The Atmosphere of Friendship and Sociability of Christianity - Essay Example

Introduction I was told about the atmosphere of friendship and sociability as well as reverence of a church d “The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints” by my neighbor who regularly visits that church. The church seemed good to study as it had no issue giving the interview or letting outsiders take pictures and videos of the church, but they have to be informed beforehand. This made it easy for me to collect as much information as I could in regard to the Sunday worship practice at Mormon Church. I visited the church in advance at 9:30 am on Sunday 6th April 2014 to closely observe the setting of the worship room and to greet the bishop and the member of the congregation. The attendees were of diverse nature, there were mothers, fathers, children, and people from every walk of life. I talked to a couple of people from the attendees and asked about their experience there and why they came to LDC Church for their Sunday worship. They told me that were very happy with what their children learn at LDC Church, the atmosphere was such that it remained inside one for days after the worship services. Location and Affiliation: The church has three chapels and an Institute of Religion building in Visalia. The chapel I went to was located at 650 North Lovers Lane, 4000 W. The geographic boundaries are maintained in a way that keeps the congregations at a capacity that allows for familiarity and community. People from all walks of life were present there, who had come to attain salvation and love of God. Social Context: There were people from all ages and classes, but since the neighborhood constituted of a majority upper middle class so the congregation consisted of people possessing the characteristic of elite class. They were well dressed and came to the church in good luxury cars. Moreover, they were well educated as their action reflected that they were highly mannered people. The men had come in black suits and the women were in long skirts and in somewhat conservative clothing. A couple of families I talked to, Mr. Smith’s family lived in nearby house at the west and Mr. William’s family lived right next to Mr. Smith’s family. Mr. Smith told me that he works as a communication head at Unilever and Mr. William owned his own small coffee shop on the 17th East Street. The congregation was dominated by whites, but black people were also present which conveyed that the Mormon Church constituted diversity. Material Dimension: The congregations take place in the meetinghouse; the meetinghouse is a very lively place with white walls and large glass windows that let in the sunlight and fills the room with liveliness. The entire setting of the meetinghouse reflects the tone of the congregational proceedings that constitute dignity, and humbleness. The sacrament room has rows running on one side for the members and on the other side there are rows for the bishop and clergy and other associated people. The hallways are adorned with the pictures of Christ which reflect simplicity and functionality. It was learned from the bishop that the meetinghouse is used for other purposes as well like, emergency shelter, housing basketball tournaments in the gym, and the teaching of youth scripture. Ritual/Practical: The sacrament meeting is led by bishop who wears a suit just like every other man at the church. The bishop stands at the podium and hosts the entire congregation. After the congregational announcement takes place the meeting is commenced with a hymn. The hymn is not of any one particular group but it includes hymns both, those familiar with Christian era and ones pertaining to Latter day Saint history, ideology, and practice. The hymn sung by the choir was "Faith in Every Footstep”, a song written in regard to the completion of 150 years of Mormon faith. After the hymn an opening prayer is offered by a member of congregation. When the prayer ends the role of the entire congregational members is to say “Amen”. The duration of the entire meeting is of seventy minutes, the former part takes about 15 minutes after which the centre focus of the meeting commences. This central focus of the worship service at Mormon Church is the partaking of the ordinance of sacrament which in many faiths is referred to as holy supper. In this practice members keep sitting in their seats and the trays of pieces of bread are passed to them. Each member takes one piece and passes the tray to the others. The entire course of action takes place in minimal noise as the people recognize and remember the sacrifice of their savior Jesus Christ. After the administration of sacrament the sermon takes place which is delivered by the members of the congregation. The contribution to the sermon allows someone to offer the best of what they feel. According to the bishop the lord directs these members to share. The members who come up to speak are usually assigned a week or two before the meeting. The duration of the sermon is of 10-25 minutes per each member. Following it comes the ending part of the meeting which is then concluded by a final hymn and a prayer. When the prayer is offered people normally fold their hands and look down in respect. Usually a choir is selected from the members to sing the hymn. The music of hymn was inspiring and it stimulated feelings of love and friendship among the members. Experiential/Emotional Throughout the congregation there is flow of several emotions from every member. People meet and greet each other when they enter the church. There are families who share a deep bond of love with each other and who had come with their sons and daughters to share the teachings of Jesus Christ passed onto them by generations. When the prayers are offered there is a silence in the chapel, people fold their hands and lower their heads together to seek the forgiveness of God. Doctrinal/Philosophical: The doctrine of Mormonism was emphasized at the church, however those who were not a part of Mormon were also allowed for the Mormon worship service. In the worship service the principles of Gospel Jesus were delivered which taught how to live a life selflessly. The Latter day Saints just like the Christians believe the Jesus Christ is the Son of God and a Savior of all the mankind. And convey this message to the congregation members every Sunday in their communal meeting. Storyline: The Mormons believe that the existence of Jesus Christ on earth was to organize his church to convey his teachings to the people through gospel so that they peacefully return to live with the God. When Jesus went to heavens then his work was carried out by his Apostles who got revelations from him and were in charge of carrying them forward. But with the death of his Apostles his teachings were tampered while there were some with who they remained. In 1820, the Prophet Joseph Smith brought back the church to its fullness. And the church established grew. It had the same teachings as were maintained by the Church founded by Jesus in New Testament times. The church teaches to the people some of the basic beliefs like the belief on God and Jesus Christ as his Son. It teaches to them that they shall have to return back to their God one day. The Gospel principle teaches forgiveness, baptism, and the blessings of the Holy Ghost. It conveys the sacred purpose of life, and proposes a way to come closer to God by helping other. Conclusion: LDC Church experience was very unique and lively. When I learnt that the duration of the worship service was seventy minute long I thought it would be too long but sitting there with such happy and humble people gave me a break from the worldly affairs and instilled in me harmony and serenity. Each of the proceedings of the congregation was practical and educational. However, some of the beliefs of Mormon conflicted with the beliefs of Christianity but their core belief is the same that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They also believe that Bible is the word of God. Also some of the rituals and practices of the Mormons were similar to the commonly performed rituals by all the Christians like singing, praying and listening to the sermons. During my visit I hardly found any difference between the LDC Church and the other churches. The main aim of any religion is spreading love between mankind and directing them to struggle for the hereafter and so was delivered by the LDC Church. Works Cited "What to Expect at Church Services." www.mormonnewsroom.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . "What is Mormonism?." What is Mormonism?. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . "Place of Worship: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register. N.p., 10 May 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . "What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?." mormon.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . "Christian Rituals & Practices." Christian Rituals and Practices. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. Read More