Church Feature : The Altar Essay

Since time immemorial, altars have been an integral part of human life. It is because human beings have always had a deep desire to pay homage to a higher power that they consider their God. Whether one calls this higher power God, Buddha or Allah, people will always have altars to pray, worship and venerate them.
An altar is any structure built for religious purposes of offering sacrifices and worship to a higher power or a God. They are usually located in shrines and places designated for worship like temples and churches. The design of an altar vary with every religion and many considerations is taken on the materials used to build it and the things put as they always depict high respect and devotion to the Deity being worshipped.
In Hinduism, altars are usually placed in shrines built for each god and goddess. The altars in temples are usually larger than those found in houses and shops. Normally, they will contain pictures of a specific god that is being worshipped, a puja tray, which holds the offerings and ritual items like oil lamps and flowers. A vahana or a god vehicle is placed outside the shrine. It will good to note that most Hindu gods will always be put in pairs, with the exception of a few as Ganesh, as each has his own consort. Shrines are made of wood and tiled floors. All this is done to show the high esteem Hindu devotees have for their gods.
A butsudan is an altar used in Buddhism, it can be placed in a temple or the house and its content will differ depending on the Buddhist sect using it for worship. Items that will always be present on a Buddhist altar are. A religious statue of Buddha, a mandala scroll and butsugu which are subsidiary religious instruments of worship, which include candles, incense burners and a basket containing offerings like fruits. The Buddha statues depict Him showing various emotions and each has a special significance to the worshippers. A smiling Buddha is believed to evoke happiness as it reminds worshippers that laughter is an important aspect of a healthy life, while a meditating Buddha helps strength worshippers in troubled times and time of deep meditation.
A few Christian religions have altars. The few exceptions are the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christianity and Anglicanism. Most of these altars are mostly located in public places of worship and are used for private worship. It is the reason they are known as devotional altars. Christian altars lack most items found on Hindu and Buddhist altars, this is because they are centered on spiritual figure like Christ, a saint like St. Francis of Assisi or the Virgin Mary. These are usually notable individuals who had a major influence on the beliefs of the people who subscribe to these religions. For instance, the Virgin Mary will evoke a feeling of love and motherly care. Having her curving on the altar will provoke people to think of her attributes of care especially to children. Side altars are also present, but these are unique as they are usually dedicated to notable individuals as St. Francis and other saints. The Hebrew bible also takes note of the importance of altars. It those times altars, also known as Mizbe’ah, were built of earth. They were usually used for burnt offering and to offer sacrifice to Yahweh.
Rice is common food to many, but to the Shinto, it is a sacred object used for rituals. Rice, salt and water are the three elements that are universally found on all Shinto altars. It is so because they are the main ingredients used to make sake, a sacred drink that is drunk after the harai, a purification ceremony. The altar is usually marked out using green bamboo branches on the four corners of the altar and sacred ropes known as shimenawa. The center of Shinto worship is usually a large sakaki erected on the middle of the himorogi. It is the focus of worship as it contains hei that are sacred emblems that represent the existence of kami the Shinto Supreme Being.
In Taoism, altars are made to honor ancient deities and deceased relatives. A Taoist altar is a mountain, square in shape with three to nine stairs. Altars in homes have incense burners used to represent a mountain. The fuel on the burners is usually a mixture of aromatic herbs and wax that produce smoke and flame when burnt. The smoke and flames are used in purification and fumigation rituals. Taoist liturgy consists of two ritual places, the pure chamber and the altar. The pure chamber is where meditations, prayers and fasts are carried out while offerings and sacrifices are done on the altar. Strict traditions govern the items brought for offering and the rituals performed on Taoist altars, though these traditions are not so much adhered to in household altars. The high priest is the only person allowed to get to the pure place. Images of gods are placed on top of the incense burners as this is believed to be the summit of the mountain. The noblest of goods are placed on the north side of the altar with the rest on the west and east sides of the altar, local community patron saints and lower spirits occupy the southern side. Together this different positions form a sacred enclosure where the high priest carries out rituals. Rituals will involve baibai, this is an act of bowing toward the altar with one to three sticks on incense on one hand. The ritual to be performed will be determined by the lunar or the sun calendar, the sacrifice to be offered will also be determined by the festival that is being celebrated at a specific time. The main festivals include Qingming and Ghost festivals. Sacrifices may include slaughtered pigs, ducks and fruits, however, vegetarian sacrifices are offered in orthodox Daoist practices.
Neo-druidism is a modern religion that ascribe to the worship of nature and respect for all being. These are neo-pagan religions arising from the romanticist movement in Britain. Neo-druidism use altars erected in groves. In their worship rituals, druids have a fire lit on the altar and will use objects like staves and chalices as items of worship. Plant offering is mostly presented it invoke harmony with nature. There is no set dogma or set of beliefs that all druids follow. It is because most druids follow rituals from other religions and sects. It is also because Druids do not have a central authority or religious text, to guide the group’s rituals and worship.
In the modern contemporary world, altars are still part and parcel of people’s lives. They have varied designs but still maintain tradition spiritual importance to the individuals that have them. Modern designs take many considerations to safety, space and internal designs of modern houses. A modern altar will be covered with a Wiccan style altar cloth, to prevent damage of the altar surface from candle wax and incense ash and may be placed in a separate room for safety and privacy.
Altars will always remain an important part of people’s lives. It is because they provide a haven to have a peaceful time of meditation and reflection. They also help people connect to the spiritual, an important element in life, as it has been noted that a vibrant spiritual life leads to a healthy, successful and progressive life.