I should think that LDS, Inc. might think that excommunication is not good enough for the person who leaked the church's new policy on LGBT families and caused such an irreversible shitstorm, and was wandering if they could attempt to pursue the people on some sort of charge of stealing and publishing their intellectual property. Is this in the realm of possibility?

Maybe, it depends on whether recipients of the "handbook" sign a Non-disclosure agreement or otherwise agree to keep quiet about the contents. If that is the case then there could be a civil penalty. The church could argue that the contents of the handbook are proprietary and subject to "discretion" but I think their lawyers are smart enough to let it die as quickly as possible. Litigation would guarantee it stays in the top ten Google results, something they have spent millions to control.

the media would have another field day. Or days. They can't afford more bad publicity.

In his defense, he probably believed that he was posting it in a safe place. It was a closed FB group of mormons. An exmo was an infiltrator in that group, saw it and then posted in on the exmo Redd!t and then on on of Dehlin's sites or FB pages, and asked if anyone had heard about it. Dehlin took it from there.

TSCC has released the exact wording. It would take a full inquisition to determine the source. It could have even been an accident where someone left it on his desk and someone innocently opened it. Mea Culpa. Aren't we glad JS can't send the Danites.

I've heard, from totally impeachable sources, that if they determine an Ex-Mo was involved, he will be kidnapped and rebaptized, in glorious 4K clarity.

And then publicly excommunicated!

With computer generated Agents Serving Satan seen carrying him away. Church members will thus be taught to fear ASS! Kids will grow up hearing it daily, "don't be an ASS!"

Then theres always the possibility mentioned on another post that it was leaked deliberately to force fence sitters and trouble makers out into the open...somehow i can picture uncle dallin plotting away in his office in the wee hours of the morning...out of touch...fogies...sociopaths...check mate fence sitters...the shock us likely the number of folks with issues...i doubt dallin saw that coming...cuz gawds golfing on Fiji...and couldnt ge reached on his shoe phone

I highly suspect there is a big investigation to figure out who leaked the info so John Dehlin could publish it through the Salt Lake Tribune. We it clandestine, or done on purpose? Did they want to get out in front of it rather than wait for it to hit the fan later in dribbles from local bishops and stake presidents?
Hard to know.
My opinion is that the last person they wanted to get a hold of this info is John Dehlin. Or, on the other hand, was he the best person?
I noticed that D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of Twelve is the fall guy to go public and be interviewed, attempting to assure the members that this is done in love and to protect the chidlren.

While this is a very exclusionary policy, I do wonder how many LDS believing gay members cohabit or are married with children that this will impact.

The most difficult part of this is how does this impact those that are "out" as gay or lesbian as TBM members (and they do exist). Some of them hold callings also.
Does this mean they keep their membership and callings as long as they are not sexually active, do not cohabit, or marry another gay person? Sounds like it to me.

In the 1850's in Utah the violator would be getting the Laban treatment or having some temple penalties executed on them.
No doubt that LD$ Inc would like to be able to still operate like that, but too bad for them that their operation is in America, and not in the MORmON version of Iran, the way that it was in 1850.

So true, in 1850's Utah, the person who leaked the information would have Blood Atonement done to them, and their wives assigned to someone else.

I can't imagine they are so naive to think it wouldn't get out! There are tens of thousands of "Handbook #1" out there.

Yes. So why the heck did they not attempt to control the release and subsequent dialogue?

They do try to control them though. When my dad died, he wasn't even in the ground yet before we'd been contacted for his older copy of handbook 1 from when he was a bishop, and his current copy of handbook 2.

Like what!?? It's not like they actually stole anything!!

I heard elsewhere there are over 150,000 wards worldwide.

The changes to the handbook were disseminated by e-mail. Hence, the chances of identifying which of the 150,000 outlets it was distributed to, and of that who might be the lucky bastard who leaked it to the press, would be difficult to smoke out, if not impossible.

Who in their right mind would confess to being the double agent? :D

Just one simple question. Why does the church have to worry about which policies are leaked?

I think churches should be transparent and not have to have such sensitive information. Hidden Sensitive Information = Cult maybe??

The fact that anything a church considers secret is actionable I find bizarre...after all it's a church, not a government agency or law enforcement....although the cult thinks it's superior and more important than the other 2.

RB

Word is that when the traitor is caught, he/she will be sealed in the Jaredite barge to be sent across the Pacific with all kinds of animals and bees. And this time, they are not going to provide any glowing rocks.

They are using their Liahona to track down the perp. And they're going to fire up the peepstone too!