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I found this on the Mormon Channel website. My daughter was sexually abused in the early 80’s. She was 13 at the time. (I’m not going to go into detail. It is still too painful.)
When I found out about it, I went to Bishop to get council & advice. He was someone I considered to be a good friend & a spiritually good
person. All I got was silence from him & God. This was the beginning of our inactivity.
If the video is true, it seems like the church has been making progress. I hope it isn’t lip service & trickles down to the location wards.
Do Bishops get any kind of training now to deals with subjects like this? I hope they do.
I just want to give them credit for the effort.
I see the video as a glass half empty experience. The positive – It starts a conversation about abuse. It seems to advocate getting the help of a professional that will prescribe a mixture of medication and therapy. I also appreciate that the video points out that God loves us no matter what our circumstances and that Jesus can heal us from things that are not our fault.
The negative – I do not see anything here that would indicate any change in church policy or behavior towards incidents of sexual abuse. Much of the video seems to not necessarily be talking about sexual abuse specifically but rather it appears to have moved on to broader topics of depression, trails, perhaps suicidal thoughts, and getting help.
I do not know what training is given to bishops involving these topics. I understand that some of the biggest push by the church in this arena of getting better tools to the local bishops is designed to minimize liability towards the organization. Not unlike other organizations, managing liability is always a serious consideration.
The current counsel to Bishops is to recommend professional counseling when they learn of abuse. That can be through any reputable agency, not just LDS Family Services. The Bishop also can pay for some sessions through Fast Offerings. That is a major step forward, even though there is more that could be done.
It was the silence that bothered me the most. And, the expectation that you carry on as you always have. Endure to the end (and all that). It is great that they encourage professional counseling. It is a start. Recovery is always a process not an event. Silence does not make the
process easier to understand, tolerate or accept. Bishops are usually not equipped to do the counselling of a professional, they should be
able to help with the spiritual understanding of the situation & give compassionate guidance.
I just want to acknowledge that this “sound bite” was a step forward for the church (IMO). Not just for sexual abuse but substance abuse, gay
rights, etc.
Minyan Man wrote:
I just want to acknowledge that this “sound bite” was a step forward for the church (IMO). Not just for sexual abuse but substance abuse, gayrights, etc.
Yes! As much as I am dubious about the effect of a video like this on the culture of the global church (like a drop into the ocean), it is still a drop/ incremental step in the right direction. Maybe the combined effects of many droplets over long periods of time will significantly change the landscape (erosion?).
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