Mormon Church Must Hold Abusers Accountable

A man named Joseph Bishop, a self proclaimed sex addict, was in charge of the Mormon missionary training center (MTC) for a period in the 80s where young men and women go to prepare to serve proselytizing missions. He also sexually abused at least two women during that time and the Church knew, but did nothing about it. 

Sign on if you want to see the Mormon Church actually hold sexual predators in their ranks accountable instead of brushing it under the rug. 

This particular man, Joseph Bishop, apparently preyed on women who had suffered abuse in their past, taking advantage of that trauma for his own gain. Here is a recording in which Bishop denies the rape allegations but admits he molested the woman recording and says he shouldn't have been allowed to counsel young girls because he is a sex addict. So why was this man still in charge of a training center that nearly every single young Mormon adult has to live at for a period? How is he still in good standing with the LDS Church?

Sign on if you want to see justice for these victims and a comprehensive change in Mormon practices that allow abuse to fester.

As a former Mormon, I am all too familiar with the way this patriarchal Church disbelieves victims and keeps abusers in power. This is not the first male leader to have abused their power, just the most recently made public. The whole way the church functions, including interviewing minors about their sexual experiences serves as a hot bed for abuse and we can't stand by and allow it anymore. Right now, the Church's own manual has an internal hotline where leaders who have abused members can call the Church's law firm and get advice. There is no outside help for potential victims. 

In addition to legal recourse and substantive internal changes to protect victims, the Church should pursue appropriate church discipline in order to adequately alert previous and potential victims. Clergy in Utah are legally mandated reporters for child abuse, but what happens when the abuser is the clergy? The Church has shown time and again that they will close ranks and cover up and we must demand change. 

Sign on if you want the following:

1) The Church must publicly apologize for putting their members in danger. 

2) Release any survivor from an non disclosure agreement they have with the Church so that they can openly discuss the abuse and ways to prevent it moving forward can be better identified. 

3) Create a neutral, outside reporting line for reporting abuse. This would be staffed with independent trained professionals who can help a victim with resources and reporting to police if they choose.


Sign on if you want the following:

1) The Church must publicly apologize for putting their members in danger. 

2) Release any survivor from an non disclosure agreement they have with the Church so that they can openly discuss the abuse and ways to prevent it moving forward can be better identified. 

3) Create a neutral, outside reporting line for reporting abuse. This would be staffed with independent trained professionals who can help a victim with resources and reporting to police if they choose.
Update #15 years ago
Update: the Church is trying to dimiss one of Joseph Bishop’s victims due to the statute of limitation in Utah. They have no interest in owning their fault here, only shaming the victim.
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