Lastly, the Orthodox Church has altars instead of Communion Tables because they believe that in the consecration, they are offering a sacrifice. It is an offering of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross represented in the bread and wine.
The Altar is the focal point of an Anglican church. They have an altar because they use a liturgical pattern of worship, and because they believe that in the consecration, they are offering a sacrifice. It is an offering of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross represented in the bread and wine. The altar is at the east end of the church, and it holds all the items for Holy Communion. The bread and wine are usually consecrated at the altar. The Lectern is a stand for the bible. The lessons and readings are read from it. In some churches it is made from brass in the shape of an eagle.
From what I have found out, we can see that the Orthodox Churches use the idea that priests can help you to get to heaven, as they are allowed behind the iconostasis and the congregation are not. Also, the Orthodox Churches honour icons (not worship), whereas the Anglican Church does not. The Anglican Church on the other hand, uses the bible a lot in the lessons and then explains it in the sermon. So, they have seats or pews, whereas the Orthodox Churches do not. So, even though they both follow a liturgical pattern of worship, they do differ quite a lot, and the Anglican Church includes more of the Word of God. I conclude by saying that the lay-out of a church depends on how that denomination worships. How they worship, depends on what they believe.
(571 words)
Part B
Explain why the worship you have described is important for Christians. In your answer you should explain the reasons for the differences between the denominations you have highlighted.
Worship is important for all Christians, whatever denomination they are from. But, why is it so important, and why do different denominations worship in different ways, making certain things more important than others within their worship?
First of all, I want to point out that worship is not just going to church, it can just be praying on your own in your own home.
There are many reasons why worship is important for all Christian denominations. In worshipping God, Christians get the chance to acknowledge Him as their creator, saviour, Messiah, and as their Father. When Christians worship, they are a community coming together for teaching and encouragement about God. So, in this worship unites a community. It also helps people to know how to live their lives and gives them hope when things are not going very well for them. For all Christians, worship can also be the chance to celebrate the sacraments, whether they are only baptism and the Eucharist (like the Protestant Churches of the Reformation), or all seven sacraments (like the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches). A sacrament can be defined as “an outward sign of inward grace or blessing”. So, the sacraments are very important to all Christians.
The Orthodox Churches came into existence in 1054, when a group of Eastern bishops split from the Catholic Church. So, they are reasonably similar to the Catholic Church in the way they worship. They only celebrate mass; they don’t have any services without Holy Communion. They consider the altar and Holy Communion to be very important. However, they also think the iconostasis to be important and priests very special. Whereas, the Anglican Church started in 1534: after the reformation. It is a mix between the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches. This is shown by the fact that although they consider the altar to be the focal point of the church, and Holy Communion the main part of the service, they do not make the lectern, pulpit, readings and sermon quite as insignificant as the Orthodox Churches do. In the Orthodox Churches, they honour (not worship) icons. This is why they have the iconostasis and other icons in the church, whereas in the Anglican Church, they don’t have any icons. In the Orthodox Churches, they have the Lesser Entrance, when the gospel is read while going from the doors in one side of the iconostasis to the other. In the Anglican Church however, they take the book of the gospel from the altar to the lectern or wherever it is being read and read it while they are stationary, then take it back to the altar.
There is one main doctrinal difference between the Anglican Church and the Orthodox Churches; it is also one of the main reasons why the Eastern bishops who started the Orthodox Churches split from the Catholic Church in 1054. It is the idea of “filioque” in the Nicene Creed. “Filioque” means “and from the Son. It is from the phrase “…and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son…”. The Orthodox Churches believe that this makes the Son too superior and the Holy Spirit too inferior. They believe the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal, but the father sent them to represent him in the world.
(548 words)
Part C
It would be better for Christianity if the money spent on building special places of worship was spent on alleviating poverty instead.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered more than one point of view.
“It would be better for Christianity if the money spent on building special places of worship was spent on alleviating poverty instead.” Many people, particularly non-Christians, may consider this statement to be true, but would it really be better for Christianity if they spent the money they used on their places of worship on alleviating poverty instead? I am going to give both points of view on this statement, then say what someone from the Orthodox Churches and Anglican Church would say. Then I am going to conclude by giving my point of view on the subject, having considered both sides of the argument.
The main points supporting this statement are, firstly as I said in part B, worship is not just going to church, you can worship God in your own home, through prayer. So, if you can worship God in your own home, why do you need a special place of worship anyway? Secondly, some churches are very plain, like a Methodist church, and they still worship God as “successfully” as people with expensive elegant places of worship do. Thirdly, there are some churches, which are old factories or warehouses and some which are used for other things during the week, and they still have people worshipping God in them every week, so you don’t really need to build something especially as a church. Lastly, in the bible, when the rich man wants to follow Jesus, Jesus tells him to give all his possessions to the poor and follow Him. So, maybe instead of using the money itself, the Church should give it to the poor and have faith in God and follow Him.
The main points against this statement are, firstly, Christians believe that in building a place of worship specially for worshipping God and with elegant designs that are expensive, they are showing honour and respect for God. Secondly, some Christians feel special places of worship have a particular atmosphere in them. Thirdly, a church can be a place to get away from the stress of daily life and be alone and quiet with God. Lastly, even if the Church did give money to the poor, some people may just use it for alcohol and drugs, rather than using it to sort out their lives and even the lives of their families.
From what I have seen, I think someone from the Orthodox Churches would probably be against this statement, because they have the very richly decorated iconostasis. I think the Anglican Church probably has mixed views, as it is a mix between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches.
My personal view mainly supports this statement. I think it is a good idea, but I think there should be some special places of worship but they just shouldn’t be richly decorated.
(466 words)
(1585 words)