Religion and the Church Bench

A church bench is a long seat intended for seating the members of a congregation in a house of worship. Usually associated with Christian based congregations, pews were non-existent during the medieval times. Gradually evolving, religions and their houses of worship changed through time. Churches were not usually furnished with pews until the dawn of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. The church bench or pew became a necessity in churches when the sermon became the central act of the Christian worship.

During the times when the church bench was non-existent, many religious services were held standing. During the medieval times, the central feature of houses of worship was the huge domes on top of the structure intended to influence humility among the congregation. It symbolized the immenseness of heaven and the kingdom of God. Architects of the time followed a centralized plan and based their designs shapes like domes, polygonal and squares.

Church benches gradually came into existence from the 1600s to the 1800s. The medieval times were over and man’s ideas were in bloom. The renaissance brought forth changes unthinkable during the dark ages. Social structure became more evident and church benches were even used to distinguish people belonging to various social strata. This is the time when the sermon became the central idea of worship.

A common church bench is made of hard wood. In a house of worship, they are arranged in rows facing the altar. A walkway is usually set between rows as to give the congregation easy access to the altar during certain parts of the worship. These walkways are also intended for processions and usually the central path way has the widest width. Some churches offer benches with cushions with footrests while others who are fundamentally ascetic offers simple church benches with no cushions or even footrests – the congregation kneel on the floor. In some churches, pews are attached to the floor. On most Catholic houses of worship, the pews can be rearranged.

In houses of worship were it is a tradition for the congregation to kneel during certain prayers, each church bench is equipped with a kneeler so that the worshipers can kneel on them instead of on the floor. The kneelers run as long as the pews and are located at the back of each one. They are about half a foot wide and elevated a quarter of a foot high.

The course of man’s search for God has led to the emergence of countless religions. As man evolved, so did most religions and as society becomes complex, so are these ideologies. The church bench is a manifestation of this progress. It showed man’s capacity for change and how dynamic society is. From standing congregations being held in awe by big domes, to sitting worshippers listening intently on sermons, the future holds a lot for the various religions that emerged and will still emerge. The church bench, same as any other furniture, will progress through time, as man’s needs progresses. 

Discounted Church Benches Can Be Found Here!