My mom made me cover up my sexual abuse to protect the Mormon Church #mormon #abuse #lds

When Institutional Loyalty Demands Silence: The Church's Role in Covering Up Abuse

A mother stands in a therapist's doorway and tells her own child to recant a disclosure of sexual abuse. The therapist listens. The abuse didn't happen, the mother insists. Her child collapses on the bathroom floor afterward, unable to process the reversal. This is not a scene from a legal thriller. According to testimony shared on the Mormon Stories Podcast, this is how one family's attempt to seek help for childhood sexual abuse was interrupted when institutional protection became the priority.

The question raised by such accounts is not whether abuse happens in religiously affiliated communities. It does. The sharper question is what happens when a family's faith community and its leaders discourage disclosure or suggest that protecting the institution matters more than protecting children. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, understanding how institutional loyalty can suppress abuse reporting is critical context for evaluating both historical patterns and current policies.

The Documented Pattern of Institutional Pressure Over Individual Safety

The Mormon Stories Podcast, hosted by researcher and former missionary John Dehlin, has recorded dozens of interviews with abuse survivors whose families are affiliated with the LDS Church. A consistent theme emerges across these accounts. When survivors attempt to disclose abuse, institutional concerns sometimes surface alongside or even before the survivor's own healing.

A parent might ask: What will this mean for our family's reputation in the ward? A bishop might counsel confidentiality to avoid public scandal. An ecclesiastical leader might suggest that forgiveness should take priority over reporting to law enforcement. These pressures exist in other religious communities, but they function within a specific LDS context where: The Church maintains formal authority over members' moral and spiritual standing Ward (congregation) membership often constitutes a person's primary social network Ecclesiastical leaders hold informal power to counsel members on sensitive matters, including abuse A member's "worthiness" can affect temple access, family relationships, and community standing Institutional reputation is often framed as inseparable from individual members' spiritual welfare