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This is a sensitive topic. I’m speaking for myself here and not for anyone else at BCC.

God does not call us to defend the morally indefensible, or to call wrong things right. Whether we’re talking about people or institutions, the mandate for Mormons is to be honest and to seek to do right.

I don’t have much to say about Joseph Bishop as an individual; he has clearly done some horrible things and should not be excused. I don’t care that he’s old.

There is more to say about the police and the local prosecutor’s office. What was investigated? Who was interviewed? Why was this not further reviewed or prosecuted? Even though the statute of limitations has passed, the political and structural forces here must be investigated today. Why wasn’t this woman believed? This is the haunting question.

There is still more to say about the MTC, the church and our culture. Why was such a man put in a position of power? Why was he kept in a position of power, even after the police report? Why did subsequent leaders hear his confessions and do nothing? Why was the Church’s response so problematic, illogical, and un-Christlike both in blaming the victim and in hiding behind an ineffective law enforcement system (which the church heavily influences in that part of the world)? The church shares blame here. A culture of opacity and strict obedience to patriarchal authority, long nurtured, is ripe for abuse, especially in circumstances like the MTC. We must see that. Even I can see it, and this is the culture that molded me, and is tailored to benefit me.

Some questions and observations: