inappropriate interviews

[DrumNFeather]

Not sure how to change this. How would it be done?

Clergymen of all faiths have been giving one on one confidential counseling for a long time. Statistically I'll bet there are many more parents who screw up their kids than clergymen and women. For every kid who has a bad experience with a bishopric member there must be 1,000 whose lives have been improved -- in some cases significantly. My bishop during my teenage years is one of the most important people in my life.

It's a challenge to be sure.

I think one option would be to have an "opt in" type of deal where the youth and/or their parents can elect to have someone else in the room. Or, the bishop provides the list of questions in advance so that it is at least clear what will be asked. I mean, they kind of do that for children's baptism interviews right? Perhaps if the youth were to know in advance what certain morality questions "meant" then there would be less confusion/misunderstanding/explanation needed.

[Scorcho]

I think Viking asks an excellent question and I do see a conflict.

The key to repentance is to come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. My understanding of a broken heart and contrite spirit is that you are the one initiating the process/contact. You are the one approaching the Bishop to confess. If the bishop/counselor is asking probing questions to try and draw out a confession, then they’ve somewhat disrupted that principle.

If repentance is forced, it probably does more harm than good in many cases? I do think it’s important for Bishops to have regular interviews with their youth, but it probably should simply be an opportunity for the youth to feel comfortable and the Bishop approachable. Nothing more. I'd like to see those conducting interviews approach it less like an interrogation.

[Scorcho]

I should add that I do think the majority of Bishops do an admirable job and they have a remarkalbly difficult assignment.