I don't mind things like books or action figures but when you let your child play PSP during church, that is uncalled for. The one thing that gets me is how some parents do not tell their children to be quiet. I shouldn't hear your child yelling touchdown during service because he just made a touchdown while playing madden on his PSP (This really happened
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I think this teaches a child that church isn't serious. The little kid that is playing gameboy during church is probably going to turn into an adult that's on his or her blackberry during the whole service.[/quote]
Amen!!!! My son who is 8 now, has never played any games in church. I make him sit up and pay attention. He reads along with me in the Bible or has his own. When service is over, I explain what the sermon was about and answer any questions that he has. He learns a great deal, and because of that, he witnesses to people in his own little way by explaining what he learns in church--on the Sundays that children's church is not available.
At my church, children's church is only offered at the 9:30am service. Those of us who attend 7:30 or 11:30 have our children with us in the sanctuary. I would allow a christian book and certainly a bible but I've seen PLENTY of kids that were playing video games. It definitely gives the child the impression that hearing the Word isn't serious.
A few weeks ago, I sat next to a boy (i guess he was about 14 or 15) who was playing with another boy 2 rows in front of him! They were laughing and he was taking pics of people in the congregation with his cell phone...he would then flash the phone pic so that the boy ahead of him could see. The boy's parents in the row ahead of me where so engrossed in the service (which is great) that they had no clue what their son was doing. There was nothing I could do, so I ignored them the best I could. I was angered though because it was distracting me from the Word.
You are better than me, I have been at church and told other people's kids to be quiet and pay attention. If my son was distracting someone like that, I would want them to correct him(afterall, it takes a village right). Then I would want them to let me know so I could make sure it never happened again. IMHO, they were ignoring the kids too. That is selfish to want the word so badly that you would get it at the expense of someone else receiving it. WWJD?
I have a friend who really babied her son when he was around 4 years old. When I went to visit, we went to her church on Sunday & her son was in the choir stand on her lap eating Doritos.
There was big sign on the door of the sanctuary that said no food in the sanctuary.
I had & still have never seen anything like it.
See, someone should have called her out right there for that. At church my own pastor is serious about not having unnecessary disruptions in church service and about respecting the fact that while he is a man speaking, he is delivering a word to us that God has given him to give to us. In essence, it is like being disrepectful to God himself. When you are at church, you should act like you are in the presence of God, because you are.
My answer is ALWAYS an emphatic NO!
. With that said, I believe that children should have an option of attending children's church (if offered) or sitting down quietly in the main sanctuary with something (books, coloring books, etc.) age-appropriate AND religious in nature.
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