I was a member of the church for years, I had never had a problem with any of the bishops serving, they had all been very lovely and I had been preparing to go to the temple for my endowments and my Bishop was satisfied with my study and was ready arrange a time for an interview for my recommend.
However leadership was switched, the Bishop then changed and a new younger Bishop took over. I met with him to basically follow up and ask if he could give me a recommend interview instead.
This is where things got bizarre, he kept putting me off, asking for me to do more study and asked me personal questions ranging from what my tastes and interests were to questions about my marriage and relationship with my husband.
Every time I met with him in his office he would deter me more and more or set up new hoops to jump through and make excuses such as that I’d missed meetings (my kids came down with chicken pox!).
Months passed and in the end I confronted him about why he basically kept giving me the run around, he told me that the “I know that you can answer all of these questions honestly and you are more than worthy but the endowment ceremony is *weird*” at this point I burst into tears because I was so frustrated that I’d been going above and beyond and jumping through all of these unnecessary hoops and he had basically just straight up said I was worthy but all this time he had just not wanted me to go because of his own issues.
When I began crying he then moved over from his desk, sat next to me on my right, turned his body round towards me close and put his right hand on my thigh moved it towards and touched my inner thigh, looked me in the eye and then said that he “had seen so many people go to the temple to receive their endowments, freak out because it was weird and they hadn’t come back to church” and that “he didn’t want me to get scared away because he really *likes me* and wanted to see me every Sunday”.
I noped out of there ASAP.
I went to the stake president about it and I was told that “it was only his first offence”, “he was sure it was all a misunderstanding ” and that “Bishop is repentant”. And the bottom line “don’t tell anybody else about this”.
Not sure how on earth touching someone on their inner thigh right next to their crotch for could be a misunderstanding. I’m also unsure of how it can be both an offence and a misunderstanding too.
The bishopric is just one big boys club covering up each others dirty little secrets. I doubt it was a first offence and I’m certain it will be his last.