Do you judge people based upon their looks?

Lenity · #1 24th September 2012, 10:42 AM

I remember during my younger years as a goth kid I used to be looked down upon, especially by churchy types. I found that to be pretty ironic then, and even now I kind of get annoyed at the hypocrisy. Anyway...

Do you judge someone based off of their looks? Would you disregard my message if I came to you dressed in a long black victorian dress with dark make up and a parasol? I don't dress like that anymore, but I could if I wanted to, and that's my point. Would my opinion as a Christian be any less legitimate because of my style of dress? I'm not talking about blatantly provocative clothing or inappropriate in terms of sexuality. Within the grounds of modesty, do you judge people by their clothing?

My point in this is that I don't think it matters. In fact, I think it is ENCOURAGED by Jesus Christ for us to express ourselves and appear as we want to. My reasoning behind this is that...well, God made a lot of "dark" things. "Scary" things. "Creepy crawly" insects, mighty toothed lions, things that can utterly obliterate us, as well as cute things too.

http://images.mudfooted.com/Angler-Fish.jpg

The angler fish, despite being darkly and frightening to some people, is not "evil". It doesn't LOOK evil either, because evil is not a look. Evil is in actions and in the heart. It doesn't LOOK like anything.

So to put it simply, I think we could learn a lot about God if we look at nature. I find it kind of interesting some of the "creepiest" animals out there live in dark places, like in caves or underground or at the bottom of the ocean. They remained out of our sight for millenia until we finally had the technology to find it. I can only fathom that maybe God did that on purpose because He thought we would judge Him or wouldn't be able to handle it until we had already scared ourselves with the atomic bomb and two world wars etc lol.

I guess that's all I have to say about judging things, specifically people, by their looks.

talitha · #2 24th September 2012, 06:15 PM

Goth is not a person's looks - it is a person's taste and choice. You choose to dress a certain way. When I was younger, in my twenties, I used to wear almost exclusively black. I was accepted into a ministry training school, but when we took some kids to Mexico on a mission trip, I was told that I had to buy some colored clothes. The Lord provided me with some money, and I went to a second-hand clothing store and bought some. The Lord also convicted me to record over my "dark" music with sermons. Why did I have to change? because colored clothes and the music of Wire and Robyn Hitchcock, etc., are inherently evil? NO. I had to change the outside because these surface changes were signs of something inside me that needed to change, and as long as I chose to wear black all the time and listen to dark music, these things were keeping me in the bondage I was in. I have seen over and over again that the outer appearance is a statement of something inside. When I see a "goth" kid, I know what kind of things I will probably find if I look deeper. I do not condemn the kid, but I do want to see him/her free.

thesunisout · #3 24th September 2012, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Lenity

I remember during my younger years as a goth kid I used to be looked down upon, especially by churchy types. I found that to be pretty ironic then, and even now I kind of get annoyed at the hypocrisy. Anyway...

Do you judge someone based off of their looks? Would you disregard my message if I came to you dressed in a long black victorian dress with dark make up and a parasol? I don't dress like that anymore, but I could if I wanted to, and that's my point. Would my opinion as a Christian be any less legitimate because of my style of dress? I'm not talking about blatantly provocative clothing or inappropriate in terms of sexuality. Within the grounds of modesty, do you judge people by their clothing?

My point in this is that I don't think it matters. In fact, I think it is ENCOURAGED by Jesus Christ for us to express ourselves and appear as we want to. My reasoning behind this is that...well, God made a lot of "dark" things. "Scary" things. "Creepy crawly" insects, mighty toothed lions, things that can utterly obliterate us, as well as cute things too.

http://images.mudfooted.com/Angler-Fish.jpg

The angler fish, despite being darkly and frightening to some people, is not "evil". It doesn't LOOK evil either, because evil is not a look. Evil is in actions and in the heart. It doesn't LOOK like anything.

So to put it simply, I think we could learn a lot about God if we look at nature. I find it kind of interesting some of the "creepiest" animals out there live in dark places, like in caves or underground or at the bottom of the ocean. They remained out of our sight for millenia until we finally had the technology to find it. I can only fathom that maybe God did that on purpose because He thought we would judge Him or wouldn't be able to handle it until we had already scared ourselves with the atomic bomb and two world wars etc lol.

I guess that's all I have to say about judging things, specifically people, by their looks.

1 Thessalonians 5:22

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Scripture says to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I think that should reflect in how we dress too. We're not dressing for ourselves any longer, you could say. Yes, technically dressing in a gothic dress with a parasol is not any kind of sin, but it is definitely a controversial choice, one that would attract undue attention to you, when the goal is to attract attention to Christ. This kind of dress is also somewhat antithetical to what scripture says about us:

1 Thessalonians 5:5

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

I think that if our dress reflects darkness to others, we are sending a mixed message.

No, your opinion is not less valid based on what you wear, but many people will judge you that way, including some Christians. That is just the reality, whether it is fair or not. That's why scripture says to avoid all appearance of evil. We know what is controversial to wear and what isn't, and we should avoid the controversy so we have a more effective ministry to the lost.

Forge3 · #4 24th September 2012, 09:37 PM

No. But that is through working with grace

If Not For Grace · #5 24th September 2012, 10:15 PM

Yes everyone does.

AGREED-thanks Marshab for saying it plainly

If you say you don't you are only deceiving yourself. How you present yourself makes a statement. Now that's not to say some people are not hypocrites. Some dress all nice and conservative and are no more than wolves in sheeps clothing.

But if you want to walk to the beat of a different drummer-just know that not everyone is going to appreciate your taste in music. If you make a statement in your dress, do not complain if people "talk" or comment on it. Your dress reflects your style and your style is short for LIFEstyle. Listen to the following words and tell me your 1st thought:

BIKER

NUN

SOLDIER

CEO

THUG

RASTA

OMISH

HASIDIC

PILOT

PIRATE

MUSICIAN

Mary KAY

WRESTLER

NOW did an image involving clothing or manner of dress come to mind?

(That is a judgement-right/wrong/indifferent)

Michaelismyname · #6 25th September 2012, 01:15 AM

sure i judge them - that is to say , make a judgment based on what is seen .
I make a new one based on what comes out of their mouth.
i then amend that one for a new one when I see what they eat .
I then change it again based on how they speak and respond to their parents or spouse etc ....

but one thing i cannot do is pass judgment of condemnation .

if they are christian and doing something that is plainly wrongful - i can make that judgment and say - what you are doing is plainly wrong . you should stop doing that .

what i cannot do is pass judgment unto condemnation.

we can judge many things however we wish ... that is - however we wish ourselves to be judged

Javafiend · #7 26th September 2012, 10:10 PM

I see a goth and I think he/she needs salvation. Christians just aren't into death. However I used to dress in all black because I thought it made me look mean and manly, when I became a Christian I began wearing white and bright colors. People I found out thought that I thought I was holy because I dressed in white. Don't you know no one wears white. Lol and no I never thought I earned the right to wear white because I thought I was holy... Oh no instead I thought I was an individual and was enjoying my new life in the light.

revrobor · #8 26th September 2012, 11:04 PM

I am among those who tend to come to conclusions about people based on the way they dress. If I get to know them my opinion may change. But many people, especially the younger generations, dress the way they do to make a statement about who they are or what they believe. So it isn't accurate to say they are not what how they dress says they are.