Unwanted behavior in churches

February 21, 2013 4:10am CST
Our respect in hearing the Holy Mass, by at large, seems to have declined over the years. At the right hand side of the bench i was seated was a boy, around 8 years of age is all that my eyes could tell, holding a tablet and playing video games when the Eucharistic celebration is going on. His mother at the side of him looks so proud on every score that the young boy gets. Just in front of me are two teen-age girls whose voices are irritatingly beyond normal that I can't play deaf. Instead of listening to the homily, the two opted to chit-chat discussing where they would go and have fun after the mass. And beside me is a five year old girl eating junk foods since the mass started. It seems that her parents don't mind turning the church into a picnic ground since their daughter still have stocks of food mid-way of the Eucharistic Celebration. These scenes are reflections of what we are teaching our kids when it comes to the celebration of the Holy mass, how they should behave in the presence of God and the kind of respect they should show to our Lord Jesus Christ. As Parents, we often call the attention of our children's when they are talking back while we are in the process of giving them a lecture for their wrong doings. While we consent and honor their reasoning, we would demand them to honor us in the strictest sense that they are not bound to ignore our presence much of what we are saying. And to reinforce the argument of the parents' to be honored (a birthright to many) by their children, the fourth commandment is sometimes quoted to impose obedience. What then shall we call the parents who allow their children to do silly things inside the church yet, demand respect from their children which they believe is due to them as set forth in the 10 commandments of God? Are these all Smokes and mirrors? The fourth commandment, along with the rest of it, was written and imparted to us not to exclusively establish a mark of respect to parents but what's more in the service of God. When God said through his mediator Moses, "Honor thy father and thy mother", He is not only saying to honor our parents but moreso, to honor Him alike for He is our real father and mother. We should remember that more than anything else, God is both our father and mother for it is said, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up" - Psalm 27: 10. It is therefore better to leave our kids at home than to allow them to do unnecessary things inside the house of God. Our children are our responsibility (Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it - Proverbs 22:6), therefore, we should discipline them by teaching them the right way especially when they are in front of our supreme creator. Let's hark back to the day when our Lord Jesus got mad when the temple of God was turned into a market place. Jesus said explicitly, "My house shall be called the house of prayer". The church is therefore not a house to play video games, nor a house for chit-chats and gossips, and certainly not a picnic ground in a public park. Going back to the things that I have seen and mentioned, it came to me that while parents need to discipline their children so that they will do the right thing inside the church, I weighed up and held that every so often we, parents, deserve the rod and reproof more than their children above all, when we fall short of shaping our children for age of accountability. What about you? Would you allow your children to do things that are not supposed to be done inside the church? Or would you rather show your love to your children by exercising your diligence in disciplining them?
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9 responses
@lelin1123 (15595)
• Puerto Rico
25 Feb 13
None of the things you witnessed would be allowed by me as a parent. My children went to church to pray not play games, eat or talk during any part of the mass. I can't believe how lax the parents have become in the house of Lord. My kids had to be quiet, listen and learn. I believe the parents are probably like this to avoid making a scene in the church with unrulely kids. However, then if they are very young go to a church that has a daycare or take turns going to church with one parent staying with the child at home.
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2 Mar 13
Thanks Lelin. Well said.
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• Philippines
22 Feb 13
Church is holy and we should be silent as we are in the holy ground. However, these days, it is just way too difficult to do. Given that, children nowadays are very hard headed, even if you spank them so many times,they just can't stand still. Me and coworkers are having the same observation with children today. I am sure that parents do their job well in imposing the commandments. So the better thing o do is, if they have children who can't behave then i guess it is better to leave them at home with someone who can take care of them while you go to church for you can't concentrate listening to what the preacher is saying since you are distracted by your child. As well as not to annoy other people who are in focus of the presence of GOd.
22 Feb 13
Hi Prettysexybrainy. Indeed, they are better left at home if parents can't discipline them at church. But we should also remember that time will come when they will reach the age of accountability and refusing to hear and learn the scripture is refusing to live. If the ignorance of law excuses no one, then much more the ignorance of the word of God. I'm sure that we, as parents, would want our children to grow in the light of Christ.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
21 Feb 13
If I was a church goer (which I am not) I would watch my kids very carefully and never let them out of my sight,around Catholic priests. The Pope has made history by resigning, the reason being, he didn't come down hard enough on his child molesting priests, and they are still doing it, even as they have done from the very beginning, and they will not stop anytime soon. Not one of the offenders has ever paid a dime of his own money, or spent one night in jail! A crime against society that is being generally ignored!
21 Feb 13
Thanks Barebugs. Priests plays a very important role both in the new and old testament. The whole tribe of Levi was dedicated to God. Aaron and his sons were made priests to serve God. Likewise In the new testament, we have a high priest in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The difference however, between the new and old, is the absence of a vow in the former. On the contrary, the latter was made with a solemn promise and that promise makes Jesus as the guarantee of a better covenant. I agree fully that many crimes against the society is being generally ignored because of unserved justice. This is why we should not put our faith in the works of man but of God. I appreciate your factual view about the wrong doings of some Catholic priests and I am one with you that child molesting priests should serve time. Having said that, it is worth having a full discussion on this matter in another post which I would be more than eager to participate.
@Raine38 (12257)
• United States
21 Feb 13
I don't have kids yet, but I think they will receive the same discipline that we got from our parents. And that is dressing, behaving and respecting in the house of worship. We grew up to the teachings that churches and mass are sacred and must be paid attention to. It is not actually about the structure itself, or the priest himself, but to what these represent-our Lord. I do notice those kind of teens nowadays and oftentimes, I notice that their parents just don't care for want of a little peace (how ironic, huh?). I don't know if they will receive some reprimanding when they get home, but I know that it wouldn't hurt if these parents will take some responsibility and shush their kids.
21 Feb 13
Hi Raine38. Well said and I totally agree. There is nothing wrong when parents long for themselves a little peace but it should depend on the circumstances by which that peace is warranted. Surely, it is the wrong time to hanker after it when disrespect is taking place in the house of God.
@blackrusty (3519)
• Mexico
21 Feb 13
I am sorry when your in church you should be listening to the pastor and as a pastor I have had issues like this one of the thing that i did in my church is set up a reward system I would have the children write down what they heard from me in that service and they all got rewarded points for what and how they wrote what they heard for the service then at the end of the month they got to go to the closet and get a toy or item of the value that they have and it worked well for me just something you may want to pass on
21 Feb 13
Thank you so much blackrusty. Clearly, innovations doesn't happen only on regular work places. It also works best in churches provided it doesn't add or subtract anything from the scriptures. Indeed, any pastor whose main desire is to help people grow spiritually find ways on how to help both children and their parents to grow in the service of God. For every soul that is saved because of learning and obeying the law of God through our Lord Jesus , God is the happiest. So parents should think this way when they discipline their children in churches. They should take pride and happiness in teaching their children the right values because they are not only saving a soul when their child's age of accountability comes but the soul of their own flesh and blood.
@magicbiz (119)
22 Feb 13
Im not going to be on the side of children...Churches had a discipline in the past wen it was controlled by strong patriarchal figures...Now everything church related is influenced by motherly women who are torn between the need to discipline and the pain in hurting them...Children are not matured creatures,they will always make attention seeking behaviour and will easily show when they are bored...Its the duty of their respective christian parents to teach them model behaviour and especially fathers...For children whom such parents are unavailable a model father figure should be present...But the times are now such nobody trusts anybody else... And i don't have a good advice either...Pray to god so we gain wisdom
22 Feb 13
Thanks Magicbiz. Pray to God to gain wisdom. That's one very good advise. Also, one can gain wisdom by reading and learning the scripture.
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@Angelpink (4035)
• Philippines
21 Feb 13
Hello friend ! You have said all the things that i have observed in our church also. Values deteriorated with parents themselves . No wonder we can see children doing those things and parents are just tolerating because they themselves don't have a discipline . So sad for this but i don't know why are parents not setting themselves as an example. Where and from whom would they wanted their children to learn ? Sometimes parents are the irresponsible one , so what to expect , kids are irresponsible too ! Thats why sometimes it is better to pray at home than going to church wherein you can only commit sin.
21 Feb 13
Hello Angelink. Parents who fail to discipline their children is not aware of the consequences of being put to shame. They don't see the gift of wisdom that the rod and reproof is giving.
@pomwango (1353)
• Kenya
21 Feb 13
its sad that some people have down played the respect we need to have in a holy place.children may be jittery to sit through mass but they learn to do so by the way we teach them.i taught my kids in church you need to sit, listen and not play.talk or eat snacks.i also ensure the smallest is well fed to avoid them eatting in church.Mobile phones must be off and not to be played with in church.if a parent gives their child a tablet to play games what message are we sending this child?that it is ok to go on with your activities in church.we must train our children to behave well in church they are not only a bother to you the parent but also other worshippers.this is a great discussion and i hope people who fall victims of this habit learn something.
21 Feb 13
Thank you so much Pomwango. There is a time and place for everything. Certainly the church is not the place for hypocrisies. God will not accept partiality. It is either you teach your children how to behave in church or they should not go at all until their parents is matured enough to know what's good and bad in the presence of God. This is happening because many people already embraced two-facedness in their faith and it manifest in the tolerance of their children's wrong doings.
• Philippines
21 Feb 13
In my opinion opinion parents tolerating her child doing that that in church specially during mass is insane. Even the priest in giving their sermons is already different nowadays but anyway he is not the reason why I go to church so it is not big deal to me.
21 Feb 13
Thanks Teotimoponcerosacena. On a separate note, I agree with you that we hear mass not on the basis of who the celebrant is but for our Lord Jesus.