These are personal accounts of the negative consequences that inappropriate interviews have had on people.
When I was a member of the church at 12 years old, I was accused of masturbation by my parents and the bishop. I was only a deacon and had no idea what masturbation was at the time. I protested and insisted I was not guilty…but I was forced to undergo church discipline at only…
I discovered self-love at age 11. It was sorta an accident, but I really enjoyed it. I knew it must be wrong because my mother caught me once and we had a meeting with the Bishop that lasted an hour. We talked about playing with the special present before Christmas, and that I shouldn’t arise…
Was in an interview by a Stake Pres in Riverton Utah to obtain my recommend for Temple attendance back in 1992. My spouse was not LDS but heard I could get a recommend if found worthy. I taught classes, paid tithing (against my spouses’ wishes) attended all meetings and considered myself ready for the temple…
My daughter went in to repent to the bishop. She had a sexual relationship with a man when she was 14 and he was 18. This went on for several months and was found out about by her parents and turned in to the authorities. She also had relations with another boy afterwards and wanted…
I was receiving my first birthday interview as a Young Man, so I must have been 13 years old. The Bishop had numerous children himself and must have felt skilled as a father, and part of his professional job was in counseling with the LDS Church. He later became Stake President. At a point in…
LDS Church Bishops – the starting position for ALL other “higher” leadership positions in the LDS Church such as Stake President, etc. – are appointed ONLY based on being the highest tithing donor and being a church attending male in the congregation. NO OTHER CRITERIA are actually considered or used. There is NO screening or…
Sam, First of all, I just want to tell you how moved I am by what you are doing. I can’t remember when I first stumbled across your cause but I know it was around the time that Harvey hit Houston because I remember thinking about you when I saw the news. I’d like to…
Prompted to ask my , now adult children, if any of them experienced inappropriate questions or behavior in their Bishop interviews years ago?…. This is the response from my (now adult) youngest son…. “All those questions were “normal” to me growing up inside the church- its just how things were done. Having left the church,…
During my developmental years as a teen I often struggled with depression. I was weighed down with guilt and tore myself apart with self-loathing. I was conflicted, frustrated, embarrassed, confused, and suffering. My source of pain was due to my personal sexual sins. These minuscule sins included very infrequently masturbating (never to completion) and sometimes…
When I went to speak to my bishop to start the repentance process I was shocked at the information he wanted to know. He wanted to know the exact date, person and sexual experience I encountered. It made me feel so uncomfortable that I never returned back. I ended up leaving the church several months…