Why are people expected to dress nicely at church?

[Tambourine]

Well, that's disappointing to hear.

In my experience, the dominant religions of a society usually reflect that society's hierarchies.

 

[Koldo]

Christians are supposed to be above petty cultural standards. Christianity is countercultural.

Countercultural?
Are you saying that with a straight face?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Does that mean that people with no standards shouldn't go to churches, and why Trump doesn't go to church?

The political section is over there. >

 

[Twilight Hue]

I remember people saying that you dress in your Sunday best in order to show respect to God.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I never understood this. It always struck me as a bit of vanity. I don't know where this started, either. I can't imagine God cares what you are wearing, and it shouldn't matter to people what you wear as long as it's reasonable. The first Christians were poor people and slaves so I can imagine that they were a dirty bunch wearing rags. But these were Jesus' best friends.

The expectation is within the Faith we have chosen. When we practice the teachings of that Faith, the Faith becomes our state of mind and way of life.

The question then becomes, do we practice what Faith has shown us to be Truth.

We then ask what, in the case of Jesus the Christ, what did Jesus teach us about our hygiene and appearance.

Thus I see we should turn up to Church, practicing what is taught, with all the means we currently have available. If others lack those means, but wish to practice, then all should help.

Having lived in 3rd world conditions and been to church services. Those with very little means, always make the effort to look their best.

Faith is also a great healer, as we then practice cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Regards Tony

 

[Mitty]

The expectation is within the Faith we have chosen. When we practice the teachings of that Faith, the Faith becomes our state of mind and way of life.

The question then becomes, do we practice what Faith has shown us to be Truth.

We then ask what, in the case of Jesus the Christ, what did Jesus teach us about our hygiene and appearance.

Thus I see we should turn up to Church, practicing what is taught, with all the means we currently have available. If others lack those means, but wish to practice, then all should help.

Having lived in 3rd world conditions and been to church services. Those with very little means, always make the effort to look their best.

Faith is also a great healer, as we then practice cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Regards Tony

But does the faith need to be a fashion parade?
Oh wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursel's as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
And e'en devotion!

 

[OtherSheep]

You respect Jesus by

... thinking about your signature block, seriously.

I believe that not believing what Jesus says about EVERYTHING... is not a good witness for Jesus... no matter what else you have to say that kinda sorta looks good.

Jesus says they will know that you are Mine by the love you have for one another... He was speaking to the ones who actively followed Him and did what He told them to do... so the you and the one another are both the followers of Jesus' word.

Universal love is often tough love... a message Jesus unfailingly taught.

People who are within your sphere of influence, and act like they might believe what you say about Jesus... this is the place for real true love. Jesus says the world will hate those who follow Him, because they hate Him. And the only way for that to happen is if the same message taught by Jesus is taught by those who actually do what Jesus says.

 

[Mitty]

I remember people saying that you dress in your Sunday best in order to show respect to God.

But would the god give a toss anyway, or say
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matt 6:6)

 

[Left Coast]

Jehovah's Witnesses are very different to the churches of Christendom. You cannot "join" our church like you would a club....or wander in and out at will. Membership in our congregations is made up of those who are dedicated to God and Christ in a relationship that is contracted by baptism...it involves study and heartfelt appreciation for what the Bible teaches. Until the day that you are baptized, you are not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, not even if you were born to JW parents. When you are of age, you must choose of your own free will to become a Witness of Jehovah. It means that you are ordained for the ministry of preaching the good news about God's Kingdom, which all JW's do. It also means that you are under obligation to follow through on your vow of dedication to God to uphold all the teachings of the Christ.....not just the convenient ones. There are obligations and responsibilities but they are undertaken freely and unreservedly.

So just as a person is bound in a marriage to a mate, we are bound in a relationship to God through his Christ to uphold what he taught for the rest of our lives....to put God's things first in our lives. We see baptism as a symbolic "death" to self and a rising up to do the will of God in all things. To us it is like a legally binding contract.

Our dress code is for us....we do not impose it on others. All are welcome at our meetings. But when interested people come and see that all in the congregation are well dressed, they soon see the need to also respect God by the way they dress. It is not forced, but is something that comes from the heart because we love God and never want to disrespect him.

Everything you described here is exactly like almost all the "churches of Christendom" (certainly the conservative/fundamentalist ones). And ironically all of them also share in common the belief that their version of Christianity is the special one that isn't like the rest.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Countercultural?
Are you saying that with a straight face?

Of course. If people really followed Christ's teachings, they'd be living in communes.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

But does the faith need to be a fashion parade?

You are asking the wrong person. Fashion to me is a laugh. Ask my wife

Regards Tony

 

[Deeje]

Everything you described here is exactly like almost all the "churches of Christendom" (certainly the conservative/fundamentalist ones). And ironically all of them also share in common the belief that their version of Christianity is the special one that isn't like the rest.

If you didn’t believe that your version of “Christianity” was the right one, why would you support it? But having come out of Christendom, because they were not demonstrating many of those necessary traits that Jesus and his apostles promoted, I am left to wonder what the basis is for your conclusion? What do you know about original Christianity so as to make a fair comparison?

The criteria for what constitutes genuine Christianity is clearly outlined in the Bible....along with the fact that the rise of “weed-like” counterfeit Christianity is what Jesus himself warned about after the death of the apostles.

Would you like a list of the deficiencies I encountered in Christendom’s denominations when I was at a crossroads in my faith and searching for those who didn’t make excuses or justifications for their failures?

I am happy to share with you the reasons for my choice.....

 

[OtherSheep]

Surely you must be subverting your own faith, or you wouldn’t need to be saved ?
Isn’t that the actual passion play ?
It is not unusual for people to externalise an issue like that, as you are doing with Revoltingest, IMO. It’s understandable.
But we all have to get along. We don’t want to see a Charlie Hebdo situation with Jesus, Buddha, Krishna .. etc.

So to avoid that, I suggest you turn the other cheek.

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

I don't consider Revoltingest to be evil; but rather, mistaking what people say about Jesus with what Jesus says of Himself. Why you want to consider a poster evil, is between you and your god.

I am a literalist, whenever possible: turn the other cheek isn't possible in virtual reality... any more than an eye for an eye is doable on the web.

Where did I suggest that I still need saving? Please avoid applying to me what you envision.

What does the Charlie Hebdo thing have to do with ANYthing I said to someone you pretend to defend? Provoking a Knee-jerk Reaction in the minds of your readers... is this what you mean by getting along?

Let me be clear: I honestly believe Jesus, who says, Thou shalt not kill.
Your jihad thingy is not part of my character.
I believe in getting along, physically; but I don't see Jesus getting smarmy with people who blaspheme God.

 

[Left Coast]

If you didn’t believe that your version of “Christianity” was the right one, why would you support it? But having come out of Christendom, because they were not demonstrating many of those necessary traits that Jesus and his apostles promoted, I am left to wonder what the basis is for your conclusion? What do you know about original Christianity so as to make a fair comparison?

I was comparing them to the beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses you described, not "original Christianity."

The criteria for what constitutes genuine Christianity is clearly outlined in the Bible....along with the fact that the rise of “weed-like” counterfeit Christianity is what Jesus himself warned about after the death of the apostles.

Yes, that's what all the churches of Christendom teach.

Would you like a list of the deficiencies I encountered in Christendom’s denominations when I was at a crossroads in my faith and searching for those who didn’t make excuses or justifications for their failures?

Not particularly, since it's irrelevant to what I said. I don't believe in any version of Christianity any more, and I dont find your version any less deficient than the ones I left.

I am happy to share with you the reasons for my choice.....

And my Evangelical family would be happy to share the reasons with you that they left the JWs. And I'd be happy to share with you my reasons for leaving Christianity altogether after having explored just about every version under the sun. We all have a story.

 

[OtherSheep]

Christians are supposed to be above petty cultural standards. Christianity is countercultural.

Culture includes religion... Christianity is not pantheism.

 

[Milton Platt]

I never understood this. It always struck me as a bit of vanity. I don't know where this started, either. I can't imagine God cares what you are wearing, and it shouldn't matter to people what you wear as long as it's reasonable. The first Christians were poor people and slaves so I can imagine that they were a dirty bunch wearing rags. But these were Jesus' best friends.

"1 My brothers and sisters, practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favoring one person over another. 2 For example, two men come to your worship service. One man is wearing gold rings and fine clothes; the other man, who is poor, is wearing shabby clothes. 3 Suppose you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, “Please have a seat.” But you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor at my feet.” 4 Aren’t you discriminating against people and using a corrupt standard to make judgments?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Didn’t God choose poor people in the world to become rich in faith and to receive the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 Yet, you show no respect to poor people. Don’t rich people oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Don’t they curse the good name of Jesus, the name that was used to bless you?" - 2 James 2:1-7

It has morphed over the years. Used to be, men had to wear suits and ties, and women had to wear modest dresses and hats and gloves. Now, jeans and a nice shirt are okay for men in most places and women wear short skirts and low cut tops. gloves and hats are almost unheard of.

Beats me why a god would care what you are wearing......

 

[Howard Is]

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

I don't consider Revoltingest to be evil; but rather, mistaking what people say about Jesus with what Jesus says of Himself. Why you want to consider a poster evil, is between you and your god.

I am a literalist, whenever possible: turn the other cheek isn't possible in virtual reality... any more than an eye for an eye is doable on the web.

Where did I suggest that I still need saving? Please avoid applying to me what you envision.

What does the Charlie Hebdo thing have to do with ANYthing I said to someone you pretend to defend? Provoking a Knee-jerk Reaction in the minds of your readers... is this what you mean by getting along?

Let me be clear: I honestly believe Jesus, who says, Thou shalt not kill.
Your jihad thingy is not part of my character.
I believe in getting along, physically; but I don't see Jesus getting smarmy with people who blaspheme God.

It’s as serious as blaspheming Batman.
I know that’s true, because Jiminy Cricket told me so.

 

[Koldo]

Of course. If people really followed Christ's teachings, they'd be living in communes.

Oh, so by Christianity you mean a religion that pretty much no one really follows, and not the one that most americans follow. Ok then.

 

[Deeje]

I was comparing them to the beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses you described, not "original Christianity."

We base all our beliefs and practices on original Christianity. That’s why we are different.
We have no paid clergy.
No single shepherd to guide and teach the flock.
We are all preachers and we are all students of God’s word.
We refuse to be drawn into the world’s politics because we were told to be no part of that.
We will not participate in any nation’s bloodshed because Jesus told us to love our enemies.
We will not accept beliefs that were practiced by those who worshipped other gods.
We will not adopt pagan festivals which were originally held to honor those foreign gods because that makes us disloyal to a God who requires exclusive devotion and strict adherence to his laws.

These are just some of my reasons....but I am assuming that yours may not have been the same?

Jesus told us about the “weeds” that the devil would sow “while men were sleeping”.....and the “weeds” sprouted just as Jesus said they would, very early in Christianity’s history, and people came to accept the “weeds” as “wheat”.

Unless people search for the truth, they will never find it. Most people just go with the flow or look for a religion that suits what they want to believe.....it takes courage to be different....but different we must be because the “harvest time” is very near.

Yes, that's what all the churches of Christendom teach.

That is not my experience. I left Christendom for what she failed to teach and what she neglected to do....

Not particularly, since it's irrelevant to what I said. I don't believe in any version of Christianity any more, and I dont find your version any less deficient than the ones I left.

What “ones” did you leave? And why?

And my Evangelical family would be happy to share the reasons with you that they left the JWs.

Oh yes, those one sided stories that are often told on the net.....
Those big bad JW’s.....how dare they expect adherence to God’s laws. Those poor innocent victims......
What were they thinking?

And I'd be happy to share with you my reasons for leaving Christianity altogether after having explored just about every version under the sun. We all have a story.

Please do....I’d be interested to hear why all those versions of “Christianity” failed to meet your expectations....we do all have a story....

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I used to feel a lot of anxiety about going to Mass because I didn't have formal clothes and I felt I would be rejected over my normal attire. That was when I attended the cathedral, which was mostly older conservative upper class whites.

I remember my dad would get some flak over his tattoos and not dressing to par. So he basically quit going.