In a new video published by the Church, a woman named Rebekah shares how her world was turned upside down when she discovered that she had been abandoned by her birth father before she was born. Already facing an identity crisis from this news, things took an even worse turn after she was sexually assaulted by someone she trusted deeply. It was then that she began feeling like the world—and God—were against her.
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As a mental health professional, I find myself helping individuals at crossroads in their lives as they seek to understand various emotions and events that have taken place or are taking place. No matter what path my clients might be facing, through the lens of our Savior Jesus Christ’s teachings, I have gained a deep understanding that the first step in the healing and self-acceptance process is the gift of love—love that invites each child of God to trust, hope, and seek spiritual guidance, self-acceptance, and, when appropriate, accountability.
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For daily Gospel-based relationship insights join Jonathan’s Facebook group. To submit a question for Jonathan, click here.
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On March 23, the Church updated its statement about a former Church mission president who committed sexual assault:
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The Church released a statement on mormonnewsroom.org Tuesday regarding allegations that a former president of the Provo Missionary Training Center sexually assaulted a female missionary.
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“Unfortunately, people around us, even those closest to us like our family, dating partners and friends, sometimes use their agency to act in ways that injure us,” Professor Benjamin M. Ogles said. “To those who have had traumatic experiences, please know there are people, many people, who are concerned for your welfare, and many people who have experienced on a personal level what you have experienced. You are not alone."
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While 97 percent of students at BYU felt the school does a good job with student safety, a new survey reveals BYU needs to make a better effort of informing students about sexual assault. These conversations reach much farther than just a university campus, however. How can we better speak out and inform our children about sexual assault?
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LDS artist Nadia Khristean creates music to raise awareness for social causes she feels passionate about. Recently, she performed an emotional cover of Demi Lovato's "Warrior" to capture her feelings of the #MeToo campaign, which brings to light voices of women who have been sexually harassed or abused.
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"We’re here and we’re talking about big, dark, scary issues, issues that we don’t want to talk about," Elizabeth Smart said as she joined Deondra Brown from The 5 Browns to share their stories of sexual abuse and survival.
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Editor's note: The following story discusses rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping and might be disturbing for some readers.
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BYU-Provo, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, and the LDS Business College have all adopted a new amnesty policy for witnesses and student survivors of sexual assault.
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Over the last six months, BYU has changed policies, implemented new programs, and hired new staff to help improve how they handle sexual assault reporting. And it looks like their efforts are making an impact.
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In a letter sent out to students, faculty, and staff at Brigham Young University, the President's Council announced that it will implement 23 changes based on recommendations from the Advisory Council on Campus Response to Sexual Assault.
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"[V]iolence toward women is not limited to times of war. Instances of female genital mutilation, removal of bodily appendages, and honor killings persist during times of 'peace.' Women also are exploited by pornography, sex trafficking, baby farming, and slavery operations," Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in his introduction to aspeech he gave on September 11.
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Recently, in an interview with Broadly, Elizabeth Smart shared some of the unintentional but devastating and potentially crippling side effects that can result from the way Mormon culture addresses chastity.
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Disclaimer: The following content contains subjects that may be troubling for some readers regarding rape, abduction, and pornography.
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The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has launched an investigation into the way BYU responds to reports of sexual assault. If found to be out of compliance, BYU's ability to provide federal financial aid to students could be at risk.
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What a powerfully honest story that demonstrates how the Atonement really can heal all wounds. And what a beautiful truth: "Because of the Book of Mormon and restored gospel, my life went from broken and unorganized, to imperfectly beautiful. Discovering the restored gospel helped me see that I would never have to do hard things alone."
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Former BYU student Elizabeth Smart interviewed two BYU graduates in her first turn as a correspondent for the Fox TV show Crime Watch Daily. The graduates said they were raped while they were students and then were investigated by the Honor Code Office.
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The Churchrecently released a statement, responding to inflammatory and even misleading media coverage focusing on sexual assault on BYU's campus.
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After a recent sexual assault case at Brigham Young University, there has been a lot of attention regarding the university's policy and how it might affect the victims of sexual assault. In response to this increased attention, Brigham Young Universtiy released this video where President Kevin J. Worthen explains the reason for the policies in place at BYU.
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