😵 It's too sacred!¶
Estimated time to read: 10 minutes
These are quotes and examples meant to illustrate ideas that are Too Sacred to Share. Ended up being too many to fit snugly in that section, so they're here instead.
General Conference¶
Although many of our experiences in the house of the Lord are too sacred to share publicly, some we can share.
— Temples, Houses of the Lord Dotting the Earth Elder Neil L. Andersen Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference April 2024
Occasionally during the past year I have been asked a question. Usually it comes as a curious, almost an idle, question about the qualifications to stand as a witness for Christ. The question they ask is, “Have you seen Him?”
That is a question that I have never asked of another. I have not asked that question of my brethren in the Quorum, thinking that it would be so sacred and so personal that one would have to have some special inspiration, indeed, some authorization, even to ask it.
There are some things just too sacred to discuss. We know that as it relates to the temples. In our temples, sacred ordinances are performed; sacred experiences are enjoyed. And yet we do not, because of the nature of them, discuss them outside those sacred walls.
It is not that they are secret, but they are sacred; not to be discussed, but to be harbored and to be protected and regarded with the deepest of reverence.
— “The Spirit Beareth Record”, Elder Boyd K. Packer Of the Council of the Twelve, General Conference April 1971
This experience is recounted again in Packer's book, Teach Ye Diligently, quoted below
When I considered that request, I remembered many such incidents which had been whispered in confidence to me over the years. But those seemed too sacred to share in a worldly way, especially to the benefit of a commercial venture. Besides, what would be the validity of isolated stories of life after life without supporting testimonies of witnesses?
— Life after Life, Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference April 1987
As a special witness of Jesus Christ, I testify that He lives! I also testify that the veil of death is very thin. I know by experiences too sacred to relate that those who have gone before are not strangers to leaders of this Church. To us and to you, our loved ones may be just as close as the next room—separated only by the doors of death.
— Doors of Death, Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference April 1992
For 16 years the members of the First Presidency and the Twelve have been my examples and teachers. I have learned from their integrity and righteousness. In these many years, I have never observed any unbridled anger, any desire for private or material gain. Never have I seen any personal positioning for influence or power.
Rather, I have seen their loyalty and care for their wives and children. I have experienced their love and sure witness of our Heavenly Father and His Son. I have watched them untiringly seek first to build up the kingdom of God. I have seen the power of God rest upon them and magnify and sustain them. I have witnessed the fulfillment of their prophetic voice. I have seen the sick raised and nations blessed through their authority and have stood with them in moments too sacred to recount. I testify that they are the Lord’s anointed.
— Come unto Him, Elder Neil L. Andersen Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference April 2004
That first memorable experience led to other strong confirmations that God lives and that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Many of these came in response to earnest prayer. As a child, when I lost things such as my precious pocketknife, I learned that if I prayed hard enough, I could usually find it. I was always able to find the lost cows I was entrusted with. Sometimes I had to pray more than once, but my prayers always seemed to be answered. Sometimes the answer was no, but most often it was positive and confirming. Even when it was no, I came to know that, in the Lord’s great wisdom, the answer I received was for my best good. My faith continued to grow as building blocks were added to the cornerstone, line upon line and precept upon precept. There are far too many of these to be chronicled individually; some are too sacred to utter.
...
At times I have stumbled and been less than I should have been. All of us experience those wrenching, defining, difficult decisions that move us to a higher level of spirituality. They are the Gethsemanes of our lives that bring with them great pain and anguish. Sometimes they are too sacred to be shared publicly. They are the watershed experiences that help purge us of our unrighteous desires for the things of the world. As the scales of worldliness are taken from our eyes, we see more clearly who we are and what our responsibilities are concerning our divine destiny.
— A Growing Testimony (1, 2), President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, General Conference October 2000
I wish I could help everyone to understand this one simple fact: we believe in God because of things we know with our heart and mind, not because of things we do not know. Our spiritual experiences are sometimes too sacred to explain in worldly terms, but that doesn’t mean they are not real.
— Be Not Afraid, Only Believe, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, General Conference October 2015
We can help others become more familiar with the promptings of the Spirit when we share our testimony of the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Remember that some experiences are too sacred to relate. However, by sharing testimony of the Spirit in our lives, those who are unfamiliar with these promptings are more likely to recognize when they have similar feelings.
— Helping Others Recognize the Whisperings of the Spirit, Vicki F. Matsumori, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, General Conference October 2009
There is one title that the First Presidency and the Twelve seldom use, considering it too sacred—that of Apostle. It is in that role that I come to you my beloved priesthood brethren.
— The Sanctity of Womanhood, Elder Richard G. Scott Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference April 2000
Virtually all my experience in the hospital during that first period is lost to my memory. What is not lost is my memory of a journey outside the hospital, out to what seemed the edge of eternity. I cannot speak fully of that experience here, but I can say that part of what I received was an admonition to return to my ministry with more urgency, more consecration, more focus on the Savior, more faith in His word.
— Motions of a Hidden Fire, President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference April 2024
Not as solid of a match, but context does suggest pretty heavily that this unspeakable experience drove this Apostle to go do Apostle things with more urgency.
Other¶
Sharing some insights into how their home—and lives—have changed since President Nelson’s call to be the prophet, Sister Nelson explained how more than anything, she has seen how the Lord is using her husband to accomplish His work.
“During our 12 years of marriage I have been accustomed to my husband being awakened during the night with ideas for and refinements to general conference talks,” she said. “But since becoming President of the Church, the frequency and abundance of the messages to him from heaven have increased exponentially.”
Most important, she shared her personal, sacred witness of her husband’s call.
“That experience … is too sacred for me to share over the pulpit, but it is one that I can never forget or deny,” she said. “Because of that sacred experience I can take any witness stand in any nation on earth and testify that I know that President Russell Marion Nelson has been called by God to be the living prophet of the Lord on the earth today.”
— President Nelson Concludes Global Ministry Tour in Hawaii with Message about the Temple, Contributed By Marianne Holman Prescott, Church News staff writer, 25 April 2018
I know through experiences too numerous and too sacred to discuss that this is the Savior’s gospel. He stands at the head—holy, divine, supreme; full of power, majesty, grace, and truth. He lived for us and He died for us because He loves us. I love Him more deeply and powerfully than I can find words to express.
— Facebook post from Jeffrey R Holland
...as students there are some questions that we could not in propriety ask.
One question of this type I am asked occasionally, usually by someone who is curious, is, 'Have you seen Him?' That is a question that I have never asked of another. I have not asked that question of my Brethren in the Council of the Twelve, thinking that it would be so sacred and so personal that one would have to have some special inspiration-indeed, some authorization-even to ask it.
Though I have not asked that question of others, I have heard them answer it-but not when they were asked. I have heard one of my Brethren declare, 'I know, from experiences too sacred to relate, that Jesus is the Christ.' I have heard another testify, 'I know that God lives, I know that the Lord lives, and more than that, I know the Lord.' I repeat: they have answered this question not when they were asked, but under the prompting of the Spirit, on sacred occasions, when 'the Spirit beareth record.' (D&C 1:39.)
There are some things just too sacred to discuss: not secret, but sacred; not to be discussed, but to be harbored and protected and regarded with the deepest of reverence.
There are many difficult questions, including some that we will not be able to answer, and many things are to be taken on faith. As a teacher, therefore, do not let difficult questions create difficult problems for you or for those you teach.
— Boyd K Packer Teach Ye Diligently, pp. 86-7
This experience is recounted in General Conference 1971, quoted above