Both Colbie Holderness and Jennifer Willoughby, Porter’s two ex-wives, have stated that Mormon bishops had long ignored or minimized their reports of domestic abuse. “When I explained to him what was happening,” Holderness said, “he had a very different reaction from the Mormon bishops ... “Priesthood authority functions in both the family and the Church,” church leaders frequently remind, meaning husbands have authority over their wives in the home and male bishops over Mormon women in the church. On the popular Mormon website By Common Consent, the comments thread for an article about how the church handles domestic abuse filled up with similar accounts from other Mormon women. It’s worth recognizing that no existing research indicates higher rates of domestic abuse in Mormon marriages than for other religious groups.

Source: Huffington Post February 14, 2018 17:48 UTC