Two faith-based content creators shared how they balance their personal faith as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with being in the public eye.
Jensen Diedrich, a BYU student and content creator, found success on social media by blending comedic and faith-centered content.
"The gospel is such a big part of my life that a lot of the time, it’s me just posting about my life and the gospel comes into it," he said.
Though his TikTok account of 75,000 followers isn't dedicated solely to religious content, his posts often attract attention from members of the Church.
Still, he has faced challenges when his content has reached broader audiences, Diedrich said. One instance involved a comedy TikTok about the four gospels that drew attention from many Christian viewers. While many engaged positively with his content, things changed when they discovered he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and attended BYU.
“I started getting attacked. People would comment that I was wrong or make false accusations. It was hard because I knew they didn’t agree with me anymore simply because I was a member of a different denomination,” Diedrich explained.
Despite this, he decided to stay true to himself and his faith, he said.
“I realized I shouldn’t hide my membership in the Church," Diedrich added. "I love the Church, and the things people were saying about it weren’t true. I’ve had an amazing experience in the Church and wanted to focus on that.”
Creator Nia Lui approaches her content with a similar sense of authenticity. Lui shared both her struggles and her devotion to her faith on TikTok.
“I am a covenant-keeping Mormon who has tattoos, who swears, who loses her temper — who is not perfect," she said on her page. "But I continue to strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father.”
Lui's faith is an integral part of her social media presence, even if it’s not for everyone, she said.
“If that’s not your vibe, you can skip these videos, but it’s where I’m at in my life. I need to rely on the Lord,” she said recently on a viral post.
Lui's posts reflect her entire life, not just the parts people may expect, she said. “This is me sharing every part of my life,” she said, and added that she doesn’t curate her content to cater to one group or another.
Like Lui, Diedrich said authenticity is most important.
“I realized that sometimes it's easy to focus more on what other people think instead of what God thinks," he said. "So I decided to be as authentic and genuine as possible on my page. I really think social media should be about posting what you believe and a reflection of who you are. I'm really really grateful for social media and all the blessings it has given me."