Michael Benjamin said his testimony led local LDS Church leaders to "attempt to silence me from being vocal about the sex abuse case that the local leaders were involved in."
In November 2019, LDS church leaders stripped him of his positions within the church after Benjamin began to speak out against various church policies and scandals, including a 2015 church policy that excluded children of same-sex partners from getting baptized, and a rape scandal at the Kasson LDS church branch that concluded with former LDS leader Michael Adam Davis, 38, being sentenced to 30 years in prison. Benjamin's testimony during the trial helped secure a conviction against Davis.
"In my opinion, being released from my assignments was an attempt by my Church leaders to silence me," Benjamin wrote.
As a clinical social worker, adolescent therapist and former child protection worker, I am passionate about protecting children. On a daily basis, I work with adolescents who have been abused, and I have personally seen the effects of abuse during my 22 years as a therapist.
I started speaking out when I realized that Davis was a registered sex offender from Utah and, despite this, he was put in a position of authority in our local congregation.
I became more vocal in November 2020 when I learned that two local high-ranking church leaders submitted affidavits to the Dodge County Court in defense of Davis. One of these leaders is a prominent doctor at Mayo Clinic. These affidavits contained the same wording as well as, in my opinion, several inaccuracies. I later learned that the affidavits were written by LDS Church attorneys in Utah. In my opinion, this was an attempt by the LDS Church to cover-up the abuse and protect the church's reputation.
In July 2021, when I tried to notify local members about one of the leaders teaching a youth Sunday school class, my church membership account access and privileges were removed without anyone notifying me.
What was that about the Church claiming to set the Gold Standard on dealing with sexual abuse?
What does it mean to have membership account and privileges removed? He had to sue the church to get those back.
In July 2021, when I tried to notify local members about one of the leaders teaching a youth Sunday school class, my church membership account access and privileges were removed without anyone notifying me. Once again, in my opinion, this was an attempt to silence me from being vocal about the sex abuse case that the local leaders were involved in. In February 2022, I filed a civil court case against the local Church leaders in order to regain access to my church membership account. The case was settled in May 2022 with a "joint stipulation of dismissal without prejudice" and I was given access to my church membership account again.
I've taken this to be a reference to the online account members can register for via the Church's website. This (I think) gives access to various things, including general ward lists, contact details etc.
With your LDS Account, you can:
View your ward or branch online directory and calendar.
See a map of your ward.
Pay your tithing.
See information about your ancestors on FamilySearch.org.
Participate in the worldwide indexing effort.
Visit the online store.
More Ideas
Go mobile—Once you have an LDS Account, you can use free mobile apps like Gospel Library, LDS Tools, and more. Visit this site to see all apps that are available and get access to the ones you want.
Connect with other youth—On youth.lds.org, you can leave comments on articles and even bear your testimony.
Share your talents—Do you have a talent for photography or writing? You can share it on create.lds.org. If you want to share music you've written, take a look at the Church Music Submission Guidelines.
Patriarchal blessings—Request a copy of your patriarchal blessing or the blessing of a direct-line ancestor: In the upper right corner on LDS.org, select My Account and Ward. Under “My Account,” select Patriarchal Blessing.
Mormon.org profile—Tell others about your love for the Savior and His gospel by creating a Mormon.org profile. Go to Mormon.org, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select Profile.
What does it mean to have membership account and privileges removed? He had to sue the church to get those back.
In July 2021, when I tried to notify local members about one of the leaders teaching a youth Sunday school class, my church membership account access and privileges were removed without anyone notifying me. Once again, in my opinion, this was an attempt to silence me from being vocal about the sex abuse case that the local leaders were involved in. In February 2022, I filed a civil court case against the local Church leaders in order to regain access to my church membership account. The case was settled in May 2022 with a "joint stipulation of dismissal without prejudice" and I was given access to my church membership account again.
I've taken this to be a reference to the online account members can register for via the Church's website. This (I think) gives access to various things, including general ward lists, contact details etc.
With your LDS Account, you can:
View your ward or branch online directory and calendar.
See a map of your ward.
Pay your tithing.
See information about your ancestors on FamilySearch.org.
Participate in the worldwide indexing effort.
Visit the online store.
More Ideas
Go mobile—Once you have an LDS Account, you can use free mobile apps like Gospel Library, LDS Tools, and more. Visit this site to see all apps that are available and get access to the ones you want.
Connect with other youth—On youth.lds.org, you can leave comments on articles and even bear your testimony.
Share your talents—Do you have a talent for photography or writing? You can share it on create.lds.org. If you want to share music you've written, take a look at the Church Music Submission Guidelines.
Patriarchal blessings—Request a copy of your patriarchal blessing or the blessing of a direct-line ancestor: In the upper right corner on LDS.org, select My Account and Ward. Under “My Account,” select Patriarchal Blessing.
Mormon.org profile—Tell others about your love for the Savior and His gospel by creating a Mormon.org profile. Go to Mormon.org, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select Profile.
