A lifelong Mormon in Houston is facing excommunication because he's asking the church to end the practice of having senior meet with young children one-on-one and asking them explicit sexual questions, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Sam Young, 65, of Sugar Land is an advocate for children who has served as a bishop and who has now taken issue with the way other bishops interact with children. He's petitioned the church on the issue and recently conducted a three-week hunger strike at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Young learned that other bishops were meeting with children and asking them sexually explicit questions, such as whether the children masturbated or had been sexually active. When he raised the topic, he was summoned to an excommunication hearing.
“Protecting children is more important than my membership in the church,” he said this week. “I’m not going to shut up. That would be immoral on my part.”
The Mormon Church wouldn't comment beyond issuing a statement: “Because of the personal nature of church disciplinary matters and to respect the privacy of those involved, the church does not provide information about the proceedings. Church discipline is administered by local leaders who are familiar with the individual and his or her circumstances.”
