Congratulations on your new calling as an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m confident that you will continue to serve the Lord diligently and faithfully. You have my support and prayers. Today, my wife went to the Houston temple to specifically put your name on the prayer roll, along with the 14 other apostles.
Yesterday, I was told that you should already know of me and my cause to protect our children. Thank heavens that the Quorum of the Twelve has paid attention to the thousands of members who are crying out in concern and pain.
For the next fifteen days, an event will be held across the street from temple square. It will be called a “Temple-side Chat with an Apostle.” Each day, one of the apostles will be invited to join us. A chair will be provided for his comfort. The chat will last around an hour, unless the apostle desires to extend it.
Topic of the chat? It will center on our church policy for interviewing minors. There is no matter more important than keeping our children safe.
Who will the apostle be chatting with? Adults who have been egregiously harmed as children. Concerned parents. People with questions about our interview practices. Others who simply want to express love for our leaders.
Elder Soares, I cordially invite you to be the first apostle to intimately grace the presence of concerned members. Join us, Sunday, July 29th at 7:00pm. This will be broadcast by livestream on FB. You will touch 10’s of 1,000’s around the world with your compassion and wisdom.
Please don’t leave the chair empty.
With Love, your brother in Christ,
Sam Young
P.S. If for some reason, your chair does sit empty, I’ll try my darnedest to give good answers to those who participate in our Temple-side-Chat-with-an-Apostle.
Tocubit Is Invisible's Cubit 
Is this event open to the general public? What is necessary to attend? What is the exact location?
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Anybody can come. It’s on the sidewalk on South Temple across the street the SLC temple.
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Which side of temple square will this happen? Looking forward to watching.
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South side.
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Is this strictly a unilateral move or do you have a commitment from the church that an apostle will participate? I hope so, but support your efforts either way. Our desire to protect our children should not be viewed as an attack on the church that we love. Resolution does not require a win/lose solution, but I fear that it is perceived by many as such. My heart breaks every time I think about how many children have been harmed by widespread inappropriate interview questions even when there was no intent to harm. Piety needs not trump kindness so frequently.
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No commintment from the church. I have asked for an appoint with them numerous times and ways. No response. Now I am asking them to meet with us. The invitation will be open for 15 days.
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Sam, this is a fantastic idea, and I hope he shows up as well as many, many others. What is the link to your facebook page? I want to watch!
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https://www.facebook.com/ProtectLDSChildren/
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Thank you!!
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This feels a little manipulative to me. If he goes, he will be heralded. If he doesn’t, he will be the devil reincarnated. This isn’t an invitation to learn more about the sad things that have happened, it’s an invitation to learn the sad things So That he will Stop All One on One Interviews Now. And “Please don’t leave the chair open.” He doesn’t really have an option if he wants to remain on your good side, right?
And I’m not convinced that getting rid of one-on-one interviews is good. I would never have confided in two adults. Never. Ever. And if I had, I would have had panic attacks that something would get back to my mother and then I’d be dead. It still feels like this movement isn’t “getting it” by placing demands on the apostles.
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Is that because of the nature of the questions?
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So if the church won’t stop inappropriate interviews, how does society get them to? It seems suggestions, asking, recommending, talking to priesthood leaders about it, etc., isn’t having any results. Sometime a revolution or compelling change is the only way to achieve favorable results.
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Tithing and donation boycott
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I agree. This seems aimed to make them look bad, not help the children. I think Sam will loose support.
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One on one interviews with children and no advocate is a dangerous game. Lay members are not qualified in the appropriate licensed practice of therapy, they are not given background checks (which would only help to protect the Church, the members, and the volunteer member), they have literally no professional training in sex ed, no how to conduct it. Instead they are left to their own assertions of boundaries.
If we are to keep kids safe, there needs to be express limits. Children should be expected to choose an advocate. The advocate can be anyone, even another childhood friend. Just another witness and layer of protection. It does NOT have to be a parent, but is should NOT be a Church ‘leader’. Authority roles are very powerful and hold a lot of sway. trust and respect, consequently these types of roles are often the ones abused by people. To maintain such respect for power, checks need to be in place. They are human too.
The Church can have a major impact for good here. I’ll give an example. Tithing is no longer defined in the meetings for a temple recommend. That is a change from the past. I would request that chastity is treated the same way in interviews with youth. NO discussion about sex, masturbation, and what it is or isn’t in that office. If there is confusion, ask them to go home and study it, talk with their parents or a trusted friend or trained professional. What is so hard about that?
The Church leadership should not be speaking explicitly in ANY way to youth about this, let alone privately and about their personal sex lives. That make for a very strong imbalance for power and manipulation in one room. Some men could find temptation aroused by the very topic.
If abuse needs to be reported, ad professional needs to be involved, not lay volunteer Church leaders. Let the professional, clinical workers help to determine when or when not to report something to the police. This is a topic that should rightfully be considered way over the head and job description of Bishopric and Stake President members.
Such approaches need to be taught directly to all current leaders as there has been a culture and dynamic that has had a very different approach. Why not do the utmost to keep ALL safe.
We will know how important this is based on whether there is any response at all from these Apostles. Maybe it won’t fit in their schedule. Maybe they won’t change their plans around to meet. At the very least they can send word and acknowledge the request. Silence would be an insult, provided they are fully aware.
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Sam, I hope Elder Ulisses Soares takes up the invitation. know these are good men. Your wife in her efforts having placed names on the temple prayer rolls is a wonderful thing. Infact once did this for a woman I knew, once every two weeks, via phone at every temple open in north America & the action paid off, encourage others including myself to do the same. In six months a true miracle happened for the persons name I added, and the miracle touched my heart in such away I was able to forgive her and receive the peace I needed, prehapse it was my name that should have been placed, though I dont ask things for myself, for Christ knows my needs. Our Lord is the Prince of Peace not becuase he solves conflicts between men, rather as he beings inner peace to the soul. Though the power of God is amazing and glorious. Our God hears these prayers, & these names are placed in baskets and set before him at his throne. I hope those affected may find the inner peace they desire and that they may know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and follow in his example. God bless you Sam!
Sincerely your brother in Christ.
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This is an awesome endeavor! My hope is that the chair is filled apostolically each evening.
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Bravo Sam. Thank you for raising awareness of this issue.
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What an opportunity for our lovely apostles❤️ Thank you for your heartfelt campaign. I wore the button at Sunstone today!
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My concern is that the Apostles already have other commitments world wide. Do you expect the other commitments to be cancelled or postponed? I think that the cause is just. I am not sure this is the way to correct the issue. I have a feeling that the First Presidency and the quorum of the twelve are already discussing the issue and that we will be hearing of how these interviews are to be handled.
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This is brilliant Sam! Why wouldn’t a true apostle want to sit down and hear how their policies have harmed children? Maybe they could even share their perspective on why they remain silent on this issue? It’s always puzzled me how top church leaders don’t open themselves up to members and their questions, like prophets and apostles of old used to do. Maybe they’ve just been waiting for an invitation.
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This seems like a practice in arrogance to me, not a cause that has the children’s best interests at heart. The children, by the way, are just fine, and, to me, are more grown up than this “person” who knows full well that know apostle will participate because it’s quite clear that the cause is to attack the Church and the apostles rather than watch out for those poor, poor children.
The author clearly has his ducks in a row and knows exactly what he’s doing. If an apostle did show up, he wouldn’t know what to do. But because, I believe, he knows he and this “Protect LDS Children” laughable nonsense is designed to attack, attack, attack. Rather than reach out in the spirit of maturity, he’s chosen to extend the hand that holds the spirit of contention. It’s hilarious and sad at the same time.
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I disagree to the above comment. No, this is not to “attack” the church or apostles. It is to bring attention to the harm of one on one interviews. The practice of getting innocent children to trust a grown man, to go to his office alone, to shake hands, to maybe get a piece of candy, this is just like grooming done by child abusers. Whether they are good men or not, we do need to protect our children more today then ever. We need to allow them to keep the boundaries they already have towards people that are not their parents. Sam is one of the most Christlike people in his actions that I have seen. Back in Jesus’s day, the high-priests of the Jews had seperate walkways built so they wouldn’t even have to touch the commen people. But Christ, he went to all, the sinners, the hurt, the sad, the lame and blind. I think it is probably like someone else has commented, the lawyers of the church have said “no” to any apostle visits. Even in disagreeing with the church POLICY, Sam has been so kind and courteous to everyone. I admire him very much. We all need to choose love now. If the top tiers of the LDS church to not support love anymore, then maybe we all need to look at not supporting them anymore.
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