I thought it was a matter of heart?

I think it's just a matter of how you were taught when growing up. We always were told that we had to wear our "Sunday Best" for God's house. We had a very special dress and shoes and little gloves and hat to wear to church. That was set for church alone and not for anything else. My parents were raised that way and they passed that along to me. Now I'm very flexible and feel that it's all in the "heart" and not what's on the outside. Our society is changing and many people have to work odd hours and wear their work clothes to church. Other people prefer to wear a more comfortable outfit, rather than getting dressed up. I really don't think it matters as long as your style of dress is acceptable at your church.

That exaample is one of the many reasons why I do not like organized religion.

I agree that spirituality lives in the heart and soul..I'm not so sure about religion...I am not by any means bashing anyone's choice to "belong" to a specific religion...I just see alot of people who are convinced that their religion is the only one ( which is fine with me) and that "dressing" for church is extremely important.. I suppose I can see that one would want to dress in an appropriate manner...which is broadly defined...but I have gone to church in jeans and a nice blazer, nice shoes,etc...and I believe the sermon had just as much impact on me and I learned as much as if I were dressed in a fancy hat, suit, etc.... We can, in my humble opinion, worship at the beach, on mountaintop, floating down a river, sitting in a hospital room, walking down the street..it's the connection with your higher power that counts..not what you wear or where you are...Again..just on opinion...but I know some may take offense...I am not opposed to anyone's choice of religions or dressing to impress...it just isn't me!

god does not care what u wear when u speak with him he looks into your heart and not your pockets i go with a nice outfit but alot of times i have just worn jeans church is not about what you wear its about love and your beliefs i must admit i havent went for a long time i do it in my own way the reason for that is because i have seen church goers in the bar the night b4 and then beg for foregiveness the next day i am so glad i dont drink anymore i am very spiritual u can see that in the way i think and carry myself and the decor in my home i am not better than any1 else but i believe that religion is where ever u find it god is everywhere so it does not matter where u are sitting

I sure agree with you crazynurse. God will not mind whatever we wear when we go to church to worship him. What matters is what He sees inside, and that is our hearts. Of course I also agree that we should dress our best for God, because He is important, but I think as long as it is modest, appropriate and decent, that will do. We must have a sincere heart of worship in front of God, and when we do, God will be more please whatever clothes we are wearing. =)

I do feel the same. Clothing has nothing to do regarding the purity of heart.And we worship with the heart not with the clothes we wear. But i have heard people relate dressing to beliefs.Some say simple white dresses reflect the pure heart of the worshipper.Some say the type of clothing also aids in purity of mind. I dont mind what i wear to prayer till its comfortable& decent. But maybe some do.

We used to attend a church where people regularly dressed up on Sunday. One morning my husband was teasing one of the teenagers in our congregation about her attire. (All in good fun, he was always "picking" on her) He said "Hey! You can't wear flip-flops to church!" She turned around, looked him in the eye, and said "Jesus wore flip-flops". I nearly fell over laughing! It was a true statement (ok, they were probably sandals of some sort, but you know...) and she put him in his place right there on the spot! We now attend a church that actually focuses on being casual and being more concerned with Jesus than with our attire. Some people dress up (if they feel like it that day) and others come as they are. The pastor even wears blue jeans on Sunday morning. I love the fact that people don't have to feel like they can't attend because their best dress is in the wash or because they don't own anything fancy enough to wear to church. I see ladies in fancy dresses worshipping right next to the mechanic who just got off of work and came straight to church. It takes the pressure off our tendency to please other people and puts our focus on worshipping God. Personally, I am more comfortable in jeans and a tshirt. I also am usually hauling a bunch of kids to church and don't want to be fussing that someone urped on my shoulder right before we get there or any of the other things that can happen when you are around children. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and stop worrying about impressing each other. Let me make myself clear on this point though. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dressing up for church! If that is what you like to do, then go for it! I just don't feel like we should make others feel inferior if they want to be comfortable and casual when they worship. After all, Jesus spent most of his time around people who were not well dressed or wealthy.

Well, I am not guilty of this. I wear comfortable clothes to church, afterall.. its not a fashion show that i have to wear better clothes for others to notice me.

Oh my, this was a pet peeve of mine for years. I can remember so many times my mother saying "you're not wearing thatare you? I told her that God has seen me naked, as if he would care what clothes you were wearing.....lol I would get so mad. One time I said well how about if I wrap a sheet around me and wear that like they used to...,.,that was our last discussion..she knew I would do it...heheh

I agree with what you have said here but over the years I have seen standards drop dramatically. To me, when a person goes to church, they are visiting the house of the Lord. I think that more respect should be shown and people shouldn't be dressed so casually. Of course it's only a few who dress inappropriately, but they lower the tone for everyone and it's hard to ignore someone skimiply dressed or dressed in outlandish fashion and it's probably distracting for some too. Maybe I just don't go to church often enough. If I did I would be more accustomed to these things I guess.

My husband and I dress casual for church because it IS a matter of the heart. This morning, when getting ready for our Easter Service, my husband asked if I was dressing up for Easter. I told him that I was going to dress how I always dress. Easter is a day that people who normally may not go to church, will go, and I'd like to represent the side of church that is down to earth and doesn't dress to the hilt for church. Some people don't go to church BECAUSE they don't feel like they have nice enough clothes etc. . . . I think that church is a matter of the heart, no doubt. When we got to church, the only people who did dress up today were the youngsters! There were lots of little girls in their hats and pretty dresses and young men in suits, even with TIES!! Not many of us regular folks were dressed up at all, but we worshipped the Lord just the same and HE heard us!

I think it is more to do with the attitude of the heart. Some people will wear their most casual cloths to church but not think of going out for dinner to a resturant without dressing up or at least wearing their best cloths what ever that best is for them. If you will wear your sweats to church but not to a resturant for dinner then I think that is a problem too. God looks on the heart and whether someone won't go to church without wearing something marvelous or whether it is sweats though they have something nicer to wear bottom line is it is the attitude of the heart that is the important thing to God.

it's a good article and I definitely agree with you. It's a matter of the heart not the dressing issue.

I agree with you it isnt about what u wear to church, its the fact that u get up on sunday and go to church to worship. It shouldnt matter if your dressed up or in your pjs god wouldnt look at you any different.

I think there's really two factors at play here. Yes, you are correct in that it should be about what's in your heart. I don't believe that Jesus Christ would turn someone away from church because of what they were wearing. He would probably call someone a hypocrite for skipping church due to wardrobe issues. But there's also a lot of people who find it disrespectful for people to go to church in jeans and shorts and feel that they should put more effort into their appearance for church. Personally, I think that you can wear casual clothes and still look well put together. I think it's very possible to be wearing an expensive dress or suit and still look a mess, and it's also possible to be wearing something you bought at Target and look like a million in it. Personal presentation matters. If a person's heart is sincere and all they have to wear to church is jeans, then isn't it unchristian (or unreligious?) to say they shouldn't go to church until they have something better to wear? I think that it should be taken seriously and people should put themselves together with care, but it isn't necessary for it to be a fashion show.

I grew up on the tail end of the fancy dress clothes era. We also wore dresses to school, as well as church. When my children were young I always insisted on them wearing their nicer clothes to church, Sunday morning or evening. They did not wear scruffy things, or sporting apparal. My daughter, at a preteen age, decided to challenge me on this. "Mom, God loves us, and He doesn't care what we wear. Why should you?" I explained to her that I also loved God, and in that sense, I also respected Him. To me it was important to show God love and respect by dressing up for Him, just as I would dress up for a special time with my husband. I guess that is where I am. Not that you should not be in worship if you are not in finery, but that you should be clean and neat, and honor and respect God by making your mode of dress an act of worship as well. I focus a lot on what I am going to wear to work, as well as to church. Is it appropriate, does it fit? Is it comfortable to spend a lot of time in? Can I do everything I need to in what I am wearing? Will my clothes be distracting from my purpose? I belong to a worshiping tradition that originlly really preached modest attire for both men and women.

God loves us all. As long as we girls keep our butt covered and our girls tucked in that's all that matters. Guys same thing no holes in your pants and the boys are covered, we're good to go. I feel better in pants and look better too so I wear what makes me comfortable. I would like to go to church more but for reasons beyond my control I've been working a deal with God, I won't be able to go to his house and he's not able to come to mine for awhile. Take Care.

well maybe the clothing does express the heart to a degree. I can see if one does not have anything nice to wear - well then go as you are because it is important to go first and foremost. but if you have the nice outfit then why not wear it? why shouldn't going to Church be viewed as a special event? for the Catholic, there is Christ present wholey and truly flesh and blood, body, soul and divinity in the form of the Most August Sacrament at the Altar - if we would wear nice clothing to go on a date, why not to be there in the "House of God" The exteriors not only help to foster the interiors they also help to express the interiors.

Yeah, it definitely should be about heart. If it comes down to the fact that you have nothing to wear, go anyway. You are going there to worship God, not catch a man or look good LOL... HOWEVER, I do think that it is respectful to where a skirt or dress if you are a women and a suit if you are a man. I mean, it's not right to go looking like you are going for groceries or hanging out. It is about the heart but it's also about respect. However, if you can't afford a dress or skirt or whatever the case may be, then wear whatever you can because God knows your circumstances and either way he is not going to hold you accountable for what you wear. Well, if you go looking like a hooker or punk, he might lol...Other than that, I think it's all good ;-P

Sadly it is true that many of us christians have become very dress conscious to the point where it takes presidence over the true meaning of worship. It really shouldnt be.