Heavenly Wood Adds New Line of Altars

Released on = October 4, 2006, 10:09 am

Press Release Author = Kelly Bingham / Heavenly Wood

Industry = Retail

Press Release Summary = Heavenly Wood commemorates the historic and cultural legacy
of the altar in religious worship by adding a new line of hand carved, solid oak
altars.

Press Release Body = KAYSVILLE, Utah, September 2006 - Heavenly Wood is proud to
offer a new, handcrafted, red oak altar at
http://www.heavenlywood.com/1072-altar.htm. This new altar, built from northern red
oak from New York State, adds a degree of sanctity to group worship in chapels or to
an individual\'s own sacred space.

Altars have been used in religious worship since the beginning of recorded history.
For most religions altars represent the presence of the divine, and mortals striving
to connect with them. Heavenly Wood has a full selection of altars and communion
tables available at http://www.heavenlywood.com/altars.htm.

Primitive altars were built with mounds of stone topped with an offering slab. The
slabs were designed to accommodate their function; such as, recessed bowls for burnt
offerings and drains for sacrificial offerings. Some altars, like those used by
Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Romans, and Mayans, were ornately decorated with
accruements and symbols.

Originally, altars were placed outdoors in locations deemed sacred like groves and
hills. Later, they were placed in churches and temples. In these hallowed spaces
believers would offer sacrifices or devotions to their deity.

Altars were an integral part of Old Testament Hebrew worship beginning in Genesis.
Altars dedicated for offering blood atonement sacrifices or burning incense to carry
prayers to heaven, were present in the tabernacle, and the Temples of Solomon and
Herod. Although prevalent in primitive Judaism, altars are not used in contemporary
synagogue worship.

For a Buddhist, the altar is decorated with candles, incense, flowers, personal
objects and a statue of the Buddha. It is used for daily devotionals to direct one
toward wisdom and enlightenment.

Pagan, Wiccan, and Earth-based religions use altars to worship the god or goddess,
decorating the altar with ornaments and images to symbolize the four scared elements
of earth, air, fire and water.

First century Christians didn\'t use altars as part of their religious worship. After
Pagans accusations that Christianity was not a real religion because they lacked
altars, the early Christians began using the tombs of martyrs as altars for
celebrating the Mass.

Catholics eventually began building wood altars, except for a brief period in the
5th Century when only stone altars were acceptable. The altars had long, narrow
surfaces elevated on columns. These altars, tomb-shaped to represent the sacrifice
made by Jesus Christ, were used for the Eucharist.

The 2nd Century Catholic Church, citing Revelations 6:9 which mention seeing the
souls of the martyrs under the altars of God, began requiring altars be placed over
the graves of the martyrs. Thus basilicas and churches were erected over the
gravesites of martyrs with the altar placed directly over their grave. This
tradition is continued today by placing the relics of martyrs within the altars
itself.

The Protestant reformation did away with using formal altars as part of church
worship. Contemporary Protestant churches generally don\'t have ornate formal altars.
They instead use communion tables, called Tables of the Lord, which are placed in
front of the pulpit and used like an altar to administer the Lord\'s Supper.

As people continue to seek a connection with the divine then altars, in one form or
another, will always remain part of religious worship and culture. Heavenly Wood is
proud to be part of the altar legacy.

For further information, please contact Morgan Cloward, Marketing Director of
Heavenly Wood, 1-800-257-2968, info@heavenlywood.com.


Web Site = http://www.heavenlywood.com

Contact Details = Heavenly Wood
1142 West Flint Meadow Drive
Kaysville, UT 84037
801-927-3036
marketing@heavenlywood.com

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