Nearly every speaker in a testimony meeting says “I know the church is true.” This is a nonsensical statement, but considering the Illusory Truth Effect we can see what the church may be after. We know that repetitions don’t make statements any more true, but psychologically we do tend to believe things we’ve heard repeatedly. The church and Mormon culture repeat this phrase more than any other. It could even be more frequent than “and it came to pass,” and perhaps more sinister. The church leans on engineered emotional responses and confirmation bias to make people think they have a testimony of the church.
Vain Repetitions
The Book of Mormon may contain the recurring phrase: “and it came to pass,” more often than anyone would like to know. However, another repetitive element, often overlooked, is the frequent use of the assertion, “I know the church is true,” in testimony meetings and talks. While the former is a literary device, the latter raises concern about the Illusory Truth Effect and the role of repetition in shaping beliefs.
The Book of Mormon even includes a story about the Rameuptom, or high tower where a certain denomination would stand and loudly give a rote prayer. This practice is criticized in the scripture because the people are using vain repetitions, which lack meaning. These prayers included elements of pride that this denomination considered themselves to be elect (much like Mormons today), and the fact that the Zoramite people said these prayers, but didn’t live their religion. The repetition was the summation of their religious observance and the rest of the week they spent their time pursuing a selfish lifestyle (also sounds familiar). The prayer was simply repeated and the speakers never had to consider what they were saying. Mormons today should heed the warning message in this story, as they repeat the rote “I know the church is true” all too often, and it has no tangible or clear meaning in and of itself. It’s an empty, filler phrase used to virtue signal. Much like the variations: “with every fiber of my being,” and “beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
“I know the church is true” Has No Meaning
What does this phrase even mean? What is “the church” in this context? How can it be “true”? Some say this phrase to infer that they believe in Jesus Christ, and his Gospel of peace and repentance. They might feel that the church is truly Jesus’ church, and somehow the only valid church in Earth. Some say this phrase means literally the organization of the church is true. We know that the church is a corporation, and can a corporation be true? Nailing down what this means exactly is hard amid the debates and discussions surrounding the doctrines vs policies vs culture of the church. Doctrine is not something most churches declare as a truth, but as a belief, and it takes faith to believe it. So declaring the doctrine as absolute truth removes faith from the equation. Are the policies of the church true? How can they be when they change with the wind and the whims of the current leaders? Not to mention the doctrines of yesterday are declared to be policies today and then changed. Is the culture of the church true? Culture is not true or false, it just is.
Knowing that the church is true is not something that is easily summarized. It can’t be proven as in 2+2=4 and it’s not a fact, like there is salt water in the ocean. These are things that can be true. The phrase Mormons use more than other denominations, “I know the church is true” is usually meant as a blanket statement from members and leaders of the church which means everything the church says is true.
Namely, Joseph Smith experienced a First Vision, and saw God and Jesus. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, which is true scripture. The church Joseph Smith established is the single and unique church ordained by and with the authority of God on earth. Following the church succession process, all subsequent presidents of the church are also Prophets of God: Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, … Gordon B Hinckley, Thomas S Monson, and finally, Russell M Nelson today. These leaders are and always have been prophets of God. There is extreme reverence for this church and the leadership of the church because it is the truth claim that is most important, if they aren’t ordained by God to be prophets today, then they have no claim to tell us anything regarding God or heaven or commandments.
It’s a package deal, many leaders have stated this too. This binary thinking states that it’s either all true, or it’s all a complex and cunning hoax. There is no middle ground. We can’t debate that Joseph had miraculous experiences and saw God or translated an ancient scripture by the power of God, but somehow went astray. There’s no reconciling that he did anything against God’s will as a prophet, and so on. No prophet has done anything against God’s will, it all came from God because he directs these men as prophets and as the president of His church and kingdom on earth.
The church culture is such that we have children repeating this phrase as early as they can speak. They have no context for all these intricacies and deep meanings buried in the simple phrase. It sets them up though, to feel special and important. They feel like they know something special and unique, and that it’s the most important thing they could know. Even if they ever have any questions about the church, they can fall back to this “knowledge” they have of the truth.
Is it knowledge though? Hardly. That’s how the church still frames it though. They claim that this is a knowledge you need no evidence for beyond a good or happy feeling. Feelings don’t teach us the truth though, to an extent some can rely on their gut decision-making, but they don’t have a connection to absolute truth. Our feelings simply tell us how we are feeling. Hungry, tired, happy, loved, etc.
The Repetitions
It is one thing to be able to say, “I believe, I think, I hope that the gospel is true,” but it requires personal revelation and personal acknowledgment and recognition to declare, “I know that the Church is true.”
Testimony, October 1991 General Conference
By Elder Charles Didier
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1991/10/testimony
I always try to remember the way I was converted and the way I know that the Church is true. Remembering has helped me throughout the 30 years I have been a member of the Church…
If the Book of Mormon is true and teaches about Jesus Christ, then Joseph Smith is a prophet. If Joseph Smith is a prophet, then the Church has to be true. That is the way I came to know that the Church is true.
Friend to Friend: Remember: From an interview with Elder Walter F. González of the Seventy, currently serving in the South America North Area Presidency; by Christine Rappleye. Liahona March 2003
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2003/03/friend-to-friend-remember?lang=eng
When I was about six or seven, I wanted to know if the scriptures were true. My mom said I needed to pray and find out for myself. I did, and I felt really warm inside. I know that the scriptures are true. I have a testimony that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and that He helped many people. I also have a testimony of Joseph Smith. I know that the Church is true. I will always be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I Wanted to Know, Mail submitted by Primary age child. Friend, March 2004. (Child’s name withheld)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2004/03/friends-by-mail/i-wanted-to-know?lang=eng
I believe every single thing that everyone has told me at church, because I see it in my everyday life. I know that the Church is true, that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I know that the gospel is true.
Video Collections: Videos for Youth: Inspirational Videos: Youth Videos: We Believe All Things: Faith, Daniela shares the story of how seeing a commercial on TV led to her family’s conversion.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-12-0012-we-believe-all-things-faith?lang=eng
I know that the Church is true. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.
Priesthood Responsibilities, by Elder Claudio R. M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy. April 2009 General Conference, Priesthood Session
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2009/04/priesthood-responsibilities?lang=eng
“I have a testimony that the Church is true and that the gospel is true and that [President] Gordon B. Hinckley is the true prophet.” – age 11
“I know that the Church is true and that Jesus loves me.” – age 10
“I would like to say that I am thankful that the Church was restored. I know that the Church is true.” – age 11
“I feel a feeling inside that helps me know that the Church is true.” – age 7
Childviews: This month, some of the children from the Akron First Ward, Akron Ohio Stake, share their thoughts and testimonies, Friend April 2000 (Children’s names withheld)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2000/04/childviews?lang=eng
I know that the Church is true. I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints… I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that as we read, ponder, and pray about the scriptures daily and ask God for understanding, the Holy Ghost will bear witness to us of the truth of these things.
Beyond Words, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Website for Philipines, (Michael, 28 years old, is a deaf-mute convert of the Church. Despite opposition from his family, he joined the Church because of his strong testimony of the Gospel.)
https://ph.churchofjesuschrist.org/beyond-words
I enjoy seeing all my brothers and sisters from all over Jamaica, it is a goodfeeling to gather together and feel everyone’s spirit that I may learn from them and they may learn from me. With all my heart I know that this is Christ’s church because of the unity that I have and the spirit I have felt. I know that the spirit cannot lie for this purpose I know that the church is true.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Jamaica News: 2 November 2015 – News Release, Young Single Adults Conference Quoting Conrad, 31 from Savana-la-mar.
https://news-jm.churchofjesuschrist.org/articles/young-single-adults-conference
I was born into an LDS family and was raised knowing right from wrong. I did not stay active in the Church, and I made some poor choices. Herein lies the reason for my present situation. I am in prison.
But that’s not the story I want to share. Rather, I want to share the story of the many Latter-day Saint volunteers who come to the prisons to minister to, teach, listen to, and pray with those of us who are members of the Church or former members of the Church who have followed paths of alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, or crime.
Because of the volunteers’ teachings, support, and love, I have come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that the Church is true.
In God’s Service, Name Withheld. Ensign, August 2010
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/08/remembering-those-in-prison/in-gods-service?lang=eng
I confessed, “President, I don’t think I can say I know that the Church is true yet, but I sure hope with all my heart that it is. And I am going to live my life in accordance with that hope. Is that enough?”
He paused for a moment then said, “Travis, that will always be enough.”
When I Felt Deceived about the Church: Why I left. And why I came back, By Travis Ewell. Ensign July 2020
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/07/when-i-felt-deceived-about-the-church?lang=eng&id=p17-p18#p17
The church will take what they can get. If you honestly can’t say you know the church is true, just pretending that you do is enough. It will always be enough.
Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it. Someone even suggested that some testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.
Testimony, by Dallin H. Oaks, April 2008 General Conference
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony?lang=eng
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2017/07/youth/how-to-gain-a-testimony?lang=eng
Attend any sacrament meeting, general conference or especially testimony meeting or missionary discussion. You will no doubt hear this. Does hearing it so often have an impact on how much it seems believable or even obvious? If everyone else tells us that they know something, in creates a social pressure to conform and even believe that we know it too. Even with every fiber of our soul. This is a real phenomenon that has been studied by psychologists and it’s called the Illusory Truth Effect.
Illusory Truth Effect
What is the Illusory Truth Effect?
The illusory truth effect, also known as the illusion of truth, describes how when we hear the same false information repeated again and again, we often come to believe it is true. Troublingly, this even happens when people should know better—that is, when people initially know that the misinformation is false.
Why do we believe misinformation more easily when it’s repeated many times?
https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/illusory-truth-effect
Repeating Misinformation Doesn’t Make It True, But Does Make It More Likely To Be Believed
The illusory truth effect is the notion that repeated statements are perceived to be more truthful than new statements. This effect is clearly something that marketing professionals, cult leaders, and politicians understand. In other words, you say something enough times, and people start to believe it.
Repeating Misinformation Doesn’t Make It True, But Does Make It More Likely To Be Believed, by Marshall Shepherd | Forbes.com and Pshycological Science News
- If repeated enough times, the information may be perceived to be true even if sources are not credible.
- The illusory truth effect is very evident on subject matter people perceive themselves to know about.
- The effect can happen even if someone had previous knowledge that the information was false.
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/repeating-misinformation-doesnt-make-it-true-but-does-make-it-more-likely-to-be-believed.html
Imagine your brain is like a sponge that soaks up information. When you hear something many times, even if it’s not true, your brain starts to believe it. This is called the Illusory Truth Effect. We have a tendency to believe something is true, just because we’ve heard it over and over again. This is because our brains like things that are familiar. If we hear something a lot, it feels familiar, and our brain thinks it must be true. So just because we’ve heard something repeated a ton, it doesn’t make it true! We should think critically, and don’t believe everything we hear. Use our mind as a brain rather than simply a sponge!
Illusory Truth Effect, wasmormon.org
https://wasmormon.org/illusory-truth-effect
Does the church know this? Are they enticing our minds to believe that we “know the church is true” by repeating it over and over again, and even instilling into the culture that we should repeat it too? Even if we don’t actually know it, we are instructed to say so anyways, they advise us to gain our testimony basically by pretending to have one and telling others we do. They claim this is a valid way to attain this knowledge and testimony. It really just feels like wishful thinking.
Dallin H. Oaks encourages this. He says, “we gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it” and “testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.” This man is a lawyer by training, he would tear apart anyone in court who claimed that as they shared their testimony in a case, that they became more sure of their story which they didn’t know at first! He must know what he is suggesting here, he wants members to act like they have a testimony, and bear the testimony they think they should have, and in doing so he claims that they will obtain this testimony. How ridiculous is this!? This is not a way to discover truth! He even admits that it “seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge,” but somehow for a religion (where you can’t prove anything anyway) this must work.
Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it… testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.
LDS Apostle, Dallin H. Oaks – General Conference April 2008
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony?lang=eng
Some would point at this as being more part of a propaganda machine than an honest encouragement in a search for truth.
The oblique paradox of propaganda is that the lie in the throat becomes, by repetition, the truth in the heart.
John Grierson, Documentary Filmmaker
Is the church more interested in promoting and growing the church through whatever means necessary, or are they interested in the members having a real knowledge of the doctrine of the church and a real conviction? It seems they are pounding the propaganda pretty hard and don’t care what you believe, as long as you stay, obey, and pay.
How did you experience the phrase “I know the church is true?” Did you say it? Did you teach your children to say it? Did you whisper it into their ears as they eagerly bore testimony of things that you didn’t even know? How was the experience of deconstructing this empty blind faith? Please consider sharing your thoughts below or sharing your whole “I was a Mormon” story at wasmormon.org!
More reading:
- Gain a testimony by pretending to have one
- Illusory Truth Effect
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1991/10/testimony
- https://bycommonconsent.com/2015/01/21/i-know-the-church-is-true/
- https://bycommonconsent.com/2010/05/06/mormon-buzzwords/
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/rameumptom
- https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/illusory-truth-effect
- https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/repeating-misinformation-doesnt-make-it-true-but-does-make-it-more-likely-to-be-believed.html
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2003/03/friend-to-friend-remember
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2004/03/friends-by-mail/i-wanted-to-know
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-12-0012-we-believe-all-things-faith
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2009/04/priesthood-responsibilities
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2000/04/childviews
- https://ph.churchofjesuschrist.org/beyond-words
- https://news-jm.churchofjesuschrist.org/articles/young-single-adults-conference
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/08/remembering-those-in-prison/in-gods-service
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/07/when-i-felt-deceived-about-the-church?&id=p17-p18#p17
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony
Unfortunately for those of us who actually have experienced strong revelatory experiences regarding the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon this is all just a bunch of wasted analysis focused on swaying people who have not that has no bearing on the fact that many of us have. I have been in several situations where the person I was bearing testimony to (about joseph smith and the book of mormon) had no idea or preconeption of what they were supposed to think or feel or experience and the Holy Spirit came flooding in and thy felt it powerfully and started crying and had not idea what was going on. Not something you can explain away by saying the were coached, groomed, etc. to get themselves into an emotional frenzy.
It’s not as much that the testifier coaches and grooms their listeners to get into an emotional frenzy, it’s human phycology and a physiological response, also called elevated emotion. Once the listener has felt this emotional response, then you as the coached testifier, coach/groom/teach them to understand that the correct interpretation of these feelings is that the testimony given is true and they have been visited by the Holy Ghost. The conclusion they are taught, when feeling an emotional/spiritual high, is this blanket statement that “the church is true.” They then need no critical thinking skills and need only learn the whitewashed, correlated (and untrue) narrative about church history as they are rushed to be baptized and assimilated into the culture. They are given a calling in hopes that the responsibility keeps them coming. They are given member friends and their time is filled with church activities in hopes that they don’t learn any of the troubling issues with church history or doctrine, because “milk before meat.” The church hopes they become so invested they don’t want to question anything, and teaches that the cognitive dissonance of any questioning is from the devil. These dark feelings of doubt and the potential that the gut-wrenching feelings that the whole thing is a charade and they’ve been taken advantage of are both from the devil, since those initial good feelings were from God – it’s an obvious conclusion. But these are both examples of elevated emotion and the church is taking advantage of them to spiritually prey on victims. The church creates these emotions and tells us how to interpret them, it manipulates investigators and members. This is spiritual and emotional abuse.
You have this experience, consider the experiences of others who have deconstructed the so-called truth claims of the church and braved the unknown. See answers they provide to these questions: