A number of major organizations, both religious and secular, are coming under fire for long histories of sexual abuse that have only recently begun coming to light.

The Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal has dominated headlines for predator priests among its ranks, but other religious institutions have been implicated, as well, including the Mormon church.

Who are the Mormons and what do they believe?

Mormons belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

It is a loose subset of Christianity founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith with the publication of the Book of Mormon. There are more than 15 million members of the LDS church worldwide.

Mormons share many common Christian beliefs and consider themselves Christians.

They believe in the crucifixion, resurrection, and divinity of Jesus Christ, though they do not believe in the Holy Trinity, and thus believe Jesus is separate from the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Some non-Mormon Christians, mostly evangelicals and fundamentalists, according to PBS, consider Mormonism to be outside Christian teachings.

Mormons believe God sent many more prophets to earth after Jesus’ death. The writings of these prophets are collected in the Book of Mormon, one of the church’s four core texts. The others are the Christian Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.

The Mormon church has a three-tiered understanding of heaven: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial, according to a study manual on the LDS website. While many may get to heaven, only those at the celestial level will live alongside God.

In life, Mormons follow a number of health and lifestyle requirements that do not allow them to consume alcohol or caffeine. Their core lifestyle values include family life, good deeds, respect for authority, and missionary work, according to History.com.

There is also a smaller branch of LDS known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) that retains the otherwise outdated Mormon practice of polygamy, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which classifies the branch as a cult. There have been widespread allegations of organized welfare fraud and child sexual abuse within the FLDS branch. The FLDS was recently ordered to pay about $1 million for the alleged violation of child labor laws, per Newsweek.

Cases of Mormon church abuse

A growing number of survivors are coming forward with allegations of child sex abuse within the LDS church, and not just in the Fundamentalist branch.

Several families have alleged that even after reporting sexual abuse by a teen church leader, the Mormon church failed to protect their children, according to ABC News.

In February, a Mormon church bishop and driver’s ed teacher in Oregon pleaded guilty to six counts of third-degree sex abuse stemming from assaults on several of his teen students, Portland, Oregon, ABC affiliate KATU reported. Paul Douglas Burdick was sentenced to six months in the county jail.

A woman whose husband confessed to LDS church leaders he’d had “inappropriate sexual contact” with his minor daughter has filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging her husband’s “confession-like communications” should have been kept confidential, Time reported.

Accounts of abuse within the church date back decades, with survivors confiding in trusted church leaders they thought would protect them and hold the accused accountable, but often to no avail.

Such is the case of a woman who says her father raped her as a child as a form of punishment, according to The Guardian. When she reported the abuse, church leaders allegedly left the issue “in the hands of God.”

The Mormon church has also been accused of attempting to hide claims of sexual abuse by funneling the reports to church lawyers before the allegations are reported to the police, according to a 2019 investigation by Vice.

Mormon leader in jail for sexual abuse charges

FLDS president Warren Jeffs was sentenced in 2011 to life plus 20 years for child sexual assault, according to CBS News.

His lawyers filed a motion with the court in 2019 arguing Jeffs wasn’t fit to give a deposition in the case against him due to a mental breakdown and that forcing him to testify would be “futile.”

An attorney for the plaintiff in the current case against him argued there wasn’t evidence to support the claim Jeffs wasn’t mentally competent, according to CBS News.

Jeffs remains in prison, reported the Associated Press on Feb. 26, 2021.

How does abuse happen in a religious organization?

Legal change around the country has given victims more opportunity to file civil claims of sexual abuse.

Such changes, like look-back window creations and extensions, have happened in states including New York, New Jersey, California, and many others. These states have chosen to expand the statute of limitations for such claims, acknowledging it often takes many years for a victim to come to terms with their abuse and decide that they do indeed want to take legal action against an abuser or an associated organization.

Many states have also expanded other aspects of their sexual abuse laws, giving more survivors to file claims after their abuse takes place.

Now, thousands of claims have been filed around the country, working to take religious organizations to task for their supposed role in enabling sexual abuse, or for not doing enough to respond after it occurs. The Mormon church is just one organization that has faced these claims, as well as claims of covering up the abuse.

In the case of the Catholic Church, victims have claimed many times over the church engaged in a cover up, allowing clergy who have been accused to keep their jobs.

In the eyes of critics, the organization put its reputation and power ahead of the safety, emotional distress, and healing of victims.

But the Catholic Church is far from the only religious organization to face such accusations.

These claims have prompted news sources, experts, and the public to question what elements have led to what many call an epidemic of sexual abuse.

In the case of abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, critics have asserted that both organizational culture and procedures around sexual abuse discourage or prevent victims from coming forward, according to NPR.

According to one victim in the Southern Baptist Convention, the organization puts religious officials above all other authority figures, including law enforcement. Critics have said organizations with strong authoritarian culture, in which participants are told to trust authority, might have cultures conducive to sexual abuse, leading potential victims to be vulnerable and unable to stand up for themselves.

Victim offered compensation only if she kept quiet

Amy H. was just 10 years old when a Mormon bishop allegedly started to show favoritism toward her, Healthline reported.

Amy told Healthline she was given extra candy and paid compliments about how special she was as the bishop groomed her into believing it was okay for her to lift up her dress and remove her undergarments for him. She said she was sexually assaulted for years. She was unable to tell anyone because the bishop convinced her that if she did, someone would die as a result of her sharing their secret.

Now 58 years old, Amy told Healthline she continues to fight post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression over the abuse.

“I continue to struggle,” said Amy, who was in her late twenties when she first revealed the trauma to a counselor. “My abuser took so much from my childhood and never faced any consequences for his actions.”

Amy said when she was a teenager, she once tried to obtain help from another church leader who refused to further the conversation as soon as he heard name of the abuser. She said she felt the church leader already knew about the bishop’s propensities and didn’t want to hear the details of the sexual abuse she had suffered.

Amy claimed the Mormon church offered her a modest amount in monetary compensation, but that payment was promised only if she never spoke of the abuse again to anyone.

Amy said she would not agree to keep quiet.

Should you file a Mormon church abuse lawsuit?

If you or someone you love has suffered abuse at the hands of a leader in the Mormon church, you may be able to file a Mormon church sexual abuse lawsuit and pursue compensation.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.