in defense of: church pews
Some readers may know that I’m fascinated by built-environment design and the ways it shapes our interactions, or lack thereof. One fun little case study that’s relevant to the experience of moms and babies in church: pews.
I currently attend an Episcopal church with lovely pews—no lede-burial here!—and have noticed some key advantages over the rows-of-chairs-style seating I’ve experienced at other times. Note that the below reasons have little to nothing to do with “traditionalism”, aesthetics, or liturgical differences!
Pews are decent containers for small children, since they provide a bounded area to wander just a bit while staying more or less within reach. They also tend not to to tip over or move easily, which is nice if someone you’re sitting with likes to try to move heavy objects.
Pews accommodate a wide range of body sizes. It’s a bit like manna: those who don’t need much space won’t have too much, and those who need more space won’t have too little. A lot more flexible than one-size-fits-all chairs…
…which brings me to: Pews are anti-individualism, anti-atomization, anti-alienation. When we’re sharing a pew, there is no such thing as leaving a socially acceptable one or two empty seats in between households. Sharing a pew, we must rub shoulders (literally?) with our neighbors as we sit, stand, kneel, sing, pray, and worship together.
Agreed. I vastly prefer pews to rows of chairs for all the reasons you list. But my favorite is the final one.