These are personal accounts of the negative consequences that inappropriate interviews have had on people.
I was about 14 years old, I was forced to go to church by my mom. I decided to try and be more active and more involved. I wanted to get my temple recommend so I could go to the temple with my Young Women’s group and friends. I remember being asked by the bishop…
In the spring of 2012, the Stake President of the Winnipeg Canada Stake told us in the annual stake priesthood mtg. that “masturbation leads to murder”. God forbid there was some teenager there that night that had done it and felt like crap and who knows maybe thought about killing themselves before killing someone else,…
I really don’t have a great sense of exactly how to communicate just how damaging these one on one bishop interviews involving sexual topics by untrained men with authority for and from the church have been to me so this will probably come off long and not very concise. I think those that read the…
I want to spend a little time sharing my story. I do not want to give too many details but give readers a pretty good idea of what happened to me. I grew up in Arvada Colorado. In about 1987, there was an older man that moved in the ward, probably better not to share…
I recognize my mother’s voice in another story here, so I think it’s time to share mine. When I was a child, I had a very zealous bishop who thoroughly, searchingly interviewed me 2-4x/year starting around age 11. When I was first asked about subjects such as pornography, masturbation, bestiality, etc. by this bishop, I…
When I was 15 I slept with my boyfriend. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had done so because I didn’t feel like I could say no. Anyway, I felt a ton of guilt and went to my bishop that week to start the repentance process. All I wanted to do was confess…
I don’t think my story is anywhere near as hurtful and disturbing as others who have come forward. I offer my respect, love, and support to each of the brave people who have shared their horrific realities with the world through this forum, and I add my voice to the collective voice crying for these…
When I was in my late teens, I was called into the Bishop’s office, out of the blue, and interrogated for over one and half hours, regarding sexual acts that I knew nothing about. With each question the Bishop asked, I answered NO, as I was unaware of what he was talking about. I was…
Those who read my story may well conclude that I have no business posting alongside those who have been subject to the horrors of sexual abuse and assault. My story is perhaps altogether commonplace. I share it because I am convinced that many members of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints have suffered…
My father was in church leadership as were all the males in my family dating back to Joseph Smith himself and are direct descendants of him. My maternal grandfather was a stake president, the first in the stake where I now live. He had a large family and every one of his children as well…