The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is facing a digital reckoning, as scores of ex-Mormon influencers are shedding light on church secrets that LDS officials would rather keep buried.
With millions of monthly impressions, ‘#exmo’ content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram is some of the most popular and widely-viewed faith-based content online – and nearly all of it is sharply critical of Mormonism. That’s a major problem for church leaders, who say that the flood of ex-Mormon content is damaging both recruitment and retention of LDS faithful.
What are they saying, and how is the church responding?
The Ex-Mormon Movement
From the LDS Church’s history of denying priesthood to black men, to Joseph Smith’s own polygamist history, ex-Mormon influencers are taking to social media platforms to share a complicated church history many young people find troublesome.
Add in the church’s strict cultural expectations, its treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals, and reports of a $200+ billion financial reserve, and you have a recipe for disillusionment, especially amongst young people.
One of the most popular "exmo" influencers is Alyssa Grenfell, who has more than one million followers on social media. In her videos, she reveals Mormon secrets to outsiders – secrets the church considers sacrilegious to talk about outside temple walls, like the outfits Mormon women wear on their wedding day, or the church’s secret baptism rituals.
She also tailors some of her content towards current members of the church who may be questioning their faith, shining a light on some of the more controversial elements of the church’s past.
Others highlight an interesting discovery: they found that being part of the church wasn't necessary to feel "spiritual" – and that in fact they could achieve that same connection elsewhere, without the baggage of membership.
If the goal is to drive a wedge between the church and its members, it’s working. Videos by Grenfell and others aren’t just reaching ex-Mormons and those outside the faith with a curiosity about it – they’re reaching current members, and stirring doubt.
LDS Church Fights Back
LDS leaders are leaning into short-form content on their own social media, hoping to combat some of the narratives they say are being unfairly amplified by popular ex-Mormon content creators.
In recent years, official LDS Church accounts have ramped up their digital presence, posting slickly produced videos highlighting faith-affirming stories, scripture snippets, and family-centered messages. These videos often feature smiling families, young missionaries, and everyday members talking about the joy of living the gospel, designed to counter the more sensational stories spread by critics.
But the church’s most potent weapon in the war of the influencers isn’t its institutional accounts - it’s the tens of thousands of missionaries stationed across the globe.
Missionaries as Evangelists
LDS leadership has urged young missionaries to share their testimonies online, post day-in-the-life videos, and document their service experiences. By saturating platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even BeReal with wholesome, faith-forward content, the church hopes to shift the algorithm in its favor.
The strategy is simple: if a teenager scrolling through #exmo videos can also stumble across dozens of posts from smiling 19-year-olds sharing their faith journeys, it might soften the blow of criticism and keep them engaged with the church.
The result is a kind of arms race for attention, where both critics and defenders of Mormonism battle for dominance on the feeds of curious onlookers.
Whether this strategy will succeed remains an open question. For now, what’s clear is that the front lines of faith are increasingly moving online, where slickly produced content and the almighty algorithm are helping to win (and lose) believers.
What is your response?
42 comments
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Lionheart
As an Ex-Mormon High Priest I am very well aware of the scare tactics, and techniques used to retain membership. Christians use the scare tactic of Hell in an attempt to make sure people are kept toeing the line and don’t wander away. In the Mormons case, one of the ones they use is that if you want to get into the highest of the three Kingdoms of god to be with your parents after you die you had better toe the line and remain faithful.
Religious blackmail thrives in most religions. It’s basically mental abuse, especially for little children, but sadly, indoctrination of that sort works, and it’s difficult to pull away from the longer the indoctrination of religious mind control lasts. 😟
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Michael Hall
It was brave of you to step away and it takes real strength to go down that road alone.
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Cameron Lewis
Good job lion heart! Religion is weaponized brainwashing for the sheeple masses, do as I say or you burn in hell, give us your money or you burn in hell, provide oral sex because I a representative of the lord gawd all mighty or your burn in hell... it ain't just Mormons kids it is all organized faith...if the drive a new mercedes or land rover and claim to be a representive of gawd or tell you to get on your knees or spread your legs for faith because gawd said so they are fake...those of you brethern in faith who critize Lionheart best be looking at your self he is only sharing the truth. (BtW I am a psychologist and behavioral health scientist by trade and you have no idea how many times I have heard this truth from victims of all faith)
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Rev. BH
Cameron Lewis & Michael Hall: your praise of Lionheart is misplaced. He has only stepped away from one religion into another, Christian Nationalism. If you are unaware, some of its tenants include authoritarianism, nativism, and white supremacy. If that is also your truth Cameron, you may need to move on, too.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Don't forget superiority and control over women.
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Ethan Scott Guymon
LOL
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Religion as a Weapon is Wrong
Every church and large organization has a flip side and anyone that is part of that organization and financially supports it has a right to know. What bothers me about this particular church is the $200b they've amassed (via real estate and business) and use of the church to avoid paying taxes. It's business, not religion. I can't think of a single major religion that doesn't have a dark side. Some abuse funds, some abuse children, and some tell their followers outright lies. A long time ago I decided not to give donations to any church and I can be completely spiritual without them. I can't imagine what it is like to live in Utah and not be part of the church. It must be difficult.
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Brother Peter
Actually it's not difficult at all. We have lived here for 48 years. It was a good place to raise a family. Conservative, but not like the Bible belt. According to the PEW Institute only about 40% are Mormon, with probably half of that active . There is an active LGBTQ community, mostly in Salt Lake City. About 70% of the total population lives in urban or suburban areas and are well educated. As a rule the Mormons get involved in public affairs which is why they dominate politics here but they are very tolerant of other religions. We have a small Buddhist monestary in my town (occasionally see robed monks in Walmart) and there is a large Hare Chrisna (spelling?) temple in Utah County. We have a large, Gothic Catholic cathedral in Salt Lake City and most religions are represented, including UU's, Pentecostals and, of course, the ULC.
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Brother Peter
Really messed up on the spelling. Meant "Hare Krishna". Sorry about that.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Br. Peter,
I have to agree with you about the Bible belt. The Mormons could take some lessons on "arm twisting" from them. Although I have to say it was more abuse of the people outside their "faith" tradition, not their own members.
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Keith D
There are positives. I lived in SLC for several years, but even the openness you cite felt suffocating. All the worse in places outside SLC, where the concentration of Mormons is, I suspect still (as it was when I left in 1988) pretty close to 100%.
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Michael Hall
Interesting article, thank you. While I doubt the LDS would ever use the scorched-earth tactics of the Scientologists against their ex-cultists, they will certainly flood the airwaves with pro-Church propaganda, as they are free to do. I wish the exmo movement the best of luck, since, although they are right in criticizing the Church, there will be some unhappy consequences, particularly if the live in LDS-dominated areas.
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Reverend Paula Copp
Wow. Religion is so good for humanity! 🙄
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James Riggle-Johnson
This reminds me of what the Christian faith has done to me over the past decade. All organized religion, actually.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
And there's no mention of the Mormon church's wealth which is over $330 BILLION DOLLARS. They own the most real estate in Florida, have investments in shopping malls, stock, bonds and other businesses.
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Donald G Magel
Just doing the Lord's work, sort of like Trumpism.
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CB Cuff
I'm pleased to see the abuse and anguish these men, women and children suffer from is being brought forward on this site. I've read several books by those that were able to 'escape' and they brought tears to my eyes. Let's keep supporting them.
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Lawrence Myers
Regardless of how I feel about the LDS, I respect each individual's sovereignty of themself to work out their own salvation. Philippians 2:12 " Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling".
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Cameron Lewis
The truth hurts. Doesn't matter Mormon, Catholic, Lutherans, Baptist or ... semi commercial institutions like churches all have hidden seedy sides it been the nature of control that organized faith survives on. Male dominated faiths are the worst ( through i am pretty sure Ellen White and her husband had some behind the scenes monkey shines too) large organizations usually profit from thier followers...leading to glutinous accumulation. ( think about the worth/wealth of the catholic church) while.people die and starve and live in cardboard. Organized faith needs to be forced to be open, the smoke and mirrors tricks shared, the inequity of the treatment of women vs men...the abuses reported and prosecuted.
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Keith D
I love this comment. Interesting that as I try to apply my 'like,' the icon is unresponsive.
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Lionheart
As an addendum to my post, I should add that too be fair, modern day conservative Christian’s do, for the most part, seem have a way better moral code of dealing with those that have a different liberal ideology. The liberal lefts way of dealing with those they disagree with tends to be violent and verbally abusive, whereas the conservatives religious right would rather hold prayer vigils and/or try to reason with civil discourse.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
Apparently you don’t know any “liberal lefts” nor how they deal with people that don’t share their beliefs. Given you used to be a Catholic high priest maybe your view should be expected.
As for your comments on the conservative religious right goes, I believe you simply need to educate yourself. You might want to converse with members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community for a small part of becoming educated.
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Lionheart
Thank you for adding some humor to this conversation with your last sentence. 🤭
I actually know many liberal lefts, which has helped me to draw my conclusion. Note the recent liberals running through the wreaths and kicking away flowers that were left in honor of Charlie Kirk. Typical leftist behaviour. It could be considered a form of mental illness.
As an FYI, per my post, I used to be a Mormon High Priest, not Catholic.
Thank you for your comment.
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Rev. BH
Lionheart, your comparison of "liberal lefts" to "conservative religious rights" is a false analogy. You can either add the word "religious" to the left side, or remove "religious" from the right for an apt comparison. (And your usual take on prayer vigils suggests a waste of time.)
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Out of all the Christian religions, Mormonism has to be the best. Why you die, you a become a God, inhabit your own planet and have multiple wives. What's not to like about that?
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Warren Calvin Wall
Depends on the wives. Sometimes one is too many.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
That's why Joseph Smith had 80 wives.
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Edwin Wilfred Mckinney
Name one man made religion that has not offered some sort of test
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Donald G Magel
This church is sounding like Trump. Stop sharing your feelings about me in Public forums; or else.
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Steven Ferrell
I don’t know a great deal about LDS and have only know a couple of them, but they were nice people and seemed happy.
As for those posting on tik-tok and instagram…. You can find someone saying anything on them to try and get their 2 minutes of fame.
But depending on what people themselves want to believe, they will believe whatever someone is saying.-
Keith D
I'm another who left the LDS. I lived in Utah for 7 years, part of that time at BYU (Provo) and the rest in Salt Lake City.
A convert, I had gone on a mission and over the course of years dealing with the culture, quit feeling inspired. To be sure, I dealt with many wonderful people, along with a solid number of bozos. ...like everywhere. I admit to being/having been one of those bozos--which annoys me.
I'm a bit mystified at the malice of many detractors, but I note that as a convert, my deeper exposure to a well-known undercurrent of sexual repression and the predatory kinks it brings to expression was ... thankfully nonexistent. But I was aware of it.
Ironically, Salt Lake City, when I was there (1988), had probably the happyiest gay community I've ever seen. I'm not gay, but they seemed the only genuinely happy crowd! ...something about value growing through cracks in rocks?
Otherwise, I didn't care for the many appeal to authority fallacious arguments made over what some 'general authority' said in a casual moment. This was the culty side of Mormonism that I saw all too frequently.
I also saw a chunk of 'old money' style of thought: 'my ancestors made this place and you're a convert, so you are less.' That, too, was strikingly--in my experience--reserved to members of 'lesser old families' of Momonism as opposed to children and grandchildren of 'big people' families that I knew on friendly terms. I note a pattern that extends beyond religions--the real geniuses tend to be inviting, eager to share, accepting.
I took a lot of light with me from Mormonism. There is a lot worthwhile, though I find a lot of suffocating shame in its teachings.
My spiritual POV runs somewhat parallel in some ways. I reject organized religion overall. I carry gratitude and other learning with me. Yet I don't see it as an answer, and I do see it as carrying the evils of organized religion.
I'll suggest that Jewish and Catholic guilt have nothing on Mormon guilt. One can learn to carry overwhelming shame being connected to LDS...
...and I'm supposing that that is what most explains the malice we see in the detractors... though I'm aware of stories (trie or not, overplayed or not, I don't know!) of cult-like near-kidnappings--a matter that should end the church, if it's for real.
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Walter J. Holbrook
Sometimes Silence Is All You Need
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Carolynn S ni Lochlainn
I'm an adult convert to LDS. I'm also bi. I entered with a clear view and an urge to support change. I understand that the church is not for everyone - in fact, I celebrate that. I think those who leave the church are great people. I do worry that people involved in #ExMo are denying their mental health and best interests - it seems obsessive to me. If you build your life around church and it doesn't work, why then base your life around bashing the church? Isn' it better to learn to let go? It seems to me that basing a life on any one thing is not healthy. Why not turn that energy to political activism? It's less ego-feeding (gimme clicks!) and benefits millions of people.
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Warren Calvin Wall
I can't speak on LDS as an organization as I have never delved into that area. I can speak to Mormons that I have known and been friends with. They were all kind, loving, happy people. Always ready to help and give. I'm an atheist myself. We had many wonderful discussions about religion in general and Mormonism in particular. They are some of the most practical and grounded people I have known. I have had many more problems with Protestant Christians being uncouth and disagreeable. Many times, down right nasty. The Abrahamic religions are all ugly and disagreeable.
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James Martin Edward Gillen
Interested parties/investigators looking into the LDS Church beliefs, are admonished to "Search, ponder and pray", as they say. And, if a positive experience happens, to act upon that experience and go on from there. Some "experience" nothing. Others are impressed enough to search further and deeper. Some get turned off by the unrighteous (adherents, like them, who STILL have a lot to learn/a ways to go). Some turn away because it is not what they are looking for. Still others become angered and turn on the church, even to the point of making it a career trying to turn everyone else away. The parable of the sower?
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Has anyone watched any of Alyssa Grenfell videos?
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Carolynn S ni Lochlainn
Yes. They're interesting, yet self-indulgent. She speaks her truth, and it has public value, but the videos get tiresome after a while. Yes, Alyssa, we get that you left, but your videos are just another side of Mormon Mommy Blogs.
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Alexander Clarke
If you ain't Mormon you ain't s**t. Just ask them.
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Brenda Lee Estevez
This is not true.
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Carolynn S ni Lochlainn
Wow. That's really rude, reductive, and utterly unsupported by any evidence. Way to roll.
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Rev. BH
Douglas, formerly know as Sharia Law: Stay home, reproduce and obey your man.
No matter how you feel about any church, the (paid) "influencer" epidemic has achieved too much indoctrinational power. You name the subject, and some (paid) influencer is ready to tell you how wrong-headed you are. They are not teachers, they are salesman.
And now back to our regularly scheduled program.