New Stake Requirement

[pam]

2 minutes ago, zil said:

YouTube is blocked at all LDS chapels.  They are able to block access to whatever site they want.  Now if you're not on the wifi - if you're using your cell's data plan - then you can do whatever you want.

I didn't know this....but I NEVER use my phone for anything at church so I never noticed.  In fact, I leave my phone in my car.

[Rob Osborn]

11 minutes ago, pam said:

Really?  A commy plot?  Give me a break.  So a Bishop makes a decision that he feels in the best interest of his congregation and it's a commy plot?

I wasnt being serious...

[pam]

5 minutes ago, Rob Osborn said:

I wasnt being serious...

Then use an emoticon or something so we know it's being said tongue in cheek.  

[person0]

10 minutes ago, zil said:

YouTube is blocked at all LDS chapels.  They are able to block access to whatever site they want.  Now if you're not on the wifi - if you're using your cell's data plan - then you can do whatever you want.

YouTube used to be blocked for sure as I discovered one Wednesday while trying to teach the young men (and I have no devices with a data plan ). However, I have recently discovered while attempting to play children's videos for my 1 year old to help her fall asleep, that YouTube is no longer blocked in the chapel I attend.  #ShhhhKeepASecret!  

[Rob Osborn]

Everyone in our church uses the technology. I cant even teach my deacons quorum without my phone or pad because the lesson material is only accessed through them. electronic Scriptures are commonplace now and whether people like it or not phones are going to be used in sacrament meetings. I use my when giving talks to quote conference talks, scriptures, etc. I also use mine to read scriptures during sacrament and during fast meetings. The sad part I guess is that these single adult wards may have problems but then again, Im not a big fan of single wards because I think they are more a dating club that a place to worship.

[Rob Osborn]

1 minute ago, pam said:

Then use an emoticon or something so we know it's being said tongue in cheek.  

[Guest]

No one seems to be upset that we cannot take our phones into the temple, because it is so sacred.

Now, assuming sacrament meeting is the most sacred setting outside of the temple, is it really so bad or extreme to ask people to turn off their phones for just one hour a week for sacrament meeting?

Edited May 1, 2017 by DoctorLemon

[pam]

1 hour ago, DoctorLemon said:

No one seems to be upset that we cannot take our phones into the temple, because it is so sacred.

Now, assuming sacrament meeting is the most sacred setting outside of the temple, is it really so bad or extreme to ask people to turn off their phones for just one hour a week for sacrament meeting?

Best post.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

No one seems to be upset that we cannot take our phones into the temple, because it is so sacred.

Now, assuming sacrament meeting is the most sacred setting outside of the temple, is it really so bad or extreme to ask people to turn off their phones for just one hour a week for sacrament meeting?

I'm with you!

[classylady]

It may not be because of the distraction element. My husband is our building's technology specialist. Every Sunday he checks the internet speed and sees the number of connections during the meetings. He can see exactly how many devices are connected to the network. There can be as many as 200 + devices connected at any given time. People aren't necessarily using their devices, but the devices are "on". And it slows all of the network down.  So, what that means, if any teachers, family history consultants, etc. are trying to use the internet it slows them down considerably and detracts from the lesson because the teacher is trying to connect, or the Family History lab is unable to enter data on the computer, etc.

We have 3 wards meeting in our building so that means 2 wards overlap each other on Sunday.  With 2 wards overlapping there are a lot of devices that are "on" at any given time.  As of yet, there has been no direction from our Stake Presidency to turn devices off.

[askandanswer]

7 hours ago, MormonGator said:

Amen to all of us. Though when I think about kissing my fiancee, my wife gets a little irritated. 

Are you getting relief and irritation mixed up? 

[NightSG]

13 hours ago, Carborendum said:

We got along pretty well for a very long time before cell phones were even invented.

Well, we could go back to the old method people used when they had to be reachable on Sunday mornings; sleeping in rather than going to church.

Locally, we've got one on-duty cop who shows up for Sacrament Meeting on his lunch break, an emergency veterinarian and at least three medical personnel who need to be reachable for work, out of the 60-70 who show up on a regular basis, and those are just the ones I know of.

Then you have noncustodial parents.  Even barring an emergency, I want to know right away if my ex has dropped my kids off with my mom on a Sunday morning, so I can step out and head to her church across the road to spend an extra couple of hours with them.  Sometimes that happens with as little as ten minutes notice.

[NightSG]

11 hours ago, pam said:

Really?  A commy plot?  Give me a break.  So a Bishop makes a decision that he feels in the best interest of his congregation and it's a commy plot?

Hey, some people forget to check ID when they get spiritual guidance.  They just take Stalin's advice and run with it.

[askandanswer]

On 01/05/2017 at 0:32 PM, pam said:

Really?  A commy plot?  Give me a break.  So a Bishop makes a decision that he feels in the best interest of his congregation and it's a commy plot?

Of course its a commy plot. (It might even by a crummy plot). The first move of the invading enemy is always to first, disrupt and cut people off from their communications. Is your bishop Russian?

[jerome1232]

You know I get it, from their perspective. Especially if people are always distracted by them. If I were in that ward I'd probably murmur but I'd put my phone on silent (not vibrate, everyone can still hear vibrate) and break out some physical scriptures.

At the same time....

Everyone in our ward kept staring at these leather bound books at our ward so we banned books from the chapel. We've got along for centuries without books, you can survive an hour without them. Does that seem ridiculous? I don't see how the two logic lines are any different. 

Seriously, I am an adult, but in all my classes I have the gospel library app, I take notes in it. I also can't remember the last time I physically wrote on a piece of paper (okay, like last week, I filled out a form for work) but I take annotations on my phone, I make highlights and keywords and link scriptures. They are useful tools.

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, jerome1232 said:

Everyone in our ward kept staring at these leather bound books at our ward so we banned books from the chapel. We've got along for centuries without books, you can survive an hour without them. Does that seem ridiculous? I don't see how the two logic lines are any different. 

They are NOT different.  Why would they be?  If the bishop found that people were being SO distracted by their scriptures that it was causing people around them to be distracted as well, then I'm sure he'd say put them away for this one hour or half hour or whatever.

(Then) Elder Russel M. Nelson gave an address to my stake a while back.  Actually, I think it was a couple stakes back.  Anyway.  He expressed how he couldn't understand the tendency for many people in the congregations to read the scriptures as the sacrament was being passed.  He seemed quite irritated.

Many could have easily mentioned to him that a lot of people want to go over the sacrament prayers as they prepare to take the sacrament.  They not only listen to it said, but they read and re-read as it's being passed.  And I'm sure they get a lot out of it.  I've even been told by bishops and various other leaders that this is a good way to prepare for the sacrament.  

And I'm sure many could express all the benefits just like they've done here.  And they would be right.  I absolutely see that there is a spiritual reason/benefit to reading the scriptures during Sacrament, just as I can see many benefits to having a phone on during the meeting.  From the beginning I never denied any of those benefits.

But if a formal decision has been made (as was made in the OP's stake) it is for the benefit of not just one, or two, or a few, but for all.  We can address the exceptions later.  But this is the rule.

In the case of Elder Nelson, he expressed his irritation.  But he didn't give any directive to do or not do anything.

Edited May 2, 2017 by Guest

[zil]

1 hour ago, jerome1232 said:

Everyone in our ward kept staring at these leather bound books at our ward so we banned books from the chapel. We've got along for centuries without books, you can survive an hour without them. Does that seem ridiculous? I don't see how the two logic lines are any different.

You do know that they've asked speakers NOT to ask the congregation to follow along in their scriptures, right?  For some reason, the Church has decided that Sacrament meeting should be a time of speaking and listening, not reading (unlike the other 2 hours).  I don't think it such an awful thing to just follow their counsel.  And, frankly, I have to think that Apostles know what they're about, so if they council to not use these tools during the ordinance of the Sacrament, I'm more inclined to think it wise to follow their counsel and learn a better way to focus on what I should, than to make a list of all the good reasons for using the tools (like @Carborendum, I think there are plenty of good reasons, and I don't doubt that others know them without my help).  Similarly, I have learned through experience that following priesthood counsel is wiser than not following it, regardless.

[Anddenex]

On 4/30/2017 at 3:35 PM, BeccaKirstyn said:

So at the end of our sacrament meeting today, our bishop announced that all phones need to be turned off during sacrament meeting per the request of the stake presidency. He reiterated "not put on silent, or put away, but turned off". I've heard a lot of different reactions about this from members in my ward. I'm curious what you all think.

(This is a YSA ward, with a YSA only stake)

I would not be surprised if this is something that will be addressed, invited, in all the stakes of the Church. This has been announced in our stake and ward meetings and we have been asked by the stake president to reiterate this request when we are scheduled to speak in different wards.

This invitation is coming from general authorities to stake presidents during their stake president training (at least from our stake). Stake presidents are being invited to send the invitation to members to remember the sacredness of our sacrament meetings. What I find intriguing is the state of opposition received by members of the Church in light of how many years without cell phones we have had. Truly, if you are at least my age, we spent 25 years or more without a cell phone in church, and one hour and a half with it turned off isn't going to mess any ones life up. How many times have we heard a cell phone go off during the sacrament, or during prayer (especially with some pop music or metal band blaring)?

We have members, during the most important part of church (the sacrament -- you know, renewing the most important covenant we make with God giving us access to his atonement) and we have priesthood holders and adult women (teenagers especially) on Mine Craft, Facebook, Fruit Ninja, twitter, card games, bingo, etc... not even thinking about Christ.

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Anddenex

[Vort]

On 4/30/2017 at 2:35 PM, BeccaKirstyn said:

So at the end of our sacrament meeting today, our bishop announced that all phones need to be turned off during sacrament meeting per the request of the stake presidency. He reiterated "not put on silent, or put away, but turned off". I've heard a lot of different reactions about this from members in my ward. I'm curious what you all think. 

 

(This is a YSA ward, with a YSA only stake)

I think it's an outstanding idea, especially for YSAs.

[Vort]

2 hours ago, jerome1232 said:

Everyone in our ward kept staring at these leather bound books at our ward so we banned books from the chapel. We've got along for centuries without books, you can survive an hour without them. Does that seem ridiculous? I don't see how the two logic lines are any different. 

There is a world of difference. In our society, books are not a distraction. And if someone does bring a steamy novel to read during sacrament meeting, it's not a distraction to those sitting nearby, to children restless in the pews, etc.

[Fether]

15 minutes ago, Vort said:

There is a world of difference. In our society, books are not a distraction. And if someone does bring a steamy novel to read during sacrament meeting, it's not a distraction to those sitting nearby, to children restless in the pews, etc.

Putting my love for the convenience and speed of technology aside... I agree. For whatever reason, when we see a screen in our periferal vision we have to stare at it. However, books are not all innocent in the matter  I can't tell you how often I'm writing personal notes down in sacrament, seminary/institute, or GC I see someone sitting next to me watching every word I write

but screens are much worst. But not nearly as bad when you are in a silent, child barren wasteland called the YSA.

But do I need to abandon the organized note taking system I have used and developed for the past 3 years and make a new one because others find it distracting? Am I responsible for distracting others who lack self control to not look at a screen from obtaining knowledge?  Am I my brother's keeper???

Edited May 2, 2017 by Fether

[Fether]

On 4/30/2017 at 3:35 PM, BeccaKirstyn said:

So at the end of our sacrament meeting today, our bishop announced that all phones need to be turned off during sacrament meeting per the request of the stake presidency. He reiterated "not put on silent, or put away, but turned off". I've heard a lot of different reactions about this from members in my ward. I'm curious what you all think. 

 

(This is a YSA ward, with a YSA only stake)

I know I have spoken out against this... I still do... but instruction from priesthood leaders trumps any opinion of mine.

better adhere lest you get caught in rebellion.

[zil]

43 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

...we have been asked by the stake president to reiterate this request when we are scheduled to speak in different wards...

  So, did you hear about how a Bishop, Relief Society President, and High Counselor were kidnapped?  The Church, of course, refused to pay the ransom, so the kidnappers told them they get a final wish before death.  The RSP said she'd like to sing all 7 verses of her favorite hymn, A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.  The HC said, "It never fails.  I always prepare a 30-minute talk, but I only have 5 minutes to speak.  So I'd like to give my full 30-minute talk."  When they got to the bishop, he pondered a moment and then said, "I'd really like to hear the RSP sing her favorite hymn, but shoot me before the HC gives his talk."

9 minutes ago, Fether said:

...I see someone sitting next to me watching...

Well, there's your problem - don't let people sit next to you.

11 minutes ago, Fether said:

Am I my brother's keeper???

Wait, didn't someone else ask that first....?

[BeccaKirstyn]

Thanks for all the responses. It's an interesting discussion with the different generation gaps (knowing that the majority of comments here are coming from people not in my generation). As Anddenex said, I think this will begin to become a common announcement in other wards and stakes, not just YSA wards. 

[priesthoodpower]

I teach youth sunday school and my solution for the phones is this.

"Ok class Its amazing how beneficial technology and cell phones are in our lives, if you are playing a game please concentrate harder to beat that level, If you are watching a sports game I hope your team wins etc..I put a couple of chairs out in the hall way so feel free to go their and continue your cell phone usage. While you are in this class you can only use your phone for the lesson".

This works pretty well.

Edited May 2, 2017 by priesthoodpower