Posted by:
botchan
(
)
Date: August 15, 2022 09:07AM
Growing up in the sixties and seventies, I was for the most part a good little Mormon boy. One Friday night when I was in the ninth grade, I was staying overnight at a friend’s house with a couple of other friends, when what should appear but two bottles of Boones Farm wine. My friend’s parents were gone for the weekend, and his brother, who was a senior in high school, had been left in charge. The wine was from his supply for the party he was going to have the next day.
No one pushed me to drink, but curiosity got the best of me, and I did drink - a lot. I got very sick, and swore off drinking then and there.
Well the next Sunday the bishop called me into his office and asked me about it. (I figure that my friend’s brother told his friend who was a priest in my ward about it, and he went straight to the bishop. I don’t blame the brother because I’m sure he didn’t think his friend would snitch on me. I mean, who does that?)
I was honest with the bishop, who was a very good person, and told him I had made a mistake that I was sorry for, and that I’d promised myself and the lord that I would never drink again. He seemed quite pleased with my attitude, and said, “I want you to know we love you, and as far as I’m concerned, and more importantly, as far as the lord is concerned, it’s as if this never happened.” And he was true to his word. From then on he really acted as if nothing had happened.
About three years later I was having an interview with the stake president, who I didn’t know very well, and he was asking the usual questions. When we got to the WoW, after I’d given the appropriate answer, he said, “Can I ask you a question? Have you ever tasted alcohol?” Immediately I thought, “Not fair!! You can’t ask that!” Then I thought, “Have you been talking to my bishop? Did the priest open his big mouth again? Is this a trap?” I decided to take the bishop at his word, and simply said, “No.” The stake president said, “That’s very impressive. You’d be surprised how few people can say that.” and we continued the interview.
That really bothered me, even when I still believed - actually, especially when I still believed. Did anyone else ever have an experience like this, where you felt like the leaders weren’t playing by the rules?