Elder McConkie taught that

It is true that the witness of the Holy Ghost is sure and absolute and that a man can know with a perfect knowledge, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God who was crucified for the sins of the world.This unshakeable certainty can rest in his soul even though he has not seen the face of his Lord. (The Promised Messiah, p. 592.)

The idea that a spiritual witness is stronger than an eyewitness allows modern Mormon leaders to say things that imply that they have seen Jesus without, in their minds, being deceitful. In Bruce R. McConkie’s case, the foregoing quote seriously detracts from the impact of his widely lauded last testimony, where he said

I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way. (Bruce McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsamane,” April 1985 General Conference).

Knowing better than he knew then, according to Elder McConkie, would be impossible since he already had a spiritual witness, which—according to him—was stronger than an eyewitness.

We read in the scriptures that the Nephites, Paul, and others who had the privilege of touching the resurrected Christ had a transformative experience. They could witness that they indeed knew, not merely believed, that Jesus was resurrected. Today's apostles apparently believe that there is nothing special gained from an eyewitness. President Uchtdorf said, “You do not need to see the Savior, as the Apostles did, to experience the same transformation.”¹ A recent conference presenter said “Our own testimonies of the Savior are framed by the testimony and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”² However, Joseph Smith taught that,

Reading the experience of others, or the revelations given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience in these things, through the ordinance of God set forth for that purpose. (Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons Record, October 9, 1843.)

Elder Carlos Godoy said,

We do not need to see an angel to obtain understanding. We have the scriptures, the temple, living prophets, our patriarchal blessings, inspired leaders, and, above all, the right to receive personal revelation to guide our decisions. (Elder Carlos A. Godoy, “The Lord Has a Plan for Us,” October 2014 General Conference.)

Yet, are we not clearly taught what it means when angels cease to minister to men?

Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain. For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made. (Moroni 7:3638.)3

If an absence of visible angelic visitation indicates such gross lack of faith, what of a lack of visible visitations of Jesus Christ?

The fact is that we have a total lack of witnesses of Christ in modern Mormonism. Not one apostle has testified of a physical audience with Christ in over 114 years. The last public testimony of visually seeing Christ was in the 1800s. The last public testimony of seeing Christ from an apostle in a non-awake state was Elder David Haight in 1989.⁵²⁷ There isn't a single member living who has heard an apostle bear a public eyewitness of Christ. Since the majority of the church joined or reached adulthood after 1989, most have not heard any apostle testify of seeing Christ at all—even in a dream.

The leadership for decades has engaged in all sorts of verbal gymnastics to explain this failure to fulfill their apostolic duty. Though their “testimonies” are carefully worded to give the impression that they have seen Jesus, they would still be technically correct if this were not the case. Of course, intentionally leading people on to think something that is not correct is bearing a false witness, a crime worthy of death under the law of Moses that also becomes coupled with using the Lord's name in vain if such a “testimony” is closed in the name of the Savior.

It is important to note that the brethren do not have any problem with members believing they have seen Jesus, even if that is not the case. Elder Oaks has said, “Lying is sinful, as it has always been....Lying is simply outside the range of permitted or condoned conduct by Latter-day Saints— members or leaders.” Yet, immediately after in the same talk, he claims that lying only means “asserting something that is untrue” and that this is “very different” than “not telling everything one knows.” Says Elder Oaks, “the obligation to tell the truth does not require one to tell everything he or she knows.” He continues, “Indeed, we may have a positive duty to keep many things secret or confidential. But this principle does not condone violating the ninth commandment, ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’ (Ex. 20:16).” (BYU Speech, September 12, 1993.) Therefore, in the view of Elder Oaks and possibly other church leaders, purposefully misleading members into thinking they have seen the Savior is not lying, as long as they don’t explicitly say that they have when they have not. Most of the brethren do not focus on the details of their special witness. Why? I suspect that they are worried that no one will consider their witness to be very special if, like President Packer, they admit that it is no different than any witness of the Spirit. However, we are told that the reason why they do not share details that it is too sacred a thing to talk about; that somehow you can be a witness without witnessing of anything. They are simply withholding that their witness is no different than the witness of any other member because they believe members are unable to appreciate the “specialness” of a witness which derives wholly from a calling, not personal experience.

Elder Dallin H Oaks has said,

Why don’t our talks in general conference and local meetings say more about the miracles we have seen? Most of the miracles we experience are not to be shared. Consistent with the teachings of the scriptures, we hold them sacred and share them only when the Spirit prompts us to do so...In bearing testimonies and in our public addresses we rarely mention our most miraculous experiences, and we rarely rely on signs that the gospel is true. We usually just affirm our testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel and give few details on how we obtained it. (“Miracles,” Ensign, June 2001.)

President Packer goes so far as to claim that God has given a commandment that his special witnesses should not witness of what makes their witness special:

We do not talk of those sacred interviews that qualify the servants of the Lord to bear a special witness of Him, for we have been commanded not to do so. (“Tribute to the Rank and File,” General Conference, April 1980.)

On another occasion he said, “Why cannot it be said in plainer words? Why aren’t they more explicit and more descriptive. Cannot the Apostles say more?” He claimed that this was “for a witness to be given in some new and dramatic and different way.”⁴ Yet, it would only be different from the neutered testimonies of post-1900 Mormonism, since testimonies of Christ from Adam until 1900 always contained a description of a visual and tactile experience with him.

Apostle Marion G. Romney said,

I don’t know just how to answer people when they ask the question, ‘Have you seen the Lord?’ I think that the witness that I have and the witness that each of us [apostles] has, and the details of how it came, are too sacred to tell. I have never told anybody some of the experiences I have had, not even my wife. I know that God lives. I not only know that he lives, but I know him. (Marion G. Romney, cited in F. Burton Howard, Marion G. Romney: His Life and Faith (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1988), p. 222.)

One would think that the answer to that question would be very simple yes or no. It is quite odd that the modern brethren would think that something that was the expectation before 1900 is somehow now too sacred to share, and even prohibited by God, when no revelation received by the church supports either assertion. The current principles of “a witness of the Holy Ghost is more special than an eyewitness” and “a visual witness is too sacred to share” add up to making it impossible for a member to know whether an apostle has seen Jesus or not, making his witness no different than any other member's, and not special in any way.

The entire canon of scripture is full of men who readily spoke about their experiences with Christ. How much less precious would the scriptures be without their words? How much less faith would we have in Christ if Thomas did not tell us he touched him? How much less powerful would be the Nephite account if they thought it was too sacred to share the fact that they were visited? How much less would we know about the Savior if we were not told that he took the time to touch each of the over 2,000 present in Bountiful? How much less powerful would the Book of Ether be if it did not contain the account of the Brother of Jared piercing the veil? And so on.

The principle of a true witness requires that you actually say what you have seen, that others might have faith, and tell how you obtained it, that others might do the same. How can anyone attain a visual witness of Christ if they do not believe it can happen? And why should they believe it can happen if the apostles—men whose very calling is to have obtained such a witness--do not claim to have seen Christ?

The scriptures are replete with declarations that God does not work in darkness. For example, Nephi tells us “that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.” (2 Nephi 26:23.) Isaiah gives us the word of the Lord speaking disparagingly about the wise men of the people “who contrive to hide their schemes from Jehovah! They work in the dark, thinking, Who will see us? Who will know?” (Isaiah 29, Gileadi Translation.) But the Lord does not work in a corner. He works his miracles in the open in order to increase faith:

...he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith. (2 Nephi 26:12-13.)

Those who have seen must, according to the principle of witnesses, testify of that which they have seen. Otherwise, no one would have faith that the experience can happen, nor know how to obtain it. In 3 Nephi ch. 12, the Lord tells us exactly what we are to do after we see Him:

And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. (3 Nephi 12:2.)

If the brethren have not seen Jesus, members have a right to know. The doctrine of Christ promises that those who repent sufficiently to receive the Holy Ghost after baptism will, if they continue to follow God's voice, encounter Christ face to face.

Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do. (2 Nephi 32:6)

What does it say if we follow men who purportedly teach us the gospel, but have not yet attained the end of the gospel? Is that not like going through great sacrifice to attend a GED course where the teacher has not yet obtained a diploma? Could there be any more literal fulfillment of the Savior's parable, “Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39.) Jesus taught plainly that “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3.) That this experience is to occur in this life for the heirs of salvation is made plain:

But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also. This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law. (D&C 132:23-24.)

Why would you receive teachers claiming to lead you in the way of life and salvation, who had not obtained it themselves?

Whether the brethren have seen Christ or not is beyond our ability to say, since they have not said so themselves.⁵ However, the fact that they do not declare that they have means that either they have not, or they are negligent in their duty to testify as a witness of Christ. If the brethren do not know Christ, they do not have eternal life. Why should anyone believe that following them will lead to a different end than they themselves have obtained? If their “special witness” consists of nothing but an ordination, and that ordination itself has been insufficient to bring them back into the presence of Christ, what hope can their followers have that their authority alone will be sufficient to bring them back into the presence of Christ? As the Savior said to the blind leaders in his day:

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13.)

A similar question is posed in the Book of Mormon:

O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light? (Helaman 13:29.)

One unfortunate side effect of the inflation of the witness of the brethren is that they disbelieve others’ accounts of having seen the Savior. In their minds, if Jesus doesn’t come to them, being the most righteous among us, why would he come to anyone else?

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no man that hath seen God. Because he showeth himself not unto us....Behold, they are corrupt; they have done abominable works, and none of them doeth good. For the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand God. And he opened his mouth unto the Lord, and said, Behold, all these who say they are thine. The Lord answered and said, They are all gone aside, they are together become filthy, thou canst behold none of them that are doing good, no, not one. All they have for their teachers are workers of iniquity, and there is no knowledge in them. They are they who eat up my people. They eat bread and call not upon the Lord. (Psalm 14:1-4, JST.)

This position is one of the many fulfillments of Nephi’s description of our time:

...if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work. (2 Nephi 28:6.)

The next logical step, of course, is for the brethren to caution members against seeking an audience with the Lord, despite the fact that such is required for salvation (see “The Gospel of Christ.”) Of course, all of the righteous desire to see the face of our Savior, but the suggestions that this must happen in mortality is a familiar tactic of the adversary. To identify a worthy goal, such as to achieve exaltation, and then to use the desirability of that goal and people’s enthusiasm for it to obscure the new means the adversary suggests to achieve it. (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Boise, Idaho, June 17, 2105.)

False witnesses are not just a problem in modern Mormon leadership, but also within the body of members. The most prominent opportunity for false witness comes in testimony meeting.

Testimony is not a thing to be taken lightly. Alma reported that the Zoramites “did pervert the ways of the Lord in very many instances; therefore, for this cause, Alma and his brethren went into the land to preach the word unto them.” (Alma 31:11.) What was their grievous crime? It was the content and form of how they bore testimony in church meetings! This is what they said:

Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ. But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen. Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure. For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers. Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand. Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about. (Alma 31:15-25.)

Modern Mormons utter their own Zoramite prayer: “I know the church is true. I know President is a prophet. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Children and adults alike ascend LDS Rameumtoms to offer up this selfsame prayer without even thinking about what they are saying.

How many members could present a case of how they know that the church is true, or what they mean when they say that? How many could point to a prophecy by the that shows that they are a prophet? When members testify that they know something, but they don’t actually have any evidence of what they are saying, they are bearing false witness. This happens all the time in fast and testimony meeting. For every principle that is testified of, the member ought to have a very good answer if someone were to ask, “how do you know?” There are certain phrases like “the church is true” that are far too ill-defined to be possible to know. If you say that you know something is true, you better have been told explicitly by God that such was the case, or at least have some anecdotal evidence. One cannot simply say that they know something just because they wish it were true, or because they trust someone else who says that they know. Mindless parroting is a false witness.

Far too often in the church, members cave to social pressure and a desire to belong, and bear a false witness. The following is an excerpt of a talk given by Russell Hancock, a counselor in the Menlo Park stake presidency, given 6 May 2012:

We’re...taught that the manifestation of the spirit will be the Holy Ghost revealing truth to us....Now here’s the true confession: I’ve never had it. This has never come to me....So as that crucial milestone came in my life where I had to decide whether to go on a mission...and yet when I was honest with myself I had to confess I didn’t actually know for myself that the Church was true. I was following my parents’ religion and way of life, and the testimony of family, friends, and ward members....I began to speak more loudly and in a voice that was more shrill, and I would actually testify. I would stand up in church meetings and say things that I had no right to say, that I didn’t yet know for my own self. But I thought that in the act of saying them-and saying them more loudly--the testimony would come....I served a mission. You could say I caved. But I wanted to serve, and I think I had righteous reasons, but I should also tell you I felt like it was an important rite of passage. I felt all of the pressure that you feel to serve a mission, knew the opportunities I would be foreclosing if I didn’t, so I submitted my papers and received a call. So I get into the mission field, where it started to trouble me that I was saying things to investigators I thought were true but didn’t know were true....I decided I would wager my life that the church is everything it claims it is and live out my life accordingly. So that is what I’ve done and what I continue to do....Now here’s what’s striking. Every time I share these experiences I am assailed by people who tell me ‘that’s my feeling, that’s my experience too.’

Modern Mormons—rank and file and leaders alike—ought to invest the significant effort required to obtain revelation from God on a subject. Until they obtain God's word, they ought to resist the temptation to lie in order to fit in, and simply remain quiet until they have something to testify of in truth.