English 1101
Rough Draft Comparison Assay
Church Personality’s

Church Personality’s

Looking at different Christian religions is like looking at different people. All are different but internally the same. Each religion seems to have a different personality. I have attended both Catholic and Lutheran churches and see many differences such as the buildings, interior, church service styles, and even bulletins.
In comparison the St Joseph Catholic Church in Ada,MN is more bland on the outside but more colorful on the inside because of the stained glass windows. With the sun shining in brightly through the stained glass this can be a beautiful sight with all the different colors glistening off the interior walls. The Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hendrum, MN does not have any stained glass windows for me to compare them too. The windows there are just the plain jane glass windows. Also in the Catholic Church the inside is constructed with beautiful wood work on the walls and ceiling. Immanuel has beautiful ceilings with magnificent wood work also. In the St Joseph Catholic church I went to in Ada, MN it had a magnificently carved crucifix behind the altar. But at Immanuel it is a plain large cross made with a very heavy looking wood that makes it very attractive. In contrast Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hendrum, MN is more attractive on the outside with a nice high steeple. At St Joseph they don’t have that church look high steeple. Immanuel has a more welcoming look on the outside with a big nice church sign and times for worship and Sunday school. The Catholic Church does not have anything that I would call inviting on the outside. The Lutheran Church has more candles lit on the interior and more colors of fabric on the altar plus flowers on the altar, which the Catholic Church did not. The Catholic Church just had a white cloth on their altar. The Lutheran church is more attractive to me on the inside and outside the Catholic Church just seems too sterile to me.
Also to me the pews have a lot to say about a church. In the Catholic Church they did not have any pew cushions they were very uncomfortable. They also sat to close to the floor. For example the pews are so short that the song books have to sit horizontally in the pew song book holder. The pews being short is understandable with all the kneeling and standing but I feel sorry for the elderly, because there was not any cushions on the floor for their knees. I would not want them to have to change religions just because of their knees. On the other hand the Lutheran church has pew cushions that are velvety soft and feel luxurious to the touch. And at communion is the only time that you get on your knees and that is at the altar and there are velvety soft knee cushions also. The song books are kept vertically in the pew holder because they are taller then the catholic pews.

In comparison to the church services, I was lost in the Catholic Church. Because I was raised southern Baptist turned Lutheran. I did not know how to follow the Catholic Church service. I would have needed to be raised a catholic or schooled in catechism to know how to participate.

In particular I did notice something strangely different, the offering plates were kept on the floor in front of the altar. Also they were wicker. The Lutheran church offering plates are brass and shiny and are kept on top of the altar. I like to hear the jingle of the change on the brass when change is put in the plate by the small children. I think they enjoy hearing that for some reason too.

Similarly the bulletins are the same they are given to you when you enter the church by the ushers. In each church they have all the activities of the church. Also anything that needs special attention from the congregation. I like the bulletins because they are very informative about activities also in the community. The one thing that stands out though is the direction of the church service in the Lutheran Bulletin at less it tells you what to say and when to say it. For instance, in the Catholic bulletin there is know information about what is going to happen during church service. This is where being raised catholic or catechism would really come in handy.

Not only are the two religions alike and different. It is the way you look at them, feel about them and relate to the religion. Just like in a personality you may like one and not the other it is all in personal choice. The Christian religions all have about the same purpose. It’s about which one is the most inviting ,comfortable, and also supports you morals and valves that you have in your individual life.