The Most Dangerous Apostates are Social Media Influencers
Before I can even address the dangers of apostates, I want to ensure you understand what apostasy is. Modern apostles and prophets repeatedly warn us about personal apostasy. Yet, when you ask most people to define apostasy they struggle. If pressed, many people erroneously will say apostasy is when someone rejects the entire gospel. This is not the case with almost any apostates. This inability to define apostasy is leading to an increasing number of spiritual casualties. Unlike the sinner, whom Christ commanded we never cast out, the Lord commands in Alma 5:59–60 that we drive out the apostate wolves to protect the flock. But because we cannot call a spade a spade, apostate wolves are permitted to tarry in the Church, many times being given speaking opportunities and direct access to the youth, and they are feasting upon the lambs of the flock.
So what is apostasy? The Church handbook clearly outlines what apostasy is. Section 32.6.3.2: Apostasy goes over membership councils and disciplinary actions, formerly referred to as excommunication, it says:
As used here, apostasy refers to a member engaging in any of the following:
- Repeatedly acting in clear and deliberate public opposition to the Church, its doctrine, its policies, or its leaders
- Persisting in teaching as Church doctrine what is not Church doctrine after being corrected by the bishop or stake president
- Showing a pattern of intentionally working to weaken the faith and activity of Church members
- Continuing to follow the teachings of apostate sects after being corrected by the bishop or stake president
- Formally joining another church and promoting its teachings (Total inactivity in the Church or attending another church does not by itself constitute apostasy. However, if a member formally joins another church and advocates its teachings, withdrawing his or her membership may be necessary.)
Today I want to focus on points 1 and 3, as they are, in my experience, the most common forms of apostasy we are witnessing. In essence, apostasy, as I will use it today is when someone attacks any aspect of the Church (Doctrine/Policies/Leaders) OR repeatedly attacks the faithful members with the intent to weaken their faithfulness in the gospel. The final thing to define is what I mean when I say Influencer/Social Media Influencer. I am referring to any author, therapist, blogger, YouTuber/Tiktalker, podcaster, musician, fireside circuit speaker, public personality, or pundit who uses Social Media to exert influence.
The most dangerous apostates are Social Media Influencers
All apostates are spiritually dangerous. Because they, like the original apostate, seek to bring others down with them. They attack the faith of family, friends, and ward members. I have even personally seen missionaries reaching back out to their converts in attempts to destroy their faith too. With Social Media, an apostate's ability to reach out to these people is virtually immediate. This is one of the reasons that The Church handbook warns that "Issues of apostasy often have an impact beyond the boundaries of a ward or stake. They need to be addressed promptly to protect others." (Section 32.6.3.2: Apostasy).
But I believe that the most dangerous apostates are Social Media Influencers. All too often these Influencers are held to a lower standard compared to the general membership of the Church because what they do online is dismissed as "only on Facebook/Instagram" and therefore is not as serious. If I stood up in Church and advocated that the prophet is fallen, the Church is corrupt, or our doctrines or policies are bad/need to change, I would be reprimanded, and if I continued I would be held in contempt and have my membership called into question via a membership council. AS IT SHOULD BE.
Yet Social Media Influencers often put up a faithful facade in real life. They "look faithful" and then once on Social Media, they spew the most cancerous of apostate messages to their followers. They actively attack the policies and even the doctrines of the Church. Many influencers attack the Family Proclamation as homophobic or dated. They seek to destroy the member's faith in the Family Proclamation by dismissing it as merely a legal document or policy, and then they hold up the alternative LGBTQ lifestyle as what is most Christlike! If I did this in Church, I would have my membership withdrawn aka be excommunicated. Yet often they are permitted because "It is only online."
But what is even worse, if I stood up in church and said these things, I would reach only the immediate congregation. But these Social Media Influencers are reaching millions of people. To give you some perspective, I am a small fry in terms of being a Social Media Influencer, across my pages and accounts I only have just over 500,000 followers. Yet in the last 28 days, over 5 million people have seen my posts. The danger of a Social Media influencer apostatizing cannot be overstressed, but neither can the power of a faithful one!
When we fail to act, we become accomplices to apostate wolves.
One of the primary duties of a Bishop/Stake President is to be a shepherd in Israel, which not only seeks out the "lost sheep" but also defends the flock from the wolves! They ensure that there are no wolves in sheep’s clothing waiting to devour the precious lambs. Alma made this clear, he taught: "I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed." (Alma 5:59–60)
I do not doubt that almost all Bishops/Stake Presidents would be willing to lay down their physical and social lives in defense of the flock, if they but knew what their duty was. But the problem is that many can’t define what apostasy is, and they don’t turn to the handbook for assistance, they unwittingly allow apostate wolves to tarry in the flock.
And this is the key, most Social Media Influencers use their "active" membership as an indirect endorsement of their message and to gain more followers. If people knew they were excommunicated for attacking the Church's doctrines and policies on LGBTQ+ issues (or any other issue), then those weak/young in faith would realize they are apostate wolves. They would reject them.
But these Influencers and their followers cite their activity or their calling (or their spouses' calling) to deflect accountability to their online actions. They use their continued membership as an endorsement of their apostasy. In effect, they are saying, "What I am doing is right, what I am teaching is true. My Bishop and Stake President do not think I am apostate. Therefore they agree with me!"
When it comes to apostasy, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was right, "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." When we allow evil to grow within the Church we are, in fact, accomplices to that evil. When we say one thing, but then tolerate another, we become authors of confusion. God is not an author of confusion.
Therefore what?
So what am I suggesting we do? Well, first and foremost we must guard against apostasy by realizing that we must sustain the prophet and not criticize the brethren. We MUST hold to the Iron Rod. Remember, no one at the tree is murmuring, that is an exclusive trait of the great and spacious building!
Secondly. If you are a leader, I recommend keeping a close relationship with an influencer in your ward. Be near so that if they start down the road to apostasy they can hopefully be turned back before they are lost. But remember, you MUST act to defend the flock. You MUST ensure the leaders under your stewardship are examples of faithfulness. Never should a leader under our stewardship become a wolf in shepherd's clothing. You must follow the handbook regarding apostasy. God will hold us accountable for the sheep we sacrifice if we shirk our duty out of laziness, ignorance, or to save face. If you are not a leader, then I suggest that you counsel with your bishop, and express the confusion at what you are witnessing. Ask them to read and explain the handbook to you regarding apostasy. And just like if you saw someone committing apostasy in your local ward, when you see a Social Media Influencer who is engaging in online apostasy, attempt to reach out to their leaders to let them know what is happening.
And finally, raise a voice of warning about apostates when you witness them. One of the ultimate tools Satan will evoke is the false idea that we "judge not." He wants us to think that when we see apostasy it is wrong to say something or to do something. And that to do so would be "judging" someone. Instead of buying into Satan's lie, follow the Savior who commanded us to "Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment." (see JST Matt 7:1-2). Be merciful, but when you see your friends sharing the content of apostate Influencers, warn them about their apostasy. From my experience, merely highlighting apostate views/posts from an Influencer is enough to cause people to unfollow them.
For example, when I shared this video, I had dozens of people thank me and inform me that they unfollowed her afterward:
Let us follow the prophet and unfollow false prophets.
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Does this mean we can’t ask a question? I see “Amen” as the only comment on so many FB quotes by church leaders....someone with a question or a comment of inquiry….is that considered a terrible thing? I often ask or comment hoping for a reference to understand more fully. And for non members who want to know more about the Church…..what are they to think? I NEVER want anyone to think that members are afraid to ask a question about anything. Good discussions help me grow and a good thing ?
I hope these comments make sense.
Honest questions are not only welcome, they are WANTED. Questions show you are trying to understand and apply. It is NOT appropriate for an disciple to ever belittle someone for asking a question. For example, my mom related a story from her non-member neighbor who worked on the Orem Temple. He asked someone why there were 12 cows in the baptismal area and the person condescendingly belittled him over the question and the fact he did not know they were Oxen or represented the 12 tribes. His reply was "Sorry, I am not a Mormon." THIS HAS NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH.
AMEN!!! Thank you so much! I needed this confirmation of what I did last week in raising a voice was right. Thank you! We have covenanted to not speak ill of the lords anointed. How is this such a hard concept to understand? And oh the murmuring. Its endless. Thanks for once again your wise words.
You really need to be rebuked in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for your outright apostasy and hindrance of the work of the Lord. Not to mention your great lies. May we need to remind you of the great scripture in the Book of Mormon "Woe to the liar, for he shall be trust down to hell" (2nd Nephi 9:34).
I can't believe that you claim that you have 500,000 followers across your accounts. I added up all the followers on your accounts and not withstanding the many who are following you on multiple sites, even if we make the great jump and claim that every follower on every one of your accounts is only following you on one account, you still only have 82,843 followers-fall short of the 500,000 you openly lie about.
You need to be reprimanded for your great pride and egotism. This is not the first article on this subject that you have written. I have personally come across another prior one you sent out several months ago. You continue to give people the impression that they should only follow you and not follow any other social media influencer. While I would agree with you that there are some bad apples out there, there are at the same time many good saints of God who are doing great work for the Lord on social media. Many of these are helping to build testimonies and even bringing many to the waters of baptism.
For you to suggest to people to stop following social media influencers in the church is simply to hinder the great work of the Lord that they are accomplishing. Why should anyone stop following a faithful member of the church to instead follow you a great prideful liar? Repent in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and stop publishing such hindrance to the Lord. Just because anyone can go online and publish on social media and on websites does not mean that they should do it. You a confirmed prideful liar should just sit back and let the work of the Lord go forward until it reaches all nations and people through the means that Lord has established in these latter days. But, since you are a big prideful liar, I would expect that you will just continue persisting in publishing such trash. May God have mercy on your soul at your Day of Judgement when you will be judged for all of the souls that could have been saved if you had not hindered the work.
Hey John, in your rush to make a rash judgment did you ever wonder why I'd make a verifiably false claim? Did you even stop and ask for clarification before thinking you needed to rebuke me in the name of Jesus? There is a reason Jesus warns us not to issue rash judgements, but rather righteous ones, because sometimes there is information you are lacking.
First, I do not only run 1 Facebook page, I run a lot. They have the following follower count (as of Jan 1st).
Latter-day Saints Standing United Followers 259,207
My life by GogoGoff (facebook) Followers 75,654
I love the Temple Followers 58,825
I love President Nelson followers 15,942
I love President Holland followers 55,603
I love Elder Uchtdorf followers 13,655
I love President Oaks followers 30,393
I love Conference Followers 26,020
I love Elder Bednar Followers 5,775
I love The 1st Presidency Followers 11,952
I love Jesus Christ Followers 3,440
My life by GogoGoff (Instagram) Followers 4,306
Total Followers 560,772
Secondly, I've never said people should only follow me. I have said that I cannot in good faith encourage people to follow any given influencer. The reason for this, is because when I first started working with the Church nearly 10 years ago I met dozens of amazing influencers at the meetings held on Temple Square. Over the last 10 years I have witnessed the majority leave the Church. That is why I encourage people NOT to follow me, or any other influencer, but rather to follow the Prophet.
Thirdly, I have spent thousands of hours of my life doing online missionary work. Many of it in collaboration with other influencers under Church direction. So it is once again an ignorant claim that I am hindering the work.
Finally, if I have come across prideful I apologize. It is not my intent. I am nothing more than a normal member of the Church who has been given (and yes, I use given because it was a gift from God not something I earned myself) a platform. I strive daily to build the kingdom. I plead on my knees daily that I will be led and directed in what to say to help people and build the kingdom. Part of building the kingdom is the uncomfortable aspect that due to my unique history of working with influencers and witnessing first hand their apostasy and how it led to the downfall of many of their followers, I am uniquely qualified as an influencer in raising a voice of warning about influencers. Not that we should ignore all influencers, but rather than we take caution, and compare their words against the prophets. And that leaders keep them close and help them avoid apostasy as Satan knows if he can get an influencer to fall he can access millions. But ultimately the encourage us to follow the prophet and the handbook we've been given.
Assuming with this knowledge your opinion has changed, I am not angry with you, but I do caution you against rash judgements.
Have a good day.
@John, Yikes! You've sure made a blanket judgement against the author!
You have accused him of telling us not to follow ANY influencer - which is patently false. In your condemnation of his "lies", you yourself are lying.
This is the first post I've read by this author and there is nothing in his words that lead me to believe that I should "follow" him and him alone.
In fact, I don't see anywhere that he solicits followers.
Your response suggests he has hit a nerve with you. I wonder why that is? Regardless, I wholeheartedly agree with his message: follow the Prophet.
@Jeremy, I don’t think John read your article.
Thanks for your insight!
I want to bring up a counterpoint, that I think we need to remember, to keep in balance—
Unity needs to be balanced with liberty.
So, there has to be some room for difference of belief in the Church. Some people believe that, in the future, God may reveal an additional priestesshood or the Relief Society, or authorize us to ordain women to the currently known priesthood offices. Some of us believe that our current doctrines about gender and marriage leave a lot of room for unanswered questions and future revelations, to help LGBTQIA people find a more authentic role in the Church.
But there is no formal church penalty for heterodoxy or heresy. We have to escalate to apostasy before discipline is on the table.
I think that if we've studied an issue and sincerely believe the prophets are in error, then we have a threefold obligation: to stay open to continuing light from God; to pray for those leaders to receive additional inspiration; and to be cautious in the timing and tone of our criticism.
After all, King Saul was obviously 100% wrong to try to murder Prince David. But still, David would not do any harm to the Lord's Anointed.
In the Church there are black and white issues, and then there are gray issues.
In Church meetings and classes we are instructed to only teach the black and the white, and not to speculate in the gray areas.
The big issue is black and white issues, like marriage, are being turned gray because people want them to be gray.
This is why we must ensure we are grounded in the doctrines and repeated teachings of the prophets so that we avoid being deceived by the philosophies of men.
No offense intended but does this include YOU? I remember not too many years ago you posting a blog about people that weren't taking the "shots" that they now know don't work and are actually harming people, saying that this is "sowing the wheat from the tares", and we were "following Satan"! How is that not dangerous and who in the world are you to judge others because we want to make a very personal medical decision that can have detrimental effects on some people, including our child who was injured years ago by one, and still suffers greatly? Where is the apology??? Nothing but radio silence from the "influencers" like YOU. We had family shun us because we weren't "following the prophet", reading blogs just like yours. Do I shun those same family members who drink coffee and don't follow the word of wisdom with their horrible eating habits?? No. They are free to choose without my judgements of them. You said very hurtful things that made life very difficult for alot of us very faithful members who just want to make our own medical decisions. You should be ashamed...It's a good thing we have a thick skin or we may just be dropping like flies like many members we know who took that poison.
Hey MJ,
It does apply to me. But your example is wrong and you must be misremembering because I never told people they needed to get the shot, I told people to follow the prophet. AND I told people that if they got personal revelation about being an exception that they are still following the prophet if they follow that personal revelation. And because of the possibility of people receiving personal revelation that they were an exception I was very vocal that we should not judge others on whether or not they got the shot. BUT that if they went on to attack the prophet or his counsel that is when they crossed the line. I have literally made posts "following the prophet is about me, not you." and that we have no place to judge why another person is doing what they are doing. I repeatedly taught how to authenticate personal revelation that you are an exception. I even outlined my process in praying about it knowing full well it could kill me. and then I outlined how to receive revelation that you should not take the shot.
So, check yourself. I did not attack a single person over the shot. And I REPEATEDLY said so. I repeatedly told people not to judge another over their vax status, as it was irrelevant. I told people that if they got personal revelation not to get the shot, then they should follow it. I told people that they needed to respect other peoples revelation. Half of my family got the personal revelation NOT to get it. I wanted to get that revelation, but I got nothing, so my default was obedience. I repeatedly taught that we needed to follow the prophet, and I clearly flushed out repeatedly how being an exception works.
What I DID call out was social media apostasy where people were attacking the prophet. Because that is NOT being faithful but faithless. I taught the repeated principles that when you vocally attack the prophets you are in fact apostatizing. I taught that when someone is holding up their personal revelation as an alternative to prophetic counsel, they are a false prophet. And I have seen people dropping like flies, but they are dropping out of the Church because they have rejected the prophets and have become antagonistic towards them.
Assuming when you realize the complete factually erroneous nature of your comment, you will apologize, I accept it. I just recommend before attacking someone you make sure that facts are on your side.
Have a good one!
Hmm, you have no counsellors Jeremy.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit- that pattern of three is repeated throughout the Lord's church but you're above that.
I'm beginning to recognise that the most dangerous people on the web are those who deliver 99% truth and then one per cent falsehoods that bind the gullible down.
At least with apostate influencers, we know they aren't delivering truths so the stalwart saints avoid them.
I suggest you run your content by an older (wiser) High Priest or two before putting it out there. I suggest you listen to their concerns and suggestions and consider why/where they are coming from.
Don't do it for me, do it because you recognize that you are not an all-knowing tower of truth.
I generally have at least 3 people read my articles before I publish them, this one was written at the encouragement of my High Councilor. So thank you for you suggestion, I already employ it.
@Jeremy,
Well, he or they didn't guide you too well on your *love and welcome trans to church* piece then as the advice provided by the church was totally ignored by yourself.
No mention that we aren't required to use their preferred pronouns.
No mention that a biological isn't to use the woman's toilets unless the toilet is empty and a priesthood holder effectively guards the door preventing sisters from entering while the trans man is in there.
No mention biological women are not to be given the priesthood.
So, my question for you is why the deliberate avoidance of those policies? They are policies for real issues and you gloss over them by not even mentioning them.
What the devil are you talking about? I don't talk at all about Church policies in this article, let alone the new clarified policies regarding those who identify as transgender. This article is about social media influencers not policies.
Literally nothing in your comment has anything to do with this article. It is like yelling at the McDonalds casher because your Dry Cleaning got lost.
Great article- thank you! The wolves in sheep's clothing are rampant.
Wow, I’m very surprised and saddened by the negative, contentious comments regarding this post. Your post is spot upon! Don’t feel the need to respond to all of these negative Nancys. I enjoy reading your posts!