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If your bishop is asking your kid stuff like that you need a new bishop. I mean really.

Something clicks in place for me. When I was 10 or so, I used to walk my puppy around the block in a very safe neighborhood. One day an old man on his porch called me to him. He asked . . . questions to determine if I was going thur puberty (I realized later). He scared the hell out of me.

I ran home and told my stepfather and he took me back over there and threatened to beat the crap out of that old man. The old man claimed they were church questions that he asked children all the time. My stepfather said he better never hear of such a thing ever again. I remember it so vividly. I was really relieved when I saw that old man scared.

If a bishop can’t ask that question, you are showing that you don’t care about the answer, and thus that your moral position isn’t that important.

There are good arguments to be made both for and against how these interviews are currently handled, but I never felt awkward in these interviews. And the questions aren’t obscene either - more like “Are you following the law of chastity?”

Or a completely new church!

"Any Latter-day Saint who denounces or opposes, whether actively or otherwise, any plan or doctrine advocated by the 'prophets, seers, and revelators' of the Church is cultivating the spirit of apostacy..."

(Improvement Era, June 1945, p. 354)

Reinforced here......

MP3 File

This is the audio clip of Dallin H. Oaks, current Mormon Apostle leader, from the PBS documentary, "The Mormons", declaring unequivocally:

"IT'S WRONG TO CRITICIZE LEADERS OF THE (MORMON) CHURCH, EVEN IF THE CRITICISM IS TRUE."

Don't criticize?

Dallin H. Oaks, Mormon Apostle

And here:

Temple Recommend Questions:

1 Do you have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost?

2 Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Christ and of His role as Savior and Redeemer?

3 Do you have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel in these the latter days?

4 Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

5 Do you live the law of chastity?

6 Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?

7 Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

8 Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?

9 Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?

10 Are you a full-tithe payer?

11 Do your keep the Word of Wisdom?

12 Do you have financial or other oblgations to a former spouse or children? If yes, are you current in meeting those obligations?

13 If you have previously received your temple endowment:

Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple?

Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple?

14 Have there been any sins or misdeeds in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but have not been?

15 Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord's house and participate in temple ordinances?

Oh, they can say that their leaders were NOT speaking for GOD when they said WHATEVER but that's NOT the same as criticizing!

( Remember fellow Christians: the Mormon's criticize US because they've been taught that they CAN'T criticize ANY of their leaders; so they HAVE to vent somehow! )