Bloom: When in God's house, hang up and worship

A YouTube video from a church in Burbank, Calif., reminds its congregants to turn off their cell phones during the worship services.

If someone's phone goes off in the middle of services, the church fines the worshipper $25.

If the phone goes off during the sermon, the fines goes up to $50.

Now that kind of policy will certainly get the point across to turn off the devices.

While the video may have been a clever and humorous spoof, the idea is still important. Why do people think it is acceptable to keep their cell phones or to text during worship services? Is it that we are so totally addicted to having our phones on and must check our email even in God's house?

I am guessing that most clergy have experienced this occurrence many times and surely identify with the frustration of hearing phones go off and with the distraction it causes not only with them but the worshippers sitting around the person who either forgot to turn their devices off or simply didn't care.

Of course technology has become a part of our worship experience, from live streaming of services to projecting the liturgy and songs on the wall behind the altar so that everyone can participate without having to use their prayer books.

I have seen some folks bring in their IPADs which have apps for their congregation's liturgy. I can see how that can work but if the sanctuary is wired for WIFI, then there is certainly the temptation to check out emails or surf the web when someone gets a bit bored with the sermon or the music.

So how do we remain focused on the service and not on texting a friend or replying to emails while praying to God?

In the Torah it is written in Deuteronomy, "Hear Oh Israel, the Eternal God is our God and the Eternal God is One"(6:4).

If we do not listen to God and, instead, listen to the ringing call of the cellphone or the ding of the text, then what are we doing in services in the first place?

The first part of the solution is simply to leave the cell phone in the car. Let's not forget that we are sitting in a community and what we do or how we behave during the services affects everyone else. If we forget to leave the phone in the car, please make sure to turn it off . Consider bringing a reading or book of meditations to review before the services to get into the mood for communal prayer.

And, if the phone does go off in the middle of services, make sure to apologize to those around us and even to the clergy. It is simply disrespectful to the entire purpose of being in a sacred environment.

The proper use of devices should be part of the etiquette of how we conduct ourselves every time we gather together for prayer. It is all part of the way we approach a sacred service, from how we dress to how we greet our fellow worshippers. Technology cannot become a distraction. It should not be the focus of worship, rather, an instrument that highlights the theological message.

A ringing or buzzing phone is not only rude to the rest of the congregation but is also a sign of disrespect to the Eternal One.

When these devices overshadow the core message of the faith tradition and there is more attention to the bells and whistles, then the inner content of the service is diminished.

Sometimes the most difficult prayer I make before entering the worship space is one asking God for help so that I may pray. Do we really need handheld devices in order to prepare for prayer? Can't we just meditate on a reading, a poem or just close our eyes and focus on an idea or summon up a remembered moment of holiness? Isn't it time we learn how to communicate directly with God? Isn't it time to ask God to release us from the dependency on all kinds of addictive things in the world around us.

Shouldn't there be a boundary on the use of technology devices concerning what is acceptable and what is not in a worship service?

Devices in worship services can be beneficial in some cases when they are used for a purpose consistent with the congregational service. Yet too often cell phones and other handheld devices become an appendage that creates information overload.

The prophet Jeremiah sensed how easy it was for people to lose their focus when he said, "Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction."

Can't we just slow down a little bit and use our minds to listen and our hearts to feel the message of Scripture or the beautiful voices of the choir and the cantor or the stirring message of the sermon?

If we can train ourselves to take off our hats when entering a sanctuary as a sign of respect for God is it not possible that we can leave the handheld device in the car, too?

Columnist Rabbi Brad L. Bloom is the rabbi at Congregation Beth Yam on Hilton Head Island. He can be reached at 843-689-2178. Read his blog at www.fusion613.blogspot.com and follow him at twitter.com/rabbibloom.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Bloom: When in God's house, hang up and worship."