For those opposed to Bishops asking about masturbation

[SoonerCoug]

Originally Posted by jay santos

You're talking about suspecting a bishop of being a voyeuristic pervert. I've heard the argument about a bishop contributing to unnecessary guilt/shame for a teenager that actually could end up fueling an addiction. I haven't heard the pervert aspect. As a parent, I don't perceive that as much of a risk.

Do you think there has EVER been a pervy bishop? I do.

Heck, we had a stake president for 10 years who was well known to be an alcoholic and was arrested for public drunkenness within months after his release. If you can have a raging alcoholic as a stake president, you can have a bishop who asks inappropriate questions during interviews.

That's why I think they should limit it to: "Do you obey the law of chastity?"
I think the Church has moved in that direction over the last ten years.

[YOhio]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Maybe my Bishop was the reason they instructed everyone else NOT to interview this way.

But the Bishop who preceded this one always asked my prepubescent 12 year old sister if she masturbated. Not cool.

You guys should have shaved your palms and taken off your thick glasses before you went into interviews. The bishop wouldn't have suspected a thing.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Bishop: I have the power of discernment and I think you masturbate.

Me: I don't. Really I don't.

Bishop: OK then. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time.

This must have increased your testimony of the power of discernment.

[SoonerCoug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

This must have increased your testimony of the power of discernment.

Sure did. Scared the crap out of me.

[MikeWaters]

I still don't understand why it is "beyond the pale" to ask a YM about masturbation.

It is sexist to exclude women.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Sure did. Scared the crap out of me.

Your right arm being twice as big as your left was probably a give away.

[YOhio]

Originally Posted by Tex

I really think we need a SoonerCoug Snopes.

lol!

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Do you think there has EVER been a pervy bishop? I do.

Heck, we had a stake president for 10 years who was well known to be an alcoholic and was arrested for public drunkenness within months after his release. If you can have a raging alcoholic as a stake president, you can have a bishop who asks inappropriate questions during interviews.

That's why I think they should limit it to: "Do you obey the law of chastity?"
I think the Church has moved in that direction over the last ten years.

Of course I believe there are pervy bishops. I don't see the possibility of a pervy bishop being a major issue for my kids as being a major risk. You kind of have to trust the adults in their life--school teachers, coaches, music/dance teachers, parents of friends, church leaders. You do what you can to minimize risk, but a bishop's interview has got to be one of the lowest risk areas for sexual abuse.

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I still don't understand why it is "beyond the pale" to ask a YM about masturbation.

It is sexist to exclude women.

Positive: you maybe can help stop some kids in their tracks before a flirtation becomes a habit or addiction

Negative: heap unnecessary shame/guilt on young people about masturbation, exclude some from missionary service unnecessarily, potential for abuse by pervy bishop (I don't think this is a large risk)

Comes down to whether you think the positives outweight the negatives.

[SoonerCoug]

Originally Posted by jay santos

Of course I believe there are pervy bishops. I don't see the possibility of a pervy bishop being a major issue for my kids as being a major risk. You kind of have to trust the adults in their life--school teachers, coaches, music/dance teachers, parents of friends, church leaders. You do what you can to minimize risk, but a bishop's interview has got to be one of the lowest risk areas for sexual abuse.

OK.

We had a bishop here in Oklahoma who was sexually abusing children.

The family went to the Stake President about it, and the Stake President defended the bishop and did nothing and got angry with the family. The family wrote Church headquarters, and the letters were returned to the Stake President. The family went to the media about the problem, and the family was promptly excommunicated from the Church.

The local Mormon congressman publicly sided with the Stake President, and members of the Church publicly crucified this family for going to the media.
A few months later, the Bishop was arrested for exposing himself to an undercover cop in Norman.

I agree that the risk is very small, and that most people in the Church are good people who are just trying to do their best.

But anytime you have an adult male authority figure interviewing teenagers and asking detailed questions about sexual issues...at least there can easily be an appearance of impropriety. I think it would be better if the Church encouraged teenagers to counsel with their parents about these issues. A simple question from the bishop phrased "Do you obey the law of chastity?" should be sufficient.