What Churches and Parishioners Can Do to Correct False Claims on Wikipedia

Wikipedia has been a battleground for conflicting ideas almost from the moment it appeared online. Since it is one of the most widely used sources of information, articles about churches, denominations, and religious beliefs are almost synonymous with edit wars. The end result is an inaccurate, misleading or considerably biased representation of religion, stemming from a lack of balanced contributions, especially from those who actually understand the subject from within, due to core policies of Wikipedia on conflicts of interest.

The good news is that you can still bring more truth to the world and even help Wikipedia, but there are essential rules to follow.

However, one needs to understand Wikipedia’s policy on conflicts of interest. Official representatives or people closely affiliated with a religious organization are discouraged from editing articles about their own church or denomination. Wikipedia attempts to prevent promotional content or biased editing, but the end result is a pendulum swing to the opposite.

However, this doesn’t mean you’re powerless. It just means you must take a thoughtful and transparent approach. There are several things you can do.

The most obvious idea is to join as a Wikipedia Editor. Anyone can create a Wikipedia account and begin contributing. Suppose you’re not officially affiliated with a church or denomination (e.g., you’re a layperson, researcher, or general member of the public). In that case, you can edit religious topics more freely, as long as you follow the site’s core policies:

• Maintain a neutral point of view
• Provide reliable sources, such as published religious scholarship research papers
• Avoid personal opinions in your edits—back your statements up with documents

Well-researched, respectful edits will ensure religious topics are covered accurately.

The other important point is to make the edits transparently. If you are part of a church and come across a false or misleading statement about your group, you can still take action. Instead of editing the article directly, go to the article’s Talk page. There, you can:

• Point out the inaccurate statement
• Provide better sources (links to official church documents, scholarly works, etc.)
• Ask neutral editors to make the correction

This approach respects Wikipedia’s guidelines while allowing the community to correct errors with your input.

If you don’t possess writing or editing skills or don’t have the opportunity to do thorough research, you can encourage other volunteers to help. Church members who are not in leadership roles can be encouraged to become editors and help improve articles. Youth groups, students, or historians in the congregation can be valuable allies in making balanced edits when appropriately trained.

If significant inaccuracies persist, write about them elsewhere: on your church’s website, blog, or newsletter. Public awareness can sometimes bring editors’ attention to neglected topics or misrepresented beliefs.

Experts behind closed doors don’t write Wikipedia—it’s written by people like you. If religious people don’t participate in the conversation, others will define their story for them. By engaging with care, transparency, and respect, churches and individuals can help make Wikipedia a more accurate place for all.

We want to hear from you! If you are a religious leader, a parishioner, or a Wikipedia editor who has come across biased and skewed religious coverage in Wikipedia, we encourage you to submit an article or a write-up of how Wikipedia has misrepresented religion; send this to our editors at wrn-info@proton.me. Your insights are very valuable for ensuring accurate and comprehensive information is available to the public.