Tuesday, 21 October 2008
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QOTD: Your Faith and the Way You Dress?
Last week we had several posts on modesty and body image:
Does your faith influence the way you dress or your outward appearance?
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Comments (63)
We live in the postmodern era. This means that judgments based solely on assumed connections between clothing and personality type are very often wrong.
However, it is still true that people usually dress with an eye to the effect that they have, so I would be surprised if people said it doesn't affect how they dress at all.
Different things influence the way I dress. I have 2 older brothers and a dad who would make sure I knew they didn't like the way I dressed..whether it was b/c the top was too low or too short or the bottoms were too short. My dad was a youth pastor for 20+ years and is now the pastor at an evangelical free church. Going on mission trips and other youth retreats did require a certain dress code most of the time. and that has helped me figure out what to wear and what not to wear.The Bible also influences in how I dress. I dress modestly because the Lord says that we need to worry more about our inside then our outward appearance. Yes, I know that is hard, it is VERY hard, but with His help you can do it. Another influence is the male gender. hmm..why? Well because I've been treated like a piece of meat no matter what I wear, but it happens more when I am wearing clothes that are a little bit more revealing. I want people to care more about who I am and not what I look like. Yes, part of me really cares about what I look like, but when I let that become an obsession it changes who I am and makes me insecure. I dress the way I do because I like what I wear. I have found out what is modest and what is immodest on my own...and I stick to that. The media doesn't help at all though. Telling you to dress a certain way and to look a certain way. It tells us to be skinny and is always coming up with more diets (that don't work and most likely harm you). It tells us if we don't look a certain way, we won't be accepted. What a lie that is. If you want someone to accept you, you need to worry about who you are as a person. That's what I think...
I think it's important for Christians to show that they honour God by what they wear. Idolising fashion brands and wearing revealing clothes (which evoke lust).
Not really. I was a pretty modest dresser even before I became a Christian. Really, if you look about the way to dress throughout the Bible, I think that the main theme is that we should be modest in our appearance.
If your faith DOESN'T influence the way you dress, then there's something wrong with your faith. Modesty is not an option, sorry. There are times when I wish it was, but it isn't.
nope. i dress however i like. i don't judge people by what they wear, and i doubt God does. and i'm most certainly not modest......... i love my body, and i am privileged to show it off. if a good ol' Christian boy can't keep it in his pants because of my cleavage, that's his problem.
i would have to say it's not your faith because I know many a guy's faith is weak and he dresses in such fashion that draws attention to himself more so than Christ... same w/ some girls I know...
I think that your faith in Christ as you read the Bible... it should cause our wardrobe to be the type that DOESN'T draw attention to ourselves...
my deal is, wear it... and divert attention to Jesus rather than vaccuming attention to yourself... but be conscious that we are to serve... and girls who wear those kinds of clothes that draw attention to themselves like jeans that seem painted on or LOW cut blouses are more of a disservice even if they look great... and guys who wear pants down to their ankles and muscle shirts do a disservice as well...
it's all about service because you care about your neighbor...
I dress very conservatively based on what I believe the bible says. Is that my personality? No. Is it what I believe is right? Yes. I just save all the sexy clothes for the day I'm married and can show off to my husband.
if i walk around in scrubs and a stethoscope, one would naturally assume i'm a medical professional. therefore, if i'm in a restaurant and someone has a medical emergency, naturally people would look at me to do something.
ideally, people would dress with how they're comfortable with. unfortunately, a lot of people make assumptions based on how we dress. just be yourself, God loves you for who you are anyway. just be wary of this simple fact:
if one dresses like a doctor, people would assume that this person's a doctor.
if one dresses like a whore, well, you know...
that's just how it is, so hope that people don't just stop at first impressions.
The Bible - God's Word - does affect how I dress. There are many directives that speak about dressing modestly. More important, there is the fact that what is on the inside, will show on the outside too. That goes for everything - from how we speak to others, to how we treat others and what we wear. I do think that God is displeased with us when we flaunt our body with pride. Our bodies are not our own, they belong to Christ. I do think that God is displeased when we wear clothing that causes someone else to stumble. ( the Bible also speaks aboutnot being a stumbling block to a weaker brother). Just even practically speaking, the world is so focused on body image and what looks good .....which really shouldn't be a focus at all for the Christian. What we do now matters eternally!
Definitely, I don't want everybody seeing all of my goodies :)
I haven't really thought about it. I know the music I listen to affects the way I dress. Anyway, this seems like a question aimed more towards the female species.
Given I wear almost exclusively band t-shirts...Yes, in that my faith influences the bands I listen to...somewhat. (see solidstate records)
I also wear a cross necklace...so yes
and I avoid the offensive t-shirts...but that's mostly because I just think they're kinda ridiculous and just not that funny.
Side question: does the bible say anything about makeup? I feel like no, but I could be wrong...and I wear black nailpolish and eyeliner fairly regularly...I'm kinda an emo/punk, what can I say?
@leadworshipper82 - as a guy, how do I dress to divert attention away from myself and to Jesus Christ? I'm guessing my normal liberty spikes, while many of them do point upward, aren't what you're referring to....
@QwiXilver@xanga - So what does a Christian man wear? If we identify doctors by their attire and gigalos by theirs, by what attire can we Identify Christian men? I dress the way I'm comfortable, and people assume I'm a stoner (even though I've never even smoked pot), does that mean I should change how I dress and do my hair so I look less like a punk? If so, to what?
@moritheil@xanga - just because those assumptions are wrong doesn't mean they aren't made....I know that was kinda what you were saying, but I just thought I'd add to it because you make an excellent point
@nicolevw@xanga - Often we hear about women needing to dress modestly to keep men from stumbling. How can I, as a man, dress to keep you (and y'know...girls I interact with in real life) from stumbling? I know women aren't quite as visually stimulated as men, but is it possible that my women's pants (which you know as well as I are made to flatter the upper leg area) and extra-small t-shirts could cause a girl to stumble and lust (that sounds really vain, I don't mean to give the impression that I'm God's Gift to women because I'm so attractive...I'm just trying to be conceincious for the girls out there who should consider laser eye surgery)
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - To paraphrase Paul...if a guy ever looks at your cleavage and lusts, it would be better for you to have your feet stuck in concrete and thrown off a bridge...Christians are called to keep each other accountable and support each other; not make life more difficult for each other (or anyone else for that matter). I'm truly ecstatic that you love your body, I really am, but even way back in Genesis God says that we are our brothers' keeper....and by flaunting your body you're not keeping your brothers in Christ from sinning...you're enabling them to sin.
also, completely unrelated, but is your alias a reference to the show Firefly?
@sheepthatsblack@xanga - lol... no... liberty spikes aren't quite what i was referring to... but hey if you got the spikes, flaunt it like whoa man... i would say though... don't be emo/punk for the sake of being emo/punk... i say be emo... but write emo songs about sin and the power of hope in the Gospel of Christ...
I highly recommend C28.com for great looking hip Christian clothing... NOTW, Thorn, Jedidiah are such brands that are Christian based and Christian supported...
great conversation starters too...
My faith doesn't but my wage packet does.
Over the years I've learned not to be obsessive over how I dress according to the dictates of what people 'think' I should wear because I'm a Christian. I'm comfortable in my own skin, I'm comfortable in my appearance, I dress according to my own style.
I like to doss around in my jeans and T's when at work, my cons are a must all through the year.
But if I'm going to a party, out for a meal with friends, general socialising then it's on with the party wear, the dresses, the heels, evening makeup, etc etc. As long as I'm comfortable in what I'm wearing I'm happy.
I know what suits my body shape, I know what I like. If people don't like it, thats their problem not mine.
I'm all against the stupid, corny christian t-shirts and other "holy wear". I think that its important that we are in the world but not of it. When Jesus was on earth...didn't he dress just like the people of his time? Didn't he completely immerse himself in the culture insomuch that not only was he able to meet people where they were at but He was also able to stay firm in exactly what God called him to do. God calls us to be different, in our beliefs, not in our dress. If clothing affects your life that much, I think that you are putting too much attention to that subject rather than on the things that are truly important. If there aren't christians out that that are into abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister, Pac sun, etc...who is going to reach out to the unchurched kids who are into those fashions...
just because someone dresses outrageously doesn't mean they're seeking attention. it can just be that's what they like to wear! i have gotten nasty comments about being an attention seeker for years, but i just dress how i like...i actually do not like extra attention, but i'm not changing my tastes to stop people from staring/swearing/etc. at me.
and i don't think it is God who cares what i'm wearing! people get way to uptight about clothes T_T do you really think the half-starved, unwashed, ungroomed prophets running around in the desert looked or smelled better then our hobos?
@sheepthatsblack@xanga - good question. i shave my head regularly because i'm more comfortable that way when i play ball and i have 8 tattoos. unfortunately, some people notice the tattoos and decide for themselves what kind of person i am. nevermind the fact that each one is related to scripture.
i guess it depends on what image you'd like to project. people judging you before they get to know you is sad and unfortunate, but that's just how the world works. I wear long sleeves when I go on business trips and I try not to get my tattoos noticed if I'm asked to teach sunday school. Other than that, my tattoos have been great help in starting conversations with strangers. i'm not necessarily hiding who i am but i assess situations and make a decision if i think my appearance would hinder my ministry.
anyway, a little more complicated than what you probably wanted to hear. i just remember the words to the song, "they'll know we are Christians by our love" when i start overthinking things. haha.
@QwiXilver@xanga - I like it....if it hinders ministry, don't do it...if it helps ministry, then get more ink done....(why must they cost so much? I want #2...)
That makes a ton of sense. You are a wise man, my brother.
@leadworshipper82 - checked out that site...they do have some sweet stuff...thanks :)
and as for the songs...already do ;)
@SeitekiChibiNeko@xanga - Yes and no. You're right, clothes are, by no means the end-all-be-all of...anything important. But at the same time, if we are ambassadors of Christ, how we dress is important because it reflects back to him....because wrong or right, society judges us based on clothes. That's just how it is. So it is important, but you're right in that it's only important to a point.
@sheepthatsblack@xanga -
hehe no.... i came up with it on my own. i've never seen Firefly.
i dislike Saul, for multiple reasons (although there's been plenty of debate over whether he even wrote most of what is attributed to him), and for the most part i ignore anything he wrote. to be more specific, i question his motives for writing what he did... especially since he never said anything about sexy Christian men walking around shirtless at the beach. nothing tempts me to sin more than a nice set of abs.... anyway, Jesus never mentions what i should and should not wear, and that's good enough for me.
as for being my brother's keeper... Cain asks God if he is, indeed, Abel's keeper. and God completely ignores the question. and i would argue that Cain's act of killing was sinful for other reasons which have nothing to do with keeping someone else on the straight and narrow path.
i cannot control someone else's mind, no matter what i do. they used to say that men went crazy with lust at the sight of a woman's ankle. this is no different.
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I agree...I take pretty much all of Paul with a grain of salt, which is why I cited the paraphrase to Paul rather than to "The Bible." He just makes extreme and ridiculous analogies, so I love to quote him on those.
As for Gen. 4, I always looked at it like God ignored the question because it was stupid and the obvious answer was yes. But I can see where that's open for debate.
Either way...Jesus (there's no refuting his words) says that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Allowing your body to become a temptation is not loving. Yes, men will be attracted to you and probably lust after you regardless, but trust me, it's a lot easier to remain pure in thought when no boobs are showing...you do have a choice on how easy you want to make it for men to be pure or lust...you can control people's minds per se, but you can influence them.
And read my comment...I am asking about whether how men dress causes women to lust...note to self: abs...which I don't have anyways.... :P
@sheepthatsblack@xanga - haha, like they say with tattoos: you get what you paid for. if you go to the same guy, though, you might be able to convince him to hook you up with a discount.
since we're on the subject of ink, ever notice how there aren't a lot of good angel tattoos out there? if you go to a tattoo shop, most angels are half nekkid... not the tribute to my mom that i was looking for.
thank God that there are alternatives on the internet. religioustattoos.net is a good resource. anyway, glad i was able to help. God bless.
I tend to be fairly modest, but I'm blessed with a good body, and the clothing I buy that fits me...fits me. My jeans are fitted (not skin tight), my skirts and dresses are longish...but I pick the ones where the material flows beautifully around me, and my tops aren't all cut just beneath the collar bone (not like I have any cleavage to speak of.)
I don't go looking to dress in order to call attention to my body, but I've learned for some men, it doesn't matter. The vulgar and crass ones would be turned-on by a woman in sweats. It's called imagination. I'm going to dress comfortably for myself so I feel confident when I go out; I'm not going to wear a potato sack in order to cover the body God and genetics gave me.
@leadworshipper82 - I love C-28, but never purchased from them online. Have you? Oh, and thanks for pointing to the men too!
@sheepthatsblack@xanga - i disagree. i have a choice in how i present myself... i do not have a choice in how others respond to that perception. not every guy gets aroused by the sight of my chest.... and plenty of guys i've been involved with didn't need even the slightest sexual hint to get turned on. i do not consider it my responsibility to dress in a way that i find uncomfortable or unattractive for the sake of others. if one is an alcoholic, do they blame everyone else who might be drinking around them? no... they suck it up, or avoid alcohol altogether.
men have a choice, too....... nothing and no one is holding a gun to their heads, forcing them to check me out. if they are that concerned with lust, they can join a monastery and remove temptation completely. it's not my job to do it for them. it's the same thinking that leads people to claim that a woman deserved to be raped if she was dressed provocatively.