Finding My Own Truth

To the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve When I joined the church at the age of twenty, I was feeling that new convert fire. I had quickly read through the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. I began to listen to conference talks from the 90's, invite the missionaries to speak to every one of my friends, and before I knew it I was preaching the gospel as a missionary in Wisconsin. I was a faithful member and my understanding of the gospel exponentially grew. Over the years, I have turned to you and your counsel to get me through hard times. Recently, I have been trying to understand your view on sexual abuse, sexual assault, and the rape culture within the church. You see, a few months ago a friend of mine confided in me about the sexual abuse she experienced at the hand of her Bishop when she was a Young Woman. She described to me the details of being raped behind the closed and protected door of her Bishop's office. I was sh...

I am probably too invested in the recent news of the LDS woman who was denied a temple recommend for breastfeeding uncovered, in the foyer, at church. I originally saw the story on the Exponent-II, a LDS feminism site. The women herself has chosen to remain anonymous to the public, but in a couple groups has identified herself and told her story. Every sentence I read made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I couldn't believe what I was reading.  During a temple recommend interview she was told by her Bishop that the way she was breastfeeding was immodest. He referred to the For The Strength of Youth pamphlet, where it lays out the churches standard of modesty to the youth. He told her that any sexual desire a man felt because she was “exposed”, was her fault and was a sin. Upon asking her to cover up she declined his counsel and he denied her a temple recommend, saying she was not sustaining her church leaders. When the Stake President spoke with her husband, he tol...

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I love the lights, the snowy weather, and nothing beats decorating the tree with Christmas music playing the background. Growing up in a household with no religious label, Christmas really was all about presents and Santa. I have several memories of Christmas as a child and all of them have one thing in common: I would make myself sick with excitement! I was so sure that I had been my best all year and that Santa would reward me for my diligent efforts. My little body would shake and my teeth would chatter. Not because I was cold, but because I could hardly handle the anxiety of what was to come. When my sleepy eyes opened early each Christmas morning, what was to be found never ceased to amaze me. Some how, Santa knew exactly what I wanted, even the years when I didn't eagerly write him a special letter or whisper my desires into his ears when we took the annual trip to the mall to see Santa in the flesh. Every year I was filled ...