These are personal accounts of the negative consequences that inappropriate interviews have had on people.
When I was a very naive 12 year old, I attended my first bishops interview. I was scared & really had no idea what to expect. I was intimidated by anyone in a leadership position. I think it all started out fine and then was hit with a question that I never imagined being asked.…
This is not my story. This is my sister’s story. But she is not here to tell it. My younger sister LeeAnn became a “special project” of her Bishop _____ in Florida. She was neither his first nor his last victim. Bishop _____ convinced my blindly obedient mother that LeeAnn needed to come live with…
Even though it was long ago, I remember being interviewed by the bishop as I prepared to be baptized at the age of eight. It was the mid-1950’s, and both of my parents were with me in the bishop’s office. I was NOT asked if I lived the law of chastity, but rather was asked…
I was ~middle school age when my Mormon leaders started bringing this stuff up and asking me about the same stuff. Wish I’d known back then how messed up it was. In my case. My father drove me late at night to have an “emergency interview” with our Mormon bishop when they found some “magazines”…
I’m a pretty sexual person. I don’t know if it’s a consequence of my youth or whether it’s just how I am and I was made to feel ashamed of something that is just natural for me. When I was 14 I ‘sinned’ with a boy in my stake. My mum found out because I…
My story I hope will bring light to how systemic the issue is. The story is my father’s who is now 70. When my father was being interviewed to be a deacon it was now Prophet Russell M. Nelson who interviewed him. My dad said the first question asked was, ” How often do you…
When I was in high school I was sexually assaulted by a classmate. When this happened I was totally naive to anything sexual in nature, so obviously I didn’t quite understand what had happened to me or that what had happened was not a normal sexual experience. After some time of feeling guilt, I went…
I haven’t read even one of these stories. I won’t. I can’t let myself read child abuse. I’m 58, BIC, active nearly my entire life. My experience is likely better than most as I remember it. I wasn’t asked directly about masturbation until i was just a month shy of 16, my priest interview. I…
I remember a dimly lit room where I was interviewed quickly for baptism at 8 years old. My parents were ‘inactive’ and the first I heard of what I was agreeing to was in that interview. I was told I was promising to never sin again. I had a fight with my sister that night…
I was a new missionary at the MTC. The MTC President groomed the sister missionaries by constantly praising and complementing us as if he had us on a pedestal. At the same time he was very controlling over our behavior. He wouldn’t allow us to talk much to the Elders and we couldn’t laugh. He…