Oh how I hate texting at church! A couple of years ago in one of my many single wards, one Sunday over the pulpit the member of the Bishopric read a statement from "higher authority" about leaving your cell phones at home, or in the car for the 3 hour block. I will admit that I had occasionally taken my iPod to church to play games...and used the excuse that my scriptures are on my iPod. However, at church, because it can be boring at times, I would get distracted and end up playing one of my totally fun games. I would feel bad because people would see me, and I'm sure they thought, "look at that girl on her cell phone texting." Well peep's I wasn't texting, but I wasn't reading my scriptures either. Since this statement about leaving your cell phones at home I took it to heart, and did just what that "higher authority" said. Now listen, I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means. You can think that I am, but I am FAR FROM IT! However, I am trying to work towards perfection, and feel that this is a start by leaving my cell phone in my car. It's 3 hours people - 3 hours!!!
I go off on my soap box because of what happened today in my institute class. I am trying to graduate from institute - gag, I know. To graduate I need to take a full year of the Book of Mormon. In all my college/institute years I have never taken a full year of the Book of Mormon. Crazy, I know? I have taken a full year of "Dating and Courtship" and well, you can all see where that has gotten me. 30 and single...or am I??? Ahhhh - let's stay on track here! So, in my institute class today my teacher read us an article straight from the SUU Journal (SUU's Newspaper) about texting in Church. I was blown away! As he was reading this I was looking around to my fellow (church going) classmates when guess what they were doing, playing on their cell phones. Come on people!!! Well, hopefully it touched someone in class today, besides me.
So, after class I went on to SUU's website and searched the archives for this awesome article. I want all to read this article, and to strive to leave your cell phone at home when attending church. I say these things...AMEN YO's!
Do you want to see more of my rants??? Apparently I have a few...
Sunday-worshipper finds texting in church distracting
Monday, September 6, 2010
“Keep the sabbath day holy.” What does that mean nowadays? Does it mean you don’t go shopping and buy your necessities? Or could it mean don’t go watch that borderline-not-okay movie at the theatre with your friends?
From my understanding, Sunday is a day we, as members of a religion, spend supposedly resting and appreciating the blessings from which we are given.
Now don’t get me wrong — there are a multitude of activities and gatherings besides Sunday that offer a time to reflect and pray with loved ones and friends, but because Sunday is the “all -important day,” I would think people would treat it as such.
Now let me get this straight. I am a Latter-day Saint myself — I’m not the most practicing Latter-day Saint, but I do have a strong belief in the religion.
I went to church for the first time in a long time a few weeks ago and I was enjoying a talk by one of the many missionaries in the ward and his belief in the Lord.
The man was crying and bearing his testimony and to my amazement, I looked down my pew to see six or seven people in this singles ward, all of them in some kind of computer-screen daze, having a conversation with someone outside the walls of this haven we call church. The same thing was happening to a lot of other people in other pews.
They were texting incessantly; some were even playing games. It was shocking because I, as an inactive member, assume the people who go to church adamantly follow its teachings.
They could surely step away from their phones for a minute and listen to this missionary tell his story and relate his love for the gospel, but in return all he got were the tops of members heads and mediocre smiles as he sat down and wiped his tears from his heartfelt moment.
Is that fair? Is that right? I thought when we go to church we are there for a reason.
Maybe we are in need of some uplifting — I was — and so I went somewhere I thought I could receive that but in all actuality it was very much a downer.
I began to ask people if they keep the sabbath day holy and if so, how and why?
I felt the answer I was receiving was slightly varied. Some people agreed with me — being in church is more important than contact with friends. Others admitted they took their phone to chat when “it gets boring.”
This thinking let my mind wander to the thought, “are you here in this building because you want to be, or because you feel obligated due to community pressures and the way you were raised?” To stop going could mean other people’s judgements and opinions would be thrown around. Rather than deal with those opinions, I wondered if people go to save face.
For all members of a church and faith, not just Latter-day Saints, churches are free to the public and sometimes the person next to you might be there for reasons you don’t know.
So put the phone down, be in the moment and “keep the sabbath day holy.”
The people around you aren’t the only ones watching. Look up.
Asher Swan is the art editor for the University Journal. He can be reached at aswan@suunews.com.
If you would like to leave the author of this article a comment go here!
7 comments:
Not sure why it is cutting the article off...Sorry all - there is a link to the article at the bottom!
That is one of my pet peeves. It drives me nuts when people text at church. I was sitting behind a girl who was checking facebook all during sacrament meeting. Seriously people! Church is for you to be close to God, not to check what your friends are up to. That is what you do at home on a computer.
AMEN TO THAT SISTER! I totally agree. You should send this into the Ensign.
Sometimes you don't have to judge--just observe.
If people bring something to church "in case it gets boring," I guarantee they're going to make sure they get bored easily. How would someone feel giving a talk at church and seeing people in the congregation messing around on their phones? Maybe the bishopric should make a list of the people who mess around on cell phones at church and have them speak more often. Why are people going to church anyway if they don't really want to be there? So they can check it off their list?
I think addiction to electronic gadgets is a serious problem in society today, but people don't want to admit it's an addiction.
Hmmm. I went and read the article on the link you put at the bottom. I also read the single comment at the bottom of the article. I soon realized that this 30 year old single was my big sis. Libby, you make me smile. Thank you for being you!
I just inherited Mike's iPhone (he bought the new one), and am experimenting with bringing my scriptures on that instead of my heavy bag. And Samantha's Sacrament bag. And my purse. And my YW folder/binger... ANyway. Samantha knows there are games on my phone. Hell, she knows how to use it better than I do, since Mike has always let her play with his. I set a password on it, and have Samantha convinced that games don't work during church, only scriptures. How long before she figures it out, do you think? ;)
I totally agree with this. We have this a lot up here to. How can one go to churh with the spirit if they are texting or playing games?
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