Bishop Puts Locks On 18 Year Old's Cell Phone

[_why me]

Maybe this is just because I haven't been exposed to a lot of other religious belief systems.

I think that the Mormon church needs to take a chill pill on masturbation. The age of easy internet pornography has arrived. I think that the Mormons can either learn to adapt to that or force increasingly larger amounts of guilt on their young members, probably leading them to inactivity later in life.

No religious organization can condone porn or masturbation. They may either ignore the topic or not stress it. But if a member of a church asks their pastor or priest about whether it is okay, the priest or pastor can not condone it or ignore it. The advice will be try to avoid it.

What church can make an announcement to its members that states: masturbation is good for you and so is porn...so just do it.

[_why me]

I think that the Mormon church needs to take a chill pill on masturbation. The age of easy internet pornography has arrived. I think that the Mormons can either learn to adapt to that or force increasingly larger amounts of guilt on their young members, probably leading them to inactivity later in life.

I agree.

Would you encourage your son to look at porn? I doubt it. The LDS church stresses the dangers of porn and calls viewing it a sin. How would you handle it with your son?

[_why me]

I told my son that the bottom line is that this young man is allowing the Bishop to have power and control over him....but I completely understand what he's going through. Ugh!

This story can be easily verified. Call the bishop or talk to the stake president about it to ask if the bishop did this. But I would call the bishop and get his side of it before spreading it around.

[_Madison54]

Would you encourage your son to look at porn?

Oh, good grief.
Are you for real?

The LDS church stresses the dangers of porn and calls viewing it a sin.

Neither myself nor my son are too interested in what the church stresses or what they call viewing porn.

How would you handle it with your son?

How would I handle what? Him doing what I'd imagine 99% of teenage boys do? I'm not concerned.

My husband and I make no big deal about these types of issues and have a great, open relationship with him. My son is taking more than a full load at college and when he's not there, he's either home studying or with his girlfriend and other friends. If he started spending hours in his room behind closed doors, I'd be concerned no matter what was causing him to do this....but unless something starts interfering with him living a normal life, I'm not staying up at night worrying about porn or masturbation (which my husband has told him "better that than getting a girl pregnant").

[_why me]

Would you encourage your son to look at porn?

Oh, good grief.
Are you for real?

The LDS church stresses the dangers of porn and calls viewing it a sin.

Neither myself nor my son are too interested in what the church stresses or what they call viewing porn.

How would you handle it with your son?

How would I handle what? Him doing what I'd imagine 99% of teenage boys do? I'm not concerned.

My husband and I make no big deal about these types of issues and have a great, open relationship with him. My son is taking more than a full load at college and when he's not there, he's either home studying or with his girlfriend and other friends. If he started spending hours in his room behind closed doors, I'd be concerned no matter what was causing him to do this....but unless something starts interfering with him living a normal life, I'm not staying up at night worrying about porn or masturbation (which my husband has told him "better that than getting a girl pregnant").

Here is an interesting debate from the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/20 ... ts-bad-rap

Since you are a woman I would be concerned just how porn can portray women and what it may do to the people acting in porn and to the people watching it. Many lives have been destroyed by it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2m-vDbHa90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZTKLFvD ... re=related

[_LDSToronto]

All I know is what he's told my son. My son isn't lying nor am I.

Also, my son knows this boy can no longer use lots of his apps on his phone. So either he lied to my son or it's what the Bishop did. I know this man and don't doubt he'd be this controlling.

Stories can be very inaccurate even though no one in the line of telling the story is lying. The young man may have told to bishop to change the password on his phone. This seems reasonable if he is taking actions at night to try and avoid what he calls his demons. I have known bishops of all types.

The kid may also have been grounded from the phone (by his parents) but doesn't want to admit it. I've grounded my kids from their phones and have heard the stories they've told friends - the story rarely matches reality.

In any event, Madison, if you are concerned for this boy, why not chat with his parents and get to the heart of the matter?

H.

[_Madison54]

The kid may also have been grounded from the phone (by his parents) but doesn't want to admit it. I've grounded my kids from their phones and have heard the stories they've told friends - the story rarely matches reality.

In any event, Madison, if you are concerned for this boy, why not chat with his parents and get to the heart of the matter?

H.

I actually thought about that and I might consider it if I knew his parents better and if I wasn't completely inactive at this point, making my views on anything regarding the church suspect in their eyes. But I get why you'd make this suggestion and in a perfect world, that should happen.

When I posted the opening post, I was upset. I definitely feel awful for this young man. But reading some of the responses, I have had to step back and realize that maybe this is just what he told my son because he's embarrassed when they are together and he can no longer look up things on his phone (internet, youtube videos, etc.).

Who knows who put the locks on the phone? Maybe it was even his parents. But....I also wouldn't rule out that he's telling the truth and it was the Bishop.

[_Ceeboo]

Hello Madison

I'm not staying up at night worrying about porn or masturbation

Well, if you're not even staying up, I would suggest that you're probably doing it wrong!


Peace,
Ceeboo

[_DarkHelmet]

This story sounds true to me. I work with a singles ward bishop who does this type of thing with his ward members who are struggling with porn. He installs porn blocking software on their computer, and sets the email alerts to go to his email address so he can monitor their web activity. He has told me this (yes, bishops talk, big surprise:)) These are single adults who are allowing him to do this. Obviously it is an invasion of privacy, but for a TBM a bishop has every right to monitor a person's behavior. I'm sure your son's friend believes the bishop has a right to control his smart phone activity.

[_hobo1512]

I thought all 18 yo kids knew how to work their way around all of these "safeguards"

I mean, smartphones are nothing more than mini-computers that have a phone built in.

Computers are our generations VCR after all. Remember how we could figure them out, but an adult couldn't?

Also, Madison, don't engage whine me in a discussion about porn. He'll just get all excited, and go all light cotton on you. Just sayin