The altar displayed in the Museum is from St. Anne Episcopal Church in West Chester, Ohio. The lamb inset represents Jesus as the sacrifice of the perfect lamb. The altar was preserved and donated to Ramesh when the church building was vacated and the congregation moved to another location.
The Bibles and prayer books on the altar have been donated to Ramesh and Christine. The age of some have not been determined, since no date is evident. There is also a chalice displayed.
The Bibles and prayer books on the altar have been donated to Ramesh and Christine. The age of some have not been determined, since no date is evident. There is also a chalice displayed.
Further information regarding Altars:
An altar is a structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism (until the destruction of the Second Temple), and Modern Paganism. Many historical faiths also made use of them, including Roman, Greek, and Norse religion.
Further information about the Episcopal Church:
The Episcopal Church (TEC) is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and is based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere. It is a mainline Christian denomination divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is Michael Bruce Curry, the first African-American bishop to serve in that position.
In 2018, the Episcopal Church had 1,835,931 baptized members, of whom 1,676,349 were in the United States. In 2011, it was the nation's 14th largest denomination. In 2015, Pew Research estimated that 1.2 percent of the adult population in the United States, or 3 million people, self-identify as mainline Episcopalians.
The church was organized after the American Revolution, when it became separate from the Church of England, whose clergy are required to swear allegiance to the British monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The Episcopal Church describes itself as "Protestant, yet Catholic". The Episcopal Church claims apostolic succession, tracing its bishops back to the apostles via holy orders. The Book of Common Prayer (BCE), a collection of traditional rites, blessings, liturgies, and prayers used throughout the Anglican Communion, is central to Episcopal worship.
The Episcopal Church was active in the Social Gospel movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the church has pursued a decidedly more liberal course. It has opposed the death penalty and supported the civil rights movement and affirmative action. Some of its leaders and priests are known for marching with influential civil rights demonstrators such as Martin Luther King Jr. The church calls for the full legal equality of LGBT people. In 2015, the church's 78th triennial General Convention passed resolutions allowing the blessing of same-sex marriages and approved two official liturgies to bless such unions.
The Episcopal Church ordains women and LGBT people to the priesthood, the diaconate, and the episcopate, despite opposition from a number of other member churches of the Anglican Communion. In 2003, Gene Robinson became the first openly gay person ordained as a bishop.
