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Blog: Internet Mormon Church Attacks Wikileaks
Jason Mick (Blog) - May 14, 2008 2:10 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 213 comment(s) - last by A5un.. on May 27 at 11:59 PM
The Mormon Church joins Julius Baer and The Church Of Scientology in the fight to promote online censorship

Online censorship is generally condemned by the public, but some groups are hard at work trying to promote it.  The Chinese government invests massively in censoring blogs and news sites to prevent what it feels are subversive materials.  Violators are oft jailed.  Outside China, banking giant Julius Baer fought unsuccessfully to try to shut down Wikileaks when the site released documents implicating it in numerous international crimes including money laundering and tax evasion.

In the past, the Church of Scientology sued and threatened legal action against Wikileaks for publication of embarrassing church documents.  And more recently there was the famous incident where the Church of Scientology tried to censor leaked online videos of Tom Cruise explaining the religion in a humorous manner. The Church was subsequently rocked by hacker attacks and international protests from people angry at its assault on free speech.

Despite this example of the public unpopularity of such moves, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS),  appears to be following in the Church of Scientology's footsteps, attacking Wikileaks for release a handbook of secret church procedures made for its leaders.  According to a report posted on Wikileaks, LDS sued Wikileaks for copyright infringement in an attempt to silence it.

Wikileaks first received its copy of the Church Handbook of Instructions via a URL link. The two-volume work was received from an anonymous whistleblower on April 16.  Wikileaks says the leak was significant as, "The book is strictly confidential among the Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka LDS in short form) bishops and stake presidents and it reveals the procedure of handling confidential matters related to tithing payment, excommunication, baptism and doctrine teaching (indoctrination)."

Wikileaks offered the document on the document sharing website Scribd.  Scribd now offers this little tidbit on the books, which are no longer available:  "This content was removed at the request of copyright agent B. S. Broadbent of the Intellectual Property Division of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

On May 5, the LDS' legal representation contacted the Wikimedia Foundation charging the site with copyright infringement and requesting that the material be removed -- the site complied with the request.  No Digital Copyright Millennium Act (DCMA) notice has been filed as of yet.

The material had been released partially online previously in 1999 when Jerald and Sandra Tanner posted part of it.  In the case Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, the Church won a controversial injunction from the U.S. court banning the Tanners from releasing the material online.  The church eventually dropped their suit when they forced the Tanners to agree to destroy the books.

The LDS has recently been increasingly in the public spotlight due to former Republican presidential candidate front-runner Mitt Romney, an LDS church member, speaking publicly about his beliefs.

Wikileaks, despite the legal action, as of May 13 has refused to remove the book, which is still available from the site.  It can be found here for those curious.

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Just an observation here.
By Misty Dingos on 5/14/2008 2:24:47 PM , Rating: 5
When your god needs a lawyer to "protect" your beliefs from public scrutiny perhaps it is time to look for a new belief system.




RE: Just an observation here.
By JasonMick (blog) on 5/14/2008 2:36:11 PM , Rating: 2
...Or the average thinking person might become alarmed that until 1978 their church claimed that god disallowed blacks to be priests and then in 1978 their church leaders claimed that "after having a conversation with god" it was revealed that it was okay to have black priests.

I can just imagine:
"GOD: YOU SHALL OBEY MY COMMANDS! We meet again...
LDS Priests: Oh, hi god, hows it going. I haven't seen you since last Saturday...
GOD: Silence mortals! I have something important to tell you. Remember what I said about African Americans and priesthood...
LDS Priests: Oh yea, you told us not to let them be priests! We would never do that your greatness.
GOD: Well... ummmmm... Actually you see I um, well kinda changed my mind...
LDS Priests: What?!?
GOD: Well yea anyways from now on they can be priests!
LDS Priests: Alright God! Your order is our command! Are we still on for dinner on Sunday?"

Sure....


RE: Just an observation here.
By dubldwn on 5/14/08, Rating: -1
RE: Just an observation here.
By FingerMeElmo87 on 5/14/2008 6:11:16 PM , Rating: 4
the article isnt attacking the there religious beliefs genious. they're just informing the general public how LDS is trying to censor a website which is completely retarded because wikileaks isnt doing anything wrong.

besides, when an organization starts to act in the manor in which they have, is it wrong to strongly verbally disagree with them?

quit being a pazie


RE: Just an observation here.
By borismkv on 5/14/08, Rating: -1
RE: Just an observation here.
By Aloonatic on 5/15/2008 4:44:32 AM , Rating: 2
I'm not sure how things work in the US but in the UK I believe that journalists and the press had an exemption in copy write law and were allowed to quote texts.

Maybe they should move there severs over here, to the land of the free.

They'd be quite safe with several CCTV cameras pointing at them and police using counter terrorist laws to pursue and prosecute people for minor offences :-s


RE: Just an observation here.
By Aloonatic on 5/15/2008 4:47:56 AM , Rating: 1
in before grammar Nazis

quote:
I'm not sure how things work in the US but in the UK I believe that journalists and the press had an exemption in copy write law and were allowed to quote texts.


There's a sentence there somewhere, you're going to have to decipher it your self tho.

It's still too early in the morning for me :-s


RE: Just an observation here.
By masher2 (blog) on 5/15/2008 9:20:21 AM , Rating: 5
> "but in the UK I believe that journalists and the press had an exemption in copy write law and were allowed to quote texts."

There's a difference between quoting from a text for educational purposes, and posting the entire contents of a piece of copyrighted material.

For instance, it does not violate copyright law for a news organization (such as DT has here) to observe that, based on the contents of these 'secret' works, the Mormon Church once banned black priests. Placing the entire text online, though, does.

Mick is wrong; there is no "censorship" here. No one is being prevented from expressing their own ideas or viewpoint...they're merely being stopped from their misuse of someone else's copyrighted statements.


RE: Just an observation here.
By nstott on 5/15/2008 10:51:56 PM , Rating: 2
The text in question doesn't mention blacks in connection with the LDS Priesthood. Mick was piling on with one of the standard anti-Mormon arguments. There are many LDS publications that do discuss the issue candidly, and it is still an issue even within the LDS Church for both black and non-black Mormons.

As always, thanks for being honest, Masher. I'd be less likely to read DT if you weren't here.


RE: Just an observation here.
By Autisticgramma on 5/18/2008 3:05:56 PM , Rating: 2
You bring up an interesting point, which leads me to a quasi off topic subject.

Non-Profit groups - Tax Exempt, lets be specific.

I'm really interested in how this plays out. Do we know if this is going to litigation or did they just fold?

On to my point.

Copyright, as I understand it, gives creators the ability to be profitable, i.e. the basic ability to survive in a capitalist society. Churches are by definition not for profit ventures. I'm curious as to why they get the benefits of copyright; furthermore do church members pay for this text? Being from Utah I'd bet no. If you ask nicely a truck load of Book of Mormon will be delivered to your house, for you guessed it - Free. (By two volunteers with name tags.)

This is an image ploy, just like the allowance of blacks into the priesthood was a social necessity, and probably (I wasn't in the room) not a conversation with God. This is a misuse of copyright used to plug a potentially harmful information leak.

I would additionally call for ALL non profits to be disallowed this legal bludgeon. Copyrights are for artists who have enriched our lives through humor, song, story and visual image. Not for a powerful, rich organization to fuel public ignorance, and manipulate public opinion.

If you really believe it, you will not have a problem with me reading it.


RE: Just an observation here.
By nstott on 5/19/2008 7:39:19 PM , Rating: 2
This informative post from "hthalljr" needed to be moved closer to the top.

quote:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not making any effort to protect its "beliefs" from public scrutiny. Why else would more than 50,000 missionaries labor to share their beliefs around the world, at their own expense?

I have, at times, been authorized to consult The Handbook of Instructions. But even if it remains on line, I will not read it now, because I no longer have that authorization. But I testify that does not contain anything of a conspiratorial nature, or evil, or of any kind of threat to the public.

Unlike most religions, the Church has no paid ministry. Its local leaders (bishops, who preside over a single ward or congregation) and stake presidents (who preside over approximately 10 wards) are lay people who have families and occupations. They do not ask to serve nor even plan to serve; rather, they are called to serve by inspiration of general Church leaders. Bishops typically serve only about 5 years; stake presidents serve a few more years. The Handbook of Instructions is a guide to these leaders, who come to their positions with no prior training. It is distributed to them to ensure that Church policies and procedures are uniform around the world.

Unlike other churches, we also do not decide which congregation we attend: we attend the ward in whose boundaries we reside. This also creates a need for uniformity of policy and procedure. (You can learn the place and meeting times of your nearest congregation by selecting the link "worship with us" at mormon.org and entering your address.)

Any members of the Church who has a question about doctrine or policy can ask his bishop, who can consult the Handbook. However, leaders are encouraged to use these guidelines prayerfully and to adapt them to immediate needs and circumstances.

If the Handbook were published, it could tempt some members to take a legalistic approach to policies and procedures and try to see just how close they could come to "crossing the line." Publication could also tempt some members who have more time on their hands than their bishops to make a hobby of knowing the handbook "better" than their bishop, which could undermining his efforts to provide inspired and thoughtful leadership.

The Church has every right to control distribution of its Handbook of Instructions. Copyright protects not just the right to publish, but also the right not to publish.

Tracy Hall Jr
hthalljr'gmail'com


By martinrichards23 on 5/21/2008 10:45:33 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
I'm not sure how things work in the US but in the UK I believe that journalists and the press had an exemption in copy write law and were allowed to quote texts.


I believe there are exceptions if it is in the public interest as well (i.e. exposing an illegal activity or something like that)


RE: Just an observation here.
By dubldwn on 5/14/08, Rating: 0
RE: Just an observation here.
By winterspan on 5/16/2008 2:26:31 AM , Rating: 1
Oh get over it. Why exactly should anyone be outraged at anything? The article is about the Mormon Church using copyright law to keep weird religious doctrine secret.. That all it says. And trust me, I've had enough experience with the crazy LDS church that I'm sure they have some weird shit in those papers. If anyone is outraged, they should be outraged that they have let themselves become so deceived by such nonsense!


RE: Just an observation here.
By feraltoad on 5/14/2008 10:24:27 PM , Rating: 2
The comments are separate from the article. Maintaining that authorship strips one of the right of an opinion is as unfair as writing a biased article. Some people understand that there can be and should be a separation between subjective opinion and objective facts. The Mormon Church certainly has a right to defend their copyrights, but the fact that they feel the need to keep secret portions of their actual religious doctrine doesn't engender trust. Of course I'm always suspicious of any multilevel marketing.


RE: Just an observation here.
By dubldwn on 5/14/2008 11:03:35 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
Maintaining that authorship strips one of the right of an opinion is as unfair as writing a biased article

Agreed, opinions are totally cool after an unbiased article – actually it adds a lot to be able to chat with the author. But that's a moot point now. This article has been changed to a blog, so it can be all be biased.
quote:
…but the fact that they feel the need to keep secret portions of their actual religious doctrine doesn't engender trust.

See, I don’t find that suspicious. What is suspicious is God using the term African-American in 1978.
quote:
GOD: Silence mortals! I have something important to tell you. Remember what I said about African Americans and priesthood...


RE: Just an observation here.
By feraltoad on 5/15/2008 3:59:09 AM , Rating: 1
lol ur right! God has gotten a lot more PC! Must be the CNN. I guess he got over the sore cursing.

Like the word delightsome below? I like to say that word with a lisp. It's sthuper! I'm delightsthome, you're cursthed! Nope, not natural sthelection, cursthed.

2 Nephi 5:21 And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.

Oh, and being shut out from the priesthood entails more than just being denied leadership roles. It means you are prohibited from accessing the "power of God." For example, you couldn't lift ur x-wing out of a swamp.

Priesthood denotes elements of both power and authority. As a power, priesthood is said to include the power Jesus gave his apostles to perform miracles such as the casting out of devils and the healing of sick (Luke 9:1). (wikipedia)