Does the Mormon church protect sexual predators?

Yes, in my opinion.  After I decided to leave the faith, one of my siblings confided that she had been sexually abused by a mormon relative at the tender age of 8 years old.  Our grand parents covered it up and faith leaders protected the abuser. That my own LDS family and church leaders covered up the abuse of my sister when she was a child was disgusting.

tom808

Yes. They do.

kingofweird

I had no idea this was even a thing until after I left. Unfortunately the interviews I’ve seen from victims, and whistleblowers make pretty compelling arguments that the church does protect sexual predators. 

Who do Bishops call first if someone reports sexual assault? The police? Or the church law firm? 

The answer to that question is all you really need to know.

ashmonster2000

Oh hell yeah it does! They protect the abuser and hide the victim. 

sandra

I wholeheartedly believe that not only does the church protect child predators. I know that they have a large legal team that tries to cover up all kinds of accusations from church members that were honestly abused. at one time the church was asking people to call this certain number and they would be taking care of people who are experiencing crisis from sexual trauma from church authorities. They would take these peoples stories and say they were recording them and if they did take any notes, they were confiscated and destroyed. The church members who called the hotline would be thinking that something was going to be done about it were sorely mistaken. 
This hits home extremely deep. Because not only does the church cover it up, but they have influenced the state of Utah to almost make it a Haven for sexual predators. You know that the church is the legislature too. In this state there’s no separation from church and state here in Utah.
The reason why I know this is because my ex put a camera in my daughter’s bathroom and was trying to film her. Long story short, the authorities came and did raid on the house and my exes computer equipment was confiscated and it was found to have tons and tons of child porn. I had no clue this was going on. He was charged with 22 felonies.  My daughters and I have been fighting this battle, going to court, and it’s a joke. If this monster would’ve done anything like this in Florida, he would’ve been put away for life. In Utah his slimy lawyer sits in court with his BYU mug as to say I went to BYU so I’m perfect I’m above the law and so is my client. So I know for a fact that Utah is a Haven for sexual predators. 

kathyh1976

Yes, absolutely they do. The victims are collateral damage. The name of the church is more important than doing what is right.

susan_groom_1956

Yes.
With the Church, visuals are everything. Things must look perfect. Victims don't matter. They're either lying or being wicked by not turning the other cheek. Disgusting.

the-last-tapircorn

Yes. By not prioritizing the victim's safety. The predator's crimes are instead hidden under the guise of repentance and not wanting to ruin a family, while also keeping the church's image squeaky clean. When a minor tells their PH leader they are being abused, the first call should be to the police. Not some flunky at Kirton McConkie.
Every action the church takes after learning of abuse, is to protect the church. If it weren't, the hotline would work a lot differently.

sallygirl75

There are numerous examples of them doing so.

swordsman1989

Yes. And sadly, many members and local leadership are often willing to accuse innocent people of sexually predatory behavior without proof. That happened to me.

darthyagi

I think considering the news and articles that are being reviled, I think the answer is a resounding yes.

kf7heh

Yes

brian-caulfield

Not intentionally. They have some now famous screw ups and a system that is not designed to recognize and correct mistakes so those things get perpetuated. I hope it will figure things out though and improve in the future.

Brandon Shumway

It certainly doesn't do anything to prohibit them. And that's the real problem. There is no supervision or oversight for the ludicrous amounts of adult-child interactions, especially between male leaders and young girls. Most are trustworthy enough, but you don't have to look hard to find bad apples and sickos.

BW

Yes. 
More to come.

heather-borean

Unfortunately, yes. They could be more transparent and utilize more safeguards to prevent the issue to begin with.

downingj

Yes, a thousand times yes. If you don't believe me, google the topic and convince yourself, based on the content and volume of the stories, that I'm wrong. I'll venture that you won't be able to though.

Anonymous

It seems so. The church seems to have done a lot in the act of "preserving the good name of the church". There is a pattern of gaslighting and dismissing victims and skipping legal (and moral) requirements in favor of forgiving perpetrators. For example, leaders are instructed to call a hotline when dealing with issues of abuse - and the hotline is to the church law firm presumably so that the church can keep things quiet rather than to actually care for the victims. The church has punished those who publicly seek to protect children while quickly forgiving and quietly restoring sexually abusive priesthood holders.

For example, lookup and compare two people who are relevant here. First, Sam Young, a former Bishop and leader of the Protect LDS Children movement who was excommunicated for speaking out. Secondly, Joseph Bishop, a former MTC president who sexually abused sister missionaries in the basement of the Provo MTC. Bishop was barely chastised and even protected by the church while Young was excommunicated. This doesn't seem right to me, following any example of Jesus we have would care for the victims rather than worry about the name of the church and involve lawyers. These are just two examples among many more. Who should the church listen to and who should be considered for church discipline?

evan-mullins