House of Order

[applepansy]

I agree Gwen. The Church (God's House) is a House of Order. The Church knows how to organize and make things work efficiently. From the Temple Open House to the Temple running on a day to day basis, all is organized and run efficiently. Even folding clothes is done efficiently and exactly the same way every time no matter who is doing the folding.

The most efficient wards I've been in have been those who have followed the guidelines of organization and have members willing to serve with the right attitude.

[FunkyTown]

Landy does make sense. Children can be loud and noisy and detract from the spirit.

However, I tend to be okay with the odd cry. Though if a child starts screaming at the top of their lungs, I do think it's polite for the parents to remove them from the meeting.

[Maureen]

What is the point of this posting Landy?

The point Hemi, is that Landy wants input from LDS members as to why children stay in Sacrament meetings where their loudness and crankiness can cause problems during the service; especially when parents don't deal with them. Other churches may offer children their own children's church. Both parents and children can learn and worship in their own settings.

M.

[Hemidakota]

Just have to deal with it. The family unit is more important to be in this meeting in completing the renewal of our baptismal covenants with GOD than a few children crying, seeking to separate them from the family.

[Maureen]

Just have to deal with it. The family unit is more important to be in this meeting in completing the renewal of our baptismal covenants with GOD than a few children crying, seeking to separate them from the family.

I would think a sealed family could not be separated so easily. :)

M.

[Guest mormonmusic]

I've been following this one, and I sometimes think we come up with reasons to justify things which are matters of habit or culture in our religion. There's more than one way to do things in the Church.....

As a convert, I remember how loud and noisy the meetings were compared to the meetings in the Protestant Church I grew up in as a teenager. Everyone seemed like they didn't really respect the talks, the speakers, and the overall worship service when I attended my first Sacrament meeting.

Now, I don't even notice the noise unless a child gets really out of hand.

I also think the length of the service breeds attitudes of "Church is boring" in children when it's not geared for them, at a very young age. Many times my wife and I have been extremely frustrated with our children (when they were young) when they refused to sit quietly, or started terrorizing the people around us or each other because they were so bored. There were times when I wondered why I even bothered to go to Sacrament meeting the kids were so bored out of their skulls.

As a result, I made it a point to take them out of the chapel halfway through the service, provided they were quiet in the few minutes preceeding our exodus. We would play hangman in a room on the board, using spiritual words, a quiet game in the cultural hall for a few moments, and sometimes walk out side.

Then we would go back into the chapel refreshed for the remaining 20 minutes or 1/2 hour of the meeting. The fussing usually continued but at least there was an end in sight.

I think we could do equally well by separating the kids earlier from sacrament meeting. However, I'm concerned about the adults who would miss the benefits of the speakers during Sacrament meeting if they are out of the chapel area and being with the children. They would be sort of like nursery leaders who feel sequestered from adult life at Church.

Other Churches do the separation thing without much fuss; I don't see why we couldn't do it either. We could then invent a whole new set of reasons for doing it that way to justify the practice. That would be fun!

[Hemidakota]

After rearing eight children, I too taken the exodus path after partaking the Sacrament to the hallways until they quiet down enough to return. As parents, we usually switch off and on whom to take out and give some required instruction to the child for being disobedient. Years later, they are most revent children in the chapel now...it just requires a parent to be a parent.

[Elgama]

I've always just taken mine out and acted as though sacrament is happening for me, I sing the hymns etc and let them play by my feet, only ever took a few weeks and they were back in without any fuss, suspect will have to go through it again next time we go after the break. It surprised me with my daughter she was 4 I think and after 2 weeks of doing sacrament in the quiet room and she got up one day and walked back into the chapel we had a year before ever having to take her out again and we have then had several new families moved in with more disruptive kids, and my daughter had tinnitus and suspect the abuse started I am now much wiser lol and would handle it exactly the sameway they didn't get to interfere with my sacrament but could choose whether they wanted sacrament in the quiet room or sacrament in the chapel

[baver3]

My child is only 4 but I asked him what the sacrament is and he totally answered the question right.

I think its important for children to learn before they are asked to take on the committment of the baptismal covenants.

I dont think noisy children are disruptive AT ALL. They are a part of having families. Most of the time the adults/parents in my ward just take the child out quickly. Sometimes I dont do it so quickly since Im a single mom. I think most people are understanding about this and are pretty forgiving.

Besides having my own very young children there is only SO MUCH you can take away from Sacrament talks. The most important thing is the sacrament itself. If you can focus on this I think you can take away what is intended from the meeting.

Now if you want to do some SERIOUS worshipping, the Temple is your place...no children allowed...complete uninterupted peace and quiet.

[Landy77]

I just think it is funny that before sacrament you have the little kids in the front to remind people to remain reverent but it goes out the window once things start is all.