WATCH: Leaked videos show LDS leadership meetings
(KUTV) In a major breach of protocol, videos of internal discussions among high ranking leaders of the LDS Church have leaked online.
A YouTube account, Mormon Leaks, uploaded footage of internal meetings that included members of the Quorum of the Twelve and other general authorities. The meetings allegedly occurred between 2007 and 2012, according to the videos.
Shared from an unknown source, the videos appear to give the public a look at meetings that were once kept behind closed doors.
The videos show church authorities being briefed on a variety of topics such as marrying age, politics and marijuana. Following each presentation, the authorities discuss the impact these topics may have on the LDS church.
One presentation given by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, General Authority Seventy, regarding Wiki Leaks, appears to spark discussion of Chelsea Manning, a transgender woman. Manning has been convicted under violations of the Espionage Act.
"I'm suspicious that the news media cover up anything involving homosexuals when it would work to the disadvantage of the homosexual agenda," said Elder Dallin Oaks during the discussion.
The leaked videos are from a different source than the document leaks that occurred in September.
LDS church spokesperson Eric Hawkins said in a statement to 2News, "Most of these videos appear to be from briefings received by senior Church leaders between 2007 and 2012. In these committee meetings, presentations are routinely received from various religious, political and subject matter experts on a variety of topics. The purpose is to understand issues that may face the Church, and is in pursuit of the obligation Church leaders feel to be informed on and have open discussion about current issues. This is an informational forum, not a decision-making body."
The fifteen videos range in length, topic and speaker.
Here is a list of the videos, as named by the publisher:
- Briefing on the Housing Crisis
- In Which the Apostles Obsess over Bradley Manning's Sexuality
- Addressing the Problem of Mormons marrying Later in Life
- In Which They Discuss How Relations with Islam can be Improved
- In Which They Fret Over Politics
- In Which They Watch a Clip from Pirates of the Caribbean
- In Which They Fret Over the Young Single Adults
- Church Preparedness
- In Which the Apostles Crack Jokes About Gambling in Las Vegas and 9 11
- In Which They Fret about Religious Freedom with Some Classic Bednar in the Last Five Minutes
- In Which They Fret Over the Growing Popularity of Marijuana
- In Which They Discuss Politics with Senator Gordon Smith
- In Which They Fret Over Science and Worldly Morals
- In Which They Express Confidence That Kurds will One Day Become Mormon
- CHD reorg
