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

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 6. Impaired sexual relations after marriage, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

I love the church so much. I really really do. And it is because I love the church so much that I am supporting this cause. The experiences shared in these stories are heart wrenching. Adolescents do not need probing into their sexual lives by older men alone in a closed room. The only question…

#516 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,6,7,8. Other: Not the victim in the typical sense — Trigger — victims, please avoid this.

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 6. Impaired sexual relations after marriage, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

Trigger warning — I’m being honest and open where I never have before. If you have suffered from abuse, I caution reading this. Feel free to skip to the end where I discuss why I’m sharing my story. I’m male, as a boy I believe I was abused at a young age, but don’t remember…

#514 Sue Krupa Gray. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,7

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 4. Grooming, 5. Sexual abuse, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

Brethren, I am writing to you today with hopes that my story will not fall on deaf ears. My name is Sue Krupa-Gray and I was a member for over 4 decades. I believe my story is a prime example of why the church needs to stop interviewing children behind closed doors, especially in regards…

#513 Jennifer N. CS: 1,2,3,5,7,8

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 5. Sexual abuse, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

Long story short I was adopted and converted to the church. At age 4, I was already being sexually abused and raped. No one believed me and I had an “over active imagination” I was “coming on” to my abuser. At 8, I wasn’t allowed to get baptized because I wasn’t ready or “good enough”…

#510 Name Hidden. CS: 1,3,7,8

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

I am an active member of the church. When I served my mission, a man broke into me and my companions apartment. He held a knife up to my neck and sexually assaulted me. Not knowing the church protocol, I called my mission president. I don’t think he knew what to do and wasn’t prepared…

#509 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Other: Foundational damage to my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the LDS Church.

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 10. Suicide of a loved one or friend, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 4. Grooming, 5. Sexual abuse, 6. Impaired sexual relations after marriage, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, 9. Attempted Suicide, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

I was sexually abused by family members (aunts and cousins) and babysitters from my earliest memory (as a toddler). One such abusive event actually resulted in my drowning death but I was miraculously and gratefully revived. All of my abusers were “faithful” members of the LDS Church. I have also since learned that the abuse…

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

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 4. Grooming, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

I first discovered masturbation around 6 years old. I had no idea there was anything wrong with it and I simply called it “getting butterflies”. I remember at 8 being asked in my baptismal interview if anyone touched me on my private areas or if I touched myself. This caused anxiety within me. Was it…

#506 Matthew B. CS: 1,2,3,4,7,8. Other: Depression and impairment in social and professional environments.

1. Inappropriate shame and guilt, 2. Childhood self-loathing, 3. Adulthood self-loathing, 4. Grooming, 7. Years of recovery from childhood shaming, 8. Suicide Ideation, Consequence StoriesLeave a comment

I masturbated only once (yes, ONCE) as a young man growing up in the Church. I was 14 years old. I didn’t really understand what I was doing or feeling, but my LDS upbringing made me quickly realize that I had committed a line never to be crossed, not even once. I was so horrified…