Posted on 05/27/2008 8:26:20 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
Can Mormon women wear pants when visiting a temple? Can men wear cummerbunds during a marriage ceremony? Are vasectomies an appropriate birth control option? The answers to these (no, no, and not really) and similar questions about Mormon practice and leadership might not seem to be especially secret, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn't pleased about secret church documents hitting the Internet.
In this case, the cause of the displeasure is the confidential Church Handbook of Instructions, published by Wikileaks on April 16. The church is currently trying to get the information pulled down using copyright infringement notices, but Wikileaks doesn't respond to such requests. The church has turned instead to targeting other sites that host or link the handbook.
Scribd, a sort of "YouTube for documents," has already taken down a copy of the material after receiving a copyright infringement notice from the Intellectual Property Division of the Church (who knew churches had such divisions?). The church has also gone after the Wikimedia Foundation, the group that oversees Wikipedia and Wikinews (it has no connection to Wikileaks). What's interesting about the takedown request is that the Wikimedia Foundation did not actually host or even cite the material in question; a Wikinews article published on April 19 simply mentioned the existence of the handbooks at Wikileaks and provided a link to it. In response, Wikimedia also received a copyright infringement notice from Intellectual Reserve, the church's IP division. The link was subsequently removed.
(Excerpt) Read more at arstechnica.com ...
“The Mormons clearly “get” the Internet in some sense (you can chat online with a missionary, for instance), but they appear determined to follow in the footsteps of groups like Bank Julius Baer that have managed to draw widespread attention to confidential documents without managing to have them removed from Wikileaks. Given that any such removal will be tough going, it seems strange to highlight the issue by going after a Wikinews post, for instance.”
It seems easier to get pee out of a pool than to get something “off the internet”.
The mormon church is simply drawing attention to its more bizarre beliefs.
Read the Mormon Handbook for yourself at WikiLeaks...
http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Mormon_Church_Handbook_of_Instructions_(1999)
We report, you decide.
Yeah, I already downloaded it and posted it to a bunch of usenet and web newsgroups. No getting that baby off the web.
Here is the pdf link...
http://file.sunshinepress.org:54445/mormon-handbook-of-instructions-1999.pdf
We Mormons are used to these attacks but the poor Scientologists.
I bet you are. And the laughter, don't for get the laughter.
“We Mormons are used to these attacks but the poor Scientologists.”
I don’t think posting a handbook of your real practices,
from your church, is an attack. It is simply a public
showing of what you practice. Seems reasonable for people
to know what your religion teaches.
Both cults do have similarities.
Some of the female students I've seen at the University of Utah wear pants VERY well...
So secret that relevant sections are handed out to everyone that needs em...
I'm LDS but I gotta go with Wikileaks on this one, they aren't making money on them (are they?) so I don't feel it violates copyrights. Now if Wikileaks was charging to view them or selling them for their own profit then yea I got a problem.
As a former member of that, ummm, organization, I can assure you that scientology is quite accustomed to attacks (and vicious in its replies).
CTR, FReeper. Actually, I think this is kinda funny but then I’m a little punchy tonight. I don’t think there’s anything in the Handbook that would be harmful to anyone, just the opposite. The Church probably doesn’t want people making fun of us. That’s all.
Check this out. It is my favorite video of all time on YouTube and I crack up every time I watch it. They are so cute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCP_4xNfn04
I can kinda understand the prohibition of woman and pants in the temple, even the vasectomy as birth control but what is the deal with cummerbunds at weddings (besides they are stupid looking)?
Both cults do have similarities.
I have a friend who left scientology and ended up back in LDS.
As far as faith goes there isn’t really all that much in common. There are some cultural and ‘look and feel’ similarities.
Funny one I caught the other day at Costco was this guy wearing a t-shirt I had never seen before. Think only LDS would understand. "Stripling Warriors: Mamma's Boys"
Had to google it to find out where to get one.
Why is publishing this book an attack?
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