Apparently, the boys in Charlotte still think LCG members are too stupid to know how to dress appropriately. For over 80 years now the record is still skipping in the same spots.
What Is Appropriate Dress at the Feast?
General Guidelines: In most modern cultures, coats, collared shirts, ties and nice slacks are considered appropriate attire for men on special occasions. This may vary in tropical climates, yet, in all climates there is a distinction between what is appropriate and what is not. 1 Timothy 2:9–10 explains that ladies should dress “in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation.” This does not include the trendy and immodest apparel that is commonplace for many women in our society today: short, tight, form-fitting dresses, necklines displaying cleavage, bare shoulders, backless dresses, belly-baring tops, etc. Our challenge as Christian men and women is to come out of this world (2 Corinthians 6:17) and recapture true values so we can be lights to a world that has lost its way (Matthew 5:14–16). This is especially true as we gather to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles—picturing Christ’s glorious reign on earth!
BeachwearBeachwear at the Feast for ladies should be a modest one-piece or a modest tankini (covering the mid-section); and for the men, no Speedo-type swimsuits, except when pool facility rules require them. Fathers and husbands have a responsibility to be leaders in the family to teach and guide regarding what is appropriate and what is not (Ezekiel 22:26).
Special MusicIn most Western-culture settings, the appropriate clothing for men doing special music is coat and tie; for ladies, a dress or skirt and blouse that are modest and conservative. Because being on an elevated platform or stage at the Feast makes hemlines appear higher than they actually are, a good rule of thumb when performing special music is for a dress or skirt to at least reach the knees, including when seated. Avoid high slits in a dress or skirt. If dress attracts undue attention, it will draw the minds of those in the congregation away from their focus on the music and worship of God. For sake of example, those chosen to be on the special music list at the Feast should dress appropriately and modestly, based on these guidelines above, at all times, even when not performing.
OMG! Still micromanaging, even telling you what to wear. "Now, boys and girls, you will get to choose what to wear when you are five years old and ready for school. (Unless, of course you're a grown adult in the cult). And when you take a bath, make sure you wash behind your ears..." Rediculous!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat if everyone showed-up wearing blue jeans and t-shirts? Come-on people! Rock the boat a little! What harm would it do to show your leaders that you have your own life and you can dress as you choose and not be like mindless zombies.
ReplyDeleteThe church was run and hijacked by old people. So 'modesty' was defined by them as wearing old peoples cloths. So members dress styles were one or two generations behind the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteIn published photographs of Herb and his wife, they both dressed like everyone else in their generation. But they denied this to their members, having them dress like weirdos. For men, it was the neo-military/Mormon look. For women, it was the grandmother look.
Wow! So people in that cult are too stupid to figure out what to wear or not to wear?!?! Jesus please take the wheel.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, dress like a slut.
ReplyDeleteFathers and husbands have a responsibility to be leaders in the family to teach and guide regarding what is appropriate and what is not (Ezekiel 22:26).
ReplyDeleteAnother message sure to leave single mothers feeling hopeless and powerless.
Wait a minute. Didn't the church previously teach that the father had authority over the wife, and the wife had authority over her children? Why can't Mom teach the kids about dressing properly?
ReplyDeleteLCG has taken a sharp conservative turn. A decade ago, Rod Meredith removed a man as Charlotte assistant pastor because he tried to impose these same guidelines on the congregation. Now, Weston is enforcing these rules on the entire church!
ReplyDelete"In most modern cultures, coats, collared shirts, ties and nice slacks are considered appropriate attire for men on special occasions. "
ReplyDeletewell at least they admit it....clothing is cultural.
who says modern cultures have it right?...it's simply what we're used to, therefore we feel good about it.
speedo type swimwear is the norm in europe, it's not offensive at all.
I can appreciate what they're trying to do, unfortunately some folks need guidance in just about every area of life.
Like many of these organization's, they continue to focus on the physical rather than the spiritual. They disregard the weightier matters of the law and continue the spiritual strangulation of the laity. One day, they will have to come before the judgment seat of Christ.
ReplyDeleteIs "flossing" one of the requirements?
ReplyDeleteSomeone should write Weston a memo that requires him to shut up and sit down because he's so stupid.
ReplyDeleteAnd make sure those shoes are SHINED! And NOT run down at the heels. And also NO outrageous
ReplyDeleteflamboyant TIES. And for kids NO "light show" sneakers. Be sure to "smell nice" but again NO
knock you OUT fragrances....musk...supersweet lilac....or ??? One thing they always ommitted
probably because they weren't "available (?) those long knobby/feather sticks used in church
in colonial days....feathers to tickle women "sleepers", knobs to give a rap on the skull of
the men sleepers. HWA & Hoeh & Waterhouse would've liked to use those....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
Why wouldn't Jesus wear his $15,000 ostrich jacket?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the "Dress Code": the "scum" of society, "Hippies" were not allowed...that would eliminate JC himself, all the apostles & probably most of the early church laity,,,what about the "slave members" like Onesimus...no Brooks Bros suit for him & his counter parts. And dirty, smelly feet! Those open toed sandals just wouldn't"cut it", today...And those long scraggly beards...Oh MY, O my...the shame of it all....disgrace full...what would E.G. White
ReplyDeletehave said about all of this???
As Forest Gump "said" Stupid is as Stupid Does...thing is with these ministers their stupidity
ReplyDeleteis out there, self proclaimed, for all to see & hear.
It's amazing to me how even after all these years since the passing of the false prophet HWA, adults can't seem to figure out that you don't go to church in everyday "work" clothes. I'm not siding with Weston, but some of his points are valid even though he seems to be talking down to his followers.
ReplyDeleteThe Armstrong Church of God has always micromanaged its "weak and base thing" members. After all, God calls the weak of the world to confound the mighty. So the ministers tell you what to wear; tell you what to eat; tell you who to date and marry; tell you who is marked and disfellowship to avoid any contact; tell you that only two sexual intercourse positions are appropriate between husband and wife (but fail to tell you which two), etc. etc. Don't ever make a decision without first counselling with the ministers.
ReplyDeleteHeck, they even tell you what movies to watch and not to watch. I remember a Fred Kellers sermon in Washington, D.C. telling the congregation to use discretion and common sense. He said, "If the movie title is "18 Nudie Cuties" you shouldn't go see it". Hmm, another example of how sex gets into an Armstrong Church of God sermon. Today's Armstrongite ministers must be freaking out with the availability of free online porn.
Richard
11.02 AM
ReplyDelete'Don't make a decision without counselling from the minister' would have to be the number one false God throughout human history. A group of wise men should micromanage everyone else, creating heaven on earth. As the saying goes, name one successful civilization based on tyranny. Just one. Do these wise men drop down from heaven like manna, or are they taken from the general population? Anyone notice how people agonize over a decision they have to live with, but are flippant or malicious with a decision others have to live with?
Tyranny is a ongoing wet dream that never has or never will work. But as long as the ministers can satisfy their power lust, it's not going away.
PS even when Christ and his gang return, it will still not be a tyranny.
My dream is that all the ministers in the ACOGs be sent to North Korea. Home, sweat home.
As an ex LCG member I remember one FOT a little over 5 years ago no more than 10, a non-member spouse decided to come to services every day of the Feast. He only had khakis and button down shirts with so that is what he wore. You should've seen people's reactions. They all stared and a few gave dirty looks. A friend of mine decided to pull him aside to have a talk with him about it. When the guy said that's all he brought my "friend" offered to buy him a suit which he politely declined. He said if he wanted to wear a suit he would go buy a suit himself. The "friend" fumed about it the rest of the Feast and every single day people stared at him as if he didn't get the hint. He knew exactly what they thought and he didn't care one bit. You can bet though that it ruined quite a few members' Feast.
ReplyDelete1:37 -
ReplyDeleteThis example was not by any means isolated.
This same thing happened in my Local Church Area. A gentleman happened in - but was not wearing anything even close to resembling even khakis and a button-down-shirt. This gentleman came in with old jeans, a flannel type shirt and a shaggy beard. The reactions you described were exactly the actions that I observed. The same judgement, the same dirty looks, downright avoidance. The man didn't fit into the mold and standard. He only came twice, and never came again. I'm not sure what the deal was as to how he got in. I don't know how this was handled by the ministry. All I know is what I observed. And deeply entrenched in Armstrongism, shamefully, and regrettably, my reaction was not different from the others.
"How DARE someone come in here without showing respect to God". "Ew, this person shouldn't get in here. How'd he get in here?" "He's ruining our Sabbath with his appearance."
Yes. His Appearance. This was exactly the problem. Armstrongism was everything about appearance. It wasn't about genuine concern or care about the situations of this person. It wasn't about the background of the desire to help this person. He was viewed as an INTRUDER. He didn't follow the rules. He bucked the norm. And it made everybody uncomfortable - and he did absolutely nothing but DARED come into our secret assembly dressed as a (GASP) LABORER.
This is why I take strong issue with 11:02's comment that "Adults can't figure out you don't come to church in everyday work clothes". No. What's actually adult is looking past outward appearances and looking into the inward heart as how you treat somebody. What's juvenile, and immature, is judging a person based on what's on the outside - clothes, image, body mass index, and all. You cannot tell me that Jesus himself would throw someone out from listening to the Sermon on the Mount because they didn't have an expensive cloak to wear. Yeah, HWA might have noticed. But Jesus just wanted the man to learn the lesson of what he was saying that day. Therein is the difference that needs attention.
-SHT
The FOT brings the greatest fear to the COGs and the ministry. How do they control hundreds or thousands of people with wallets flush with cash and the command to imbibe wine and strong drink and to consume all that their soul desires?
ReplyDeleteIt didn't take a smart man to figure out that if you make them dress GQ and file them in and out of long services everyday and to participate in all the church activities (family day, singles day, seniors day, dance night, movie night etc). and prod to volunteer for service (choir, set-up crew, cleaning crew, information table, usher, security, photographer, sound crew, treasurer etc.), you can effectively control the membership for eight days.
By binding the membership up with church related functions they can glean the big windfall at the end - excess second tithe, truly making the Last Great Day the last great day for the church.
I wonder if at anytime in the past, was there ever a pre-Feast organizational meeting that came to the conclusion of: lets preach them to death, lets work them to death, lets function them to death and in the end lets shake them for everything they have left?
I wonder how much of G. Orwell's 1984 HWA would've liked to include in their program IF
ReplyDeletethey dared to or thought they could get away with...
I do remember hearing about deacons going around with yardsticks measuring womens' skirt/dress
hem lines from there to the floor. The "Fashion Police". And checking on men's haircuts too.
And ministers ACTUALLY inspecting members cupboards looking for that horrible white sugar,
white bread, white flour and horrors of horrors....MED's...
Der Fuhrer was a "piece of work" for sure...so was his protege son. Can anyone imagine what
it would've been like IF those two would've actually become the 2 Witnesses ( or should it
be-witless?) as they claimed to become?. A second "DARK AGE" for sure.
it's a wonder that they didn't inspect women's feet for "painted toenails"...not just finger-
ReplyDeletenails...and what about "wigs"...
UCG seems to have differing views on this.
ReplyDeleteIn some U.S. congregations, you can't give a prayer during services without a coat and tie - Pastor's orders. In others, black men have led prayers in African-style open-collar shirts.
So far, everyone seems to be getting along.
I still have nightmares about trying to find some suitable clothes to wear to church. In these dreams my clothes either don't fit, aren't clean, are ripped, or some such thing and I end up late for church and getting chastised for my appearance and lateness. In reality I always had clothes ready for curch the night before.
ReplyDelete"...adults can't seem to figure out that you don't go to church in everyday "work" clothes. "
ReplyDeletewell, if that's all you have...
Thanks to this thread, I had another nightmare last night that I was in church "improperly dressed" because it was all I had. Yes, it was a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteIn all my years of attending services, I do not recall a single incident where someone giving special music was not dressed nicely and conservatively. I am surprised there are now special instructions. When people get up in front of everyone they want to look their best - this is human nature.
ReplyDeleteBTW - I don't plan to be on the bikini police.