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Post by buzzybee on Jan 14, 2009 15:04:58 GMT -5
I grew up in the truth and have just recently quit going to meetings. The reasons for this was multitudnal and if anyone is willing i would appreciate comments of any type.
Why can women not wear slacks? I feel strongly that the Bible does not speak against this. It speaks that we should be modest. Also if you think back to Jesus day everyone wore robes. So then it bags the question why is it ok for the men to wear pants but ladies not?
Why can't the friends celebrate Christmas? I realize the world has really commercialize this. But the meaning and effort i believe God would approve. Yes, we celebrate his birth everyday....but a birthday only comes around once a year.
Why are there so many unwritten rules about conduct and ways of doing things and even speaking. It feels so full of bondage. And your made to feel that if you have a problem with any of it, it's your problem.
Why is everything so exclusive? Yes, God does want a separate people but he also put of in this world to enjoy life and learn from others not just our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I personally feel that when people first come in to this church that "Love BomBing is practiced"
I also feel the workers have to much power. They are servers, not rulers. I've heard them complain at preps because they have to work so hard. When us normal people have to work that hard everyday. When i was young they used to help with dishes and such. Not anymore. They don't lift a finger. It feels like they come to your house to be served and taken care of.
Maybe I have been to harsh. I Don't mean to offend anyone, i just have a lot of questions that have gone a long, long time unanswered, or not adequately answered.
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Byron
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Post by Byron on Jan 14, 2009 20:05:10 GMT -5
Dear Buzzybee: You have not been harsh at all. Being 3rd generation born and raised, I know all too well what it is like to not realize, out of fear of retaliation of some sort, that it is OK to question things. So often I felt like I was in a crowd, all looking at the sky, and everyone is saying how nice the green sky looks, when I know doggone well that it is blue. (not my story, but a great analogy.)
I do not know if any of this resonates, but there are scores of folks who feel as you do chronicled on VOT. (Sorry, I cannot help but throw in a plug for the site.)
When my father-in-law first read posts from the list a number of years ago, before he was excommunicated when he was in his early eighties, he was shocked that so many others felt the same things he did. He died just months ago, and he was my hero. A very brave man.
Anyway, you are most welcome to PM me, or email me though the site if you wish.
I am very happy for you. There is much peace and joy to know we are saved!
Byron
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Post by itsmethatswho on Jan 14, 2009 20:16:02 GMT -5
Buzzybee, I was shocked to learn that in Australia and New Zealand Christmas is openly celebrated and the workers even exchange gifts with the "friends." I grew up in a region where Christmas was strictly forbidden by workers. We were taught by the workers that all things Christmas are of Satan.
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Post by ranger on Jan 14, 2009 22:16:04 GMT -5
To all,
Where does "The Truth" stand on the issue of Christmas trees? Is there scripture that directly supports their position?
Thanks in advance-
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Post by buzzybee on Jan 14, 2009 22:23:23 GMT -5
I think there is some odd verse in Duet. However, so many old testament verses are taken out of context. For example if it said something about a flag, they would probably shun that too....
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Post by hebrew12andverse23 on Jan 14, 2009 22:59:51 GMT -5
Deut 22:5 states that a woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man. But the slacks that women wear are not pertaining masculine. A woman is not cross dressing when she wears pants that are specifically made for men. She's not trying to dress like a man. I do not believe a woman is lost because she chooses to wear pants. There is nothing about such thing in the New Testament.
It seems that many people in the friends do not educate others very well. There is so much complications on this subject so I will attempt to keep it brief.
The pagans then and now watch the stars and heavens closely, especially when it comes to religion. There is nothing wrong with merely observing the stars such as depiction of times and season, but the religion part is what is bad. Dec. 21 is the longest night of the year. Various pagan nation believed that the sun was leave for they worshiped the sun. On Dec. 25 the heathens observed a barely visible increase in light. Dec. 25 was observed as the rebirth of the sun. Now that astronomy as advanced, many pagans now worship yule on the 21 and 22. The sun god has been highly emphasized by pagan religions and still is. It is also a great abomination to the Lord. Many religions have some important holiday around that time of the year. The Christmas tree was used to worship the god of life and an evergreen tree represents life. It was also used as a phallic symbol. Christmas trees are not mentioned in the New Testament and wasn't established by Christ or any of the apostles so therefore it is not after Christ. Many scholars would agree that Christ was not born in Dec. because the shepherds were in the field when he was born, and shepherds do not take there sheep out during that time of the year. Santa Claus was never established either nor was any of the traditions we do. Here are some scriptures on concerning Christmas and holidays in general.
Jeremiah 10
HEAR ye the word which he Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of teh forest, the work of eh hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Galations 4:10-11
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Colossians 2
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosopy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
16 Let no man therfore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and vorshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the ruidments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordincances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
He is saying that even though you apart from the world, why are you burdening yourself with the traditions and dogma of the world that you are supposed to be dead from.
The traditions of holidays are of men and not established by God. Why do them? Their just vain. Nothing to them. As described above in he holy scriptures, its purely vain. I don't believe it's wrong for one to give somebody something in itself. God loves a cheerful giver to the needy, and it can be done at anytime. A Christian practiced that is not established by the Jesus, the apostles(the Bible) are just traditions of men.
Unfortunately the friends and workers do not explain reason. I think that is because most don't know themselves and are just raised under a legalistic approach. So they teach it too. Legalism is also unto the satisfying of the flesh. To say "Don't do it" is mainly worthless. To explain and educate people about the world and its ways and WHY we shouldn't is a whole different matter. Love must be shown. We must love one another ( 1 John). Because of legalism, many people are kept ignorant by churches ( including the Christian Conventions). Jesus said that he would have us wise as serpent but harmless as doves. We should know the ways of the heathen. We shouldn't keep ourselves ignorant of it, but we shouldn't be partakers of it. They should educate with love instead of taking a legalistic approach.
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Post by ranger on Jan 15, 2009 6:59:03 GMT -5
hebrew12andverse23
The pagans then and now watch the stars and heavens closely, especially when it comes to religion. There is nothing wrong with merely observing the stars such as depiction of times and season, but the religion part is what is bad. Dec. 21 is the longest night of the year. Various pagan nation believed that the sun was leave for they worshiped the sun. On Dec. 25 the heathens observed a barely visible increase in light. Dec. 25 was observed as the rebirth of the sun. Now that astronomy as advanced, many pagans now worship yule on the 21 and 22. The sun god has been highly emphasized by pagan religions and still is. It is also a great abomination to the Lord. Many religions have some important holiday around that time of the year. The Christmas tree was used to worship the god of life and an evergreen tree represents life. It was also used as a phallic symbol. Christmas trees are not mentioned in the New Testament and wasn't established by Christ or any of the apostles so therefore it is not after Christ. Many scholars would agree that Christ was not born in Dec. because the shepherds were in the field when he was born, and shepherds do not take there sheep out during that time of the year. Santa Claus was never established either nor was any of the traditions we do. Here are some scriptures on concerning Christmas and holidays in general.
It is my understanding that Paul was confronted by a problem that was occurring in the early church whereby some converts were offended that some in the Church were eating meat that was sacrificed to idols and the remnant then sold in the local markets...Pauls position was not to worry about eating this meat because if you truly believe in Jesus Christ, you know that there is only one God to the absolute exclusion of all others, therefore eating this meat really had no effect on a person. However, one was not to eat this meat if it offended those younger in Christ that might not understand. The main theme of the scriptures that you listed is one of worshiping idols, or as the Heathen do. That I am aware of, I have never met a person who worships a Christmas tree or any other kind of tree for that matter. It is simply a decoration, like a picture on the wall.
Please understand that I am not attempting to dispute your point and I realize that I asked for the scriptural references... I am trying to wrap my head around this and it's legalistic implications. In the bigger picture I also believe that Paul was trying to show the new freedoms that we as Christians have through Jesus Christ.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2009 7:19:58 GMT -5
The birth of Christ was celebrated on Earth and in Heaven. We can clearly see that from scripture. It was a huge event in the world and for the gentiles it eventually led to their invitation to become members of God's family, i.e. brothers and sisters of the newborn Christ. The date of the birth is not recorded and I would agree that "Christ's birth-day" is not something that we should be consummed by. However, Christ's "birth" is something of special significance to all Christians and has meaning to us every single day. The early Christians met often together, sharing meals and exchanging gifts, or at least had all things common.
A day set aside to remember and celebrate Christ's birth ? Exchange presents ? Have all things common ?
Maybe if we had more of them there would be less commercialism and far more spirituality. As often as we did them we would be doing them in remembrance of him ?
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Post by ronhall on Jan 15, 2009 8:59:14 GMT -5
I grew up in the truth and have just recently quit going to meetings. The reasons for this was multitudnal and if anyone is willing i would appreciate comments of any type. Why can women not wear slacks? I feel strongly that the Bible does not speak against this. It speaks that we should be modest. Also if you think back to Jesus day everyone wore robes. So then it bags the question why is it ok for the men to wear pants but ladies not? Why can't the friends celebrate Christmas? I realize the world has really commercialize this. But the meaning and effort i believe God would approve. Yes, we celebrate his birth everyday....but a birthday only comes around once a year.Why are there so many unwritten rules about conduct and ways of doing things and even speaking. It feels so full of bondage. And your made to feel that if you have a problem with any of it, it's your problem. Why is everything so exclusive? Yes, God does want a separate people but he also put of in this world to enjoy life and learn from others not just our brothers and sisters in Christ. I personally feel that when people first come in to this church that "Love BomBing is practiced" I also feel the workers have to much power. They are servers, not rulers. I've heard them complain at preps because they have to work so hard. When us normal people have to work that hard everyday. When i was young they used to help with dishes and such. Not anymore. They don't lift a finger. It feels like they come to your house to be served and taken care of. Maybe I have been to harsh. I Don't mean to offend anyone, i just have a lot of questions that have gone a long, long time unanswered, or not adequately answered. My wife wears jeans when working in the garden, when hiking or hunting and often in the house when doing the various home chores. She buys them in the ladies section in the clothing store. They are the most modest attire for the situation. An observation: While on our recent trip we ate inside at a fast-foods restaurant. As we ate a family came in. The father had an extensive beard and wore bib-overalls with red suspenders and the little boys had similar attire. The mother wore a coarse, long blue-grey dress with no collar and a bonnet of the same color. The girls were similarly dressed but the bonnets were more like small hats. I don't mean to be critical, so I must say as-far-as exhibiting a sexual or sensual attraction, the attire would be modest. However, if one wanted to be noticed, I can hardly think of a more effective way of doing it! Is such attire a display of modesty? I wonder if we are just fooling ourselves. Are we proud of our humility? Is our attire an expression of modesty or is it an expression of our self-righteousness? We men pick on the women on this issue but have we ever thought about the automobiles we drive, the sports equipment we have, the lift kits and big wheels on our pickups? Are these an expression of our modesty? Any comments?
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Post by ranger on Jan 15, 2009 9:35:02 GMT -5
Ronhall, I have thought about the dress code in "The Truth" quite a bit...what I have concluded is this:
1) To my knowledge the scriptures require Christians to be modest. This is an issue of morality, not one of dress code (unless someone can point me to a reference scripture)
2) To my knowledge Jesus, The Apostles, Jesus' disciples all wore garments that would not have made them stand out in any way.
as such,
3) By my understanding of the Bible, when you see a man he should be unmistakably dressed as a man based on local customs. The same for the women. So long as this does not contradict what is required of us as Christians. There are good reasons for this that go back to antiquity concerning how prostitutes and the like plied their trade. I suppose though that you would not have to go back in time to see this kind of thing going on.
4) It is my understanding then, that as long as one can conform to the morality requirements in the Bible, one should be able to dress as one wishes. In fact, it seems that the whole pants vs. dress becomes a non-starter. As personal observation, I challenge anyone who claims dresses to be inherently more modest to observe women wearing dresses on a windy day...or google search for the ubiquitous photo of M. Monroe on the steam grate. Please understand that I expect no one to actually stalk women on windy days...it is a case in point only.
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Post by buzzybee on Jan 15, 2009 10:43:26 GMT -5
What is said when a lady talk to another about having to wear a dress is this. The other lady(worker) says I just feel like the spirit moves me to wear dresses. And really what that implys is that the spirit is not moving me.
It's very subtle and happens alot where people defend their actions because they say they feel that they are moved to do things that way. I'm not saying they are or not but it leaves the other person feeling like they are somehow not only wrong, but don't have the right spirit.
This is a hard topic because it gets into blasphemy too...
comments?
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Post by ranger on Jan 15, 2009 11:08:40 GMT -5
buzybee,
I think that you are correct in asserting that this can be a complicated issue...but I don't think that it should be or has to be. Let me say this first, I believe that I am safe in saying that a Christian's search for truth in all things is paramount. I also believe that I am correct in saying (paraphrase) that Jesus said I am The Light, The Truth, and The Way. The truth here being, among other things, a quantitative value in that all truth is of Jesus/God. If my understanding is correct, then you should be able to say to the Worker that the Holy Spirit has told you something different...maybe that you should wear pants, for example. Of course this is going result in a spiritual he said/she said, which we as Christians are obligated to discern using the only reference that has been left for us...the written word of God. Then let the cards fall where they may.
As one who is not as well versed as others I welcome all dissenting views especially if scriptural references are included.
Comments?
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Post by Brick on Jan 15, 2009 14:27:25 GMT -5
Buzzy, I think you (and many others) have allowed other's beliefs to become your own. Obviously, you seem to think that women in pants and celebrating Christmas is ok. If that is the case, follow your heart. DON'T try to live up to the expectations of everyone around you. I'm an innie and most of my female friends wear pants and I don't know of any friends in my area that don't celebrate Christmas. Workers have never threatened us about any of this. There has been the occasional sly remark about some of our practices, but generally, we are well accepted.
I think the problem that a lot of us has is the fact that we were told growing up that you can't do this or that. In truth, that was a rule our parents was enforcing on us. It was THEIR rule. Once we are of age, we really don't need to make our beds, put away our dirty clothes, and brush before bed time. Of course, there may be consequences to our actions, but we are not violating a RULE. Our parents, or landlord is not gonna barge into our room or apartment and take away our car keys and and cell phone and tell us that we are grounded until we get this mess straightened out. Likewise if you wear *shudder* pants and you are a woman. You may think that people are looking at you funny because of it, but really, does it matter? What you and many others are doing is allowing your chosen society to dictate your life. If you are a Christian, I think the general idea is that God should dictate your life. Isn't that the idea? So if you are acting in a way that fits with the belief system of others, but contrary to your own, in truth, you are worshiping them instead of God. I think that really pisses God off. In fact, when he laid down the law to Moses, that was the first thing he told him: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" or something like that. At the very least, it think God has a pretty strong opinion about that, so I'd make it a point stay on top of that one.
In conclusion, please make sure that wherever you go, whatever religion, faith, belief that you follow, you are doing it out of a sincere conviction that it is God's will and right, not because you think others believe that way and you just want to fit in. You will find a lot more peace that way.
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Post by buzzybee on Jan 15, 2009 16:21:56 GMT -5
Thanks for your insite Brick!
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Post by ronhall on Jan 15, 2009 17:30:11 GMT -5
What is said when a lady talk to another about having to wear a dress is this. The other lady(worker) says I just feel like the spirit moves me to wear dresses. And really what that implys is that the spirit is not moving me. It's very subtle and happens alot where people defend their actions because they say they feel that they are moved to do things that way. I'm not saying they are or not but it leaves the other person feeling like they are somehow not only wrong, but don't have the right spirit. This is a hard topic because it gets into blasphemy too... comments? Sure, I'll comment. It's not difficult to see this as a holier-than-thou comment. The problem is that most any reasonable rebuttal would be taken as a threat, whether or not that person was actually "led-by-the-spirit". So perhaps the best answer might be to say something like: "That's interesting.", and leave it at that. That denotes an element of surprise, is an admission that you have not had the same spiritual enlightenment yet and allows the other to bask in self-glory, at least for the moment. Then later should you desire to re-visit the incident a good approach might be to express confusion and ask for biblical clarification or basis. You might ask specifically the means by which the spirit spoke. You might ask how to differentiate between the spirit and gut-feeling. Usually self-righteousness melts down pretty quick when it's feet are held to the fire! If there is any substance to this you would want to know, wouldn't you?
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shushy
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Post by shushy on Jan 15, 2009 17:48:22 GMT -5
[What is said when a lady talk to another about having to wear a dress is this. The other lady(worker) says I just feel like the spirit moves me to wear dresses. And really what that implys is that the spirit is not moving me.]I call this brainwashing. Its also a way of causing you to seek approval and bow to mans ideas. Today I would tell them to get stuffed.... When I was a kid it was pants only on the horse, and yet we were able to wear shorts. Bikinis were frowned upon, struth anyone would think we wanted to walk around exposing our bits, it was just that we wanted to be normal like everybody else at school. The thing that still irks me was the no dancing/tap/girlguides/marching/sports after school etc how they classed that as worldly I dont know. Or evil. It was activity, excersize and fun. They dont like you to have fun. Bottom line. dont get me wrong I do know some nice preachers. Belive it or not. One or two.
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Post by rational on Jan 15, 2009 18:25:59 GMT -5
[What is said when a lady talk to another about having to wear a dress is this. The other lady(worker) says I just feel like the spirit moves me to wear dresses. And really what that implys is that the spirit is not moving me.]I call this brainwashing. Its also a way of causing you to seek approval and bow to mans ideas. Today I would tell them to get stuffed.... How is this brainwashing by any known definition?
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Post by ranger on Jan 15, 2009 18:46:31 GMT -5
Assume for a moment that legalism causes "outsiders" to look upon "The Truth" as some outlandish cult, whether it be for dress code or other legalistic reasons...
1) How does this aid the Fellowship in it's growth?
2) What are the scriptural implications of turning people away from God who are searching?
3) What is the impact (Generally) on those in "The Truth"?
4) For those that know...Specifically, how would you quantify those within that have left (ex-s) and those who never entered based solely on legalistic requirements?
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Post by puzzled on Jan 15, 2009 22:10:41 GMT -5
I grew up in the truth and have just recently quit going to meetings. The reasons for this was multitudnal and if anyone is willing i would appreciate comments of any type. Why can women not wear slacks? I feel strongly that the Bible does not speak against this. It speaks that we should be modest. Also if you think back to Jesus day everyone wore robes. So then it bags the question why is it ok for the men to wear pants but ladies not? Why can't the friends celebrate Christmas? I realize the world has really commercialize this. But the meaning and effort i believe God would approve. Yes, we celebrate his birth everyday....but a birthday only comes around once a year.Why are there so many unwritten rules about conduct and ways of doing things and even speaking. It feels so full of bondage. And your made to feel that if you have a problem with any of it, it's your problem. Why is everything so exclusive? Yes, God does want a separate people but he also put of in this world to enjoy life and learn from others not just our brothers and sisters in Christ. I personally feel that when people first come in to this church that "Love BomBing is practiced" I also feel the workers have to much power. They are servers, not rulers. I've heard them complain at preps because they have to work so hard. When us normal people have to work that hard everyday. When i was young they used to help with dishes and such. Not anymore. They don't lift a finger. It feels like they come to your house to be served and taken care of. Maybe I have been to harsh. I Don't mean to offend anyone, i just have a lot of questions that have gone a long, long time unanswered, or not adequately answered. I totally agree on each point! Your post is not harsh or offensive. Just very honest!!!! I believe.... you are on your way to Freedom! Welcome Aboard!!!!!
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shushy
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Post by shushy on Jan 16, 2009 3:10:06 GMT -5
[What is said when a lady talk to another about having to wear a dress is this. The other lady(worker) says I just feel like the spirit moves me to wear dresses. And really what that implys is that the spirit is not moving me.]I call this brainwashing. Its also a way of causing you to seek approval and bow to mans ideas. Today I would tell them to get stuffed.... How is this brainwashing by any known definition? Its the subtle way workers behave. Its the power of suggestion. To produce a desire to be like them. Do as they do. doesnt make it right. Seducing the mind to another way of thinking. Love and acceptance should be unconditional. Like Jesus. The suggestion that the Holy Spirit is involved adds clout to the innocent, vulnerable, young christian who wants to please their leader. How are ya anyway?
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Post by survive on Feb 22, 2009 19:07:09 GMT -5
Growing up I remember coming back from Christmas vacation to school and LyING about what I got for Christmas..........thats a sad thing to learn so as not to be teased. In Jr High I got a pair of pants and used to rolled them up under my skirt out of Moms site, off came the skirt. What I was learning was how to be good at sneaking and lyingl...... how sad
I always professed 6 times, out of fear of hell not love for Jesus. Now that I have left the "way" I live to show hopefully Christ in my life out of love for his sacrafice not fear.
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Post by sapphire on Feb 23, 2009 1:14:28 GMT -5
What is said when a lady talk to another about having to wear a dress is this. The other lady(worker) says I just feel like the spirit moves me to wear dresses. And really what that implys is that the spirit is not moving me. It's very subtle and happens alot where people defend their actions because they say they feel that they are moved to do things that way. I'm not saying they are or not but it leaves the other person feeling like they are somehow not only wrong, but don't have the right spirit. This is a hard topic because it gets into blasphemy too... comments? Oh yes, I hear this a lot!! Not to my face in personal conversation, but in meeting. I wish someone WOULD say it to me directly, tho. I would reply: "When the spirit is saying one thing to you and something different to me, then I feel the safest thing for me to do is see what Jesus said about it." And of course, if Jesus didn't say anything about it, then I know it really wasn't that important to Him... because I have FULL confidence that Jesus did not leave ANYthing undone... He said, taught and accomplished ALL that God gave Him to do. When a person tries to self-righteously judge everyone else by their OWN ideas (that are not even scriptural)... that's blasphemy, IMO. They're trying to do God's job.
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Post by glory2god on Feb 25, 2009 6:00:41 GMT -5
survive says: Growing up I remember coming back from Christmas vacation to school and LyING about what I got for Christmas..........thats a sad thing to learn so as not to be teased. In Jr High I got a pair of pants and used to rolled them up under my skirt out of Moms site, off came the skirt. What I was learning was how to be good at sneaking and lyingl...... how sad
I always professed 6 times, out of fear of hell not love for Jesus. Now that I have left the "way" I live to show hopefully Christ in my life out of love for his sacrafice not fear.
Wow, does that bring back memories. I remember growing up in the membership many moons ago and my sisters did the same thing. They would go to school early enough to change out of there long skirts and to apply their makeup. On hot days, I would change to shorts or cutoffs once I got to school. So sad thinking of all those days lost in sneaking around the workers. The fear, the control , the confusion. So glad we are all free today. It took a while, as we gradually dropped from the membership rolls during adulthood, but no one is a member today.
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Post by ronhall on Feb 25, 2009 10:08:43 GMT -5
It certainly gets crazy, trying to lead a double life!
To what end?
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Post by juliette on Feb 25, 2009 13:46:12 GMT -5
My friend and I were talking about this issue today, and we've noticed a lot of "distancing" in the fellowship about the rules. When we were younger, everyone knew what the rules were, and no one made any bones about talking about and enforcing them (the dress code rules). Now, at least with people our age, a lot of women dress as they wish in their daily lives, and then pull their hair up and put on a skirt for meeting. The new word to explain this is "respect"... they show respect for meeting and the workers by wearing skirts and putting their hair up around them. But out in the "world" they pretty much blend in.
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Post by buzzybee on Feb 27, 2009 10:52:59 GMT -5
But shouldn't the real respect be to God? Otherwise its being done to be seen of men, wether they be workers or anyone else.
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Post by ronhall on Feb 27, 2009 21:24:27 GMT -5
But shouldn't the real respect be to God? Otherwise its being done to be seen of men, wether they be workers or anyone else. My reading indicates that doing unto others with respect is the same as doing unto God with respect. One passage that indicates this is: Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me. In my case I wear a dress shirt, tie, slacks and polished shoes to meeting. I usually wear the same minus the tie when going to town shopping. Around the house, in the shop or garden it is jeans, sweat shirt, etc. Hopefully others don't see me as a hypocrite because I wear different attire for different occasions. That's certainly not my intent. I just want to be respectable.
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Post by buzzybee on Feb 27, 2009 21:53:14 GMT -5
ronhall, my response was a little judgemental--sorry. I know the double life all to well. Wearing skirts around workers and to meetings and pants elsewhere. I guess the reason you do what you do is what matters. Whether you wear cloths out of respect, or fear of what others think.
Just sounded like a double life when Juliette mentioned putting hair up and putting on skirts when workers were around, but blending in other times. I can not put my finger on what is offending me about that statement. Maybe this is more the issue. Why should we have to look a certain way and wear certain cloths to convey respect and be respected by the workers. God does look on the heart. If people feel that they need to do this around the workers, then really who are they trying to please? and why?
The condition you alluded to is quite different.
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