In most wards and branches, Bishops and their Counselors use prelude time to roam the congregation to greet people. Is this recommended or simply tradition? Maybe they should set an example by greeting people in the foyer?

Relating this to church reverence, it could also be asked: Should members who prefer quiet (or members who prefer sociality) be responsible to worship independently from what is going on around them? In other words, let the quiet be quiet; let the social be social–both generating a positive experience regardless of their surroundings. Is this even possible?

Thank you for putting this discussion into the proper perspective. Sometimes we lose sight of the beauty simply of being able to “gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing”. I hope you can feel the Spirit in whatever interactions are available to you.

Have you asked your Bishop to authorize a regular group gathering of a selected few who understand and can accommodate your need – to administer the sacrament and share spiritual thoughts, talks and testimonies? It would function much like a family or two in some missions where there are not enough members to constitute an official “unit”. He might have concerns about “exempting” some members from “regular” church attendance, but perhaps those who met with you could do so before meeting with the rest of the ward and then attended their other meetings . . . or just meet with you if that would not be too much of a hardship on the ward.

You’ve probably considered all the options, so that suggestion might be redundant, but I thought I at least should ask.

The other thought that occured to me is that, for me, true worship is usually a solitary endeavor. Whether it be scripture study, riding down the road alone talking to myself and the Lord, or even in a group setting, confirmations and thanks are usually received and rendered silently. Church, per se, has little to do with it for me. I guess it’s like they say about baptism: An outward sign of an inward commitment. Meetings for me are an outward sign of a desire to do what Heavenly Father wants of me, even when it’s noisy.

#30 (Patrick) – I said He is God. I said he also is man. What you said essentially is the EXACT same point I made, only from the opposite side of the coin.

*sigh*

#31 (Marie) – Patrick’s comment did not imply a reaction **at the moment of first meeting Jesus** – nor did it imply in the chapel or the temple. It was, “Would you go around yelling (or even talk louder then a whisper) if you were in His presence?” I’m sorry if this offends you, but if I am in His presence IN THE WAY THAT THE QUESTION IMPLIES, I am not meeting Him for the first time. In THAT scenario, He is my FRIEND as well as my Lord. You bet I’d call out him name and share a joke or two. I’ve heard my mother, one of the most spiritual persons I’ve ever met, tell the Father a joke during a prayer – because that’s the type of relationship they have.

Everyone:

Not to get snitty, but reading ALL of the comments prior to commenting helps tremendously. I say that because . . .

I said in my very first comment that I believe in silence when appropriate, quiet reverence when appropriate, and noisy reverence when appropriate. I specified SILENCE in the temple and during the sacrament and quiet reverence in the chapel generally. I also said that children should learn BOTH silence and quiet reverence when appropriate. Reading all of the comments prior to commenting would have made that clear.

To be crystal clear, my SIX children are among the quietest, most reverent children in our ward. I have taught them why; they understand.

Sorry for the rant. This was just an egregious example of why all comments need to be read before challenging what someone says.

Shawn – here’s the dictionary definition on “noise”:

1. sound, esp. of a loud, harsh, or confused kind: deafening noises. I don’t think we’re talking about this one. Seems like all would agree this goes too far.
2. a sound of any kind: to hear a noise at the door. This hits closer to the mark for those who feel silence = reverence.
3. loud shouting, outcry, or clamor. This covers the kids squawking.
4. a nonharmonious or discordant group of sounds. Ditto number 3.
5. an electric disturbance in a communications system that interferes with or prevents reception of a signal or of information, as the buzz on a telephone or snow on a television screen. I suspect this is more to the heart of what the post is concerned about, although the debate seems to center on whether the spirit can get through or not. For some it can, for others not so much.
6. Informal. extraneous, irrelevant, or meaningless facts, information, statistics, etc.: The noise in the report obscured its useful information. Similar to #5.

There is a disabled girl in our ward who makes loud noises through the entire service, the talks, the sacrament, everything. At first I found it distracting, but I don’t even notice it any more. Our ward cares for this family and their child. We are just glad they are there. Sometimes it’s human nature to have patience for children and the disabled, but when adults do things we don’t like, it’s easy to judge them and let those judgments disrupt our worship. Isn’t that the noise that’s really getting in the way?

I don’t consider a child’s cry or laughter noise.

Marie

Sorry, but I don’t buy this for a second. My infant’s cries or shrieks of joy “offend” Diety? Really?

I can’t imagine that the audiences listening to the Savior teach lived up to the silence standard many seek to impose here. He was greeted by teeming masses, not nice orderly congregations. Can folks take their conviviality too far? Just like everything else in life, the answer is yes. But that fact shouldn’t dissuade the rest of us from enjoining in spirited and occasionally loud worship.

If that is your way to greet our Savior, fine, it is you free agency .

But as for me, I would not yell or throw out a mormon joke to Him but rather fall to His feet and cry all the tears in my body and thank Him softly for His great love for me.

I speak His holy name reverently and with grand respect and love.
I treat His house with the same.

I don’t consider try to explain the behaviors of others as it does this by itself and certainly don’t try to justify this or that.

My choice, my level of understanding, my goal, my respect for the member playing music before meeting and for all those reading their scriptures before the meeting starts is always the highest I can give as is my goal , to be with Heavenly Father in the highest of degrees.

The reverence that should prevail in the chapel is just that…reverence should prevail.

Having 6 children, my husband and I are quick to remind them where they are when the voice was higher the a very quiet whisper.

Noise offends the spirit.

I am so greatful for the reverence in the temple. Of that there is no debate and yet we are so many and how joyful we are when we all meet in the celestial room

with love

Marie

I thought the temples were the House of the Lord, “a place for him to lay his head”?

They aren’t called meetinghouses for nothing. For crying out loud, folks, most of these buildings have basketball courts for goodness sakes!

Thanks for the clarification about the fireside. I retract my vehemence.