Church buildings and Pagan temples

Today, churches are built in many shapes and sizes, according to the congregation's wealth and desires, and influenced by locally available materials, climate, nature, and in particular, local culture; see for example the reflection of Norse mythology in Iceland's churches.

Way back in Early Christendom, worshippers used whatever place was suitable and available; an existing temple, a hillside, river bank, or even somebody's home. The Early Church was dynamic and lively; the actual building design and architecture was unimportant. But like many other things in life, man's urge to enhance and improve things led to more elaborate, 'holy' structures.

Drawing on his knowledge and experience with Pagan worship, it would feel natural for a church building to have a sacred altar on which to place sacrifices.

And even though teaching and believing that 'God is all around us', from the early days it must have felt necessary and natural to have a central focal point to which everyone would turn and bow. For everyone to show reverence to this focal point would in itself, be a way for the congregation to pool and synergise their worship. The focal point would be either to the east even though west points to the same place on a globe; or elevated, believing that Heaven was up there, somewhere.

The point is...

Where is Heaven?

Isn't it strange that Church spires around the world point upwards? Is Heaven really up there?

And if so, where exactly?

😄

A couple had two little boys, aged 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be assured that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were involved in some way.

At their wits end, the parents sent the boys to the vicar for 'guidance'.

The clergyman asked to see the boys individually and the 8-year-old went in first. The vicar sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is Heaven?" The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is Heaven?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer, so the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face, "WHERE IS HEAVEN?" At that the boy bolted from the room, ran directly home and hid in the closet.

His older brother followed him into the closet and said, "What happened?"

The younger replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time. Heaven is missing and they think we did it!"

The point is, a church spire in the northern hemisphere points in a different direction to a church spire in the southern hemisphere. And a church spire on the equator just whizzes 360 degrees at over 1,660 kilometres per hour with the earth's rotation every day. 

The symbolism reflects the Pagan belief that Heaven is physically up there where it's light. Once again we find Christians following the ancients by looking up at the Sun god, even though they know that Heaven is in a completely different dimension.

The Early Church was not so wealthy, neither were Christians. The disciples were fishermen, artisans and peasants; not wealthy princes. Even if they wanted to build churches of their own design, there was no money for such a luxury. Therefore existing buildings were adapted.

When it was possible to build a new church, the design was usually in the form of an oblong, a cross or elliptical, like a ship or fish. It was hardly ever circular, since that was the shape favoured by heathen religions. Nevertheless, the need for a special place for worship was recognised and the design, with some differences, was the osmosis of Pagan structures.

Those same basic layouts, well-intentioned though spiritually baseless, remain today.

See other Pagan items adopted by Christianity.

And finally...