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1media/lakewood church.jpg2019-04-07T23:37:14-07:00Sam Henrickson5cd0ff97c337b26d01e84db58bdb9506b40fff7a335196Ritualsplain2019-04-20T20:55:30-07:00Sam Henrickson5cd0ff97c337b26d01e84db58bdb9506b40fff7aIn human religions, rituals include the creation of art, the congregation of people, and the actions surrounding the concept of sacred and profane. A house of worship in Christianity is an excellent example of all three.
Most commonly called a church, there are several different names for Christian houses of worship that all depend on varying factors: a chapel is a place of worship that does not have a permanent administrative district attached to it, whereas a church does. A cathedral is the seat of a bishop, an abbey is the seat of an abbess or abbott. What I am depicting here is the Christian Church, as it is often synonymous with more than the specific building.
A church is a house of worship for Christians, which is often decorated inside with paintings or sculptures depicting stories of the Bible (the Christian Holy Book) the most famous of which is the crucifixion of Christ (the prophet the religion is named for). The crucifixion of Christ is the most depicted concept in Christian art of any kind, and most churches have a crucifix as a statement piece somewhere within. The church is the place where knowledge is passed on about morality and rituals, and serves as a meeting place for Christians to congregate to, usually once a week on the Sabbath (Sunday). A church is a hub for Christianity both in etymology and in a physical sense: the word can mean either the body of the Christian people, the physical building, or the worship service that happens on the sabbath. Similarly, the physical building is a hub for outreach missions, programs for youths, public service venues, with amenities for counselling, wedding officiation, and of course the rituals of the Christian faith, such as baptisms, masses or congregations, and choirs.
The service is a set time of communion between Christians of the same denomination, usually on Sundays. Typically a service includes a sermon (lecture given by a priest, or another authority within the denomination), prayer lead by an individual and followed by the members either silently or aloud, music, and the reading of scripture: all of these actions are meant to embody the movement toward a human Ultimate Perfection.
