Name Withheld
A year and a half ago, my husband and I were called in to meet with our bishop. I had been released from my calling a few months before and was excited to finally be given a new calling. Instead, he started asking questions about my testimony and any associations I might have with “apostates.” I was utterly confused and gave every assurance of my loyalty to the Church, but he proceeded to pull out a “revelation” he had written down that he said he received from God about me six months earlier while he was reading his scriptures one night. It was written/spoken in a dramatic vernacular different from his own way of speaking, more like scriptural language. It detailed my sin of not respecting priesthood authority, and in the strongest language condemned my behavior as unacceptable to the Lord, along with the repeated stern warning that “THIS MUST STOP.” Among other things, I was told that if I did not repent, my progress “WOULD BE DAMNED.” As someone who is and has always been 100% “in,” I was completely in shock at these accusations being made as if they were in God’s name and in His voice. Through my bewildered tears, I said, “You do NOT know me. That is NOT true, and that does NOT come from God.” His smug reply was, “The fact that you’re reacting this way just shows that I’m right.”
My husband and I asked him repeatedly to give us ONE example that would justify this “revelation.” He couldn’t and then sat in defiance as we spent the next 30+ minutes recounting my testimony and lifetime of dedicated service in the Church (including full-time missionary, RS, YW and Primary Pres, Stk Primary Pres). Because I DID have respect for my priesthood leader, I was utterly shaken and even questioned myself, wondering whether I was so deluded in pride that I couldn’t see the truth in this condemnation “by God” against me. I cried all the way home after our interview and collapsed weeping into a corner, completely broken. It was only through prayer that I received the reassurance that God loved me, that this was not of Him. I had never seen or been the target of such blatant spiritual abuse by a priesthood leader and wouldn’t have even believed it possible. Honestly, if I hadn’t experienced it myself, I would assume there HAD to be more to the story. And yet it happened. And if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.
About a week after this devastating experience, I found out my cancer had returned. My bishop knew I was literally fighting for my life, yet he pulled my husband aside in the hall after church one Sunday to tell him that since our meeting he had thought of some reasons to justify his “revelation.” My husband told him it was inappropriate for him to be bringing this up again, especially considering the circumstances. We spoke to the stake president about the bishop’s “revelation,” and although he listened and told us he wasn’t at all concerned about our faithfulness, he made no attempt to remedy the spiritual abuse.
I spent the next 6+ months recovering from a major surgery that left me permanently disabled and in constant pain. For the sake of my mental and emotional health, I decided to let the “revelation” incident go and say nothing more about it.
When I was well enough, I requested a calling. The following Sunday, the bishop said he would like to talk to me. I told him that would be fine, but I preferred to have my husband present. His eyes immediately flashed with anger and he retorted, “I just wanted to see if you would be willing to accept a calling.” I assured him I would. Several months went by… no calling. I found out my name was submitted for a stake calling, but my bishop told the stake president that he had me in mind for a ward calling, so I was passed up. Several more months went by.
Although I was determined to move forward in faith, my husband couldn’t stand to see the continued injustices against me. He met with the bishop alone to ask why I was continuing to be punished. The bishop finally gave specific justification for his “revelation” and condemnation, outlining accusations he has never brought up to me directly. He told my husband that not only did I disrespect priesthood authority, I disrespected ALL authority. He acknowledged that he thought I was a possible apostate because I sat by an excommunicated man a few times in Sunday School. In addition, he made up new accusations that I was “drifting,” (hardly), that I was the type to pick and choose callings (not true), and that I consistently chose not to teach the RS lessons assigned (never happened, and my Relief Society President at the time adamantly refuted this). He said he and his counselor had both talked to me about these issues and gotten nowhere (again, never happened). He also said he had shown his “revelation” to members of his bishopric and the stake presidency prior to our initial meeting and that they agreed that his “revelation” about me was accurate (the stake presidency members said no such thing).
I could no longer stay silent. I sent a letter to the stake presidency outlining in detail what had happened and was continuing to happen to me. My husband then met with the bishop and stake president together. I chose not to attend out of concern that anything I said would be used as evidence of my disrespect for priesthood authority. They met for four and a half hours, and although the stake president seemed sympathetic, my husband got nowhere. My bishop stood by his “revelation.” I sent an updated letter to the stake president, this time copying my bishop. My stake president seemed to soften and followed up with a couple kindly emails and asked us what we would like to see done. We were hopeful and asked that the bishop acknowledge his accusations were not true, apologize, revoke the condemnation, and talk to those he shared his “revelation” with to undo the damage to my reputation. He told us that he would speak to the bishop again about our requests for restitution. I never heard if that meeting ever took place, and he didn’t contact us again.
Although the stake president listened and assured us that he wasn’t concerned about my faithfulness, he ultimately became complicit in the spiritual abuse by allowing the bishop’s condemnation of me to stand by doing nothing to rectify it.
To this day, my bishop stands by his accusations, “revelation,” and condemnation against me, and has gaslighted me by saying it was meant merely as “counsel,” professing his love for us, and saying he was sorry that we took it wrong. He is allowed to use his position of power and others’ unquestioning belief that he speaks for God to do irreparable damage to my reputation, but if I were to make any effort to defend myself to the people he showed his “revelation” to, I would be accused of speaking against my priesthood leader.
A year and a half later, the stake presidency, along with our high councilmen, bishopric members, and other Priesthood leaders, continue to regularly stand and speak glowingly about how our “good bishop” is so kind, how he shows such Christlike love to all the members of his ward, how inspired he is.
Meanwhile, I go to church each Sunday with the same smile on my face but with a broken heart that wants so desperately to heal but can’t seem to find any lasting respite. I feel alone, afraid and discouraged. I carry the physical scar of cancer, but even more devastating is the emotional scar of spiritual abuse. I am just an ordinary woman in another ordinary ward with no real authority or power. I cannot adequately express the helplessness and hopelessness I feel from having been silenced and put in my place in this spiritually and emotionally destructive way. Perhaps my painful experience will take on some kind of meaning by sharing it here. Perhaps I can be one small drop in the bucket of future change, where greater awareness will contribute to a safer Church culture for all, where no woman is ever made to feel the sting of personal betrayal and spiritual abuse by priesthood leaders whose charge it is to love and serve.
Pro tip: Listen to women. Don’t lord authority over those you have stewardship over. If you see a priesthood leader abusing their authority and you have the power to stop them, censure them, or release them, please do so. Do not preserve men’s feelings and reputations at the expense of the vulnerable.
Click here to read all of the stories in our #hearLDSwomen series. Has anything like this happened to you? Please share in the comments or submit your experience(s) to participate in the series.
“If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:23)
35 Responses
This is heartbreaking. I am simultaneously enraged and grief stricken.
That is insane. He should have been released. How frustrating to have no recourse. I’m so sorry.
This is heartbreaking abuse, terrible this is allowed to stand and that one twisted man can do this to a member of our faith. I am shocked and angered at what you have had to live through. I would have left, I think, I admire the strength of your belief. The Church needs to put procedures in place to stop this kind of abuse. However I fear this will never happen. I am discouraged.
My heart weeps for your pain.
This is an horrific experience. I admire the strength you have shown by refusing to admit to faults you have not committed nor accede to attempts to silence and marginalize you. I’m in awe of you.
I almost never comment, but I can’t let this one go. This is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard of (on his part). Does he have an obsession with you? Is he attracted to you and taking it out on you? This guy has ISSUES!!! The other side of this is the compliant stake president. Amen to the priesthood of both these weirdos!
Wow. Just wow. This man does not represent the Lord in any way. These men don’t really know the Savior at all. I am so sorry for all the pain and abuse you have suffered at their hands. This is just so wrong.
This was painful to read. Dear sister, please leave the toxic church. It is not true – totally made up by men.
In reading this I thought the same thing. My attempts to report sexual abuse by a church leader resulted in the same treatment and the same results that this sister describes here. Only by liberating myself out from under the oppressive thumb of these abusive men was I able to truly heal. These men are NOT of God–seeking him in their organization is a fruitless effort.
I know you dear Sister. You are an inspiration to my family. You deserved zero of what you’ve been through. Hold your head high and keep putting one foot in front of the other. We are here for you!
Wow — unreal. The only way to make abuse like this go away is to name and shame. When news about stuff like this comes out to the general public it will pop the reality distortion bubble people like this live in. They will always protect themselves and not the little guy.
I wonder if there are other people in your ward who have had the same kind of treatment, and are too scared to speak up.
I’m sure there are. I’ve been through something similar in a different ward, and no one believes me. It’s a pat in the head and “sustain your leaders”. If I push it at all, I’m unfaithful and prideful, or just unkind for not understanding what a hard job it is to be bishop. He continues to manipulate women behind the closed office door, and then put on an entirely different face for the stake leadership. I’ve given up all hope of being believed and just trying to survive until we can move. Yes, sometimes people don’t sustain a bishop and complain and need to repent and not be prideful. There is also very real, rotten stuff that goes on.
I’m so sorry that you were abused.
Having been a bishop, I would like to conjecture as to why he did what he did (and continues to do by not apologizing or acknowledging his assholery)…
I had a SP who encouraged the bishops in his stake to “seek and receive revelation.” Perhaps your bishop decided that it was his turn to receive revelation similar to the way ol’ H0rny Joe Smith and Bring’Em Young did back in the old days…by either targeting those of the feminine persuasion for romantic pursuits or seeing just how far they could push some faithful schmuck because they had been “unfaithful” or “disrespectful to P’hood authority,” or some other bull$hit, made-up tripe.
In a nutshell, I think your bishop decided that he was entitled to a little Ol’ Time revelation, and there would be nobody better to test that “revelation” on than someone who was a faithful TBM who was in 100% and, because this “target” was a woman, there would be no direct repercussions of his little experiment to “flex his spiritual muscles.” Then, because he was so deep into his own delusion, he felt that he had to double-down on his idiocy instead of doing the right thing and owning up to it, apologizing, and making a full reckoning of it because, HEY!…Revelation!!
Here is how it SHOULD have gone…
Sis.NameWithheld (and husband) to SP: “Either the bishop spills details of why he has this vendetta against me, apologizes to me, my family, and the entire ward, and retracts his “revelation,” or I submit my resignation immediately (and for my entire family), and we take our tithing $ elsewhere.”
SP: “Uh……hello, Bishop Dumas? Get over to my office at the stake center immediately. Bring your wife.”
Bishop Dumas: “Ok. Be there in 5 minutes?”
SP: “Make it 3.”
3 minutes pass…
SP to Bishop Dumas: “Spill details about your vendetta against Sister NameWithheld, make it fast, and it had better include specifics. If you can’t do that in less than 5 minutes, then your babbling should include a sincere apology, a retraction, a promise to publicly announce to the ward that you were wrong and that you apologize to the family of this good sister and the entire ward, AND your resignation as bishop. Time begins…NOW! Start talking!”
You did nothing wrong, NameWithheld. We love you.
Reading this I’m filled with anger against the bishop and stake president. How could they do this! I’m also filled with admiration for the OP on how strong she was not only writing this but doing so after beating cancer and dealing with these unrighteous men. This is a typical example of why I’m on the fence about leaving…it’s always the men in authority that push me further away from the church.
I don’t believe this. I think you’re lying, or delusional. Sorry. Your story is too full of holes and drama. Real life isn’t like that.
Maybe not for men real life isn’t like this. Check your privilege, while you contemplate the similar stories all over the feminist blogs.
I have never had anything this obviously crazy, but I have had enough smaller things happen, where a bishop thought he was inspired and he had no clue what he was doing, that I believe it, as do most of the women here. You, a man, are the only one this seems too far fetched to have happened. Men don’t often have bishops with sick (probably sexual) obsessions about them.
Amen Anna.
Maybe not for you. Similar things happened to me with my bishop.
Eric, you are in violation of the Comment Policy. Specifically #3
Calling the OP a liar is not cool and in violation of the spirit here.
Check your privilege. You are in a space where women tell their stories and have a voice. Obviously you can’t handle women telling the truth about their experiences. That’s on you, buddy.
Oh but that’s the thing, reality is a personal perception. Of course you’d think a Bishop would never act like that in “real life” but they do! I had one gaslighting me not even a year after I converted. They abuse the power of the position they are to uphold.. They think they are better than everyone else. Mine has a special talent, he knows exactly what your struggle is, and the help that you so desperately need without you even being allowed to speak a word. I asked for help paying my rent ONE TIME. I told him not to pay anymore because I needed to get out of there. The place was horrible and I wasn’t paying to like in an unlivable situation. I realized the video l Bishop was continuing to pay and then when I told him I was grateful but I really couldn’t stay there anymore he threw his help in my face. I NEVER ASKED HIM TO CONTINUE TO PAY, HE DID THAT ON HIS OWN. I was a recent covert and one day I was really depressed and I had a visit with the missionaries. I told them that I wanted to hurt myself. They were concerned so called my Bishop. He called me and asked if I wanted him to come over. I told him no that I was fine. He came over anyway on his own. He wanted me to go to a 30 day rehab. In patient. I knew I needed help, and I wasn’t refusing it, I was refusing his only option otherwise I would he homeless in a few weeks. When I refused to take that option, I had no options at all and that too was thrown in my face. Telling me that I took time away from his family because I ( he said th is mockingly ) wanted to hurt myself. I have not spoken to him since. Oh he also said he didn’t ask to be Bishop so I said, but God did so the heat you could do is try to be good at it.
Sorry I was angered all over again and couldn’t spell. I was typing so fast just in case a Bishop came and tried to stop me from posting it. Haha
I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have believed me and taken the time to offer so much love and support. Thank you for being part of my ongoing healing by validating my experience and helping me to feel the Savior’s love through your heartfelt, compassionate comments. Thank you for helping me find “my tribe” after feeling mostly alone in my ward/stake for so long.
As to what happened to me, I just think my ultra-traditional bishop, in my stake where most active members have a more simplistic, black and white worldview, could not understand how an independent career woman with a more nuanced belief system could also be a faithful, committed member of the Church, no matter what I said or did. He made no effort to truly know me and my heart. I can only assume he saw me as a threat to his comfortable, unchallenged worldview, and because he seems to truly believe that as a bishop every thought that comes to his mind is from God, he took his own negative, distorted perceptions and judgmental thoughts about me and mistakenly attributed them to a revelatory experience. Unfortunately, in the end he was ultimately shielded from being held accountable for that and the subsequent falsehoods and actions he took to justify himself. The heavy burden of finding healing without closure is wholly left on me and my family to navigate spiritually and emotionally. We’re obviously still working on that, but I truly believe and have hope that with the Savior’s help, healing will come and there will come a day when the pain of this spiritual abuse will stop having power in my life.
I now have a much greater appreciation and tender feelings for those who leave: with love I acknowledge your own soul-crushing experiences (many of them much more egregious than mine), and I honor and fully support you in taking what is the best, most healthy, right path for you. For me, although the unusual—even bizarre—spiritual abuse I experienced from these fallible men, in a power structure susceptible to inequality and unrighteous dominion, has hurt me deeply, I do want to try to find ultimate healing without removing myself from the Church. In spite of the admittedly serious issues that exist, I am determined to not let anyone compound my pain by driving me out of my church, the church I have committed my life to building up and making better, the church where I have also found so much to hold onto that resonates with my soul, that I believe is good, inspired, and Christ-centered. I also choose to stay for others in my little sphere of influence who may be looking for a like-minded ally. Thank you all for being that for me as I try to be part of the change I have hope will one day come.
I have difficulty seeing how anyone could not believe you. Why would anyone make up such a story. I have known enough bishops to know they are not perfect – and some are less perfect than the average.
I know it is small comfort, but I do believe that he will get his just rewards for all the pain and suffering he has caused you – and worryingly, maybe others.
May God bless you.
Matthew 5:11-12. This scripture immediately popped into my mind when I read your story. While this by itself cannot give full comfort, it is a starting point in how to approach God when seeking the Comforter. He who suffered for all also suffered the most persecution from the ecclesiastical leaders of His day.
I am so sorry you had to endure such a painful experience due to unrightous and crazy dominion. I appreciate your example of standing up for yourself.
I am so sorry this happened to you. This type of behavior is not of God and borders on cult leader behavior.
Find another ward.
Apparently, we had a nearby ward with a jerk bishop.The first family that showed up at our ward was looked upon skeptically but given the benefit of the doubt. The truth became obvious after a couple more families joined. You are likely not alone.
One strength of Mormonism is that you always have a ward family, if you have an address. But the price we pay is a reluctance to vote with our feet. In the Protestant world, an ugly tie on the minister can cause people to walk across the street to the next church.
Even if rude Eric is objectively right, it is your story, your experiences, your religious life and it is quite beyond an ugly tie. I suspect Eric is delusional and believes God will never let his bishops lead the ward astray. He would be in need of prayer and forgiveness while the moderators do their job. It is their blog.
This kind of experience can happen with any leader who is Narcissistic and believes they can do no wrong. If you are in any way a threat to them, they will make up things, twist bits of information into tall tales and gaslight you when you try to defend yourself.
My female seminary teacher hated my family because she compared her children’s successes to everyone else’s teenage kids in our Branch. And my siblings and I did really well in school, I was in college starting my Junior year of high school, and we were also a musical family and sang in church sometimes. She wanted her kids to be the best and was always pushing them to do whatever my siblings and I did. It was obvious she didn’t like me because she would get mad when I would memorize scripture masteries faster than the schedule we were on. She was always trying to find fault in me but couldn’t because I was the model student, until she heard a rumour from some girls after class that my sister and I had been “gossiping” about one of her children. She decided that was grounds for keeping us after class the next day. Seminary was held in her basement, (we didn’t live in the west where seminary teachers are educated and paid) and she told the whole class that we had to stay back to talk to her. She then lit into my sister and I, telling us that we were gossipers and hypocrites because we acted like we were perfectly Christlike in class but outside of class we were terrible people, so she loved us as a Seminary teacher but only because she has to, and outside of class she doesn’t have to “love” us. My sister started crying because her feelings were so hurt that our teacher could feel such terrible things about her and the hatred coming from her eyes was awful. She wanted us to admit to all of that and I just told her that she didn’t know us, and doesn’t have her facts straight. She said “It sounds like you have a humility problem” and I said “No, YOU do.” She then got up and tried to hug the two of us because my sister was in tears. I hate that I never stood up to her more because I really wanted a good endorsement from her to go to a CES school. My parents did get the bishopric involved but nothing was really done about it because they were so desperate to keep the seminary teacher, since most people weren’t willing to do such a demanding calling.
We have to teach our children how to navigate situations where unrighteous, power hungry people are in authority over them. I feel so bad for those who, like OP, have had to endure spiritual abuse from authority figures in church who have power over them in some way. It’s not okay and it needs to be talked about. This article made me seriously consider recording every interview with a Bishop I have just in case they do something abusive like that.
I don’t doubt her for a minute. I’ve had hard headed bishops, who didn’t listen, or pretended to, as I got passed over for ANY calling, in the last 5 years! New people would move in, & immediately get one. When I finally asked to teach in RS, where I could stand, instead of sitting in agony. I told him, “Don’t put me in primary, because of my back problems. I can’t sit scrunched down in those little chairs, with 5 herniated discs, & scoliosis, with my spine collapsing.” I was told, last time I served Primary Presidency, “I HAD to carry a toddler around, because his mommy wanted to use me as a sitter, while SHE TOOK OFF to the BEACH! Despite my back problems, his daddy taught primary, & couldn’t watch him. A year later, this bishop informed me that, “this is Christ’s church, not his, & Christ didn’t tell him to give me a calling.” Then emailed me, about a “Revelation he received, to tell me to beware of pride, & have a broken heart, & contrite spirit.”Then he attempted to put me in Primary, anyway. I told him, “fat ladies don’t have pride. We have big bathroom mirrors that remind us, daily that we don’t have anything to be proud of.” I guess no one told him that before, so he backed off. This is the 3rd ward I’ve been in, that is so cliquish, they recycle the same 10 people, for the same leadership callings, despite Pres. Uctdorf saying “Not to marginalize people.” I reminded them of that as well. Bishop then informed me, that the RS president said, “I don’t quite think she’s ready to teach, yet.” Even though I have done so, numerous times. They frequently pick people who have $, swimming pools, or lots of Musical talent. I smile when I think of the rolling, PG&E, week long, black outs, Calif is about to unleash, since we have a 35KW generator. Only my few real friends will be invited to come over to do their laundry. 18 families moved out of our ward, last month, but 14 new people moved in. When the lockdown is over, I will pick a few new friends, to invite over for lunch, & add to my own group of friends.
I am sorry, I went through something similar, I had a former branch president tell me that he had a ‘right” to tell me that I was so, “spritually and mentally damaged,” that I needed help professionally and spiritually to over come them all because I dared to tell him no. I wrote to my stake president, my area seventy, even sLC no one supported me.
I do not even know how to phrase my Google question, but this sad story and all of these responses are quite close. Feeling a little hopeless, but I do not attend church, pay tithing, hold callings, study and teach with my family at home and everything to be a disciple of Christ while keeping the covenants I’ve made to be chased away by the very types of people everyone has commented on. But it sure makes it hard to attend church being around those who aren’t right. As in, something’s wrong with them. Men experience this, too. But we all have to stick together to keep our faith. Sister, stand your ground against unrighteous men…and women (my experience) while remaining committed to your Savior.
I came to this article a few years too late. I felt moved to share. The Lord uses inducements, persuasion, and love. Coercion is not of God. The following saying comes to mind: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Lord revealed doctrine and covenants section 121 to the prophet Joseph Smith after experiencing months of severe abuse in Liberty Jail. In this revelation the Lord made Joseph aware that abuse not only comes from men in governmental power but also from those who wear the robes of the priesthood. Many are called to positions of leadership that require high priest ordination but few are chosen. As soon as men get a little authority many of them immediately exercise unrighteous dominion. To be called is easy. To be chosen is the result of leaders constantly casting themselves at the feet of the Lord as they kneel in prayer begging and pleading that they might obtain and do the mind and will of the Lord. Sadly this dear sister had her heart torn in two. I can’t imagine the Lord would treat someone this way. I hope all parties involved can repent and find healing. I mean repent in the kind of way of allowing ones heart to be changed by finding new perspective, a fresh way of looking at these events, learning from the behavior of all parties, praying for charity, and then allowing hearts to soften so the same mistake isn’t made in the future. All of us go through hard moments in and outside the church. Some of which or much of which can be incredibly painful. The Lord provides the healing as we come to him.
I believe you and I thank you for sharing your story. A similar thing happened to me. Its so hard to not be supported or believed by your Bishop and instead treated as a manipulator or victim. Why would a woman go and share highly painful things with a Bishop if it wasnt true? I went to my Bishop to share some really concerning things going on in my ward, and part of it I had gotten trapped in. My Bishop gave me counsel to repent and stop being a victim. I was shocked and so angry! He said he had prayed about and thats what he felt he needed to tell me. It was the exact opposite of what I had received as personal revelation. It was so hard to come to terms with that. My Bishop is a good man, but a human man, so I don’t fault him for not seeing the whole picture. But ultimately I’ve learned that I receive revelation for myself and that God knows my heart. But I also don’t think I will ever go to a Bishop for help again. It caused more pain than healing.
To say my heart breaks for this true sister would be the most understated thing I could ever say. She has no idea of the hours of turmoil, tears, and pain that I experience over and over again as a result of knowing about the terrible things she went through, and feeling powerless to do much. There is something primal in me when it comes to my feelings of protection for my loved ones, and I am on my own journey in terms of learning how to best handle this situation. Wanting revenge, but not acting on those feelings. Wanting justice, and not seeing it come. Trying to find some way forward that honors the very real experience she had, and at the same time preserve the equally real desire to be a TBM, is so confusing and difficult. I’m sure I have plenty of weakness and maybe even naivete about many things. I’ve tried and continue to try, but it’s so frustrating and unjust to all involved in the wake of the abuse she suffered. It is confusing to me. What can I actually do? Leave? Stay? After it all happened, I fought directly with this abuser about what happened, but to no avail and that was extremely risky for me, especially after he was called to be the new SP, and subsequently felt justified in his sense of self importance and calling. So I choose to work from within and counter and correct as I can. Believe me, not easy to do. Suffice it to say that I am seen as the bad guy from time to time as I interact with this young narcissist “leader”. I believe the only reason he doesn’t do the same thing to me that he did to this sister is that I was a Bishop at the same time he was, and in his brain that qualifies me to be above reproach; not something I agree with as I was just a guy who tried my imperfect best. That’s what I did as a Bishop and that’s all I do now. I’m sure I was imperfect, but I know I at least let people have their process without making it about obeying me or playing as if I somehow had the ultimate revealed truth when it came to each individual I served. To see the withdrawl from family, the resultant and justified unwillingness to engage or share with even those of us most close and dear, has been and is absolutely heart-wrenching. I don’t understand, but I respect. So I stand by in faith and love and hope that this sister knows that I honor her choices and see her as more treasured and valuable then she’ll ever truly know. I miss her. I am sorry I don’t know how else to do this, to communicate, to reach out, to validate. I’ve tried and now I am left hoping for a better day. If you want to talk about nuance, then understand that my silence is my support. I refuse to press, to gaslight, to justify bad behavior, or to dismiss in any way the terrible way this man acted. I am willing to stand silent for eternity if need be, waiting for this sister to see me again, to feel my broken heart, to talk. I wasn’t in the room, but I know the men involved and I know the sister. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that she is accurate and correct in her portrayal. She was fair and measured. My continued prayer is for healing and eventual forgiveness and justice. I know that’s a lot, but somehow those things have to eventually mesh. I love this dear sister and I just felt I had to try to add my voice here in support and affidavit, even though I know my expression is full of holes, omissions, and vulnerability. With love in my heart and perpetual yearning.