[Jarla]

consiglieri wrote:

I have been a member of the Church for 33-years and used to believe with all my heart that the apostles had indeed seen the Savior, imagining it as a rite of passage to apostleship.

Over the years, though, I have listened closely and heard strong indications (such as from President Hinckley) that this in fact is not the case. (Or consider Elder McConkie’s final testimony in General Conference.)

I have no problem with this. The problem I have is with the manner in which this canard is propagated in the Church, even by the apostles themselves, who try to convey that they have seen Jesus Christ while not actually saying they have seen Jesus Christ, usually couched in an “apostolic witness” with a strong emphasis on the word “know.”

It seems apparent that the apostles know the message they are conveying and the faith-promoting rumour they are keeping alive by doing so.

I find this somewhat disconcerting.

All the Best!

–Consiglieri

Perhaps, one of the reasons the apostles may suggest that they have seen the savior, is their personal belief that as an apostle, it is part of their calling. What would one do if selected as an apostle and hasn’t had that witness? I imagine it might be quite lonely being in that position. Who is an apostle going to talk to about their real feelings/experiences, particularly if they are outside of the expected norm. They can’t even talk to their wives about their issues, let alone the other apostles. They are probably wondering…….”has Elder so an so seen Jesus, cuz I haven’t. hmmmm, wonder what I am doing wrong.” How often do they really compare notes with one another? Who is going to be the first to confess that he hasn’t seen Jesus? I think the expectations placed on them are huge.

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