There was a decent scene in the otherwise forgettable movie “Singles 2nd Ward” in which a mother gives her kids an increasing amount of food during Sacrament meeting. I can’t remember all of the details (see how forgettable the movie is?), but I seem to recall at some point she pulls out milk and cereal, bowls and spoons, etc, and begins serving her kids. And then the irreverent non-Mormon visitor gets hungry and offers one of the kids some money for his sandwich. Anyway, I got a smile out of it (but please don’t write outraged comments telling me how much you hated this movie, because you’ll get no argument from me).
I was thinking about this the other day as my wife pulled out a Clif bar for my two-year-old.
I want you all to imagine the most difficult boy you have ever seen in Sacrament meeting. Then I want you to multiply that by about 10 million. And then you’ll get an idea of what it’s like dealing with my lovable, wonderful, extremely energetic and curious little toddler every Sunday morning. Please don’t get me wrong: I love my little boy and I am certain he will be a dream to deal with in a few years, but right now he is impossible. There is no reason for Abu Graib and Guantanamo — if you want to torture terrorists just force them to spend more than a hour trying to keep my little boy quiet every Sunday morning.
Anyway, one of the few things that will keep him quiet is something to eat. And of course I’ve seen parents giving their kids cheerios and carrots and other things on the sly during Sacrament meeting. I’ve always wondered: is that sacrilegious?
I don’t have access to the bishop’s handbook, and I’m pretty sure it deals with this issue, so there may be some official doctrine on this question. But let’s look at it from a common sense standpoint: where do you draw the line? If you can give Cheerios to kids, what about adults who are hungry? Should they pull out a sandwich and start munching away? How about pork rinds? I see no problem with feeding a sleepy, hungry baby some milk or formula (or even, ahem, breast-feeding), but at a certain point, you should be able to train your kids to wait an hour to eat.
The point is that the Sacrament is meant to edify, instruct and honor the Savior. Children are there partly so they learn reverence (let’s face it: very few small children are getting anything out of Sacrament other than learning about reverence and developing a habit that will hopefully last them a lifetime). At what point does food detract from the lesson the children are meant to be learning? Should all hungry children simply be taken out into the hall if they have to eat?
What say ye, Sacrament-takers?