Disillusioned ex-church member starts 'Mormon Wikileaks' to shed light on secretive organisation

A former Mormon has launched a "Mormon Wikileaks" for those who want to whistle-blow about the secretive organisation. Ryan McKnight, of Las Vegas, Nevada, built the secure portal for leaks after becoming disillusioned with the Church.

He quit in 2013 and started discussing the Utah-based Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints in online forums. This evolved into YouTube videos known as Mormon Leaks.

It quickly made McKnight the go-to person for confidential information to be leaked to, motivating him to start the Wikileaks-themed site.

"Our goal is, pure and simple, transparency," McKnight said to the Washington Post.

"Sometimes people come across information through the course of their jobs that makes them feel uneasy or like it is something that church members deserve to know."

Like Wikileaks, McKnight's site uses encryption technology to give whistleblowers a secure and anonymous avenue for leaking information.

McKnight said he hoped the project "tips the scale" for those questioning their belief of the religion, once they discover its inner workings. From his experience, the Mormon Church was run "very much like a business".

McKnight grew up in the church and got married in a Mormon temple, before his disillusionment began, having discovered he was taught a "whitewashed version of the truth".

He feels there is a hunger for information about the church, especially from those questioning their beliefs. "For someone in the middle of a faith transition, such information is more fuel for the fire," he said.

However, there is also desire for information from academics that study Mormonism. The church's finances have been described as a "black box" and little is known about the many businesses and properties of the church.

A spokesman for the Mormon Church declined the Washington Post's request to comment.