Explicit Mormon Leader Behavior

Explicit Mormon Leader Behavior

I am constantly blown away at stories I hear.  I have met people that have been sexually assaulted by church leaders, people that are shunned because they don’t obey the word of wisdom because they drink alcohol, people who have had affairs with a Stake President and a Bishops Counselor.  I met a Bishop that had a drug addiction. Relief Society President who had warrants our for her arrest.  I have met so called “good Mormons” who physically assault their family members.  I could go on and on with the people I have met.  What disturbs me the most is not seeing or hearing any church action taken against these church members that do not clearly live the principles that the Mormon Church teaches.  It appears to me that the Mormon Church turns a blind eye toward the very behavior to claim to be against. Now I grew up in a good home, as did my friends.  I would say that most Mormon families are good people.  But there are plenty of people I know and have met that make me cringe at what I have learned about some peoples lives and inaction the Mormon Church takes.

The first story I will begin with in this blog a man that was a young boy scout at the time.  This individual was a  “Teacher” at the time.  A Teacher in the Mormon Church is someone who had been ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood.  You are ordained with the Aaronic Priesthood at age 12 as a Deacon.  Then at age 14 you are ordained as a Teacher, and then Age 16 you are ordained a Priest.  Then at age 18 or older, you can then be ordained with the Melchizedek Priesthood.  So this man was a Teacher at the time at 14 or 15 years old.  The story this man shared with me disturbed me.  The boys Church leader and Scout Master (generally the same thing in the Mormon Church) were driving in the mans truck with another young man, on their way to the church for a Saturday morning church basketball game.  The 2 boys were laughing and having fun, and the Church leader reached over and grabbed and squeezed the boys genitals and said your too loud.  When I asked the man what he did after that, he said me….. “I sat their quiet for the rest of the ride to the church as I tried to figure out why my Scout Master and Church Leader would do that.  I knew it was wrong what he did, but I didn’t know how to respond.  I was quiet and didn’t talk to my leader for the entire basketball game.  I walked home afterward.  I never told anyone because I was a young boy and didn’t think anyone would believe me and I was too embarrassed to even tell my parents.  I kept it to myself.  This is the first time I have shared that story with anyone.” 

I can tell you that all through my years, I have never heard any lesson at church that instructed the youth to speak up if their leaders hurt them in anyway.  I felt sorry this man as he shared this story.

This next story that was shared with me is from a man now in his 30’s.  This man told me that he was called for an interview with his Bishop because he was turning 12 years old.  This was completely normal.  Every young man knew when they turned 12 years old, they have an interview with the Bishop and he determines if you are worthy to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood.  This man said he went into the interview excited.  This man told me the Bishop asked him if he had ever masturbated. This man told me that he didn’t even know what the word meant, so he thought to himself…. If I don’t know what the word means, I obviously don’t do that.  I asked the man what the Bishops behavior was when he asked that questions, and I was told the Bishop seemed very professional and when I said “no” to his question, the Bishop moved on to the different questions.  The man said he wasn’t asked anything else that he feels now would have been inappropriate. 

I don’t know why a Bishop or any church leader needs to ask young children if they have ever masturbated.  I believe it to be totally inappropriate.  I recently read a story about a Bishop in Texas who was recently ex-communicated from the Mormon Church because he too does not agree with such questions and started an organization to protect children from church leaders asking these personal questions, and I have read stories where rape victims have been asked the most horrid details from their Mormon Bishops.  Details that I won’t add to this blog.  This ex-communicated Bishop is trying to the right thing and get the Mormon leaders to change the questions asked in interviews.  Well, he is tossed from the church for doing so. 

The people that tell me their stories generally conclude the same way.  They have left the Mormon Church and are a lot happier now.  They don’t feel constant guilt because they don’t live up to the standard of the Mormon teachings.  They tell me they were living life feeling like God was never happy with them and they were not going to return back to his presence.  The Mormon Church talks about forgiveness and repentance, and how Jesus died on the cross and paid for our sins already.  However, they also teach about the 3 degrees of heaven they believe in, and only the most righteous of people will enter into the highest degree where God lives.  The 2^nd degree od heaven is taught that you won’t ever be in Gods presence, but Jesus Christ can come down to visit the people in the 2^nd degree of Heaven.  Then in the 3^rd degree of Heaven, you are in Heaven but you will never see God or Jesus Christ.  Now this this does not sound like the Loving God I have always been taught about.  I feel a loving God will want all of his children back to him.  I remember being taught in Mormon Seminary that Joseph Smith said if we ever saw what the 3 degree of Heaven looks like, we would kill ourselves to get there.  But Mormons strive to gain entrance to the 1^st degree of Heaven and it makes a lot of people feel like they will never get there and they go through life feeling guilty.  I know a lot of depressed Mormons and they have told me just that, they feel constant guilt because they aren’t perfect.  I don’t think anyone should live a life of constant guilt, especially if the faith you follow makes you feel that way.  I say find a faith that encourages you and helps you feel like you are on the right path.