Who really knows what you confessed to the SP?

[_squawkeye]

This one comes from when my bud and I were a lot younger and trusting. The Stake Pres where we were listened to confessions of members and then talked about them as he was with others. Many times with the State Road Crew as he worked his normal job. Sevier County, Utah, wonderful SP Brother Utley would go down the road and tell fellow workers what 'this one and that one'(naming them and pointing them out as they passed them or their houses/farms) had told him in confidence.

Pretty disgusting but a nice wake up call for a young soon-to-be missionary in his Stake. All of us who worked with the road crew in the summer learned fast: You don't tell the full story and you damn sure don't tell the truth to the leaders. It gets around.

Now that I am older I know he was probably an abberation. But, it still hurts some who were revealed in his trying to impress us with his insider knowledge. What I wonder now is how many of the leadership who are privy to secrets and sins of believers file it away for use later on. File it in writing and forward up the chain of command to be used somehow?

[_harmony]

What I wonder now is how many of the leadership who are privy to secrets and sins of believers file it away for use later on. File it in writing and forward up the chain of command to be used somehow?

You mean like a dossier?

According to Crock, the church doesn't keep dossiers. The "committee" is just a clipping service.

[_Mister Scratch]

It depends on the "offense," but the CHI mandates that ecclesiastical leaders "annotate" a member's record for certain things, including, I believe, homosexuality. (Rollo Tomasi can chime in here, as he is something of an expert on the CHI.) So, yes: you can rest assured that there is "documentation" somewhere, provided that you've said the wrong thing. Quinn notes in his 2nd Hierarchy book that one person's Church file contained some anti-war sentiment he'd expressed as an undergraduate.

[_ktallamigo]

I had a bishop who, while I was being set apart as a missionary, told my whole family (right there) something I had confessed to him in privated.

His wife spread gossip about things my sister had told him in private.

Never trusted him again. And I always was afraid to tell bishops anything after that. Will this one keep his mouth shut? or is he a blabber?

[_selek]

It may be more common than LDS would like to believe.

The CEO of the company I used to work for was the SP. Often when I'd have meetings with him in his office, the conversation would stray off of work-related issues, and he would frequently go into detail about members, their 'sins', their problems, and secrets. Nothing was off limits - he'd go into detail about which members had mental issues and were on medication, why missionaries returned home early, which couples were having marriage problems, etc. etc.

My father was my bishop growing up and we lived in a small town. For years after being the bishop (and even to this day) he mentions private issues about members in our old ward that I'm sure were meant to be kept in confidence.

[_squawkeye]

I don't know if the Catholics and others with professional clergy have this problem but would imagine some of these who hear confessions do repeat them or use the information later in some way. Just human nature. Sure puts a damper on trust though knowing it is not between you and God but now open for public consumption or possibly to be brought up when someone in the organization wants you brought to heel.

[_Jason Bourne]

It depends on the "offense," but the CHI mandates that ecclesiastical leaders "annotate" a member's record for certain things, including, I believe, homosexuality. (Rollo Tomasi can chime in here, as he is something of an expert on the CHI.) So, yes: you can rest assured that there is "documentation" somewhere, provided that you've said the wrong thing. Quinn notes in his 2nd Hierarchy book that one person's Church file contained some anti-war sentiment he'd expressed as an undergraduate.

I told you another place that the Church does not annotate for homosexuality. Just for sexual offenders. And I am more an expert on the CHI than Rollo.