There was a large group of Amish actually eating at the restaurant we stopped at on Monday. That's unusual, to see Amish actually eating at an Amish restaurant. We had to explain to the Dancer the reason behind their manner of dress. The women were all in black, with full head caps. The men of course had the full beards. They were speaking Pennsylvania Dutch on the way out. The Dancer noticed every one of them was wearing glasses. I wonder if that is related to their small genetic base. Not that it would cause poor eyesight, but poor eyesight might tend to be spread through the group easier.
I used to admire the Amish more than I do now. Perhaps television or the internet distracts from praying, say, or maybe it's that our sinful nature is the why, and television is just the how. Certainly we should dress modestly, but I don't think certain colors, or a lack of zippers, will help or harm us in any way with God. Really, the only help we have is God's Word and Sacrament. As for the rest, it's easy to get very legalistic. Better, I think, to live and let live, and know that we all sin. If someone is willfully and repeatedly engaging in a harmful activity, then sure, take it to our brother. But earrings or shaving or a teal blue shirt or shoes with a heel, what do they mean in the long run?
4 comments:
oh i have gone around and around on this - for myself - i have no comment on what others choose to wear - though i guess i do in a roundabout way by what i choose to wear lol.
i tend to dress as casually as possible - i wear jeans most days, even in the summer! well, i wear a bikini the half of the summer that i am not wearing jeans. aha, the bikini - i follow the "when in Rome, do as the Romans do..." philosophy - on the beaches here the girls/women mostly wear bikinis - and i think "what the heck, it's important that the young girls see older women still celebrating their bodies..." but i know that bikini-wearing isn't everyone's cuppa tea. but i'm a bit rebellious to totally cover up. there's another admission.
oh, i own two dresses - one was my mum's - full of flowers, floor length, made in the seventies - and one is my recently acquired Christmas dress, which i need to wear a bikini top under.
anyway, i hope that God still lets me into heaven too. i think he will - this might seem funny, but i find Him on the beach - in the heat of the sunshine and the power of the surf.
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that was longer than your blog post!
mwah X
Great post, Barb ;-)
Yup.
I do sometimes wistfully think how much easier it would be to have just the same few dresses all the time!
And I like the group of muted pastel colors that are allowed in some communities.
Barb,
I agree with what you're saying here. One thing that annoys me is when people are overly legalistic about things.
I believe in dressing modestly. However, true modesty should not draw attention to itself. When it does, it become ostentatious modesty, which says to the world, "Hey, look at me! Look how modest I am."
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