Why Do People "Dress Up" For Church??......

[Tim Myers]

This is a semi-silly question, but I am entitled to ask one every once and a while.......

When most people think about "dressing up" for church it does not seem the least bit strange to them.....

However, that may be because, for as long as they can remember, people have always "dressed up" for church.....

But, why do people "dress up" for church??

Is it because they feel it is honoring God more??

Is it because they think God might be more pleased with them if they do?

Will God hear and answer the prayers of someone in a suit and tie more readily than He will someone wearing a dirty tanktop and shredded blue jeans??

Where and when did "dressing up" for church begin??

And, more importantly, why did it begin??.......

 

[chris4243]

Because people show favoritism based on peoples' appearances, and so they can pretend to others to be wealthy. As it says in the Bible,

James 2
1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

 

[151kN]

Because I want a wife

Honestly though, in most of the churches I have been to the standard dress is shorts, a shirt and thongs (im australian so that would be flip-flops to most of you.) Seems that the larger the population of the church, the higher the standard of dress becomes - as people seem to dress up to the highest standard rather than down to the lowest.

 

[dies-l]

I am not one to dress up for church, but I do understand the reasoning behind it. Dress, in our culture, can be a gesture of respect or disrespect. For example, as a lawyer, I would never go to court without a jacket and tie, because it would be disrespectful to the judge. I also encourage my clients to avoid wearing grungy clothes into court for the same reason. For some Christians, this approach to dress carries into church. They feel that their best clothes are reserved to wear in the presence of the ones they respect most. And, since they respect God, they wear their best for Him.

Our culture is shifting away from the emphasis on dress as a gesture of respect. But, that emphasis is still alive throughout many groups, and for people who have such an attitude toward dress, it should not be surprising that they would tend to want to dress nicely for church.

 

[cranberries]

This is a semi-silly question, but I am entitled to ask one every once and a while.......

When most people think about "dressing up" for church it does not seem the least bit strange to them.....

However, that may be because, for as long as they can remember, people have always "dressed up" for church.....

But, why do people "dress up" for church??

Is it because they feel it is honoring God more??

Is it because they think God might be more pleased with them if they do?

Will God hear and answer the prayers of someone in a suit and tie more readily than He will someone wearing a dirty tanktop and shredded blue jeans??

Where and when did "dressing up" for church begin??

And, more importantly, why did it begin??.......

Maybe because people like to look nice when they go out,
whether to church,or work,or out to eat,or visiting friends.
God looks at the heart,not whether or not a person is dressed up.
He will answer prayers for both groups the same way.