Phones in church: Digital distractions or a new way to worship?

It’s happened to the best of us. You’re sitting at church, lecture, or a meeting and you find your mind begins to wander. No one will notice if you send one quick text to a friend or check your emails quickly, right?

Welcome to the era of digital distractions. Technology, especially the smartphone, has changed our society.  With it, you now have the ability to instantly connect despite being miles away from the office or your friends. In a way, you never truly leave people. You’re always plugged in. But is it appropriate? Should there be rules against cell phone use in certain spots that exist for the purpose of reflection and focus, like places of worship and lecture halls?

Your “Dancing Queen” ringtone is not appreciated here! Get the sign.

Many say yes.  You should go to church to worship and attend school to learn (or at least permit the others around you to do so).  Still, digital distractions may just be a very old behavior with a new look.  Before smartphone technology, people would frequently day-dream, fall asleep in services and lectures, pass notes, or play games in pamphlet margins. Would distracting smartphone users just be finding another way to annoy others if they didn’t have their devices?

Lifehack states that, “without the distractions of TV, internet, phones, games, our job, the outside world – there’s no buffer between us and the questions we try so hard to avoid.”  For example, being fully tuned into a church service that creates guilt or discomfort could lead an individual’s mind to wander.  Similarly, a confusing lecture could be ignored in favor of a more entertaining activity, like texting or surfing the net.

Here’s one tech-savvy (and hilarious) way a Californian church discourages smartphone use during services:

In an interesting take, the National Catholic Reporter spoke with a very tech savvy Reverend, Ray Waldon, dean of Salt Lake City’s Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Mark,  on the topic. The Reverend had just attended a seminar called “Digital Jesus” where the attendees were told to encourage their congregation to tweet and post throughout sermons. According to the Reporter:

(Rev. Waldon) said younger people using social media were referred to as “digital natives” while older churchgoers are known as “digital immigrants.”

“Our digital natives are truly paying attention. What they are doing is texting or tweeting the word of God,” he said. “My experience at this cathedral is not that they are not paying attention. It’s quite the opposite — they are so moved they want the word of God to get out.”

Others still argue, “God wants your complete attention.”

How do you feel about digital distractions?  Are they okay on occasion? Or should we power down and tune in to the task at hand?  Comment below and let us know how you feel!