FLOODLIT.org compiles and publishes reports about sexual abuse or sex crimes allegedly perpetrated by participating members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon/LDS church), and about the LDS church’s responses to individual sex crime accusations, allegations of organizational misconduct regarding sexual abuse, and public demands for reform.

Our mission is to report fairly and accurately on this important topic, and to help abuse survivors heal.

FLOODLIT is dedicated to abuse survivors everywhere. May your light never be hidden.

Why focus on sexual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

  • The LDS church has said, “The Church has long had a highly effective approach for preventing and responding to abuse. In fact, no religious organization has done more. Although no one system is perfect and no single program will work with every organization, the Church’s approach is the gold standard.” (Effectiveness of Church Approach to Preventing Child Abuse. Dated Dec. 1, 2015. Accessed Feb. 19, 2024.)
  • The LDS church states that it “has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to abuse. This means that if we learn of abuse, we cooperate with civil authorities to report and investigate the abuse.” (How the Church Approaches Abuse. Accessed Feb. 19, 2024.)
  • Since 1995, the LDS church has provided a telephone help line for local leaders (such as bishops, branch presidents or stake presidents) and instructed them to call it whenever they suspect or learn of abuse. “Where available, he will be put in touch with a professional counselor to help the victim, stop the abuse, and prevent abuse of others. The bishop will also be connected with a lawyer to make certain that all legal reporting requirements are observed.” (How the Church Approaches Abuse. Accessed Feb. 19, 2024.)
  • Former LDS church president Gordon Hinckley said during a 60 Minutes interview in 1996 that “there’ll be a blip here, a blip there, a mistake here, a mistake there” among local lay leaders dealing with reports of abuse. (An Interview With Gordon Hinckley. Original segment aired Apr. 7, 1996. Accessed Feb. 19, 2024.)
  • LDS church representatives have said that sexual abuse by LDS leaders or actively participating members is extremely rare (example from 2010).
  • In 2022, the Mormon church stated in response to an Associated Press article about the Paul Adams case and the church’s abuse telephone help line: “[T]here can be no mincing of words, no hint of apathy and no tolerance for any suggestion that we are neglectful or not doing enough on the issue of child abuse.”
  • Official Mormon church statements and policies regarding sexual abuse may appear to conflict with instances FLOODLIT has found where abuse victims said Mormon officials knew about their abuse but didn’t report to police, or failed to help victims.

What changes does FLOODLIT want to see the Mormon church make?

FLOODLIT is not an advocacy organization, and we take no position on possible solutions for any crisis.

Rather, we hope to provide a reference resource that can be helpful to anyone researching this topic.

Where does FLOODLIT get its information?

Our information about each Mormon sex abuse case comes from publicly available sources like police records, court documents and mainstream news articles, and from private communication with abuse survivors and others familiar with the case.

How does FLOODLIT determine whether to include someone in its database?

If a person was an active member or leader in the Mormon church when they perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated a sex crime, we typically list them. If not, we typically don’t. View our posting policy.

I know about an abuser who isn’t listed. How can I tell FLOODLIT about them?

Please use our report abuse form, or contact us directly.

Is this an anti-Mormon website?

No. We hope faithful Latter-day Saints will find our database and reports to be helpful.

How can I support FLOODLIT.org?

You can donate or get involved in various ways.

We spend time and money to make sure our reports are accurate and thorough. Your donations help us pay to host our website, get copies of court/police records, spend time researching cases, buy software licenses and pay for other products/services that help us work.

Thank you for helping FLOODLIT shine a light!