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Why bring babies into your holy place?
- Thread starter Antibush5
- Start date
Rakhel
Well-Known Member
A lot of churches have nurseries for this reason.
Most of the synagogues I have gone to, either the mother leaves the room or stays home until the child is older. I know when I took one of our daughters, during her naming ceremony, I had to leave immediately because she started crying and I started lactating. But usually I stayed home until they were older.
Most of the synagogues I have gone to, either the mother leaves the room or stays home until the child is older. I know when I took one of our daughters, during her naming ceremony, I had to leave immediately because she started crying and I started lactating. But usually I stayed home until they were older.
fallingblood
Agnostic Theist
A lot of churches also have reserved seats in the back, near the doors, for parents with young children. This allows them to leave at the first signs of fussiness.
EverChanging
Well-Known Member
No one understands mystery. That's not the point. Some traditions want infants and children to partake in the ceremonies for this reason.
Thesavorofpan
Is not going to save you.
At the bigger churches they hired someone to watch the babies, in smaller ones, the parents took turns watching the little kids. When my daughter was a newborn, I kept her with me because I breastfed her.
I agree, crying babies are really distracting during classes. It always annoys me a little, especially when the speaker has a heavy accent.
sojourner
Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
Because all are welcome, and Jesus told his followers to let the little children come.
Antibush5
Active Member
Little children are fine, they can be told to keep quiet and they will, but babies won't understand.
CCAPalandiriel
Member
Smoke
Done here.
Nobody understands the Mysteries. In the Orthodox Church, infants are partakers in the Mysteries just as adults are. Holy Communion isn't something postponed until the age of seven or thirteen; infants are communicants from the time of their baptism.
It's not about understanding, it's about welcoming children into a community and bringing them up in its ways. Of course, that's is just what some people object to, but I don't see why the members of the community should object to it.
I can see how children are distraction during lectures, and sermons, and the children themselves can't derive any benefit from those things, so when somebody is teaching that's a good time for their parents to take them out. It's a small enough sacrifice for the parents; I never heard a sermon in my life that was terribly important or terribly interesting.
CCAPalandiriel
Member
But that brings up questions about infant baptism...another topic entirely.
While it may be distracting, the whole point of bringing your children (and infants) to church is to raise them and bring them up in the ways of your church. By shushing them (yes, even infants) as they grow whenever they are loud, they learn that they must be quiet and reverent in church.
I've seen children who were never shushed, and as a result, they were always restless and anxious and loud in church, even when you would think they would be mature enough to sit still.
Its not going to be an overnight thing, of course, but that's raising children for you. They'll eventually learn if they're taught. And if it is distracting and annoying, all I can say is try to be patient. Might be a lesson you need!
