I wonder why you think its an idiotic question?
Perhaps ‘idiotic’ is a pretty strong. It certainly came out of left field, though. I thought, when I first read it, that it was like asking what the theological meaning was behind red tile roofs on Spanish missions.
On one hand, it’s good to think outside the box, and consider things others might miss. On the other, I’m left wondering where the box was that the question was ‘thinking out of.’
Personally, I don’t actually have a problem with the question. It made me go look something up, and learn something. I’m always up for that. The problem I have is that you have a problem accepting the simple truth as an answer. I am left with a question of my own: what earthly purpose do you think we would have in pretending that there was no theological reason for such a design (especially since that design is not universal) if there was? There would be no shame in it, y’know, any more than there is shame in acknowledging the theological symbolism behind many of the structural elements of our Temples.
I included pictures so you could see that the worship area of what seems to be the majority of local Mormon Churches. Apparently they take after the Mormon Tabernacle and they are windowless in their worship spaces.
Which Tabernacle? I mean, if you are talking about the one on Temple Square, ITS design is so unique that it is world famous for it’s design, building and acoustic properties…and it is surrounded by windows, being almost completely open. It is held up by pillars, surrounded by windowed doors, surmounted by a domed roof that was, quite literally, held together with wooden pegs and rawhide.
The other two 'tabernacles" (large meeting halls…have NO idea why people stuck the name 'tabernacle on them) are also full of windows; one of them was built by a man whose only building experience was in ships; he literally built it as a huge ship’s hull, upside down.
Then there is the one in Montpelier, Idaho (my favorite, because when I was little I loved to roll down the steep lawn slopes) Please notice all the windows.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3174999331_47e72a6f34.jpg?v=0
When I visited my friend’s LDS Church, somethings seemed odd and different to me, and when I saw the picture in some official LDS literature of a similar local LDS church that also had no windows in the area of worship, I realized that was part of what seemed so odd. Because its really, really different. Its unique to Mormon Churches. I don’t think its idiotic to wonder why.
OK, I guess it’s that 'unique to Mormon churches" that is the first problem. It’s not. I did a google image search, simply “church interiors” and found five pictures of church interiors that did not include windows, within the first three pages—and not one of those pictures belonged to Mormons.
What they DID have in common, however, was the size of the facility. Small churches, or churches that devoted the whole of their building to the ‘worship area’ (the meeting hall) had windows in the hall.
Those which had classroom and other meeting rooms often did not. I had to do some errand running today, and just for kicks I looked at the different churches to see if we were really all that different…
Nope. Beth Knesset Bamibar is a lively little synagogue–lots of meeting rooms, no windows. The Greek Orthodox church here (the “Greeks” here pretty much run the town; if there is such a thing as high desert royalty, the greek families are it…) is magnificent. They have two ‘worship areas,’ One has a lovely big window—but the other one does not. It has a mural, instead. Our local Catholic church–doesn’t. No window. Or rather, there is a round stained glass window above the door when you walk in, but you can’t see it from the chapel area at all.
Lessee…there is a very large Baptist complex here, the home of the 'Western Baptist University" …again, it is a huge complex. The worship area has no big windows. It has celestory windows along the top, but they aren’t all that obvious. Hmnnn…“The Vineyard” (don’t quite know what denomination that one is, actually) is one of the supermarket rehabs. Now you’d think IT would have a bunch of windows, and it does—but when you walk inside you see that the windowed area is set aside for offices and classrooms, and the large meeting hall, toward the back?
Not a single window except in the one door that leads to the back parking lot–very much the way we have glass doors from our chapels leading to the outside directly. Building codes.
(I had tried to find an image of a local LDS church interior on the official LDS site, but on the official site there are no pictures of church interiors at all. And church interior walls are missing from pictures like this one where you would otherwise be able to see. So I searched Google Images to show what I meant).
I suppose if you have been to mostly only Mormon Churches, and been all your life, that is what seems normal to you. But if you have attended and visited many, many other churches in your life and NEVER seen ANYTHING like this EXCEPT in the Mormon church, you’d wonder why too. The only closest thing I have ever seen is pictures of the Kingdom Hall exteriors, so I included those. Kingdom Hall exteriors always seemed odd to me, but if you are Jehovah’s Witnesses its common knowledge why this is so for the architecture. So since it was so unusual, I asked. I don’t see why its idiotic to ask.
It’s not idiotic to ask. Never think that. What DOES seem problematic is the fact that you already formulated an answer, and don’t seem to want to accept the far less exciting truth about it…that there is no theological reason for our building designs. I’t’s purely functional and practical, not doctrinal.
Sorry.
By the way, on the church website you WILL find many examples of, well…
stained glass windows ,
Oh…here’s a stained glass window in Brigham City, Utah…
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/412617797_bed744a928.jpg
_
). There is frequently Sunday School for children and young adults, and a Youth Group, but nothing for those of us 21+. I guess it depends on the parish and how large it is.
