Porn & Theiving - Uncensored

I was asked to write an article for my denomination on the topic of mentoring. The premise was that I'd use my story & how someone had impacted my life and how I in turn am impacting others lives.

I got a package from a guy in the editorial dept. this week with the printed article. Truth told, I don't read our periodicals. However, Leslie read through my article and asked me if I knew the sentence referring to "pornography and shoplifting" was edited out. I didn't realize it had.

My final draft included this paragraph:

"Lee was there for me and made himself available at a time when my life was a rollercoaster. Between the ages of 15-17 years old I had gotten deeply into pornography and shoplifting. I was between a relationship with God and an anger at the world so intense that I had a willingness to take on all comers. I was struggling in high school, working my way toward graduation and career choices I didn’t know which way to choose. Despite these things festering unknowingly below the surface to the onlooker, Lee invited me into his life. He accepted me."

The article needed to be shortened to fit the space allotted and so the following was to be the paragraph going to print:

"Lee was there for me at a time when my life was a rollercoaster. I had gotten deeply into pornography and shoplifting. I was struggling in high school and confused about career choices. I harbored an intense anger at the world. But Lee accepted me for who I was."

When the magazine comes out in August, the edited version (which I was unaware of and didn't approve of) reads:

"Lee was there for me at a time when my life was a rollercoaster. I was struggling in high school and confused about career choices. I harbored an intense anger at the world. But Lee accepted me for who I was."

Unfortunately that one sentence was omitted. Why - not sure? To keep the magazine clean? To not offend readers? Because someone at the source of editing & printing was uncomfortable with those words?

Well, whatever the reason, those two issues were a big part of my story. By editing them out that section is inaccurate & doesn't make complete sense - nor is it authentic. It's a story but it isn't mine.