What Mormon bishops are actually like...

In recent years, there has been a lot of speculation about the role of bishops, especially because of a few different sexual allegations regarding bishops of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or LDS Church). This also comes during a time when Catholic priests have been misusing their authority for inappropriate behavior.
We believe that any kind of sexual misconduct is not of God and is completely inappropriate. We do not support the behavior of any bishop (or anyone, for that matter) who sexually mistreats any of God's children (anyone and everyone), especially when they use their perceived 'power' and 'authority' to do so.
We also believe that most of the bishops we know are trying their best to be their best. We know that being in a leadership position brings significant responsibility to act in a way that exemplifies godly attributes. Of the dozens and dozens of bishops we know, we believe that they are trying to do the best that they can. The actions of a very small minority (though they shouldn't be ignored and should be taken seriously) should not always indicate the actions of the majority.
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[@samanthaschwarz2513]

My Bishop is amazing and I am a single mom with a young daughter and any time she meets with the Bishop I am asked by my Bishop to come in with her and if I go to speak to my Bishop he always has another member come into the meeting. I always feel very comfortable and happy with my Ward!

[@davidsnell2605]

Happy to hear this!

[@crankypantaloons516]

In Aus, every member is encouraged to get a working with children check, and those that have a direct a role in working with children MUST have one. It's actually against the law for any of us to hold a calling without a prior police check. Our Church isn't taking this lightly, and we're being as proactive as we possibly can be. I'm proud of us for making sure our kids are as safe as they possibly can be!

[@SaintsUnscripted]

Cranky Pantaloons Love this! Thanks for sharing :)

[@ajcristo4679]

Everyone that’s on the list has to start somewhere. Afraid the check only does a small part in protecting brother G’day from Melbourne

[@crankypantaloons516]

@@ajcristo4679 Of course. As far as I know our police have yet to gain the powers of Minority Report. However, I'd say it is better than finding out later we could've prevented scarring a kid for life, if only we'd bothered checking a list before we let the devil in :) 'Ello 'ello from round the same neck of the woods!

[@nikkibridge8481]

Iuuu I’m o n lol😅

[@ekaterini2957]

Prayers and love to you. I was raised Roman Catholic so I understand the pain when single individuals do things that Christ has not called them to do and this hurts God's body. Love to you all. Pray unceasingly.

[@maddisackett7618]

Man, I just love you guys

[@SaintsUnscripted]

Maddi Sackett WE LOVE YOUUUUUU

[@ericredd5590]

The problem with Bishops is, they are given the opportunity to be behind closed doors alone with children beginning at the age of 8. Mormon bishops on the whole are good men and the % of offenders is small. A larger problem concerning bishops is that when they become aware of sexual abuse at the hand of a member of their congregation it is never reported to the police. Bishops are required to call a law firm in Salt Lake City so that the church is protected and in order to ensure that all abuse is dealt with inside the church. These matters are kept within the church and the offender is given cover to re-offend. If bishops reported to the police, these offenders would not have easy access to easy victims, because they would be dealt with in the legal system and be registered as sex offenders. Institutional cover up is a reality. Rather than exposing abusers the church has a law firm that protects the abuser and ultimately works covertly to protect the "Good Name" of the church. It is rare to find the "Church" ever supporting a victim.

[@scubamike50]

I am currently a Bishop and have had to call that "law firm in Salt Lake City" about abuse. They have always counseled me to report to the Police. Never, Never have I been counseled nor have I every cover it up.

[@ericredd5590]

@@scubamike50 I am glad to hear that. I wish that was the same for every situation. There are just too many people were not reported and abuse continued with other victims.

[@ericredd5590]

@@kristen_annIf the individual is responsible and then why call a hotline at all?

[@brettmajeske3525]

@@ericredd5590 Because the world is complicated. Because abusers can and do sue mandatory reporters for defamation. Even worse, sometimes reporters misjudge who the actual abuser is. It isn't that abused children lie, but when the adults they trust jump to wrong conclusions, they sometimes feel unable to correct them. Also, oftentimes those being abused do not want tales about them bandied about. Confidentially is rarely if ever about protecting the abuser, it more often the survivor's desire to keep everything secret that becomes problematic. Due to both being a scouting leader, and my current calling in the Sunday School I have been taking Youth Protection training for over twenty years. Every leader I have ever served with cared deeply about respecting and helping the young ones in our care. Sometimes there are evil people, not all are men, whose own flaws and addictions lead them to hurt the truly innocent. I wish protecting was easier. I wish family members could be safe in their own homes. For every story I have heard about abuse from church(regardless of denomination) or scout leader abusing their authority, 90% of abuse comes from relatives.

[@KevlarX2]

There has never been a problem with that ever in my area in the church, thankfully. There has been several baptist youth ministers in the news here however about that kind of thing. And the Catholic church has been in the news a lot about that. Every denomination needs to do whatever it takes to lessen the chances those things happen. Background checks and other things.

[@SaintsUnscripted]

KevlarX2 Thankfully I haven't experienced it either. But I totally agree, everyone needs to do what it takes to lessen that change of happening.

[@AsyaGresham]

My notifications actually decided to work today huh 😂😂 Hii !

[@SaintsUnscripted]

Asya Gresham YAY! Thanks for being here :)

[@tpbarron]

My husband just finished being the Bishop last week and it was a great experience for our whole family.

[@tpbarron]

@@melindaq2262 I have been a member my entire life and never known anyone or experienced anything myself that was n't totally respectable in the church. Just saying, this is a very rare incidence. But if you want to find fault, you will.

[@ernestmarcucella6918]

What is the Chapter from the Book of Mormon verses 36 and 37 did you read from. I have the Book of Mormon and I just started. So this is all new to me. I did have 2 Sister's help me but they had to leave go some place. So I am learning by myself.

[@donnataylor304]

Ernest Marcucella D&C 121:36-37 classic.scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/121/36#36

[@ernestmarcucella6918]

@@donnataylor304 thank you very much.

[@heatherluna5075]

I'm amazed every day that the Lord has confidence in us to build His kingdom on the earth in these latter days.

[@CovenantPathMinistry]

Being a Bishop is a tremendous calling to receive. It's a lot of work but worth it.

[@heatherluna5075]

My dad was a Bishop . They go through a lot. They are all learning just like doctors call medicine "practicing medicine"💗💗💗💗💗💗

[@elliechristensen3379]

Bishop's kid 🙋

[@MsCrow716]

Or in other words, put your faith in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father not in an inherently flawed, imperfect human being.

[@DannyAGray]

I still have never been told why all 3 members of the Presiding Bishopric are called Bishop, but that is not the case in local congregations. Anyone have insight on that?

[@veritasrestituta812]

Danny Gray Presiding Bishopric has gone thru a few changes as the church has grown. In a ward the Bishop is the presiding high priest a calling in the Melchizedek priesthood he also acts as president of the priest quorum. He holds the keys to preside over the spiritual and temporal needs in a ward in addition to keys to preside over Aaronic priesthood. The presiding Bishopric has all of these responsibilities but on large scale but have recently been given the emphasis of temporal welfare of the church. Because of the size of this responsibility all three are given these keys to be able to cover more ground and administer independently as needed but still under the presiding Bishop who reports directly to the first presidency. Temporal has a large umbrella which includes tithes and fast offerings so they oversee these funds building and maintaining churches and temples. Other infrastructures offices and administrative physical facilities fall under there care. Administration over welfare and bishops storehouse which includes farms ranches an food processing facilities fall under there care. This includes distribution of food and clothing and funds to help those in need which at this level includes natural disasters in many countries.They also supervise property owned by the church which is substantial and property the church purchases. Obviously not everyone possesses the skills necessary for this calling they usually hold advance college degrees in business administration and finance. The organization of the church is amazing and it makes it possible to help billions of people.

[@KevlarX2]

@@RyanMercer Bishop is a Melchizedek priesthood calling, not Aaronic priesthood.

[@brettmajeske3525]

@@KevlarX2 It's both. According to the D&C those who are not literal descendants of Aaron can only be called to the bishopric if they are Melchizedek priesthood holders, but in ancient times the office was held by Aaronic priesthood holder who were literal descendants.

[@danscholey2217]

Adults should not be questioning young children about sex. Period.

[@monocuco818]

That is a tricky thing to avoid. You see the average age that children are introduced to pornography is around 11 years old. MANY young adults are having sex and experimenting by the time they are 16. I would rather that a parent or properly prepared bishop be open about those things (particularly the parent) rather than having some junior high kids introduce it and teach it with graphic images. In interviews with young children they should never be explicit but they should be clear. When I was young the question was always, "do you live the law of chastity?" simple but not clear enough to kids who are just beginning to learn about these things. I'm just saying that Bishops should be trained on these sorts of things, and I would much rather have the parents and Bishops (properly trained) to handle these matters, rather junior high or high school age kids.

[@jeffteeter501]

Thirty years ago I would put in 40 hours a week as bishop of our ward. With three teenagers at home, I know that the Lord took care of us, we shared quality time while not so much quantity time.

[@MolyBDenum-lh3wy]

Is this kind of a response to the Vice documentary that came out recently? I’m not from Utah so am not sure of the news story being referred too..would be nice to have some context..thanks! 😊

[@dreastemkens2940]

I love you guys so much

[@CraigNewsome.]

So does our church mandate going to the secular authorities in sexual abuse cases?. If it does....and I hope it does......its a shame you didnt state that in the vid.

[@davidsnell2605]

You can read the church's policy here: www.lds.org/get-help/abuse/protecting-members-and-reporting-abuse?lang=eng If we overlooked something important, sorry about that! Excerpt: "Church leaders and members should fulfill all legal obligations to report abuse to civil authorities. No Church leader should ever dismiss a report of abuse or counsel a member not to report criminal activity. Bishops, branch presidents, and stake presidents should call the Church’s ecclesiastical help line immediately each time they learn of abuse for assistance in helping victims and meeting reporting requirements."

[@Ouroboros_99]

craig newsome while it is mandated in the handbook the leaders are also encouraged to go through a hotline that directs them to the churches law firm, where it is decided whether or not it's really that important to report the abuse

[@veritasrestituta812]

Inkling Nightmare I’m sure you aren’t implying the hot line is there to protect the Church from the negative image of abuse. It’s quite the opposite the hot line is there to make sure proper authorities are called. Often it’s the Bishop that is conflicted about confidentiality the hot line gives advice on legal obligations with a when in doubt victims first is always top priority. Trust me it can get complicated that’s why the hotline is there with legal expertise. Bishops hear a lot take this example a concerned mother comes to the Bishop her daughter and a neighbor girl play together a lot. The mom overhears the girls playing house together the neighbor girl has two dolls engaged in what appears to be a sexual act and is concerned something might be happening at home. How does the bishop respond trust me these kind of things come up and it’s not always easy to answer that why there’s a hotline.

[@CraigNewsome.]

@@veritasrestituta812 o thanks. That was what my next question was going to be. Sexual abuse is not just sin. It is a crime!. And needs to be reported. Never mind if it makes a faith organization look 'bad'.

[@veritasrestituta812]

Melinda Q that’s false I’ve been a bishop and known many bishops. this is so typical of those that hate the church. It’s just not good enough to talk to a member about the church they belong to . You must get your info from someone who hates the church, someone who has left the church or someone from another church. I’m a current member with first hand information. The church is doing everything possible to prevent abuse, when reported the first counsel given is to contact the police if a crime has been committed . I tried to explain some of the complexities bishops face in regards to the issue of abuse. The church ofJesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is against abuse of any kind and will suffer any image problems it may cause to be transparent and protect victims...

[@BV2497]

You all realize that the reason that there can be another adult in the room during worthiness interviews is because of Sam Young, right?? You know, that one guy who was excommunicated for protesting sexually explicit questions in bishops’ interviews??

[@davidsnell2605]

Some thoughts on this to consider: On March 26, 2018, the Church clarified that youth can have another adult present in interviews if they so choose. This was never against Church policy to begin with, but the clarification was nice. In June, 2018, the First Presidency instructed bishops to "share a set list of topics and questions with parents and youth to prepare them for a youth's first interview" (none of which are sexually explicit). This was all before Sam Young was excommunicated, which occurred in September, 2018. According to his excommunication letter, "The issue is not that you have concerns or even that you disagree with the church's guidelines. Rather, it is your persistent, aggressive effort to persuade others to your point of view by repeatedly and deliberately attacking and publicly opposing the church and its leaders." bit.ly/2VWzpd1 Sam Young protested policies for a very long time without any threat of excommunication. Then he started encouraging people to not join the Church. If you tell people not to join the local book club because you don't like it, chances are, you're going to get kicked out of the club. But, for the record, I don't think bishops should be asking sexually explicit questions either. We have standards of chastity in the Church, so of course there are superficial questions regarding that, but bishops shouldn't be digging into details. Not sure what the training manual for bishops says/doesnt say on this. But in my subjective experience I've never been asked anything inappropriate in the dozens of interviews I've had. This comment about Sam from a news article was telling: "I know Sam and know him to have a good heart. Sadly, I have seen what began as a few legitimate concerns balloon into full-blown apostasy. He holds alternate meetings with his “followers” at “talkerias” regularly to promote his ideas. Unfortunately he is using John Dehlin as a resource on how to affect change in the Church, so he is receiving bad advice. The Bishop-youth interview is only the first issue on a longer list of complaints he has" (bit.ly/2JEQmCr). Anyway, sad case all around. There will always be room for improvement on the Church's end, just as I think there was on Sam's end, too.

[@daleroyster2144]

David Snell you are right about your statements! Thank you! I believe parents should take care of intimacy topics......or Grandparents if possible no parents available.....

[@davidsnell2605]

@@melindaq2262 I agree with much of what you said. I don't think the help line has to be one or the other. I think both are fine. IF it is just to protect the church, I think priorities are definitely off. But if we trust what the Church has stated the help line is for, then it's both to help set the victim up with counseling and to provide legal advice. Of course, we can choose not to believe the part about helping the victim. And if the victim is not helped, and the legal advice is, "here's how we can cover this up and make it go away," then I agree, that's totally inappropriate. I fully support criminal background checks for bishops. I'd also be totally fine with distilling a 'worthiness' interview to one question: "In order to be baptized or to enter the temple, we need to be spiritually prepared. Part of that preparedness means that we are striving to keep God's commandments. Do you feel that you are spiritually prepared to make baptismal or temple covenants?" Better training on what kinds of questions are OK and not OK to ask would also be great. In fact, the Church has released a training video to ward counsels about how to handle abuse cases. Can we attribute its release to Sam Young? Probably. But I don't think his opinions about interviews are what got him excommunicated (as per his excommunication letter). But if people consider him a martyr for the cause, alright.

[@brettmajeske3525]

@@davidsnell2605 Well, Bishops had a recommended list of questions way back in the 80's, so I doubt Sam Young was responsible for that.

[@davidsnell2605]

@@brettmajeske3525 Agreed.

[@Amytheproject]

I left the church last year because of the bishop/rig . (Edit: actully must have been more than a year ago ,maybe almost 2 years )

[@SaintsUnscripted]

Avi Ortiz I'm so sorry :/ I don't know your situation but either way, I am so sorry if you were mistreated. That should never happen to anyone.