A freind of mine who lives in a Utah County ward told me that today the Relief Society president emailed the RS sisters and them to send letters of support without "judgements" to 2 ward members in the county jail. One is a man who has been convicted of sexually assaulting two female college students.

Um, does anyone else see the stupidity here of asking women to to send letters of support to a convicted sex abuser? Oh, and they are to write these letters "prayerfully."

Are you KIDDING Me?!?!?

And yet, if you become an inactive Mormon you will get little support and a lot of judgment. The Mormon mindset (in this case at least) shows that apostates rank lower than sex offenders.

Yes, this whole idea is way stupid - at least in the case of the sexual assault. Other churches have prison outreaches so this might be this RS presidents naive way of thinking outside the cookie box, re: service.

After I exited I managed to drag myself to a ward xmas party just to be with my immediate TBM family. One of the long time, much beloved TBM ladies of the ward is married to a nevermo. He's good man with good people skills who shows up at church five or so times a year. Many people refer to him as a "dry Mormon". I realized sitting there at the party that he, a member of the unbaptized, unwashed masses, was higher up the totem pole than me with 44 yrs. of service to the org. which means absolutely nothing to them once you express doubt. You become yesterday's trash to them.

They have lost their ever loving minds. I'm speechless over the stupidity of this.

I have a friend who's a prison guard. If they heard the stories I heard, they would be horrified and terrified. These people aren't in prison because they're nice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2012 10:09PM by Mia.

wow, that is ridiculous!!

Something I experienced that was not near as bad but that made me be like wtf...

I was already semi inactive and the sister missionaries would stop by every now and then to chill for a bit and encourage me to come to church and some weeks I did. Then one time they stopped by and asked if I could give this guy in my neighborhood they were teaching that didn't have a car a ride to church. I don't live in the worst neighborhood but it is a low cost suberb with some shady characters (read, suspected drug dealers and who knows what else) and I was uncomfortable with what they were asking and told them so. Why wouldn't they ask a guy or a set of guy roommates to do this instead of a single sister by herself??

I told them part of the issue was picking up a dude I've never even met and they said oh well we wanted you to come on a discussion with us this weekend with him so you can go ahead and meet him and then yall would know each other. I told them I had other plans and couldn't.

Maybe I was being to pre-judgemental but I am a single woman living alone for one and am always picky about who I let into my life and home. I could just picture this guy being a creeper who clung onto me and conveniently lived close enough to stalk me from right down the street. Even my pro missionary work TBM parents were mad the sister missionaries tried to put me in that position.

Good for you watching out for yourself. I would be furious if someone tried to pressure my single daughter into this situation.
Just because those missionaries are naive, doesn't mean you have to be. It's a dangerous world out there for women.

romy, it sounds like your BS detector is working very well. The situation you described was untenable, in my opinion. They should never have asked that of you.

It seems to be the norm for Mormons to put unattached single sisters with men they have never met. I'm constantly being sat next to a creepy old man who now has Dementia so bad he can only remember my face, but not my name. Thank goodness! He had looked me up on the ward list and bicycled over to my house. That's when he realized I had four kids who were very lively and they dampened his interest in me as his next Mother-wife in a hurry!

But the ward still seats him next to me at any function I attend. That seems to be only about every other year when I'm invited over for the Ward Christmas dinner.

WTF?
They can't make you sit sit next to someone.

Just get up and sit wherever you like. No explanations are necessary.

LOL just tell the RS dingbat to go visit those guys and bring her teen daughters along.

On second thought, don't.
She might just be stupid enough (inspired) to do so.

Dear Sex Offender,

I just wanted to let you know that I support you.
I do not judge you, I love you as my brother.

Please feel free to contact me at the First Stupid Ward, Utah address below.

Yours prayerfully
Sister G. Ullable



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2012 03:07AM by Stumbling.

Yeah. and don't forget to spritz it with perfume before sending it. Crazy stuff.

These guys sometimes obsess about letter writers and go after them when they're freed.

Luv,
Your local RS Presidency Gone Insane

Not like they should need to because the women should be able to make up their own minds--but this is so ridiculous on so many levels.

Remember Deenie's story about the guy they kept trying to push her to date? After all, he'd be normal in the CK.

Do these people have brains?

This is so freakin crazy. I can see all the sisters sitting there a little perplexed, then just submitting and writing the stupid letters. Unbelievable! The brethren need to get over to the county jail and chap the sex offender's hide!

why hasn't he been excommunicated? Isn't that the SOP? What could the RS presidency and/or bishoprick be thinking? Just crazy to try to involve members of their community in this way!

This all had to be passed and ok'd by their priesthood leader.
He is a total idiot. Either that or he's a predator himself.

In a GENERAL Way, I see nothing wrong with ministering to people in jail/prison.

Most are going to be released; giving them a soft landing will help them to avoid re-offending.