Mormon leaders are 'covering up' an 'epidemic' of sexual abuse that rivals scandals exposed within the Catholic church, victims have alleged to DailyMail.com.

The Utah-based religion has repeatedly protected perpetrators and punished those who speak out in a bid to protect its reputation 'at all costs', it is claimed.

Victims believe abuse is 'rampant', with Mormon families said to be suffering 'extremely high rates of incest'.

Young girls subjected to horrific abuse say they are told to 'forgive' their assailants and discouraged from reporting it to the police.

The Mormon church has been embroiled in several high profile cases in which it has been accused of covering up sexual abuse, but the true scale of the crisis has never before been exposed.

Now, DailyMail.com has combed through reams of court documents and police records and interviewed more than a dozen current and former members of the church to expose the full extent of victims' claims.

Their stories span decades of abuse in which ecclesiastical leaders are alleged to have 'maintained a pattern and practice' of hiding crimes from authorities.

It comes after a court in Arizona earlier this month ruled that church officials who knew that a member was sexually abusing his daughter had no duty to report the abuse to police because the information was received during a spiritual confession.

Victims who spoke to DailyMail.com said this was repeatedly used as an excuse for bishops to hide abuse from authorities, often allowing it to carry on for years.

Women claimed church culture acts as a breeding ground for abuse, pointing to the belief within Mormonism that local bishops - laymen with no pastoral training - are divinely called by God and led by spiritual revelations, meaning their authority cannot be questioned.

Mormon leaders are 'covering up' an 'epidemic' of sexual abuse that rivals scandals exposed within the Catholic church, victims have alleged to DailyMail.com. Based on some content I have sometimes glanced at in the DailyMail.com sidebars, it hardly is fit to be exposing sexual immorality.

Meanwhile, AP: Sexual misconduct plagues U.S. schools NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com › wbna21392345 Oct 20, 2007 — Students in America's schools are groped. They're raped. They're pursued, seduced and think they're in love. An Associated Press investigation ...

`Sexual attacks against teen girls increased in 2021, CDC ... NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com › health › health-news › cdc-s... Feb 22, 2023 — Based on the responses in 2019, an estimated 850,000 high school girls reported that they'd been raped. By 2021, that estimate soared to more .

Study: Bullying Persists in School, Reports of Sex Crime Up Spectrum News NY1 https://ny1.com › nyc › queens › news › 2017/05/16 May 16, 2017 — The report also found a significant rise in reports of sexual assault on university campuses. Such instances jumped from 2,200 in 2001 to 6,700 ...

San Francisco Chronicle https://www.sfchronicle.com › Bay Area Sep 11, 2023 — The former students' accounts are in line with some common trends experts see in cases of child sexual abuse in schools.

Sexual Violence Against Female College Students in the ... Ballard Brief https://ballardbrief.byu.edu › issue-briefs › sexual-viol... Sep 16, 2023 — In the 2019 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct, it was found that 1 in 4 women reported having experienced some sort of sexual assault or .

36% of all on-campus crimes or 10,400 incidents were forcible sex offenses. (NCES, 2020) 19.6% of female college undergraduates experience sexual assault through sexual touching. (Association of American Universities, 2019) - https://financesonline.com/student-crime-statistics/

"Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkned his Eyes than he would take a sentance and it would apper in Brite Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it. Then that would go away the next sentance would Come and so on. But if it was not Spelt rite it would not go away till it was rite, so we see it was marvelous. Thus was the hol [whole] translated."

---Joseph Knight's journal.

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth,
and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts,
than by any other book.”

-- Joseph Smith (History of the Church, 4:461)

“The most correct of any book on earth” was a bold statement to make in Joseph Smith’s day,
let alone in our day of sophisticated publication.

The statement is still applicable, for the Lord has never rescinded it nor cast doubt upon it.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/06/the-most-correct-book?lang=eng

Looks like there needs to be a LOT more abidin' goin' on!!

The Doctrine and Covenants

Section 132

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded 12 July 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant, and also the plurality of wives (see History of the Church, 5:501–7). Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.

1–6, Exaltation is gained through the new and everlasting covenant; 7–14, The terms and conditions of that covenant are set forth; 15–20, Celestial marriage and a continuation of the family unit enable men to become gods; 21–25, The strait and narrow way leads to eternal lives; 26–27, The law is given relative to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; 28–39, Promises of eternal increase and exaltation are made to prophets and Saints in all ages; 40–47, Joseph Smith is given the power to bind and seal on earth and in heaven; 48–50, The Lord seals upon him his exaltation; 51–57, Emma Smith is counseled to be faithful and true; 58–66, Laws governing the plurality of wives are set forth.

16Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in ^amarriage; but are appointed angels in ^bheaven, which angels are ministering ^cservants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

17For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are ^aangels of God forever and ever.

18And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that ^acovenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.

19And again, verily I say unto you, if a man ^amarry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and ^beverlasting covenant, and it is ^csealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of ^dpromise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the ^ekeys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit ^fthrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s ^gBook of Life, that he shall commit no ^hmurder whereby to shed innocent ⁱblood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their ^jexaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the ^kseeds forever and ever.

20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from ^aeverlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be ^bgods, because they have ^call power, and the angels are subject unto them.

21Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my ^alaw ye cannot attain to this glory.

22For ^astrait is the gate, and narrow the ^bway that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the ^clives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

23But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that ^awhere I am ye shall be also.

24This is ^aeternal lives—to ^bknow the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath ^csent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

25^aBroad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the ^bdeaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they ^creceive me not, neither do they abide in my law.

Some folks will brush your claim away because they've not SEEN what Mormon scripture actually says

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