Temple/Church

[Pieter Paul Rubens]

This thread is in no way meant to go all religious or something, just a small question I'd like an answer on..

Me and a friend are having a little discussion.. He says that a church is a temple, and I say that a church and a temple are two different things..

My version:
A temple is a place for people that are part of some "club" (can't find another word) to pray and worship stuff.. A church is a place for outsiders of "religion x" to go and pay to pray..

His version:
All places where you can pray are temples. Thus a church = temple..


Now, who's right about this?

 

[ZeroNightmare]

church Audio pronunciation of "church" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (chûrch)
n.

1. A building for public, especially Christian worship.
2. often Church
1. The company of all Christians regarded as a spiritual body.
2. A specified Christian denomination: the Presbyterian Church.
3. A congregation.
3. Public divine worship in a church; a religious service: goes to church at Christmas and Easter.
4. The clerical profession; clergy.
5. Ecclesiastical power as distinguished from the secular: the separation of church and state.


tr.v. churched, church·ing, church·es

To conduct a church service for, especially to perform a religious service for (a woman after childbirth).


adj.

Of or relating to the church; ecclesiastical.


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tem-ple
pl)
n.

1. Temple
1. A building dedicated to religious ceremonies or worship.
2. Temple Either of two successive buildings in ancient Jerusalem serving as the primary center for Jewish worship.
3. Judaism. A synagogue, especially of a Reform congregation.
4. Mormon Church. A building in which the sacred ordinances are administered.
2. Something regarded as having within it a divine presence.
3. A building used for meetings by any of several fraternal orders, especially the Knights Templars.
4. A building reserved for a highly valued function: the library, a temple of learning.
5. Temple Either of two groups of buildings in London, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, that house two of the four Inns of Court and that occupy the site of the medieval Knights Templars establishment.

 

[Raeku]

I think any place of worship is a temple.

So yeah, I agree with your friend.

 

[Majin_You]

I, too, consider them to be synonymous. The only difference that really ever comes to mind is that the word "Church" seems to be used, nine times out of ten, in reference to a temple used for worship by some form of the Christian faith. Otherwise, I don't see a difference. Both are structures designed to allow people to come in and pray/meditate when they feel the need.

 

[DiebytheSword]

I'll back Majin you on this one, but there are of course exceptions. I would call my wife's body a temple, but not my church

 

[Deman]

I'd say it's dependant on the religion, mostly. Mormons got churches all over, but they've also got temples who serve a different purpose.

My personal definition of them is that churches are more for worship while temples are more for rituals, though if somebody tells me their church is a temple or vice versa I'll call it that.