LDS Freedom Forum

Reluctant Watchman wrote: ↑March 17th, 2023, 5:19 pm

Robin Hood wrote: ↑March 17th, 2023, 4:56 pm It wasn't a bishop's court either, which is why I am a little suspicious of her story.

Why would you say it wasn’t a Bishop’s court? Here was her description:

In my last post, someone asked if I was going to be called to a full disciplinary court presided over by the stake president. My ward meets in the stake house, so it was unclear, but there was no full court. Someone who knows better will correct me - is it called a bishop's court? It was held in the high council room, with eight of us seated at one end of the conference table. My bishopric sat at the head of the table, and I sat to their right, with the two high councilmen assigned to our ward sitting between us. The clerk/exec-sec (who was only there to take notes) and a stake-level guy sat across from me. The only person I recognized was my bishop. It was basically just me and seven men I didn't know

Robin Hood wrote: ↑March 18th, 2023, 1:52 am

Reluctant Watchman wrote: ↑March 17th, 2023, 5:19 pm

Robin Hood wrote: ↑March 17th, 2023, 4:56 pm It wasn't a bishop's court either, which is why I am a little suspicious of her story.

Why would you say it wasn’t a Bishop’s court? Here was her description:

In my last post, someone asked if I was going to be called to a full disciplinary court presided over by the stake president. My ward meets in the stake house, so it was unclear, but there was no full court. Someone who knows better will correct me - is it called a bishop's court? It was held in the high council room, with eight of us seated at one end of the conference table. My bishopric sat at the head of the table, and I sat to their right, with the two high councilmen assigned to our ward sitting between us. The clerk/exec-sec (who was only there to take notes) and a stake-level guy sat across from me. The only person I recognized was my bishop. It was basically just me and seven men I didn't know

Because of the people present.
A Bishop's court would consist of the bishop, his two counsellors, and the ward clerk. Her description doesn't match this.
High Council members would not be present, and the claim that there were members of the court ensuring her rights were upheld etc, is a function of a stake disciplinary council.

logonbump wrote: ↑March 18th, 2023, 6:14 am And now... The rest of the story:
(From six weeks ago on indespectusnicht's Reddit profile)
"It has taken me time to process what happened and to figure out what I want to say. I’m a sexual abuse and trafficking survivor. A man in my ward started raping me at age 5 and selling me at 9. I reported twice to bishops and once to an LDS therapist. Nothing was ever done. Not a single phone call ever made to protect me. Like so many stories posted here, I was shamed, guilted, degraded, labeled, and threatened into silence (removal of temple recommend, no ecclesiastical endorsement etc).

In the years following high school, I stayed active and did what was expected of me. There was a part of me that wanted to believe if I was good enough and prayed hard enough, God would heal me. It didnt take long to give up on magic healing and I walked away from the church. I was done. I was one of the silent. No explanation given. No fanfare. We don’t care enough to say why; one week we are there and the next the pew is empty.

Right before Covid, my newly called bishop met with me and asked why I left encouraging me to speak freely. After trusting him with a mild watered-down 10% version, that twit called the hotline asking for counsel and told them everything. So I started talking. I posted here. I found an attorney. I went to the police. I interviewed with the press. And the church responded as only it knows how: threatened, shamed, and destroyed.

Most egregiously, during that time I was warned that speaking out against the church and its leaders is apostate behavior. Now that I had my fun and pulled my temper-tantrum, I need to sit down, shut up, and be good. Oh and I need to learn to forgive. I can’t forget that part.

Those still sitting in the pews each week need to know these stories are real. The church absolutely hides abuse, they shift perps to different callings, and they label the victim as crazy. And if we still find the courage to speak, they push us around, minimize our abuse, broadcast that it’s a blip or a rogue bishop, pay us off, bully the press, threaten lawsuits, disparage and destroy our names. That’s the Mormon church. That’s how they treat victims.

I was hand-delivered notice that a formal disciplinary hearing for me is being held mid-February. I am invited to attend. I am being called out for a whole list of apostate behavior including “speaking ill of the brethren.” At least they were nice enough to include that it’s not too late to shut this all down. I can still cancel my work with the media, apologize to the brethren I offended, show humility, be seen and not heard, and we can all go back to being friends. So nice for the brethren to give me an out, don’t you think? They are always so compassionate if we would just hand over our voices, our truth, our trust, our freedom, our money, and any sense of peace we have left.

Could a filmmaker write a better headline for this chapter: trafficking victim disciplined by the Mormon church for speaking up.

Flight or fight? Those are my options. Time to fight. Bring it on. (But I’m still mad and scared as $#!%, FYI. I’m not really all that brave)."