Many prominent LDS critical organizations that publicly criticize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints present themselves as authoritative experts on the Church and its history. But are they credible? This section is not meant to disparage our brothers and sisters who are critics, but to offer transparency about their stated objectives vs their actual behavior, analyze their methods and their funding models using evidence-based standards (generally their own videos), and allow readers to make informed judgments.
Prominent LDS critics produce large volumes of highly sensationalized content mixing partial truths and misinformation, leading viewers into a faith crisis. Critics then position themselves as understanding friends to gain the members' trust, then solicit them heavily for donations. Detailed evidence outlining this business model is in this video.
“But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil”
Moroni 7:17
In the words of Neal A. Maxwell, "Studying the church through the eyes of its defectors is like interviewing Judas to understand Jesus."