Is a Temple still a church?
By natnickeep
@natnickeep (2336)
United States
December 21, 2009 12:48pm CST
I ask this question because I was doing a page on the most beautiful churches. I am not religious myself but I found some temples also and was just wondering if these were considered churches also.
I asked this question on yahoo answers and kind of got some mixed answers. Only one person said any religious worship place can be considered a church. The others were set that a church had to be a certain something else and one person even said the only temple of God is yourself, your own body. Please tell me what you think.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
21 Dec 09
Different religions call their places of worship different things. Muslims call theirs the "Mosque" for instance. Buddhists and Jews tend to refer to theirs as a temple. If you're looking at only Christian churches and temples, then there's really no set in stone difference between the two. I tend to think of a temple as a quieter and more holy place, while I think of a church as a community.
@natnickeep (2336)
• United States
21 Dec 09
Like the temples in China, can they be considered churches?
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
22 Dec 09
"Church" is actually a Christian coined term. Church usually refers to a Christian place of worship. I wouldn't consider a temple in China a "church" per se, but it is a place of worship if you wanted to broaden your research to temples, churches, and places of worship.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Here is my opinion on this matter. I think that a temple is a church because the definition that I've always believed is that a church is a place of worship. And, there are people that believe in God that do attend Temples. The first example of this that I can think of is the Mormon faith. I have a very good friend that is Mormon and she always talks about going to temple. So, I think if you chose to include temples in your list of the most beautiful churches there is nothing wrong with it.
@natnickeep (2336)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Thanks. I am still working on it. I will be including the temples too. Because some of them are so beautiful.
@mynameiscindere (582)
• India
21 Dec 09
I don't find any difference with the temple, church or mosque.
All the places were meant for worship.
Any they all believe that, their god is there.
As I'm a hindu, to me, I consider church and mosque as temples.
@nautilus33 (1827)
•
21 Dec 09
Well, a good question and I think I can't answer it. But as it calls temple then it is not a church! You should ask some priest!
@natnickeep (2336)
• United States
21 Dec 09
So what is the actual definition of a church?
There are actually like 14 different definitions at dictionary.com lol. Most of them have to do with the Christian religion. So would it still be okay to list these on a lens which is like a webpage about churches?
@Phadagour (149)
• India
21 Dec 09
A church is a place where people are gathered to receive teachings.
A temple, on the other hand, refers to the holly place where God dwells. Regardless of its location or its appearance, whether a hut or a palace or a persons body, any place God dwells can be called the temple. If God is in a person's heart, that person is called the temple. That is why Jesus was the temple of God.
reference: http://healingallnations.shinchonji.kr/lang/en/archives/61
@natnickeep (2336)
• United States
21 Dec 09
Yes I have heard similar to this. I am not all that religious. The lens I am making is actually about the architecture of churches. They have some of the most amazing and beautiful buildings ever.
