TW: please read with caution if you are triggered by physically or sexually abusive situations.
One of the hardest parts of Kate Kelly’s excommunication in the larger Mormon feminist community is seeing people who’ve done terrible, destructive things without facing this strictest form of discipline. The following are stories collected over the last few days. Others may be added in the comment section or emailed to fMhcourtreporter@gmail.com. Anonymity will be respected.
He was arrested for having a hard drive filled with child pornography. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He emotionally, mentally, and physically abused his wife and daughter. He bought escorts while married. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He led a Ponzi Scheme that took millions of dollars from the families around him based on the trust they gave him as a religious leader in their community and the testimony he bore of it building God’s kingdom. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
They allegedly committed massive frauds while in public office, including bribery and obstruction of justice. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He abducted a 13yo YW from the ward and kept her in a van as a sex slave for over a month. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He drove gay young men away from the church with horrible homophobic “jokes,” from his position of authority as scoutmaster, that left them forever scarred. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Bruce Jessen, who was critical in designing US torture techniques, was appointed a bishop. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He didn’t pay the government money for decades and used women and children as a human shield. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He had MULTIPLE, repeated, long lasting affairs and was abusive and manipulative. Was exed, rebaptized a few years later, went back to cheating, drugs, alcohol, abuse, got disfellowshiped. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
They (the bishop and his counselors) heard over and over how my father abused me and my sisters from us, yet he was and still is an important rotary member working with young at risk children and they did nothing. They STILL do nothing. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
I know a 26-year-old male who was chatting with a “15-year-old girl” and drove 2 hours to have sex with her and when he got there he learned he had been talking to a cop the whole time. He spent time in jail, is on the sex offender registry and was disfellowshipped. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He (early 30s high council member at the time) tried to convince his estranged wife to commit suicide so that he wouldn’t have to go through a divorce. Never mind their kids. After the divorce, he was sealed to a 19-year-old who he then verbally abused for many years until she got out. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Ted Bundy kidnapped, raped, and killed over 30 women and was re-baptized after his execution. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
My stepfather spent years abusing my mother, me, and my younger siblings. Not only got people to believe that we were lying but got custody of my younger siblings in the divorce. Took my mother years to divorce him because you don’t leave a righteous Mormon man. Sexually abused me for 11 years. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Large scale Medicare and Medicaid fraud lined his pockets with 22 million dollars and he is under investigation by the DOJ. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
For years he abused young men while a scout leader. When found out, he spent minimal time on probation and was disfellowshipped for 6 months. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He tried to get me to marry him by pretending God had taken over his body and was speaking to me via text message, and when I reported him he still went on a mission (got sent home before even getting a week of MTC time done) and continued to stalk me with no issues. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He beat her for years and she was blamed for the beatings. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He was the leader of a drug ring at BYU’s Deseret Towers but only got his hand slapped and then went on a mission. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He was verbally, physically, and mentally abusive to his wife and disabled child to the point that she moved into a battered women’s shelter. She went to the bishop for help and was told since she didn’t pay tithing the church couldn’t help. He was called as EQP a few weeks later. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He hit her, cornered her, and broke into her apartment. He couldn’t take the sacrament or go to the temple for three weeks as informal probation. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Repeatedly exposed himself to many, many women including me. Peeping tom, caught in the act. Served on the high council for the entire time even though it was common knowledge. Bequeathed his entire substantial fortune to BYU. Never disciplined. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He fathered a child while married to my aunt then moved his family out of state to avoid being found and paying child support. He reunited with his daughter when she was 12 but still kept the secret from his other family, serving on high council the whole time. When his daughter 18 years later called her 1/2 siblings because he told her that he had finally told his other family, the truth came out and he was forced to confess. He served six months probation. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He stole guns and ammunition from his employer (the government) and asked a new convert to store them in his house until they could be shipped when he left the country (not USA btw). New convert had learned to listen to his priesthood leaders and gladly helped him, not knowing they were illegally obtained. When the new convert was arrested for “terrorism” (by the equivalent of the CIA) the leader said it wasn’t his problem. Convert lost his business and freedom for several months and now the church won’t allow him to attend. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
English man sued President Monson and the church publicly calling President Monson and the church a fraud. No church discipline. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He molested children at church as a branch president and one by one the families left to attend other wards. Stake president knew all about it but still believed his buddy. He and his wife got called on a mission instead of disciplined. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He divorces his wife because he “can’t love her the way she wants to be loved.” She never ever asked more then I ask of my husband in fact she often settled for much much less. They take HER recommend away and practically shun her from the ward. He divorces her with no disciplinary action. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He pushed her against a wall and raped her in front of their 12-year-old daughter. She got her temple recommend taken away for leaving him. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He’s on the Board of Directors of a hate group that helped influence the anti-LGBT laws in Russia and Uganda. And he’s an Apostle. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He was sexually abusing his sisters, the bishop was well aware as CPS was involved, and yet he handed me the sacrament tray each week. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He was my college branch Bishop and my dentist. While gassed in his chair, having my tooth drilled, he started rubbing his crotch on my hand. I didn’t dare move in fear that he would put the drill through my cheek. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He physically abused my brother and verbally assaulted all of us, had a huge porn collection at home and at work, and threatened a coworker with bodily harm. Bishop knew. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He abandoned his wife and 10 children. Fathered 2 more children in extramarital affairs, then blamed his kids for not forgiving him. He refused to apologize and make peace with his his ex-wife as she lay dying of cancer. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He molested my mother as a child and denied it. He was accused of molesting his step-daughters and their mother stayed with him. Yet, he served a mission and had a temple recommend and my mom never did because she married a non-member. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He was convicted for muliple child molestation and rape, ex’d twice and, in the process of third baptism, more new victims came forward. Stake President felt Satan was blocking the way of baptismal waters through victims (this is in 2010) and moved his baptism up before paperwork could get processed. Now on his merry way towards temple recommend. …but my BIL lost his recommend for supporting marriage equality on FB. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Sent via email (fMhcourtreporter@gmail.com):
He was accused of rape, then served a mission, then spent years raping his new wife. When wife went to bishop, she was told to submit to her husband “lest she cause him to sin.” When wife wanted to go to the police, stake president told her not to because it would be a public relations nightmare. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
My husband had a one night stand 2 months after our first child was born. He received a year of “probation.” Then, four years later, he left me for a 20 year old. When he decided to return and work things out, he was put on informal probation which lasted a total of 6 months. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Physically abused his children in chapel classrooms during church when they did not listen to him and no one called him on it. Made one of his children sleep outside in a shed during the winter for not making bed. Moved in with his high school girlfriend and left his children and his wife to fend for themselves. Put the blame on his wife for her mental illness. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He molested my sister and a number of other young girls for a number of years. When it was finally discovered he was disfellowshipped. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Michael Terry participated in the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in 1968. He recounts shooting wounded women and children in a ditch – “They weren’t going to get any medical help, and so we shot them.” Returned to BYU and graduated. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
He cheated on his wife for twelve years, then left her and his three kids for his second, secret family. He has now returned to his ward, and they have welcomed him with open arms. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Submitted via Facebook:
Former Stake President and husband of Thomas Monson’s niece stole property from others. No church discipline yet. #yettheyexcommunicatekate
Note: Comments that are not stories that are in line with the direction of the post or do not reflect empathy for the storytellers will be deleted and the poster put in moderation.
