The Mormon church is an abusive cult.

- No mandatory reporting of sexual abuse.
- Members are taught to pay tithing money even if they can't feed their own children.
- No disavowal of white supremacists like Brigham Young. Racism, sexism, and bigotry.
- They teach people to ignore and suppress negative emotions rather than process them.
- They threaten you with eternal damnation and loss of your eternal family if you don't comply.
- Local bishops make you comply by threatening to take away your temple recommend. 

Yes, marital rape is a thing.

Yes, marital rape is a thing.

I did not enjoy my honeymoon. I had never learned to say no to sex. My freeze and fawn responses were alive and well.

Admitting that that was rape has taken me years.

 

I experienced marital rape because I was raised as a Mormon girl.

I was taught that women have to earn the fidelity of a husband and OWE him sex.

She is responsible for fulfilling his sexual desires.

Bishops are known to BLAME WIVES for a husband's infidelity.

I was never taught to say no.

What else would you expect. Mormonism was founded by rapist men who practiced predatory polygamy.

To be clear: when I say I experienced marital rape, that does not mean my husband is a rapist. I  married him because I think he is very good about consent and I felt comfortable with him.

It was not his fault that I felt obligated to say yes to sex on our honeymoon. 

I blame Mormon social pressure and cultural expectations about honeymoons for that. If I had not been brainwashed and groomed, I might have been able to clearly communicate the "no" I was feeling.

You don't owe anyone your discomfort. It's ok to leave people who make you uncomfortable out of your life.

 In other news, I had to leave another family chat because of all of the religious chatter... It's so hard sometimes, but it's a really important boundary for me to stick to for my own mental health.