Yearly Archives: 2025

This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/dnc12vs5/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/dnc12vs5/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
The SEC findings opened my eyes to a leadership that misleads its congregations, which then opened the door to explore the historic and social issues that plague the church. - Shane's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/dnc12vs5/
The SEC findings opened my eyes to a leadership that misleads its congregations, which then opened the door to explore the historic and social issues that plague the church. - Shane's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/dnc12vs5/
Determine whether or not the incident of child abuse has already been reported to child protection or law enforcement authorities. If not, Abuse Help Line workers should instruct priesthood leaders to encourage an interested person to report the abuse. - Protocol For Abuse Help Line Calls | LDS Church & Kirton McConkie Law Firm | wasmormon.org
Determine whether or not the incident of child abuse has already been reported to child protection or law enforcement authorities. If not, Abuse Help Line workers should instruct priesthood leaders to encourage an interested person to report the abuse. - Protocol For Abuse Help Line Calls | LDS Church & Kirton McConkie Law Firm
”We actually don't have an abuse help line for just general membership. It's just for bishops or stake presidents.“ - Church Helpline Operator to AP News. “The nature and the purpose of the Church’s help line was seriously mischaracterized in a recent Associated Press article.” “The Church's abuse help line has everything to do with protecting children and has nothing to do with cover-up.” - LDS Church Newsroom: Official Statements August 5 & 17, 2022 | wasmormon.org
”We actually don't have an abuse help line for just general membership. It's just for bishops or stake presidents.“ - Church Helpline Operator to AP News. “The nature and the purpose of the Church’s help line was seriously mischaracterized in a recent Associated Press article.” “The Church's abuse help line has everything to do with protecting children and has nothing to do with cover-up.” - LDS Church Newsroom: Official Statements August 5 & 17, 2022
“These bishops did nothing wrong. They didn’t violate the law, and therefore they can’t be held liable.” - William Maledon, Arizona attorney, Representing LDS Church | wasmormon.org
“These bishops did nothing wrong. They didn’t violate the law, and therefore they can’t be held liable.” - William Maledon, Arizona attorney, Representing LDS Church
The LDS Church claims its abuse helpline instructs bishops to follow reporting laws, yet in Arizona, while clergy may keep abuse confessions confidential, they are not required to, and are even legally protected if they report. Despite this, the helpline advised the bishop not to report the abuse. In practice, the helpline serves less to protect victims and more to shield the institution, keeping abuse cases “in-house.” This approach effectively circumvents law enforcement, protecting the church rather than the victims. | wasmormon.org
The LDS Church claims its abuse helpline instructs bishops to follow reporting laws, yet in Arizona, while clergy may keep abuse confessions confidential, they are not required to, and are even legally protected if they report. Despite this, the helpline advised the bishop not to report the abuse. In practice, the helpline serves less to protect victims and more to shield the institution, keeping abuse cases “in-house.” This approach effectively circumvents law enforcement, protecting the church rather than the victims.
Church leaders and members are instructed in the Church’s “General Handbook” that their responsibilities related to abuse are as follows: • Assure that child sexual abuse is stopped. • Help victims receive care, including from professional counselors. • Comply with whatever reporting is required by law. - LDS Church Newsroom: Official Statements August 17, 2022 | wasmormon.org
Church leaders and members are instructed in the Church’s “General Handbook” that their responsibilities related to abuse are as follows: • Assure that child sexual abuse is stopped. • Help victims receive care, including from professional counselors. • Comply with whatever reporting is required by law. - LDS Church Newsroom: Official Statements August 17, 2022
“The nature and the purpose of the Church’s help line was seriously mischaracterized in a recent Associated Press article. The help line is instrumental in ensuring that all legal requirements for reporting are met. It provides a place for local leaders, who serve voluntarily, to receive direction from experts to determine who should make a report and whether they (local leaders) should play a role in that reporting. When a leader calls the help line, the conversation is about how to stop the abuse, care for the victim and ensure compliance with reporting obligations, even in cases when the law provides clergy-penitent privilege or restricts what can be shared from private ecclesiastical conversations.” - Church Offers Statement on Help Line and Abuse Official Statement, LDS Church Newsroom, 5 August 2022 - Salt Lake City | wasmormon.org
“The nature and the purpose of the Church’s help line was seriously mischaracterized in a recent Associated Press article. The help line is instrumental in ensuring that all legal requirements for reporting are met. It provides a place for local leaders, who serve voluntarily, to receive direction from experts to determine who should make a report and whether they (local leaders) should play a role in that reporting. When a leader calls the help line, the conversation is about how to stop the abuse, care for the victim and ensure compliance with reporting obligations, even in cases when the law provides clergy-penitent privilege or restricts what can be shared from private ecclesiastical conversations.” - Church Offers Statement on Help Line and Abuse Official Statement, LDS Church Newsroom, 5 August 2022 - Salt Lake City

Mormon Abuse Helpline

In 2022, an Associated Press (AP) investigation revealed that officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints failed to prevent or report the sexual abuse of children by a church member in Arizona over seven years. The report detailed how church leaders were informed of the abuse but did not notify law enforcement, …

Continue reading “Mormon Abuse Helpline”

"We do not receive financial compensation for serving" - Steven D. Shumway, LDS General Authority Seventy, April 2025. "For 2025, we estimate $183k* in equivalent taxable salary for the living allowance offered to the LDS Church's 120 General Authorities." - The Widow's Mite Report - General Authority Compensation | wasmormon.org
"We do not receive financial compensation for serving" - Steven D. Shumway, LDS General Authority Seventy, April 2025. "For 2025, we estimate $183k* in equivalent taxable salary for the living allowance offered to the LDS Church's 120 General Authorities." - The Widow's Mite Report - General Authority Compensation

Church Leadership Claims No Financial Compensation For Service

During the 2025 April General Conference, Steven D. Shumway continued to push the narrative that church leaders are not paid for their service in the church. He claims that “we do not receive financial compensation for serving.” This is misleading and exemplifies a glaring transparency issue regarding church leadership and finances. While it is technically true …

Continue reading “Church Leadership Claims No Financial Compensation For Service”

Steven Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Steven’s story is one of resilience, self-discovery, and finally—freedom. Raised between worlds, with a non-religious mother who distrusted the church and grandparents deeply embedded in it, Steven was surrounded by conflicting messages about Mormonism from a young age. His early life was marked by both devotion to the church and personal trauma, making his eventual …

Continue reading “Steven Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight”

This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
When I was in the organization, I felt like I was forcing myself to accept something I didn't want to believe in. I would push myself to study, pray, pay a full tithe, fast, attend every meeting, ect. Now my family and I have inside jokes about the trauma we all received. While we continue to work on ourselves without a religion hovering over us. It can be hard at times, because we have so many friends and family members still in the church. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
When I was in the organization, I felt like I was forcing myself to accept something I didn't want to believe in. I would push myself to study, pray, pay a full tithe, fast, attend every meeting, ect. Now my family and I have inside jokes about the trauma we all received. While we continue to work on ourselves without a religion hovering over us. It can be hard at times, because we have so many friends and family members still in the church. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I don't believe the Book of Mormon is true. Not only has history proven that things never happened. But Joseph Smith looked into a Hat of Stones to read gold plates that he had to fight people off from stealing from him. He also had to run home with them. Joseph Smith had a bad limp and would not have been able to run with gold plates, away from people. Joseph Smith was a sick con-man. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I don't believe the Book of Mormon is true. Not only has history proven that things never happened. But Joseph Smith looked into a Hat of Stones to read gold plates that he had to fight people off from stealing from him. He also had to run home with them. Joseph Smith had a bad limp and would not have been able to run with gold plates, away from people. Joseph Smith was a sick con-man. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I'm a lot happier than I ever thought was possible. My life and mental health are experiencing new joys all the time. Now I know true happiness. I'm currently working on getting my records removed. It has been slow working with a really busy life. But it is something I want done for closure. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I'm a lot happier than I ever thought was possible. My life and mental health are experiencing new joys all the time. Now I know true happiness. I'm currently working on getting my records removed. It has been slow working with a really busy life. But it is something I want done for closure. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I went from feeling like a weekly disappointment at church, and daily waste of God son, to being the happiest I've ever been after leaving and letting go of the lies I've been fed all my life. Since I left, I've learned so much about that organization. So many things make me sick. While many other things make me extremely angry. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I went from feeling like a weekly disappointment at church, and daily waste of God son, to being the happiest I've ever been after leaving and letting go of the lies I've been fed all my life. Since I left, I've learned so much about that organization. So many things make me sick. While many other things make me extremely angry. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I remarried, and we started off strong in the church. But certain things just weren't adding up for both of us. She decided to leave, and I wanted to. But I decided I would try to stay for our kids. The problem was everything I read, studied, or heard within the church started to feel like a lie. I deep down knew how I felt was true. I started to look into the history, the stories, and research documents on the church, about the church, and the men running it. It shattered my shelf. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
I remarried, and we started off strong in the church. But certain things just weren't adding up for both of us. She decided to leave, and I wanted to. But I decided I would try to stay for our kids. The problem was everything I read, studied, or heard within the church started to feel like a lie. I deep down knew how I felt was true. I started to look into the history, the stories, and research documents on the church, about the church, and the men running it. It shattered my shelf. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
Looking back, the 1st crack on my shelf was how I was denied my temple recommend because of child support (I owed, because I thought my ex and I would work on our marriage, and get back together. She was deceiving me, and waiting for ORS to have proof against me for Family Law). So while I was paying it back, I was not aloud to receive my recommend, until it was paid off. The crack grew more when I was told that my kids would no longer be sealed to me, because of the divorce. Although neither the bishop, or stake president could give me a reason why, or why not. I was sour about that. But decided that I didn't believe it, and God would work out the rest. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/
Looking back, the 1st crack on my shelf was how I was denied my temple recommend because of child support (I owed, because I thought my ex and I would work on our marriage, and get back together. She was deceiving me, and waiting for ORS to have proof against me for Family Law). So while I was paying it back, I was not aloud to receive my recommend, until it was paid off. The crack grew more when I was told that my kids would no longer be sealed to me, because of the divorce. Although neither the bishop, or stake president could give me a reason why, or why not. I was sour about that. But decided that I didn't believe it, and God would work out the rest. - Steven's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/scubasteven1013/