Pornography defined by my church leaders

[_just me]

My father, who is in his 60s, was asked if he views porn or masturbates in his most recent TR interview.

So, yeah, this is fairly standard. ANyone who thinks bishops and SPs don't ask these questions is either in denial or has never actual been a male having a TR interview.

[_zeezrom]

Just Me,

A man in his 60's is being asked that? LOL!

Thankfully, this is not something I need to look forward to anymore.

[_DarkHelmet]

No one where I live care about swimsuits and the bodies inside them nor how many times someone's masturbates.

Are you sure you are on the right board? This board is about Mormonism.

[_why me]

If the Bishops where you live do not care about modest dress and masturbation, they are not doing their jobs and taking seriously their sacred callings as Bishops, and should step aside for those who do take those callings, and the above longstanding and thoroughly articulated Church standards and aspect of the law of chastity respectively.

If one is in a ward near the ocean, I can assure you that no bishop is going to ask about swimsuits. Mormons have been around swimsuits for years and years. No problem with swimsuits or in looking at swimsuits. And it certainly isn't viewed as pornography.

[_Runtu]

If one is in a ward near the ocean, I can assure you that no bishop is going to ask about swimsuits. Mormons have been around swimsuits for years and years. No problem with swimsuits or in looking at swimsuits. And it certainly isn't viewed as pornography.

I grew up near the ocean, and our ward and stake were nothing like you assure us. I know, we Californians were so much more repressed than you East Coast elites were. LOL

[_why me]

Ahhhhh.....no. But if your account is true, your bishop did. One bishop does not make a church. I know of bishops who would never ask such questions. What problem an exmember like you have is confusing your experiences with the LDS church in general. No one where I live care about swimsuits and the bodies inside them nor how many times someone's masturbates.

I think that some bishops may ask a general question about chasity but that is it.

Yea but you really are not a Mormon Mr. Light Cotton.

Actually, it did come out that quite a few of the Mormons or former Mormons who post on this forum had my experiences with young women without a sense of guilt.

And I am sure that one of your questions as bishop to good ol' Peter Priesthood was: Did you ever look at swimsuits?

Zee is being a little foolish.

[_why me]

If one is in a ward near the ocean, I can assure you that no bishop is going to ask about swimsuits. Mormons have been around swimsuits for years and years. No problem with swimsuits or in looking at swimsuits. And it certainly isn't viewed as pornography.

I grew up near the ocean, and our ward and stake were nothing like you assure us. I know, we Californians were so much more repressed than you East Coast elites were. LOL

And of course your bishop was concerned about you looking at swimsuits?

[_Runtu]

And of course your bishop was concerned about you looking at swimsuits?

Yup. Concerned enough to send home girls from YM/YW activities if they wore two-piece swimsuits (no matter how "modest") or wore "immodest" one-piece suits. I remember that my friend, who was on the high-school swim team, was sent home from the stake swim meet because he was wearing a racing suit. And yes, I got asked at every priesthood interview whether I masturbated. Droopy's post was about how bishops ask about modest clothing and masturbation. They did in my ward. Apparently, your ward was more sophisticated than mine.

I guess we Southern Californians were so unused to seeing immodest swimwear that we needed more protection than you did.

[_why me]

I know, we Californians were so much more repressed than you East Coast elites were. LOL

Maybe so. NYC was the place to be. The big city can transform minds and many Utah minds were transformed in NYC in the 70's and 80's. It was a pleasure to see their liberation. It was a real pleasure to see Utah gals become liberated. I still remember the young adult model shows that were held at the ward and the discos. The Megapolis disco event was a real winner under the sparkling disco ball.

[_stemelbow]

I remembered something today. Many of my bishop interviews went like this:

B: do you follow the law of chastity?
Z: Uh, yeah.
B: do you have a problem with masturbation?
Z: [hmmm it's been a whole month, so] No.
B: Have you looked at pornography?
Z: No.
B: Any kind of pornography? What about inappropriate material such as swimsuit models or other material that arouses the sacred procreative powers?

Can you see why it has been difficult for me to define the term? Those moments with the bishop were defining for me. These were the only times anyone really helped me know what pornography supposedly was AND where the line was.

So to me, the church defined pornography as imagery that has the capacity to arouse the factory.

What do you expect people who a ignorant of the subject matter to say to you regarding the subject?

It seems bad to me too, but I don't know how to define the term exactly. Naked doesn't quite cover it, i know, but...