by Daniel Bartholomew
I have long thought that one of the strengths of our Church is that it calls on the general membership to do basically everything in its meetings. Any worthy church member of sufficient age may be called upon to pray, give a talk, conduct the music, play the organ or piano, etc.
Until recently it never dawned on me how deeply some people fear being in front of others or being asked to do anything in front of other people. Yes I knew that some people became uneasy or nervous. So often we hear people express this at the beginning of a talk. I once even saw (years ago) a person faint while at the pulpit. But I didn’t realize that for some this problem is so severe that even the possibility of offering a prayer causes intense fear and even panic.
In one ward a couple agreed to give the prayers in Church but didn’t show up. Later it was learned that the husband has social anxiety disorder. Praying or speaking in public will cause him to have panic attacks. Even if he were to show up and begin to offer a prayer or a talk, he might suddenly feel compelled to bolt from the room.
I also recently heard another person express how she finds herself unable to even offer a prayer in Church in front of people. She said that on more than one occasion in her life she has been in meetings where the leadership decided to randomly call on people to share testimonies. The resulting panic she felt led her to exit these meetings immediately rather than risk being called upon to speak.
Sometimes when she has politely declined an invitation to pray, the person asking her has expressed dismay and irritation that she would have a problem praying in public. It may seem strange but for some people this is apparently a very serious problem. I should add that this sister is otherwise a very functional and normal person, a mother of two children and a very easy person to speak with.
I am no expert on social anxiety disorder or the phobias that afflict some people. But these recent experiences have led me to consider the possibility that we need to have a greater awareness and sensitivity in the Church towards those who feel incapable of public prayer or giving talks. Perhaps, whenever possible, we should avoid spontaneous or random public requests of people to pray or speak in public – unless we have seen previous evidence that a person is capable and willing to do provide this service. Also, we may need to be willing to graciously accept refusals to speak or pray when they happen. It is possible that a person has a very good reason for doing so.
—————————–
Daniel Bartholomew aka Danithew grew up in White Plains, NY. He served a mission in Guatemala. Dan earned a BA in English from BYU with a minor in Hebrew, where he also studied Arabic and lived in the Arabic house for a year. He studied Hebrew and Arabic at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for three years and has been working on a master’s degree in Middle East Studies at the University of Utah.
We welcome submissions from our readers. Find out how to submit your post for consideration: Guest Post Submission