Rape is terrible. Enough said. But it happens. AND yes it even happens to Mormons. It has been, is, and will be, committed by Mormons. So…why don’t we talk about it. Why are People (Not just Women) raped and why do we let those who hurt us continue to hurt us by not telling others, by not talking about its existence?
I don’t think that this episode is the be all or end all of Rape or Rape Recovery…But what it does do is start a dialogue. So let us start here.
The Cultural Hall
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Just listened to this episode about rape recovery and found it very interesting and informative.
A couple of thoughts though. It was said that rape is not about sex but rather about control. While that may often be the case I think it is inaccurate to say it is ALWAYS about control and NEVER about sex. I would suggest that part of solving a problem is defining it correctly.
A personal experience, that I deeply regret, may help. About a year after returning from my mission there was an incident that I would now call sexual assault that I perpetrated on my then girlfriend. I don’t think it had anything to do with control but had everything to do with sex. We were in a relationship, and had been somewhat intimate. I started taking it to a different level believing that she was ok with it. In fact she was not ok with it. At the time I did not think of it as sexual assault. We continued our relationship and eventually got married (though now divorced.) As I think back on that incident with shame It seems clear to me that I crossed a line. As mentioned I was a returned missionary and an active member in the church.
I guess my point is that a person may not consider certain acts as sexual assault, because they were not intended to control or hurt the victim. Yet that harm may be done anyway.