Sam Young is a former Mormon bishop — and still a practicing Mormon — who never asked children about these things, and he’s leading the charge to inform parents that this is happening and to stop Church leaders from doing it.
Young says he’s heard similar stories from kids as young as 8. His petition to protect children from “Mormon Masturbation Interviews” includes a list of the consequences that have come from kids being asked about their sexual habits by religious leaders, based on what they said years later.
1. Suicide. 2. Attempted suicide. 3. Suicidal ideation. 4. Inappropriate shame and guilt. 5. Childhood filled with self loathing. 6. Adulthood filled with self loathing. 7. Normalising children to sexual questions by adult men. (Grooming) 8. Sexual abuse. (Pedophilia) 9. Impaired sexual relations after marriage. 10. Years of recovery from childhood shaming. Often lasting decades. Young then makes his request:
We call on the LDS Church to immediately cease the practice of subjecting children to questions about masturbation, orgasm, ejaculation, sexual positions or or anything else of a sexual nature. This applies to all children up to and including age 17.
We call on the LDS Church to publicly disavow this practice.
We call on the LDS Church to insure that all congregational leaders, as well the general membership, are informed that this practice is prohibited.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
One of the reasons I felt I could not raise my kids in the LDS Church was the intrusive and abusive bishop's interviews in which people of both sexes, from the age of 12 through elderly adulthood, are asked very intimate details about their sexual lives. The idea that a bishop should ask a 12 year old girl about masturbation should be both highly offensive and absolutely unacceptable to all LDS adults.
Stop the child abuse.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
In Utah, Area Authorities in 2016 instructed local leaders "to be specific and explicit" in worthiness interviews for prospective missionaries. "[N]Old Testament just, "Do you live the law of chastity?"" Think about it. These are 17-year-old kids who are being asked "specific and explicit" questions about their personal sex lives by older men.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
However, Bishops asking questions is not the major source of anguish. They can still read your mind and judge your worthiness just by being bishops. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" is enough for them to say.
If you don't confess you can't repent, and you carry the sin until it's too late and you become a licked cupcake. Such thoughts could lead to suicide, attempted suicide, self loathing, inappropriate shame and guilt. The teaching that sex/masturbation is sinful is the real problem.
I agree though. Stop the child abuse.
"And yet another little spot is smoothed out of the echo chamber wall..." Bond
However, Bishops asking questions is not the major source of anguish. They can still read your mind and judge your worthiness just by being bishops. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" is enough for them to say.
If you don't confess you can't repent, and you carry the sin until it's too late and you become a licked cupcake. Such thoughts could lead to suicide, attempted suicide, self loathing, inappropriate shame and guilt. The teaching that sex/masturbation is sinful is the real problem.
I agree though. Stop the child abuse.
In my opinion, bishops should not be interviewing kids at all.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
When the church finally loses the ability and power to control the crotches of the youth the church will become just another church having lost one of its major cult attributes. Then the youth will be free to be themselves and sexual freedoms will lead them to discover new frontiers.
I feel this is the greatest threat against the institution of Mormonism.
I hope it stops. There is so much wrong with Bishops asking kids these kinds of questions. I think since the Bishop is male, a kid's mother ought to have to be present. Mixed company with a child present: I doubt there would be inappropriate questions asked in that context.
Sam Young is a former Mormon bishop — and still a practicing Mormon — who never asked children about these things, and he’s leading the charge to inform parents that this is happening and to stop Church leaders from doing it.
Actually Sam no longer attends church and spoke at the Mass resignation event in slc this past Sunday, he's also an outspoken church critic in the Mormon Stories Facebook page, he also voted No in a loud voice at the sustaining of GAs at general conference and in his local Stake Conference... in other words he's kind of like us
"...The official doctrine of the LDS Church is a Global Flood" - BCSpace
"...What many people call sin is not sin." - Joseph Smith
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away" - Phillip K. Dick
“The meaning of life is that it ends" - Franz Kafka
