When Alitzah Stinson received an email offering her a “collaboration” with the LDS Church, she was stunned. She had already left the faith — and made that clear. Yet she says the Church wanted her to promote a testimony of the Book of Mormon anyway, in exchange for what looked like a paid brand deal.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has confirmed it pays content creators as part of its marketing strategy. These campaigns, including Light the World and Meet the Mormons, are designed to spread the Church’s message across social media. While a spokesperson said creators are vetted to ensure they’re active members, this outreach to someone who had publicly left the faith raises serious concerns.

Religious belief should never be something you can buy. People have the right to know when faith-based content has been paid for. And members — current or former — deserve clarity on how their tithing funds are used. When someone shares a testimony online, it should come from the heart, not from a contract.

This isn’t about attacking a religion. It’s about defending the truth. The LDS Church has a massive global following and a sophisticated PR machine. If it’s paying influencers to promote belief, then those promotions must be clearly labeled — and ethical boundaries must be respected.

We call on the Church to publicly commit to full transparency in its media campaigns. That includes disclosing paid partnerships, ending outreach to former members, and clearly separating authentic testimony from sponsored messaging.

If you believe religious trust should never be built on blurred lines and bought voices, add your name. It’s time to stop using money to manufacture faith.