I felt like I was in a cult when...

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by Venkman

I seem to remember the sacrament being administered in Junior Sunday School. This was before the church moved to the block schedule. I was really young (under 6) so I could be wrong, but that's my memory. If that's the case then there was official church sanction for giving the sacrament to children under eight.

That's correct. I was around 12 years old when they went to the three hour block. They did give the sacrament in jr. sunday school back before they had the three hour block. They also had the sacrament in the adult SS and in sacrament meeting, so therefore, twice each sunday for everyone who attended both meetings.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

If done Church-wide, then I would definitely agree.

If done in your ward, I would disagree.

It was done in my ward as well. In fact, the first time I ever passed the sacrament as a deacon was in the Junior Sunday School. It was for the adults involved in teaching the kids, but we were never instructed to not allow the kids to take it.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

It was done in my ward as well. In fact, the first time I ever passed the sacrament as a deacon was in the Junior Sunday School. It was for the adults involved in teaching the kids, but we were never instructed to not allow the kids to take it.

So the stated purpose was for the adults, not to give it to little kids?

Also, if it were to give it to little kids, why was the official practice stopped?

[BigFatMeanie]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

So the stated purpose was for the adults, not to give it to little kids?

Also, if it were to give it to little kids, why was the official practice stopped?

Dude, you obviously don't remember life before the 3-hour block.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

So the stated purpose was for the adults, not to give it to little kids?

Also, if it were to give it to little kids, why was the official practice stopped?

I've always understood that the sacrament is for those who are baptized members, but I've never heard that those not baptized couldn't take the sacrament if they wanted it.

Sacrament stopped in the junior sunday school when the block schedule started. Another poster noted that the sacrament used to be passed both in Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting before the block schedule, but only in Sacrament Meeting after the change.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie

Dude, you obviously don't remember life before the 3-hour block.

Won't that be cool when we say, "Dude you don't remember life before the two hour block?"

Church was an all day affair for all concerned, not just for leadership.

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

It was done in my ward as well. In fact, the first time I ever passed the sacrament as a deacon was in the Junior Sunday School. It was for the adults involved in teaching the kids, but we were never instructed to not allow the kids to take it.

Yeah, Jr. SS was where new deacons and new priests cut their teeth on passing and administering the sacrament. After a few weeks of seasoning there they were allowed to AAA (Sr. SS). Eventually they made it to The Show. I remember a deacon fainting in Jr. SS during the sacrament. He wasn't even near ready for the pressure of Sac Meeting.

Since time immemorial the sacrament has been given to children prior to baptism without a problem. I suspect it is more as a way to teach a principle and initiate a practice. Since children are saved in Christ prior to baptism, they have no need for the sacrament and they are not condemned for taking it.

I've never heard of anyone giving a kid the sacrament in order to keep him/her quiet.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by myboynoah

Yeah, Jr. SS was where new deacons and new priests cut their teeth on passing and administering the sacrament. After a few weeks of seasoning there they were allowed to AAA (Sr. SS). Eventually they made it to The Show. I remember a deacon fainting in Jr. SS during the sacrament. He wasn't even near ready for the pressure of Sac Meeting.

A kid my age who was the geek of the group - there was always one who was designated the geek - really showed that he wasn't ready for the big time. He was in the #5 spot and was supposed to go to the far side of the chapel and start in the back, starting with the foyer. He went to the #2 deacon's assigned spot - for both the bread and the water. When moving to the correct spot with the water, he cut the corner a little too close and whacked old Sister Christensen in the head with the water tray and dropped the tray.

The other ward rejected the trade offer.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie

Dude, you obviously don't remember life before the 3-hour block.

I have stated many times before that I did not grow up in the Church.

Since you do remember life back then, can you please answer my question?

[BigFatMeanie]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

I have stated many times before that I did not grow up in the Church.

Since you do remember life back then, can you please answer my question?

Your question doesn't make much sense to me. There used to be two sets of church meetings each Sunday - one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Primary was held on a weeknight. People would go home and have lunch in between or, if travel was a burden, they may hang around and have lunch at the meeting house. You're asking (or have speculated based on what someone else said) what the "stated purpose" of passing the sacrament during the Sunday School set of meetings was. The practice was started by Brigham Young in 1877 and I have no idea what the official reason was; however, if I had to speculate I would say it was probably due to the difficulty of traveling to two separate meetings in 1877 frontier Utah so they passed the sacrament in both sets of meetings just to cover all the bases.

The question of "why was the official practice stopped" seems to presume that there is some logical or doctrinal reason for everything that the church does or doesn't do. The "official practice" (it's probably more appropriate to call it "tradition") was stopped because the 3-hour block meetings that started in 1980 completely changed the entire format of Sunday meetings. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to pass the Sacrament once and then pass it again 45 minutes later.

You seem to take a very legalistic/officious approach to stuff. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad but I do think it can lead you off on wild goose chases if you don't have a bit of perspective. Just as an example, your comment of "If it were a sound practice, the Church would simply have everyone of all ages officially take the Sacrament" struck me as bizarre. Why do you think this is the case? How can you know what the Church would or wouldn't do?