the LDS church. My sister still practices and is active in the church. My parents are semi-active. I left the church as an adult after realizing that I did not agree with the practices of the LDS church. I was subject to intensively intimidating interviews such as this and realized how…
Both my husband and I were virgins when we married in an LDS temple. A few days after the wedding, I developed a urinary tract infection, the first one I ever had. I didn’t have a doctor in our little college town, but the father of a young man in our college ward was a…
Growing up, my mother and I were the only ethnic people in the ward. I generally blended in since my skin is fair but that changed when I hit puberty. Suddenly I had wide hips and was the only girl wearing a real bra. I got a lot of comments from adults and I guess…
My brother has suffered for 20+ years because of the extreme shaming coinciding with sexually explicit questioning. It was only about a year ago that he shared his tearful story with me. My brother was a “pleaser” from a young age. He strove to be a model Mormon, citizen and son. As his teenage years…
As a young boy going through puberty, I didn’t know what was going on with my body. I was changing. I remember when I was very young how painful my erections were, and I didn’t know what it meant or why it was happening. I’m sure they talked about it in the maturation program at…
I don’t think it only occurs for children in Church private interviews to receive inappropriate questions during private closed door bishop and other Church worthiness interviews. I was a newly called full time Elder missionary at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. My home ward and stake had never set me apart for my…
I had great bishops growing up. I always felt like they were sincere in trying to help me be a better person, and to this day, I still appreciate them. When I got back from my mission and started at BYU, I decided to tell the bishop of my new YSA ward that I am…
Mine is not a horrible story with graphic details. It is simply a story of what these questions do to a very normal young man. From the age of 12, my bishops asked me about masturbation. My bishops told me how I should fight Satan when confronted with the urge of self gratification. Each bishop…
I grew up in a “happy” devout Mormon family; and yet I felt completely isolated and alone my entire childhood. My sister and step-dad had such obvious contempt for me we rarely spoke. My mother admitted to me on multiple occasions that she felt she had lost the bond with me as an infant. So…