In preparations for testimony meetings

I periodically question why people meet together monthly to testify what they know to be true. Ultimately, I always determine that the act itself, regardless the lens through which I currently view it, is a thing God has condoned because of his love and understanding of mankind and their tendencies.

I was considering how difficult things create strength and as a teacher of young children, I often must let them struggle to achieve a true understanding of a thing that I could simply do or tell them. But, it is through allowing them to form their own internal conclusions that character is actually built.

God could simply say a thing and we might believe it or not. Or, He could allow us to figure it out for ourselves and then share what with peers what we learned. In classes, I see how much more effective and convincing a truth is if shared by a fellow opposed to the same thing taught by a teacher or book.

Still, as a child I used to wonder a whole lot about why people ask us to regularly tell "the choir" things they already know.

This morning I read this (among other things):

it has been demonstrated that groups of participants who walk, sing, or move their arms in synchrony with each other show increased liking, trust, cooperation, and self-sacrifice than groups performing the similar behaviors but not in synchrony

Now, I need to copy and paste a thing I read years ago from the hymnal (book of religious songs which are sung together):

Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.
Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns.

Ok, those might be the actual words, but my "take away"  was that when people sing the exact thing together with others it creates unity and solidarity...God knows this and that is why we sing together weekly.

This helped to answer my question of why share what we believe with our peers.  It is a glimpse of what truths we can see reflected in our community and it also helps to unify us, much as singing in synchronicity does.