Masturbation Interrogations--The differentiating experience

[Guest]

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[_Zelder]

I'm sure missionaries masturbating is the reason that the France Toulouse Mission only has 2 baptisms a month.

The critical analysis and logic here is pretty solid. The missionaries in South America baptize a lot more becasue those missionaries are more righteous and they don't masturbate. "rolls eyes"

It just so happens that I served my mission in Paris France from 1998 to 2000. So I know what it is like there. France has never ever been a source of baptisms. Even when John Taylor was there he could not get baptisms. The only people we could baptize were immigrants from Africa and S. America.

[_bcspace]

I guess I call b*** s*** on the TBMs who claim never to have been asked

I don't see anything in the CHI that requires or otherwise encourages asking such questions which is why it's very unlikely to come up in an interview unless you forgot to shave your palms so to speak.

[_Runtu]

I don't see anything in the CHI that requires or otherwise encourages asking such questions which is why it's very unlikely to come up in an interview unless you forgot to shave your palms so to speak.

I don't doubt that a lot people haven't been asked. It seems to depend on the bishop, and I suspect that bishops who were asked when they were kids are more likely to ask their young ward members. Someone who wasn't asked that would probably not think to ask such questions, unless they had been told to do so. At least I would hope so. Of course, with all the conference talks, manuals and pamphlets, and so on about masturbation, there's certainly a tacit encouragement to discuss it, either in quorum meetings, "standards" nights, or interviews.

From what I can tell, this seems to be less of a problem as time goes on, and I'm glad to see that.

[_Tarski]

I guess I call b*** s*** on the TBMs who claim never to have been asked

I don't see anything in the CHI that requires or otherwise encourages asking such questions which is why it's very unlikely to come up in an interview unless you forgot to shave your palms so to speak.

I have had nine Bishops in 5 different states and two mission presidents.
They all brought it up.

Do the probability calculation under the assumption that it is not likely to be brought up and see that I must have done something like the equivalent of winning the state lottery 3 times in a row. LOL

If one tosses a coin 100 times and it comes up heads every time then perhaps it is a two sided coin.

But then you know that the masturbation question has been standard Mormon worthiness interview nonsense for at least 50 years. Try being honest for once.

[Guest]

I don't doubt that a lot people haven't been asked. It seems to depend on the bishop, and I suspect that bishops who were asked when they were kids are more likely to ask their young ward members. Someone who wasn't asked that would probably not think to ask such questions, unless they had been told to do so. At least I would hope so. Of course, with all the conference talks, manuals and pamphlets, and so on about masturbation, there's certainly a tacit encouragement to discuss it, either in quorum meetings, "standards" nights, or interviews.

From what I can tell, this seems to be less of a problem as time goes on, and I'm glad to see that.

I suspect that may be the case, but it seems rare in my experience and usually from online antagonists. I do some interviews myself. I have never asked the question but some have volunteered the information. If there has not been a chastity issue with the other sex or there is a not a chronic problem, I tend to steer the conversation to more important issues.

I have had nine Bishops in 5 different states and two mission presidents.
They all brought it up.

Hairy palms? Rosy cheeks?

But then you know that the masturbation question has been standard Mormon worthiness interview nonsense for at least 50 years. Try being honest for once.

I don't know that. Do you have anything published by the Church regarding interviews? There is nothing now or in the recent past and that may stretch back several decades. Since I do TR interviews etc. one would expect I would have been given something according to your logic.

Perhaps if I knew it was an anti Mormon critic posting on this board in my office I would ask you the question just to keep your paranoia going.... ;D

[_Runtu]

I have had nine Bishops in 5 different states and two mission presidents.
They all brought it up.

Do the probability calculation under the assumption that it is not likely to be brought up and see that I must have done something like the equivalent of winning the state lottery 3 times in a row. LOL

If one tosses a coin 100 times and it comes up heads every time them perhaps it is a two sided coin.

But then you know that the masturbation question has been standard Mormon worthiness interview nonsense for at least 50 years. Try being honest for once.

Of course it has. I really do hope that those who tell me it's being asked less are telling the truth. I was asked from the time I was 12 (and had no idea what masturbation was) until maybe a couple of years before I gave up on the church being true. I would say those who were never asked are probably the exception.

[_Runtu]

I suspect that may be the case, but it seems rare in my experience and usually from online antagonists. I do some interviews myself. I have never asked the question but some have volunteered the information. If there has not been a chastity issue with the other sex or there is a not a chronic problem, I tend to steer the conversation to more important issues.

I'm glad you don't ask. I don't share your belief that it's rare, just because almost everyone I have ever asked about this (well, except you, obviously) tells me they have been asked, and usually repeatedly well into adulthood. Of course, the only reason I've ever asked anyone about it is that people like you seem to want me to believe I was either in the tiniest minority, or I am lying, or I am crazy.

I'm none of those.

[_Zelder]

I suspect that may be the case, but it seems rare in my experience and usually from online antagonists. I do some interviews myself. I have never asked the question but some have volunteered the information. If there has not been a chastity issue with the other sex or there is a not a chronic problem, I tend to steer the conversation to more important issues.

People should not feel like it's something they should have to talk about with a stranger behind closed doors. My masturbation habits are far in the past but looking back now I feel like all the confessing was crazy and stupid. I'm angry that I was made to feel like I needed to confess it. It does more harm than good. I'm going to let my kids know that they are fine and they don't need to talk about that stuff with priesthood leaders.

[_Runtu]

People should not feel like it's something they should have to talk about with a stranger behind closed doors. My masturbation habits are far in the past but looking back now I feel like all the confessing was crazy and stupid. I'm angry that I was made to feel like I needed to confess it. It does more harm than good. I'm going to let my kids know that they are fine and they don't need to talk about that stuff with priesthood leaders.

I've told my kids that if a priesthood leader ever asks them something they are not comfortable talking about (not just masturbation), they don't have to answer but should tell that leader to talk to me. There is no law that a child must answer every question asked in a priesthood interview, and inappropriate questions should not be answered.