Reverence is an Attitude
By Steve Orton

Reverence is not what most people think it is.  I dare venture that most people think it is being quiet in church, and most assuredly that is part of it.  But it is so much more.  One dictionary defines it as “honor or respect, felt or shown,” or “a profound, adoring awed respect.”¹

Our church leaders have echoed that definition.  The late President Marion G. Romney defined it this way:

Reverence is the soul of true religion. Its seedbed is sincerity. Its quality is determined by the esteem in which one holds the object of his reverence as evidenced by his behavior toward that object. When that object is God, the genuinely reverent person has a worshipful adoration coupled with a respectful behavior toward him and all that pertains to him. The want of such appreciation or behavior smacks of irreverence.²

President Spencer W. Kimball reflected the same feeling when he said,

We must remember that reverence is not a somber, temporary behavior that we adopt on Sunday. True reverence involves happiness, as well as love, respect, gratitude, and godly fear. It is a virtue that should be part of our way of life. In fact, Latter-day Saints should be the most reverent people in all the earth.³

This was dramatically illustrated in President Kimball’s own life.  When encountering a cluttered bathroom in a ward building that was about to be dedicated, he stopped long enough to pick up the littered paper towels and to wipe out the sinks. At first glance one might strain to see the connection between cleaning a dirty bathroom and showing reverence.  But upon reflection, it fits entirely. 

Reverence is not defined solely by our individual acts.  Reverence is an attitude from which spring certain behaviors that custom holds are a manifestation of that attitude.  In this case, President Kimball was trying to achieve the order that should accompany any church building on the day it is dedicated.  President Romney captures this thought beautifully:

Order is a part of reverence. So is cleanliness — cleanliness of person, of apparel, of speech, of action, and of thought and impulse. So also are courtesy, respect for one another, and kindred virtues. True reverence for Deity induces one, by self-imposed control, to do the will of God at all times and in all places.⁴

The Role of Custom

Over time various societies have developed customs that are outward expressions of a reverent attitude.  When I was a boy, men used to wear dress hats to church.  Like wearing a suit and tie, wearing a hat was meant to show the “specialness” of Sunday.  However, hats were worn only to and from church.  Inside the chapel custom dictated that heads be uncovered, so the hats were left in the foyer.

In other societies, the custom is just the opposite.  In the Jewish tradition, custom dictates that as a show of reverence the head remains covered in the synagogue.  Whenever I attend a Bar Mitzvah I suppose my Jewish brethren would be tolerant if I, as a guest, did not cover my head.  But there is no need for them to be concerned because I always put on a yarmulke at the door out of respect for the customs of my hosts.  A Bar Mitzvah is an occasion toward which an attitude of reverence should be shown.

The Alabaster Mosque in Cairo.

The Alabaster Mosque in Cairo is an awe-inspiring building.  The gleaming white walls on the outside and the immensity of the space on the inside evoke a feeling of reverence.  Islamic tradition requires a visitor to remove one’s shoes, dress modestly, and (for women) cover the head, and that is exactly what my wife and I did during a recent visit there.  But in addition to this outward show of reverence we entered the mosque with the attitude of respect that should be shown toward those who worshipped there and called it holy. 

The interior of the Alabaster Mosque.

On top of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a Moslem shrine called by many the Dome of the Rock, or the Noble Sanctuary.  This is certainly a special place.  Tradition holds that it is Mount Mariah where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac.  Moslems believe it is the spot where Muhammad arrived after his miraculous nocturnal journey with the archangel Gabriel.  For Christians, it is the site from which Jesus drove the money changers when the second Temple stood there. 

Three religions call it holy.

The Dome of the Rock temple mount.

Not far away is an unusual structure peculiar to Moslem worship.  It is a round stone or masonry structure from which protrude multiple water spigots, each facing a circle of stone benches where Moslem men sit to wash their feet, hands, and faces prior to entering the sanctuary.  This ritual washing is deemed necessary to prepare one physically and spiritually to approach Deity in a properly respectful and reverent attitude.  

The site where Muslim men sit to perform their ritual washings at the Dome of the Rock shrine.

Reverence and Great Buildings

In the Christian tradition, reverence is most often shown by a subdued, quiet demeanor.  Many aspects of the great cathedrals of Europe were designed to evoke this reverential attitude.  They are massive and the interior space soars hundreds of feet.  I am always awed into a thoughtful and respectful attitude when I enter one. 

I marvel even today how the builders could have built structures so tall with only block and tackle.  One can only imagine the reverence a solitary pilgrim would have felt on entering the Cathedral of Chartres in the 13^th century.  It certainly took my breath away seven hundred years later.  The same with St. Peter’s Basilica in whose interior space under the dome could easily accommodate the spires of the Salt Lake Temple. During my visit there, I walked around reverently conversing with others in a hushed voice. 

Chartres Cathedral

Unfortunately, such reverence is not always automatic in the great cathedrals of Europe.  That is because they become both places of worship and tourist attractions.  I recall attending Sunday mass in Notre Dame in Paris when the sermon was drowned out by the din of tourists moving about and talking loudly in the rear of the nave. 

The Sistine Chapel in Rome is often packed with tourists enough so that their conversations about the wonder of Michelangelo’s paintings overhead raise the noise level to that of an arena.  To combat this, the authorities employ professional “shushers” who move among the crowd when the noise level gets too high, shushing everyone.  The noise level abates for awhile, only to return when the shushers are gone. 

Notre Dame Cathedral lacks the reverent atmosphere of Chartres.

In both cases, there is nothing different about the physical properties of the space involved.  The vaulted arches, the paintings, the sunlight shinning through the stained-glass windows are not affected by the noisy crowds below.  What makes the space they grace either holy or profane is the attitude of the observers.  If their attitude is one of reverence, then the space and objects are sacred; if the attitude is that of spectator only, as at a sporting event, then the space becomes common.

Reverence in Sacrament Meeting

The same goes for our sacrament meetings.  Our chapels do not feature stained glass or vaulted ceilings.  When entering them, we are not required to remove our shoes or wash our feet, hands, and face at the door.  Our custom requires only that we show reverence by muted voices and demur behavior.  And yet there are Sundays when I feel like I am back in Norte Dame, with a noisy buzz in the back of the room from over-friendly conversations even after the meeting has started. 

Architecturally our chapels are humble rooms, and yet during sacrament meeting there is nothing going on of any less value than in the great cathedrals.  After all, the sacrament, one of the most holy ordinances in the Church, is being administered.  But our sacrament meetings enjoy no more respect or sacredness then the attitude we bring into them.  During sacrament meeting, the chapel can be either a holy place or just another room because, after all, reverence is an attitude. 

1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverence

2. First Presidency Message, October, 1976

3. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, p. 156

4. First Presidency Message, October 1976

This article was based on a talk given in the Burke Ward, Annandale Virginia Stake, sacrament meeting.