Anyone read the AP Story about sex abuse in the LDS Church?

[Anonymous]

https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660

TW: it's horrific. Very reminiscent of the Catholic sex abuse crisis- where abuse is/was hidden in order to protect the reputation of the Church rather than help the victims, and where abuse was not reported to authorities but to higher ups in the church. Both are hierarchical, patriarchal organizations. This needs to stop!!!

[Anonymous]

Ugh. So disgusting.

The worst thing about this is that the clergy privilege is maintained by the government, and the LDS church (and I assume other churches) uses its heavy influence to lobby for the privilege. Like, in Utah I can't imagine the privilege will go away since state politicians are so heavily LDS.

also I saw that Elder Oaks, who is one of the top leaders of the church and a former judge, said that Bishops are supposed to use "the gift of discernment" to make sure abuse is really going on before they do anything about it. So these random guys the church picks to be in charge, who have no training in any of this, are supposed to wait until God tells them the victim isn't lying before they help the victim. It's all infuriating.

[Anonymous]

Yes, and it was horrible, just horrible.

This is not a religion issue, though. It's a men with power issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, and it was horrible, just horrible.

This is not a religion issue, though. It's a men with power issue.

but these religions give men with power opportunity to abuse with no consequence.

[Anonymous]

This thread implies there's more sexual abuse within the LDS church than the general population, but I'd suppose that would turn out to be FALSE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread implies there's more sexual abuse within the LDS church than the general population, but I'd suppose that would turn out to be FALSE.

+1

This is an excellent report by the AP and the focus here should be on how people know about pedophiles — KNOW — and are willing to look away. Whether it’s the Mormon Church or Penn State football or your relatives in your family of origin. THAT mentality is what you all should be taking a hard look and working hard to dismantle, rather than a specific religion (or school or any other group). It really is the same everywhere.

- Survivor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread implies there's more sexual abuse within the LDS church than the general population, but I'd suppose that would turn out to be FALSE.

+1

This is an excellent report by the AP and the focus here should be on how people know about pedophiles — KNOW — and are willing to look away. Whether it’s the Mormon Church or Penn State football or your relatives in your family of origin. THAT mentality is what you all should be taking a hard look and working hard to dismantle, rather than a specific religion (or school or any other group). It really is the same everywhere.

- Survivor

+infinity

It’s a terrible problem throughout the entire world, throughout all institutions, families, etc. It should not be used as a wedge issue to call out personal grievances…real people are having their bodies and minds destroyed by this horrific abuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread implies there's more sexual abuse within the LDS church than the general population, but I'd suppose that would turn out to be FALSE.

Which post implies this?

[Anonymous]

I thought the abuse among LDS communities was widely known.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the abuse among LDS communities was widely known.

Nope, never heard about it before.

[Anonymous]

Abuse is built in to the Church. Bishops point blank ask minors, in a room alone without their parents present, if they watch porn or if they masturbate in interviews for baptism, temple worthiness, or to apply for an LDS mission. Children as young as 11 or 12. They ask specific questions. Like “when was the last time you watched pornography?” Not just occasionally or with some particularly overzealous bishops—this is standard in every bishop interview for them to interrogate children about this. It’s sick and it’s wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Abuse is built in to the Church. Bishops point blank ask minors, in a room alone without their parents present, if they watch porn or if they masturbate in interviews for baptism, temple worthiness, or to apply for an LDS mission. Children as young as 11 or 12. They ask specific questions. Like “when was the last time you watched pornography?” Not just occasionally or with some particularly overzealous bishops—this is standard in every bishop interview for them to interrogate children about this. It’s sick and it’s wrong.

I am the ex-Mormon who has posted in other threads. I was raised in the LDS church and was never asked any specific/explicit questions in any temple recommend interview and that was as a single woman into my 30’s, so two full decades of mandatory celibacy. The only question I was ever asked on the topic was “Do you obey the law of chastity?” They left it to me to define that.

I am not saying my experience is universal, and I am well aware that the situation you describe happens and is perhaps common, but it is not policy and it is not universal.

It’s important to me to draw this line because far too often I see things about how Mormons are this or that and the goal is to other Mormons and paint the problems of this particular organization as being unique to the LDS church because Mormons are weird or backwards or evil. The reality is that the LDS church has these issues for reasons that are common in our society—it’s an organization with a top-down structure that encourages deference to those who outrank you, defense of the organization from outsiders and devalues women and children and individuals. That is true of many religions, workplaces, sports teams, etc. To combat abuse we need to break that paradigm everywhere, not ONLY within this particular religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Abuse is built in to the Church. Bishops point blank ask minors, in a room alone without their parents present, if they watch porn or if they masturbate in interviews for baptism, temple worthiness, or to apply for an LDS mission. Children as young as 11 or 12. They ask specific questions. Like “when was the last time you watched pornography?” Not just occasionally or with some particularly overzealous bishops—this is standard in every bishop interview for them to interrogate children about this. It’s sick and it’s wrong.

I have an ex lds friend who has nightmares about this experience. She couldn't wait to leave the church.

[Anonymous]

I think men support religious stories because the religious stories support male power. It’s like if you don’t believe in Santa, you don’t get presents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Abuse is built in to the Church. Bishops point blank ask minors, in a room alone without their parents present, if they watch porn or if they masturbate in interviews for baptism, temple worthiness, or to apply for an LDS mission. Children as young as 11 or 12. They ask specific questions. Like “when was the last time you watched pornography?” Not just occasionally or with some particularly overzealous bishops—this is standard in every bishop interview for them to interrogate children about this. It’s sick and it’s wrong.

This happened to me. Also, the article makes me cry and want to vomit. A had a close friend who was a victim of sexual abuse by her stepfather and it was never reported and he bishop mad he feel dirty and ashamed for disclosing it. Will never go back, and talking to an active LDS man still triggers me.