When can you not take the sacrament?


Solstjerne76
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When the bishop instructs you not to partake of the sacrament as part of your repentance process.

If you have done something to wonder whether you should partake of the sacrament or not, it's time to make that appointment with the bishop.

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I started going back to church in January-ish (after many years of hiatus) and to this day, I still have not partaken of the sacrament, and by my own choice. I haven't done anything wrong but I just feel awkward in doing so.

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I thought to take the sacrament is to remember our convenants and ask for forgivness for whatever sin you may have done and promise to be better or do your best for the following week??

Yes, I believe you're correct. I think one can resume sacrament after committing minor transgressions. If I recall, correctly, even investigators are encouraged to take sacrament.

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I thought to take the sacrament is to remember our convenants and ask for forgivness for whatever sin you may have done and promise to be better or do your best for the following week??

Yes that is correct. But its a personal decision.

In addition to the Bishop asking you to not partake of the sacrament as part of repentance, someone who is actively participating in something they know is wrong shouldn't take the Sacrament. Exacmples of unconfessed sins which might keep someone from the Sacrament are breaking the Wow or the laws of Chastity.

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I thought to take the sacrament is to remember our convenants and ask for forgivness for whatever sin you may have done and promise to be better or do your best for the following week??

Prayer on the Bread:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen

Prayer on the Water:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this [water] to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen

If understanding might be easier in Norwegian (versus 77 and 79): Lære og pakter 20: 

If I recall, correctly, even investigators are encouraged to take sacrament.

If they are it's an individual decision and not a matter of policy.

Edited by Dravin
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I have never understood that you see. What wrongs have you done in order not to take the sacrament?

Where does it say you can not take the sacrament if you do that and that?

You should not partake of the sacrament unless you have prepared yourself to do so. For different individuals - it will require different preparation. If you have specific questions about you individual preparation it is best to counsel with the Bishop.

The Traveler

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I thought to take the sacrament is to remember our convenants and ask for forgivness for whatever sin you may have done and promise to be better or do your best for the following week??

If you take the sacrament unworthily, you drink damnation to your soul.....

From Third Nephi"

28 And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it;

29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.

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Thank you for that answer. I clicked and read that word.

In our small congregation I knew it had to be grape juice that one in the church had made from their own grapes. Then it was sanctified with prayer as was the bread after it was broken.

Having been on the forum for a while I felt comfortable enough to ask the question.

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Really? THen NO ONE should take the sacrament. We ALL sin one way or the other. So again, what "sin can you do and not do" in order to take the sacrament?

If you take the sacrament unworthily, you drink damnation to your soul.....

From Third Nephi"

28 And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it;

29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.

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Yes i konw the prayers but still dont really answer my question..or maybe it does. Cause i honestly feel worthy of taking the sacrament. Meaning "I only sin a bit" like be more angry now and again than I shhould for example..perhaps said a bad word, was a bit selfish in a few situations etcc.

I really wonder what one must do in order not to take the sacrament since we all sin in one way or other.

Prayer on the Bread:

Prayer on the Water:

If understanding might be easier in Norwegian (versus 77 and 79): Lære og pakter 20:*

If they are it's an individual decision and not a matter of policy.

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Really? THen NO ONE should take the sacrament. We ALL sin one way or the other. So again, what "sin can you do and not do" in order to take the sacrament?

You are confusing worthy with sinless.

Yes i konw the prayers but still dont really answer my question..or maybe it does. Cause i honestly feel worthy of taking the sacrament. Meaning "I only sin a bit" like be more angry now and again than I shhould for example..perhaps said a bad word, was a bit selfish in a few situations etcc.

I really wonder what one must do in order not to take the sacrament since we all sin in one way or other.

You're looking for some sort of master list, where everything on one side of the line means, "Don't take the sacrament" and everything on the other side means, "Do take the sacrament." Other than the general guidelines you've already been given concerning talking with your Bishop about transgressions (in another thread of yours) there is no such list. Two components are repentance and (if applicable) the inspiration of your Bishop which some list isn't going to cover. When partaking of the sacrament we need to be repentant, but some sins require talking with our Bishop as part of our repentance process, you aren't fully repentant until you've talked with your Bishop. And then once you've talked with your Bishop he will talk to you about if you should be partaking of the sacrament.

And if something falls into the 'I want to talk with my Bishop' side of the guidelines (as opposed to need to) you can always ask him if he feels you should abstain from the sacrament.

Edited by Dravin
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This last post from Dravin, is excellent, and follows the principle that we are taught true principles and the Lord let's us govern ourselves.

I once read from President Spencer W. Kimball who said that if a man is angry at his wife, and still angry by the time the sacrament is passed, he should not partake of the sacrament. The idea presented, if the man is still in his anger, verses overcoming the anger and then having a heart full of repentance and sorrow.

I remember how angry I was inside when I had be let go from a job, which I felt was not very just. The following Sunday, I still had a lot of anger in my heart. When the sacrament was passed, I remembered the words of President Spencer W. Kimball, and thus I did not partake.

When we partake of the sacrament, remember, it should be done with a soft heart, a repentant heart, and if not, then don't partake.

This is a code I live by from President Kimballs words. I don't expect anybody else to follow what I just shared, because it is up to them.

I ask myself two question:

Am I in the right frame of mind and heart to partake of the sacrament? (This is actually decided when the young man actually near my isle)

Am I free of sins, which would otherwise need to be discussed with Bishop? (This one I don't have a problem with)

If I can answer yes to both question, I partake. If I can't then I don't.

Again, this is solely my choice. God has given us intelligence, a heart and mind, to think for ourselves. At times you must make the judgement call for yourself, other times it is quite obvious because it is a sin that needs to be confessed to the Bishop.

Best Regards

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Really? THen NO ONE should take the sacrament. We ALL sin one way or the other. So again, what "sin can you do and not do" in order to take the sacrament?

No of us are without sin, but we can live our life so that are worthy to receive the blessings the Lord has prepared for us. What sin can you do??? You should strive to not commit any sin. Our purpose is to become like the Savior and return to live with the Father. The better question and maybe what you are really asking is what constitutes worthiness. Not sure I can quantify that briefly, but, I think the words of a hymn we often sing, is a pretty good indicator of how are attitudes should be:

. As now we take the sacrament,

Our thoughts are turned to thee,

Thou Son of God, who lived for us,

Then died on Calvary.

We contemplate thy lasting grace,

Thy boundless charity;

To us the gift of life was giv’n

For all eternity.

2. As now our minds review the past,

We know we must repent;

The way to thee is righteousness—

The way thy life was spent.

Forgiveness is a gift from thee

We seek with pure intent.

With hands now pledged to do thy work,

We take the sacrament.

3. As now we praise thy name with song,

The blessings of this day

Will linger in our thankful hearts,

And silently we pray

For courage to accept thy will,

To listen and obey.

We love thee, Lord; our hearts are full.

We’ll walk thy chosen way.

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Monday through Saturday.

This made me laugh for a second, until I realized you're actually wrong. Sacrament meetings, and the Sacrament itself, can take place on any given day of the week. When you happen to visit branches (and the wards of the Manama Bahrain Stake) in the Middle East, you have Sacrament Meetings on fridays.

The reason why we partake of the sacrament on sundays (in the Western hemisphere) is that this is our specific cultural background. Unlike Jews or Seventh-Day Adventists, our meeting days are not determined by our theology, but by our tradition. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that the Sacrament should be taken on a sunday, nor weekly. Sunday just happens to be our traditional Sabbath day, so we also partake of the Sacrament then. The weekly Sacrament meetings have not started to be this regular until about 1832, and it's still not a fix rule today. Just think of Conference weekends, where there is no Sacrament meeting, and no one seems to be troubled by it. If it's not a rule, some sundays can easily be skipped without damage.

Additionally, one is free to bless the Sacrament in private. I did it exactly once when I was on vacation on a tiny Greek island. No Church within 200 miles or so and I'm the only Church member in my family. In this case, I was allowed to bless the Sacrament for myself. I just want to say that this is a very odd feeling even for someone who blesses the Sacrament virtually on a weekly basis. It's certainly not the same. But if the circumstances are like mine were, Priesthood holders are actually encouraged to still take the Sacrament for themselves.

Just as a piece of information, although most of you will never encounter a situation in which your statement is not correct. ;)

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Additionally, one is free to bless the Sacrament in private. I did it exactly once when I was on vacation on a tiny Greek island. No Church within 200 miles or so and I'm the only Church member in my family. In this case, I was allowed to bless the Sacrament for myself. I just want to say that this is a very odd feeling even for someone who blesses the Sacrament virtually on a weekly basis. It's certainly not the same. But if the circumstances are like mine were, Priesthood holders are actually encouraged to still take the Sacrament for themselves.

Just as a piece of information, although most of you will never encounter a situation in which your statement is not correct. ;)

Dear brother it appears you have now encountered a situation where your statement is not correct either, or maybe you just left out some important information.

As members of the church we do not have the right to bless the sacrament in private unless we have been provided permission by our Bishop. If you are 200 hundred miles away from a church members are still required to receive permission from their Bishops.

As a priesthood holder I do not have any right to act outside of the keys of the Bishop. You may have meant this, but couldn't tell from your statement. This is why when saying the sacrament prayers we look to the presiding priesthood authority to verify the words were spoken correctly. They have the keys, we do not.

When, my wife wasn't able to attend church after the birth of our babies, I always received permission from my Bishop to pass the sacrament to her. When I went camping, and it was going to be over Sunday, I asked Bishop if I had his permission to give the sacrament to my family.

I know of no doctrine specifying that if I am alone that this allows me to give the sacrament to myself, without permission from those who hold the keys.

As pertaining to Eowyn's words, she is actually factually correct. Within your own post you specify "western hemisphere", by which Eowyn resides. Her answer is factually correct, according to where she resides. ;)

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When in doubt, ask the Bishop.

Given that you repent on a regular (best: daily) basis, there is not that much room for doubt. If you stay away from sin you would need to confess to the Bishop during your repentance process, and you repented, you are allowed and encouraged to take the Sacrament.

If you confess serious transgressions to your Bishop, he'll tell you what to do. This might include discouraging you from partaking of the Sacrament. This happens often, but not generally in these situations. For example, I had some problems quitting masturbation prior to my baptism. I managed to quit after my baptism though and my Bishop told me that it would be fine for me to take the Sacrament once I was baptized, as long as I don't break the law of chastity anymore.

In the end, it's you who makes the decision, unless your Bishop really tells you something specific.

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