Thanks for your comment.

They suggested reasons for the sacramental restriction including:The bishop is protecting the person from condemnation and protecting the sanctity of the sacrament (3 Nephi 18:28-29)It’s a wake up call to the transgressor to change and return to the path of righteousnessIt doesn’t make sense to renew a covenant they aren’t keepingAll of these reasons are not surprising to anyone that understands the basic doctrine of repentance and they are all mostly accurate, but these reasons alone are not helpful to the individual wanting to repent.A change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. I am equally sure that at times I was guided by revelation to make decisions or say things that to this day I don’t fully understand but that I know were the will of the Lord.

Senior columnist Jana Riess is the author of many books, including "The Prayer Wheel" (Random House/Convergent, 2018) and "The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church" (Oxford University Press, 2019).

And honestly, except with people who were non-repentant walking into my office, for the majority of members I felt their need to commune through the sacrament was more healing, instructive, and transformational than any forward progress that restriction could have hoped to achieve.Excellent reply Brother Keller. (3 Nephi 18:29)In my ministry I have found that restricting temple attendance is a whole lot more straightforward and “justifiable” than restricting sacrament participation.

14 comments. I was young and didn’t have any frame of reference.This whole topic is fascinating to me and although I have sat on church courts on the high council and in ward level courts, I have never really studied this topic deeply.

I know that your time is limited Brother Keller, but I’m interested to know what you believe is the reason *why* behind asking someone to abstain from the sacrament, which is the topic of this article. How I applaud your thirst to really consider this question.I am not an expert, and of course my opinions are just opinions, not by any stretch doctrine.There are many things to consider when attempting to ferret out “why” bishops place members on restriction.

"And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God. It’s the fallout of this terrible Covid-19 pandemic, and the church is merely doing the best it can to stem the spread of the disease. This position again only shames the individual into change when Christ only motivates through love. But it is important to understand that personal suffering during repentance isn’t for the purpose of an individual paying for their sins. Every situation is different. Thank you so much for taking time to reply with such an in depth response. I do question the assumption that mine are “unusual circumstances.”So basically, two-thirds of U.S. Mormon women are married, either to their first spouse or a subsequent spouse. But after a while, you begin to wonder: why do we as members take the sacrament with our right hands?

For my part, I am married, but not to an LDS priesthood holder, since my husband belongs to another church.

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Sometimes in our rush to fix we like to place people on restriction when it’s unclear what the cues will be to know when to remove them.

It is really the simplest way to describe the purpose of Christ’s Atonement; to cleanse us and to sanctify us.With that said, when an individual steps into a priesthood leaders office with the intent to repent they are there to rectify that two fold purpose of .

Even in the United States, where the church has a firmer footing than it does anywhere else in the world, I know this situation of sacrament denial is only temporary. They can’t answer your question, but God can.

She has a PhD in American religious history from Columbia University. I have experienced #7 myself. In 3 Nephi 9:20 we learn that the Savior only requires “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” He does not require an individual to suffer long enough so that His suffering and sacrifice can begin.

This perspective can confuse the purpose of restricting ordinances because if that bishop’s office meeting is only about how to pay for sin then the focus goes to how the transgressor will pay for the sin.