The OTHER Church Sex Scandals, Part 1

Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, photo by Lucian Foster (1843), Source http://comevisit.com/lds/faq-dld.htm, (Public Domain)

The Roman Catholic Church child sex scandal has received a good deal of press – justifiably so.  But it is by no means the only sex scandal in America’s churches and elsewhere.

Mormon Church

We begin with sexual abuse in the Mormon Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). 

The 17 million members of the Mormon Church value marriage and family above all [1A].  The church has a strict moral code which includes abstaining from alcohol (even caffeine) and premarital sex, while fostering a deep sense of community [1B].  Unfortunately, this outward appearance of virtue hides a dark underbelly.

A culture of secrecy has enabled decades of unchecked sexual abuse [1C].  Institutional protection prioritizes the church’s reputation over the safety of its most vulnerable members [1D].  According to Mormon sexual abuse database Floodlit, at least 4195 reports of abuse have been made [2A]. 

One of the earliest publicized cases involved Joseph Bishop, a former president of the LDS Church’s Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  Although Bishop was accused of having sexually assaulted a missionary sister in the 1980s, he was allowed to continue in ministry. 

Bishop was never criminally charged because the Statute of Limitations had run.  After the legal deadline for filing rape charges was extended, a civil lawsuit was dismissed by agreement between the plaintiff and the LDS church.  Just days after the release of a trove of documents by a whistleblower website, Bishop finally admitted sexual impropriety in 2018 [1E]. 

Mormon church members who have been convicted of child sexual abuse and/or rape include Jacob Bowers, Scott Bowers (his son), Arvid Oakely, and Gerald Salcido [2B].  Salcido, a former police officer, was excommunicated.  However, the church never informed law enforcement.

Unfortunately, those who point to the fact that the Mormon Church is not a genuinely Christian denomination (with the Book of Mormon contradicting the Bible in may key respects) [3][4], and comfort themselves with the thought that evil like this is only prevalent among non-believers are merely deluding themselves.

Amish Church

Sexual abuse is widely regarded as an open secret in many Amish communities [5A]. 

Some communities have begun supporting victims [5B].  However, guided by the principle of “forgive and forget”, many continue to silence survivors, pressuring them to forgive their abusers publicly, while at the same time discouraging police involvement [5C]. 

One survivor, Lizzie Hershberger, has broken her silence, in the hope of encouraging others to come forward [5D].  Her story is told in a recently released documentary film titled “Keep Quiet and Forgive” [5E][6].  Her book “Behind Blue Curtains” is available on Amazon.

—

[1]  Survivors Rights, “The LDS Church Sexual Abuse Scandal:  A History of Cover-Ups, Betrayal, and the Fight for Justice”, 2/7,25, https://survivorsrights.com/lds-church-sexual-abuse-scandal-coverup/.

[2]  FloodLit, “Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Church”, https://floodlit.org/.

[3]  Bible Ask, “Does the Book of Mormon Contradict the Bible?”, 1/20/17 (updated 11/28/25), https://bibleask.org/does-the-book-of-mormon-contradict-the-bible/.

[4]  Institute for Religious Research, “Contradictions Between the Book of Mormon and the Bible” by Luke Wilson and Robert Bowman Jr., 7/6/11 (updated 12/1/25), https://mit.irr.org/contradictions-between-book-of-mormon-and-bible.

[5A through 5E]  KPBS Public Media, “Independent Lens:  Keep Quiet and Forgive” by Jennifer Robinson, 3/10/26, https://www.kpbs.org/news/2026/03/10/independent-lens-keep-quiet-and-forgive.

[6]  Fillmore County Journal, “Amish Sexual Abuse Survivor Shares Story in PBS Documentary” by Charlene Corson Selbee, 3/23/26, https://fillmorecountyjournal.com/amish-sexual-abuse-survivor-shares-story-in-pbs-documentary/.

Part 2 in this series re: the Anglican, Baptist, and Methodist Churches will be posted next week.

Taxpayer funded sexual harassment settlements involving federal lawmakers totaled $550,000 in recent decades, with the largest settlement for $220,000 made on behalf of Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings (now deceased).

For more information, see https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/previously-unaccounted-for-case-shows-taxpayers-bankrolled-more-than-550000-in-congressional-sexual-harassment-settlements/ar-AA238iVv?ocid=BingNewsSerp,

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com