seashmore Posted June 3, 2017 Report Posted June 3, 2017 What happens with all of the membership records and family history for Mormons who enter the federal witness protection program? I mean, they don't just get deleted, do they? Are new records created for their new identities? It's not like they'd have to be baptised again or anything, but the church can't just make that stuff up, can it? Maybe this is a question best mulled over when I can't sleep. Quote
Sunday21 Posted June 3, 2017 Report Posted June 3, 2017 6 minutes ago, seashmore said: What happens with all of the membership records and family history for Mormons who enter the federal witness protection program? I mean, they don't just get deleted, do they? Are new records created for their new identities? It's not like they'd have to be baptised again or anything, but the church can't just make that stuff up, can it? Maybe this is a question best mulled over when I can't sleep. I have often wondered this myself! seashmore 1 Quote
seashmore Posted June 3, 2017 Author Report Posted June 3, 2017 Not to mention how tight knit and transient we are. It's a small church, after all. You're bound to run into someone you knew under your original name. Unless maybe you went to a completely different continent. But even then, who's to say some kid from your previous life's ward doesn't get sent there on a mission? Sunday21 1 Quote
Sunday21 Posted June 3, 2017 Report Posted June 3, 2017 In the various wards that have attended, sometimes the clerks are very professional and sometimes they are blabbermouth dolts. One clerk tried to use his knowledge of people's relative incomes for his personal profit. It is highly likely that a clerk would reveal a name change. seashmore 1 Quote
Backroads Posted June 3, 2017 Report Posted June 3, 2017 This just screams fiction novel potential. Anddenex, Sunday21 and Just_A_Guy 3 Quote
Colirio Posted June 3, 2017 Report Posted June 3, 2017 51 minutes ago, Backroads said: This just screams fiction novel potential. I immediately thought of the "Mobsters and the Mormons" movie when I read this thread! Sunday21 1 Quote
seashmore Posted June 3, 2017 Author Report Posted June 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Colirio said: I immediately thought of the "Mobsters and the Mormons" movie when I read this thread! These thoughts had crossed my mind before, but watching that movie brings them about more often. Sunday21 1 Quote
seashmore Posted June 3, 2017 Author Report Posted June 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Backroads said: This just screams fiction novel potential. I KNOW! Maybe someday... Backroads and Sunday21 2 Quote
Sunday21 Posted June 3, 2017 Report Posted June 3, 2017 Where is @LiterateParakeet! She is a published author.... Backroads and seashmore 2 Quote
Blackmarch Posted June 4, 2017 Report Posted June 4, 2017 On June 2, 2017 at 6:56 PM, seashmore said: What happens with all of the membership records and family history for Mormons who enter the federal witness protection program? I mean, they don't just get deleted, do they? Are new records created for their new identities? It's not like they'd have to be baptised again or anything, but the church can't just make that stuff up, can it? Maybe this is a question best mulled over when I can't sleep. Probably just make the stuff that has location data inaccessable, or put it somewhere where it isnt on the network. Quote
Traveler Posted June 4, 2017 Report Posted June 4, 2017 There are a lot of very interesting devout LDS members that serve their country in a variety of ways. For the security of the country – there are some things that are not needed to be known by the priesthood leadership and there are ways to keep information needed by priesthood leadership, confidential. The Traveler seashmore and Backroads 2 Quote
Guest Posted June 5, 2017 Report Posted June 5, 2017 (edited) On 6/2/2017 at 7:56 PM, seashmore said: What happens with all of the membership records and family history for Mormons who enter the federal witness protection program? I mean, they don't just get deleted, do they? Are new records created for their new identities? It's not like they'd have to be baptised again or anything, but the church can't just make that stuff up, can it? Maybe this is a question best mulled over when I can't sleep. I can almost answer the question. My father was ward mission leader. When an investigator couple were in the interview process for baptism, for some reason the subject came up and they admitted that they were in witness protection. The missionaries didn't know if that meant anything on their part or not. They asked my father (who asked the bishop, who asked...) and their mission president who asked... Eventually some communications had to go to SLC. HQ did some communication with the WP folks, and something happened. No one at my dad's or missionary level ever found out about the details of what happened on the other end. The couple was eventually baptized under their new (protected) names. My hunch is that SLC simply needed to make sure that they weren't a formerly excommunicated couple who were trying to pull a fast one. I wonder how genealogy works with that and sealing and all. As far as "making stuff up" I'm not sure what you mean by that. We're talking about changing names. A name is what a name is. It is what you call yourself and what others call you. I was adopted and given a new name. Was that just making things up? I suppose it is. But when you're given a name, that's all it is. It's a made up label. Edited June 5, 2017 by Guest Quote
SilentOne Posted June 5, 2017 Report Posted June 5, 2017 3 hours ago, Carborendum said: As far as "making stuff up" I'm not sure what you mean by that. We're talking about changing names. A name is what a name is. It is what you call yourself and what others call you. I was adopted and given a new name. Was that just making things up? I suppose it is. But when you're given a name, that's all it is. It's a made up label. They'd probably have to put some slightly different locations in as well. I can only imagine a problem coming up if someone tried to get ahold of their past bishops for some reason. And I guess the protected people would have to make up an excuse for why they wouldn't get on facebook, or why they weren't on it before and now never use an actual picture of themselves on their profile or cover photos. Oh, people posting pictures with you in them, not tagged, could cause some problems for witness protected people. If anybody here wants to write that book, that could be your inciting incident. And I got pretty off track from whatever it was I was originally planning to say. Something about I don't think the new made-up stuff would be a moral problem? On 6/2/2017 at 7:19 PM, Sunday21 said: In the various wards that have attended, sometimes the clerks are very professional and sometimes they are blabbermouth dolts. One clerk tried to use his knowledge of people's relative incomes for his personal profit. It is highly likely that a clerk would reveal a name change. I doubt they'd have the local clerks in charge of or even aware of the changes. On 6/2/2017 at 7:12 PM, seashmore said: But even then, who's to say some kid from your previous life's ward doesn't get sent there on a mission? I think the Lord can prevent giving mission calls that would put your life at risk. Sunday21 and seashmore 2 Quote
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