Serving bishop resigns from the stand at sacrament meeting

[mcjathan]

Yep, I can envisage that is where he is heading. I could be wrong of course. But as I said, google “cynical” and you’ll get me.

I think there's reason to be cynical. Not about his motives for resigning, but about his reasons for resigning in such a public way. After all, he could have just told the stake president, and that would have been that. Word that he had resigned and the reasons for that still would have gotten around. But he strategized about it, had someone record it, and the recording was put up on the internet soon after. He then published a youtube explanation. And now is on Mormon Stories. I wouldn't say the goal is to monetize anything, as there really isn't that much money there for stuff like this. But it does give him cred or celebrity status in among certain former, disaffiliated, or questioning Mormons.

25 or so years ago, a counselor in my ward's bishopric quit. He no longer believed. PoGP issues, fraud, etc. He didn't announce it. He didn't talk to members about it. When members reached out, he didn't return calls. But everyone knew within a day or two, because people talk.

During his Mormon Stories interview, he explained how his resignation, initially meant to be a private affair, became public. Unaware that a visiting family member, who happened to be an ex-Mormon, video recorded his talk without permission, he and his wife had originally agreed that she would make an audio recording. When he discovered the unauthorized video posted online, he promptly requested its removal from the family member, who complied and apologized. However, by then, edited and out-of-context excerpts had already gone viral. Faced with this situation, they made the choice to release the full video for clarity.

It's highly improbable for lifelong church members to leave with the intention of monetizing the experience. Leaving the church typically entails a challenging identity crisis, with most individuals focused on simply navigating the upheaval. Moreover, unless someone has been part of the ex-Mormon community for an extended period, the concept of turning a faith crisis into a source of income remains largely unfamiliar.

[I Have Questions]

I’m interested in hearing what posters here would say about how you would go about telling your own story if you were in the shoes of this former bishop. What methods or outlets would you utilize if you wanted to warn others and help others avoid the same abuses you’ve experienced at the hands of church leaders? Would you be responsible for the reactions and speculations of others who hear your story?

Why would you need to go around telling your story?

[I Have Questions]

During his Mormon Stories interview, he explained how his resignation, initially meant to be a private affair, became public. Unaware that a visiting family member, who happened to be an ex-Mormon, video recorded his talk without permission, he and his wife had originally agreed that she would make an audio recording. When he discovered the unauthorized video posted online, he promptly requested its removal from the family member, who complied and apologized. However, by then, edited and out-of-context excerpts had already gone viral. Faced with this situation, they made the choice to release the full video for clarity.

Yeah, I'm not swallowing that.

[I Have Questions]

He was/is a prominent figure in his ward, and resigning was going to cause a stir no matter what. I get that he wanted to control the narrative. One of the first things members would think is that there was some sort of sexual/law of chastity reason, and the church would never stop that reason from entering people’s minds (Hamuka?).

His immediate marketing and push across the exmormon community is where I agree that his intention is to make a name for himself. That is something I don’t get.

He didn't resign. He just stepped down from doing his voluntary assignment. People step down from callings all the time for a variety of reasons. I'm not clear on why this guy chose to stop serving as a Bishop. Anyone supply some main bullet points to his reasoning? (I ain't listening to 3 hours of John Dehlin)

[I Have Questions]

One commenter on Reddit says "...he’s breaking the confidence of people who came to him in a ward where it would be very easy to figure out who he was talking about."

Is that what he did?

[msnobody]

I’m interested in hearing what posters here would say about how you would go about telling your own story if you were in the shoes of this former bishop. What methods or outlets would you utilize if you wanted to warn others and help others avoid the same abuses you’ve experienced at the hands of church leaders? Would you be responsible for the reactions and speculations of others who hear your story?

Why would you need to go around telling your story?

Let me quote myself, “if you wanted to warn others and help others avoid the same abuses you’ve experienced at the hands of church leaders.”

[I Have Questions]

Why would you need to go around telling your story?

Let me quote myself, “if you wanted to warn others and help others avoid the same abuses you’ve experienced at the hands of church leaders.”

What specific abuses has he endured?

[Doctor Steuss]

Let me quote myself, “if you wanted to warn others and help others avoid the same abuses you’ve experienced at the hands of church leaders.”

What specific abuses has he endured?

He was sexually abused at FSY (or at least the church's 1970's equivalent) and LDS scout camping trips.

[I Have Questions]

What specific abuses has he endured?

He was sexually abused at FSY (or at least the church's 1970's equivalent) and LDS scout camping trips.

Has he sued the Church for this? These kinds of offenses have been fairly well publicized over the last decade despite the Church’s attempts to keep it all quiet. I’m surprised he suddenly felt the need to warn his ward members about something that’s been reasonably well documented and publicized.

[Doctor Steuss]

He was sexually abused at FSY (or at least the church's 1970's equivalent) and LDS scout camping trips.

Has he sued the Church for this? These kinds of offenses have been fairly well publicized over the last decade despite the Church’s attempts to keep it all quiet. I’m surprised he suddenly felt the need to warn his ward members about something that’s been reasonably well documented and publicized.

Trauma is complicated. Particularly with sexual abuse. People cope on their own timelines.