Preferred Seating in a Church?

[peary]

I understand your need for cushions etc. But for your average teen to person in their 30s and 40s you dont need a cushion. For those people who need something bring a seat cushion, or ask the priest if you can keep some in a closet in the Church.

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING!!
BRING YOUR OWN?
WITH A CHURCH MEMBERSHIP OF 5,000 FAMILIES?
HOW MANY CLOSETS DO YOU THINK THE CHURCH HAS?

At my church people who need them bring cushions. I have gone to churches where if you need one they have cushions in the closet specifically for people who cannot sit on a hard pew for an hour and a half.

I am not trying to be uncharitable, I’m sorry if I am coming off that way. I just am tired of things like what happened at my old parish. Where people like my dad were thrilled with the cushioned pews and promptly fell asleep thanks to the added comfert.

MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE DRANK MORE COFFEE.

For your average parishioner padding on the pews does nothing to help your worship exprience, it in fact is a hindrence.

YOUR OPINION, CERTAINLY NOT THE OPINION OF THE AVERAGE SENIOR. AND WHO DO YOU THINK KEEPS THE PARISH GOING WITH THEIR WEEKLY DONATIONS? BELIEVE ME, NOT THE AVERAGE FAMILY OF FOUR!

Again I am sorry if I sounded harsh or uncharitable. I was just speaking out of frustration.
But, I think you could agree with me that installing cushions on the pews just because some people want to be more comfertable is dumb, if they can stand an hour on a pew. But it is a different story when someone needs it lest they be in horrible pain.

NO AGREEMENT. AND IT ISN’T ‘DUMB’!

 

[Sr_Sally]

I like the unpadded pews because it is easier to slide over to accomodate another person. Pews in general allow for better seating than individual chairs since you can spread out of scrunch up as needed.

Currently our parish has padded pews (probably filthy as Puzzleannie said, but we actually don’t get too many cherrio bags and juice cups) and padded kneelers. We do have a slight incline to the floor so those in the back rows can still see the altar.

The Lutheran church we came from had individual, no arm chairs that hooked together so they were similar to pews, but the arrangement could be varied. We did scrunch together sometimes for Easter services, but mostly it was one person per chair. When the church renovations at one point threatened to take out about 20 seats from the sanctuary, people pitched a fit.

 

[zagjames]

All I know is that until 500 or so years ago(depending on where you were in Europe) there were no seating in Churches. People lived having to stand for the whole Mass. I am sorry if I seem harsh, but your average teen, twenty something and thirty something can stand for this whole time. Average, some cannot, and I recognize that. Pews are fine, I wouldnt care if we got rid of them, but it is not a problem to have them. If you need padding bring it, but from my exprience churches with hard pews seem to have more attentive faithful. (I have been in 5 parishes in my life, and I move around from Parish to Parish because I like to find out what the other parishes are like in my area). Church is not supposed to be a time time for relaxing in comfort before God it is about worshiping Him the best way we can.

So for people who can handle the hard pews with at most minor discomfert, then they are best. For people who would be in pain padding is needed. I get that, having pads to throw on the pews for those who need them, allows for both to worship God without distraction.

I’m not trying to say you should have to sit there in excrutiating pain. But we should not bad every pew only to have the congregation excessivly comfertable. That is why it is best to have cushinons for people who need them, and just the pew for those who dont need it.

And of course, there are many obese teenagers and people of all ages that I think would be in pain if they had to stand–please don’t say, “Well, they should just lose weight!” Easier said than done.

I am definetly in that overweight crowd and I have survived Masses where I have stood the whole time. And yeah its hard to loose weight.

I’m not trying to judge, or be uncharitable, but I just think it is silly for people who are not in pain to demand padded pews. That is my only complaint. I would perfer hard pews, however, I know that for many people that is not an option because of pain. I would perfer we have cushions that can be used by people who need it. That can be a pain in bigger churches, so I understand just having padded pews. I just hate when people complain about hard pews as being uncomfy but have no pain issues. That is frustrating to me. I am sorry if I have come off as a jerk, that is not my intent.

 

[jmcrae]

All I know is that until 500 or so years ago(depending on where you were in Europe) there were no seating in Churches. People lived having to stand for the whole Mass.

They didn’t stay for the whole Mass, back in those days. Even today, in Eastern Rite churches, people wander in and out all the time; they don’t stand still. Even if they stay inside the Church, they are walking around, kissing the icons, praying, etc.

The Western concept of arriving on time, paying attention, and staying still until the end is actually a fairly recent development that coincides with the development of seating in the church. (It’s more difficult to wander out if you have to climb over everyone in your row.)

 

[peary]

**If for the past 500 years there were no pews in Europe, and people had to stand for the Mass, then the use of pews must be mostly an American thing, or a Protestant invention. After all, you couldn’t have the people stand for those long sermons! So, the question is - is the pew a protestant invention in churches?

And why did they disregard the use of kneelers??**

 

[jmcrae]

**If for the past 500 years there were no pews in Europe, and people had to stand for the Mass, then the use of pews must be mostly an American thing, or a Protestant invention. After all, you couldn’t have the people stand for those long sermons! So, the question is - is the pew a protestant invention in churches? **

I am under the impression that this idea actually started in the entertainment industry, when entertainment moved indoors into theatres and concert halls, during the Enlightenment period.

And why did they disregard the use of kneelers??

I have no idea. It does seem that kneeling for prayer is really a Catholic thing, though, doesn’t it?

 

[CB_Catholic]

I am under the impression that this idea actually started in the entertainment industry, when entertainment moved indoors into theatres and concert halls, during the Enlightenment period.

I have no idea. It does seem that kneeling for prayer is really a Catholic thing, though, doesn’t it?

No, Protestants kneel for prayer also. It’s just that many denominations do not do it in church, but the members do in their own private prayer time. Some, however do kneel in their churches, like many Lutherans or Episcopalians. My Protestant grandparents knelt for prayer at home. I once went to an AOG service where the Pastor asked the congregation to turn and face their seats and kneel down for prayer (the seats were movie-theater like seats). Most believing Protestants that I know hit their knees regularly.

 

[peary]

I am under the impression that this idea actually started in the entertainment industry, when entertainment moved indoors into theatres and concert halls, during the Enlightenment period.

I have no idea. It does seem that kneeling for prayer is really a Catholic thing, though, doesn’t it?

**Isaiah 45:23 - “to me every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall swear by God”

Why are Catholics the only ones with kneelers? Are we the only ones who take the Bible at its word? **

 

[jmcrae]

Isaiah 45:23 - "to me every knee shall bend, and every tongue shall swear by God"

Why are Catholics the only ones with kneelers? Are we the only ones who take the Bible at its word?

Well, it seems sometimes like we’re the only ones who know what it means. (Makes me think of a Dilbert cartoon from the other day.)

 

[drafdog]

I developed a method of kneeling that made the presence or absence of padding on the kneelers immaterial, so I don’t care if they have padding. My current parish has unpadded pews and no kneelers and I’m fine with that. If I want to contort myself slightly and kneel after communion, I can do that (on a tile on concrete floor). Maybe in ten or twenty years I’ll want something more comfortable, but at 60 I’m still good to go with whatever is there.
My wife’s biggest complaint is that with bad knees, she has trouble maintaining balance on the sloped floor of the nave. When we go together, we end up sitting on padded chairs set along the wall at the back where the floor is flat.
Regarding the specification of church furnishings by poll: Remember that a camel is a horse designed by a committee.
Ain’t church architecture fun?

Matthew

 

[jmcrae]

I think the main trick to Church architecture is to think of what the building is going to be used for.

I have walked into so many Church buildings where it seems as though the idea of a Tabernacle, or a corner for prayer candles and icons/statues, or the idea of kneeling to pray during Mass, seems to have caught the designers of the building completely off-guard.

 

[Martini]

I like padded individual seats with padded kneelers. Regarding the acoustics, many of the great musical halls like Carnegie Hall not only have padded seating, but they also have carpeting…

 

[peary]

I like padded individual seats with padded kneelers. Regarding the acoustics, many of the great musical halls like Carnegie Hall not only have padded seating, but they also have carpeting…

Carnegie Hall isn’t built like a church and it has always relied on a microphone system rather than natural acoustics.

 

[Martini]

Carnegie Hall isn’t built like a church and it has always relied on a microphone system rather than natural acoustics.

Actually Carnegie Hall (built in 1890) was not designed and built to make use of amplification. It’s claim to fame is its superb “natural acoustics.”

 

[peary]

Actually Carnegie Hall (built in 1890) was not designed and built to make use of amplification. It’s claim to fame is its superb “natural acoustics.”

They have used a digital system for the past twenty years, and have relied on microphones and loudspeaker systems since the 1920s. But I agree - the acoustics are superb.

 

[Martini]

They have used a digital system for the past twenty years, and have relied on microphones and loudspeaker systems since the 1920s. But I agree - the acoustics are superb.

Carnegie Hall was designed in the late 1880’s to be used without amplification (as there was no commerical high-fidelity applications at that time), yet it did have upolstery and carpet even then.

Typically an overly-bright acoustical condition is of greater concern then one that is “dead.” I know of at least one recently constucted church that had to use tapestries instead of paintings to absorb some of the sound…

 

[stashu]

How about sloping grassy hillside with a few large rocks and maybe a couple of trees for the shorter tax collectors to climb.

But seriously, as long as there is some kind of “back” to the chair or pew I am fine for anything over an hour.

 

[Martini]

I wonder if Protestants often have plusher, more ergonomic seating because their praise services last longer than the typical Mass or Divine Liturgy?