Posted by:
WiserWomanNow
(
)
Date: December 15, 2011 01:00PM
Here is a previous RfM post. (Unfortunately, I did not keep the link.) I have added capitals below for Petersen's most shocking statement! --The post:
"Remember the apostle Mark E. Petersen? Well, so do I. Here is what happened:
"I was 18 yrs old and just completed my first year at BYU. It was time for me to be ordained an Elder. I was home for the summer (BYU semester ended late April). I was in the Seattle East Stake (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah)
"In our stake, there was some kind of stir, some talk going around. I was young and naive, but learned it had to do with whether oral sex was OK among married couples. Apparently the question was raised in prior weeks/months, and bishops and the Stake Pres were attempting to give counsel. The Regional rep of the 12 got wind of this, and guess what? They immediately scheduled Mark E. Petersen to address our Stake at the next Stake conference!
"It was Sunday, May 25th, 1975. They quietly scheduled a meeting for all ADULTS, to be held 3 hours prior to regular Stake conference. I showed up early, and it was amazing, the parking lot was totally full at 6:30am, with cars parked clear down the street. The chapel was packed to overflowing.
"During this 'meeting', actually a dictator-style lecture by Elder Petersen, it was said very sternly that oral sex is an abomination, and had no place in marital relations. wow, you could have heard a pin drop. Petersen wielded a mighty, authoritative presence. And he was a bit cranky. He seemed displeased that this was even an issue!
"He also spoke during our regular conference meeting. A long, boring tirade. He somewhat carried this "purity in marriage" theme over. I CLEARLY REMEMBER HIM SAYING "YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN MARRIED TO MY WIFE FOR 44 YEARS, AND NEVER ONCE HAVE SEEN HER BODY UNCOVERED". Again there was silence. What a joke; implicit in his remarks was the idea that sex is ONLY for procreation, and the visual enjoyment of bodies is dirty, not beautiful.
"Putting this in context, can you imagine the power & influence of a bigshot apostle coming from SLC, enjoying the unquestioned favor of 2500 people? And all this in the name of God? Can you say, "brainwashed, cult"? He put that sexual issue to bed, for years to come!
"By the way, I had requested in advance through my Stake President that apostle Petersen personally ordain me an Elder, while he was in town that Sunday. At the last minute, I was handed a note 'request denied, Elder Petersen much too busy'...... I remember being hurt and disappointed."
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2011 01:00PM by WiserWomanNow.