- Jul 10, 2007
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Is a church really a church without an altar? I think not. What say you?
I've read it's both. It's physically present building that one enters and worships God and it's also His Body.Antimension.
And the Church is the body of Christ, not the building.
Yes, what choirfiend said. See, the important part is that a church isn't a church without the holy of holies...without the sacredness of it. For instance, the "auditorium" which is what it's called at my sons' private Christian school, is supposedly where the school kids gather to sing praise songs. They don't even have a cross in the auditorium. Just a couple of "Born Again" banners. I know that the church affiliated with the school is on the grounds and maybe they have some type of sacred part in their church, but doubt it, seeing how it's the Church of Christ church.Yeah but....is it really the Altar, or just the fact that Communion is held with the altar? I mean....its not like the Orthodox have any perpetual adoration, or keeping the body in a little box on the altar....see what i'm saying? then again I'm not Orthodox so I'm probably blowing hot air.
Which sucks, because as opposed to Catholic churches where doors are open for several hours during the day for folks who need to pray or just be before the Lord, the Orthodox church is usually only open for those two miserable hours on a Sunday morning. Not far from my job there is a 24-hour adoration chapel - what a blessing if you need a quiet place to pray.We do have reserved communion in a box on the altar. It's not actively worshiped like Eucharistic Adoration, but is there in order to take it to someone who is sick in an emergency. It's typically replaced once a year if it is not used up.
Which sucks, because as opposed to Catholic churches where doors are open for several hours during the day for folks who need to pray or just be before the Lord, the Orthodox church is usually only open for those two miserable hours on a Sunday morning. Not far from my job there is a 24-hour adoration chapel - what a blessing if you need a quiet place to pray.
I agree and glad I'm not the only one feeling this way. In NYC, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral on E. 74th is always open for quiet prayer until 2:00 pm daily. But it's only Orthodox church in NYC I know that does this.There are a lot of things that we Orthodox Churches in America could do better; this being one, especially in the noisy and hectic environments found in sizeable cities, where finding solitude can be difficult.
It is actually the Antimension that makes the place of the gifts on the altar holy. It is said that even on an unconsecrated altar, as long as the service involving the Body and Blood is done on the Antimension, it is sacred. I was also taught that it is the antimension and its signature by the bishop who gave it to the priest that gives the priest license to perform the worship, and that without it, the service would not be valid. Also, only one Eucharist service per day can be performed on a given Antimension.
The Church building houses the Body of Christ and is set aside for that purpose, hence it is Holy and filled with Divine Grace. But the building itself is not the Church.I've read it's both. It's physically present building that one enters and worships God and it's also His Body.
Is a church really a church without an altar? I think not. What say you?
I can't think of a reason why a permanent church building would not have an altar. Is this what you are talking about? Of course there are situations especially with mission parishes, where the building is rented, so a permanent altar is not possible, but that doesn't make the community anything less.
I wasn't speaking of individuals and their faith. I was speaking of the correct set up of a Church, and therefore, those who don't have altars, I don't consider them truly churches, and I'm not talking about exceptions such as mission churches and such.This is just an outsider's opinion, but I believe any space used regularly for prayer to God is sacred in some way. I may not be especially thrilled with non-liturgical Christian forms of worship, but hey, they're trying, and therefore I don't disrespect their space. I also believe that even if particular locations in Jerusalem, or particular relics are not "really relics", by veneration and the love of the faithful, they become blessed.