And why is wearing a hat (specifically a yarmulke) a mark of reverence for Jewish men? Is there a different kind of acceptable reverence for God for each culture,
or are these things, ultimately, irrelevent?
Does what we wear to church (three-piece suit, Salvation Army uniform, ankle length dress, jeans and a t-shirt, cowboy boots, flip-flops, bathrobe, beret, scarf, earrings, nose-rings, toga, mini-skirt, etc...) matter?
I can wear the 'appropriate' clothes (whatever that is according to local standards) and I can doff my hat (or wear my hat) and LOOK reverent without actually BEING reverent.
Does reminding the young gentlemen in the congregation to remove their caps cause them to be any more reverent or are we, by focusing on these externals, just perpetuating trivial individual preferences without ever touching on heart of the matter?
I had a friend once who was in the play Arsenic and Old Lace. All through rehearsals, she was struggling to maintain her character. She'd slip into walking or talking like the young woman she was. This problem was so persistent that at the dress rehearsal, we were all a little nervous that she would not be able to pull this off. Then, she got into her complete costume and make-up for the first time and it was like the transformation was complete. She WAS in character truly for the first time.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the things we wear (uniforms, hats, ties, pants) are nothing more than Dumbo's magic feather, objects that make us believe who we already were or help us to take on the character we want to acheive. Does that make them any less effective? Clothing makes the man. Perhaps what we wear on the outside might just have an impact on the inside.
I think your examples undo your argument.
ReplyDeleteYour friend was only play acting, and the costume and makeup allowed her to play act more pefectly. But do we want to play act at reverence?
And Dumbo had to learn eventually that it wasn't the feather, that it was him.
I've never liked the expression "clothing makes the man." I've known some tremendous people, men and women that I love and respect, who would be altogether undone if judged by the standard, "the clothes make the man."
Perhaps what we wear might have an impact... but I'm not convinced.
I once attended a church where an older gentlemen scolded a young 10 year old for wearing her hat in the chapel.
ReplyDeleteHe must have been confused, but I didn't have the heart to tell him.
But I also remember a story McLaren wrote about a young girl asked her mom why "that lady" wears a scarf (hijab) around her head all the time.
Her mother replied "That is how she shows her love for God."