Research update

So, the small sampling of people don't seem to remember the little crewing out I do. I'm not sure if that means I'm weird or I'm remembering things wrong. It's also been long enough that a number of them do not remember when we have had closing hymns. (Am I dreaming all of this?)

I talked with Richard Cowan (longtime religion professor and 20 year member of our Stake high council) for some time yesterday morning. He seems to remember Elder Ballard getting a little riled up about people standing and reverencing him when he entered the devotional. He doesn't remember the same thing I do about the songs. I think the consensus with him was that it was a growing tradition to sing the song and stand for the Prophet, even though only the first line was about the current prophet...

I talked with a member of our Stake Presidency, he says that decorum says to follow the lead of the presiding authority. (Which is my thinking.) I told him I looked for something that talked about it, and didn't find it. (I may have to re-read "The Unwritten Order of Things" to see if there's something in there along those lines...) He sits on the General Sunday School board, and was sitting down on the floor during that session of Conference. He said the standing seems to have started in the balcony (our section), and he just kept looking at the Seventy to see what they would do, so he could follow their lead. He said the Seventy seemed to be watching the Presidency and Twelve to see what they would do, eventually they stood up, and he did too. (I couldn't see by then.)

I talked to him about how people didn't seem to know if they should stand or sit for the prayer, he said the Seventy seemed to have the same dilemma. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore, but maybe he will ask around at work (he works in the Church Office Building), and come back with some sort of more official thing to say one of these days.

I guess the best thing to say is if the Presiding Authority wants you to kneel to pray, you do it. If he wants you to stand to sing a hymn in a meeting, you do it. He's the Presiding Authority.