A guide to read · 9 sections · about 18 minutes
First Visit
How to be a good guest at your neighbor's place of worship
What to wear, what happens, and what to do with your hands at a mosque, synagogue, church, gurdwara, Hindu temple, Buddhist temple, Latter-day Saint meetinghouse and powwow.
Start readingSections
- 1. How to be a good guest anywhere Ask three questions before you go. Watch. Say thank you. That's most of it. 2 min
- 2. A mosque Shoes off, voices low, and nobody will make you pray. 2 min
- 3. A synagogue Stand when they stand. The prayer book opens from the other side. 2 min
- 4. A church Catholic or Protestant, the hardest moment is communion. Here's what to do. 2 min
- 5. A gurdwara Cover your head, sit on the floor, and stay for lunch. Everyone does. 2 min
- 6. A Hindu temple No single weekly service. Come for darshan, walk clockwise, take the prasad with your right hand. 2 min
- 7. A Buddhist temple Some have pews and hymns. Some have cushions and silence. Ask which kind first. 2 min
- 8. A Latter-day Saint meetinghouse Two hours on Sunday. Pass the tray if you'd like. Temples are a different building. 2 min
- 9. A powwow Not a show, not a costume party. Stand when they stand, and dance when you're invited. 2 min