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Ex-Mormon YouTuber warns against using FamilySearch genealogy site

August 29, 2026 at 6:05 AM MT · via YouTube / Alyssa Grenfell · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

Alyssa Grenfell's YouTube video argues that FamilySearch, the Church-operated genealogy website, has religious motivations beyond its public-facing free research tools. The video, which has drawn over 80,000 views in 14 hours, suggests the Church may use genealogical data for temple ordinances performed on behalf of the dead — a practice central to LDS doctrine but one that has drawn controversy when applied to Holocaust victims and others without family consent. FamilySearch is one of the world's largest genealogical databases and is offered free to the public regardless of religious affiliation.

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