Why do Protestants dress better (or more formal) on average than Catholics?

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I can remember back in the pre-Vat II days when everyone dressed up. The clothes we females had to wear were very uncomfortable. Can I use the “g” word on this thread? It rhymes with “hurdle”. It was also very distracting. As a pre-teen and a teenager I would compare all the outfits and make judgements about people. Nobody had much money in my little town so it must have been a terrible burden on the mothers to outfit their daughters. Those were the times when I seriously wished I were a nun so I could wear clothes that were not so distracting. Only the nuns in habits really know how to dress for church.

I propose that all Catholics buy choir robes and wear them to church. It would be a one time investment. They certainly would be comfortale to wear. They would not be distracting…you couldn’t see who put on weight or who had a beautiful figure under those robes.:rolleyes:
 
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ally:
I can remember back in the pre-Vat II days when everyone dressed up. The clothes we females had to wear were very uncomfortable. Can I use the “g” word on this thread? It rhymes with “hurdle”. It was also very distracting. As a pre-teen and a teenager I would compare all the outfits and make judgements about people. Nobody had much money in my little town so it must have been a terrible burden on the mothers to outfit their daughters. Those were the times when I seriously wished I were a nun so I could wear clothes that were not so distracting. Only the nuns in habits really know how to dress for church.

I propose that all Catholics buy choir robes and wear them to church. It would be a one time investment. They certainly would be comfortale to wear. They would not be distracting…you couldn’t see who put on weight or who had a beautiful figure under those robes.:rolleyes:
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You know, that’s not a bad idea. I often wear a white t-shirt, black chinos (cleaned/pressed) and black combat boots (highly polished) to church. With the addition of an alb or a cassock/surplice (I serve) I look extremely formal – but I didn’t look that way when I walk into the sacristy.

As for the loaners, just make them regular robes with the name of the parish stencled all over them…
 
Pariah Pirana:
As for the loaners, just make them regular robes with the name of the parish stencled all over them…
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I know some girls at my former parish who could use them!
 
Pariah Pirana:
Still, how come the Protestants by and large dress better and/or more formally than Catholics for their Sunday services?
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I really don’t know … unless it has to do with the influence of Calvinism and the old idea that God blesses us with riches if we are good and punishes us with poverty if we are bad. The extension here is that rich people (except for “celebrities”) dress better than poor people.

In matters of dress it really doesn’t matter what the objective value of the clothing is, as long as the person is at Mass to give him or herself completely to God.
 
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rcn:
People don’t like to hear that because it’s your opinion, and it counts for nothing.

As I said in the other thread on dress codes, these discussions are doomed to go nowhere, to argue around the same tired circle over and over again.
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And thank you for your opinion too.
 
Whoever said this destination of this thread is doomed… is probably right.
However the subject is valid. And my answer will also be subjective.

Everyone has their own personal opinion on what is acceptable according to their core values. And we should atleast try to agree on guidelines for clothing that is acceptable at Mass. Here are my suggestions. Please comment.
  1. Clothing should be modest, Not baring excessive skin above the knee. Covering the upper body sufficiently to not cause scandal. No midriffs, cleavage, low backs, and tank straps are discouraged.
  2. Clothing should fit modestly. Please no scandalously tight clothes that highlight what-yo-mama gave you. 😉 Save it for the beach or nightclub.
  3. Clothing should be Clean and in Good Repair Possibly pressed.
  4. Clothing should not have: blatant advertisements, logos, events, sports teams, kooky cartoons, or other flashy tacky distracting ornamentation.
** 😃 WARNING~THIS NEXT ONE YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE --PERSONAL OPINION~WARNING ** 😃
  1. Whatever you wear to mass should reflect the humility and solemnity of the occasion. Clothing should be simple, humble, and plain reflecting the humble spirit by which we want to approach the Lord.
    It is also important to not make a fellow christian feel like they are less because they don’t dress as well as you do.
I think we should all examine ourselves to discover why we think dressing in fine clothing to Mass is superior to plain clothes.

In my own humble opinion - it is better to dress to not be noticed for the way I am dressed.
I don’t mean to insult anyone. 🙂
 
This thread did open my eyes to at least a few reasons I had not considered:

1.) Some people feel that because they must attend the Mass, they can come dressed anyway they like. It’s an obligation to many, something they really would rather not do.

2.) Some Protestants have a better understanding of keeping the sabbath holy. Many of them are simply more committed to their faith. Perhaps it’s stressed more.

3.) Some black Protestants (far more black Protestants than Catholics in the USA) traditionally dressed well to show they were equals (with their white employers) before God. This no doubt had an influence.

4.) The young age of some Protestant sects mean they were never tainted by the slimey late 1960’s and the 1970’s.
 
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ridesawhitehors:
Whoever said this destination of this thread is doomed… is probably right.
However the subject is valid. And my answer will also be subjective.

Everyone has their own personal opinion on what is acceptable according to their core values. And we should atleast try to agree on guidelines for clothing that is acceptable at Mass. Here are my suggestions. Please comment.
  1. Clothing should be modest, Not baring excessive skin above the knee. Covering the upper body sufficiently to not cause scandal. No midriffs, cleavage, low backs, and tank straps are discouraged.
  2. Clothing should fit modestly. Please no scandalously tight clothes that highlight what-yo-mama gave you. 😉 Save it for the beach or nightclub.
  3. Clothing should be Clean and in Good Repair Possibly pressed.
  4. Clothing should not have: blatant advertisements, logos, events, sports teams, kooky cartoons, or other flashy tacky distracting ornamentation.
😃 WARNING~THIS NEXT ONE YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE --PERSONAL OPINION~WARNING 😃
  1. Whatever you wear to mass should reflect the humility and solemnity of the occasion. Clothing should be simple, humble, and plain reflecting the humble spirit by which we want to approach the Lord.
    It is also important to not make a fellow christian feel like they are less because they don’t dress as well as you do.
I think we should all examine ourselves to discover why we think dressing in fine clothing to Mass is superior to plain clothes.

In my own humble opinion - it is better to dress to not be noticed for the way I am dressed.
I don’t mean to insult anyone. 🙂
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I’m not even sure why you spent time typing the above. This thread asked why Protestants dress better (and/or more formally) than Catholics. It was not about our opinions of what should be worn…
 
I thought Ridea whitehors’s opinion was wonderful. It does answer the question… Here is what I read into her answer:
Code: 
 Catholics do not feel they need to spend mucho dollars impressing their community with their fancy clothes.  "Some"...not all .....Protestants think of church as a place to network for their business. eg...  Funerals are a great place to "do business".
 I think what whitehors was saying was we Catholics (should) think more about how modestly we dress and not how glamorous we look when we go to church.  We know the true meaning of mass .....and it is not a social ocassion but a time to pray.
 
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ally:
I thought Ridea whitehors’s opinion was wonderful. It does answer the question… Here is what I read into her answer:
Code: 
 Catholics do not feel they need to spend mucho dollars impressing their community with their fancy clothes.  "Some"...not all .....Protestants think of church as a place to network for their business. eg...  Funerals are a great place to "do business".
 I think what whitehors was saying was we Catholics (should) think more about how modestly we dress and not how glamorous we look when we go to church.  We know the true meaning of mass .....and it is not a social ocassion but a time to pray.
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Thanks Ally! 🙂
Piranas bite and uncharitable tone don’t frighten me. 😛

You got my intent exactly however. As a catholic and one time protestant it is far more important to focus on the Lord and not clothing and less on how glamourous. 👍
 
Pariah Pirana:
I’m not even sure why you spent time typing the above. This thread asked why Protestants dress better (and/or more formally) than Catholics. It was not about our opinions of what should be worn…
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Your original post is exactly about what should be worn. You obviously think that Protestants are better in **atleast ** this area.
I question your whole idea about what makes one type of clothing better then another.
Frankly I think you are clinging to a shallow and unfounded opinion.
And besides, who died and made you the ‘reply sheriff’ … hmmmmm??
 
About black Protestants dressing up to show that they were equals with their white employers, I think that’s a little off base. I think it was more a matter of the clothes that one had to wear by necessity through the work week. If you were a manual laborer, and had to wear rough and dirty clothes all week, it was nice to wear something special for, as my husband calls it, Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes.
 
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ally:
I thought Ridea whitehors’s opinion was wonderful. It does answer the question… Here is what I read into her answer:

Catholics do not feel they need to spend mucho dollars impressing their community with their fancy clothes. “Some”…not all …Protestants think of church as a place to network for their business. eg… Funerals are a great place to “do business”.
I think what whitehors was saying was we Catholics (should) think more about how modestly we dress and not how glamorous we look when we go to church. We know the true meaning of mass …and it is not a social ocassion but a time to pray.
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Anyone suggesting it costs “mucho dollars” to dress better and/or more formally simply dosen’t get it. That’s a class-A red herring.
 
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ridesawhitehors:
Thanks Ally! 🙂
Piranas bite and uncharitable tone don’t frighten me. 😛

You got my intent exactly however. As a catholic and one time protestant it is far more important to focus on the Lord and not clothing and less on how glamourous. 👍
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It’s not a zero-sum game…

Your strawman argument is laughable – it’s simply wrong to suggest that if one dresses more formally for the Mass, they do so by taking their focus off of Jesus Christ. That just ain’t so.

That sorta reasoning (in all actuality an attempt at an excuse) is something I despise…
 
Baby Sister:
About black Protestants dressing up to show that they were equals with their white employers, I think that’s a little off base. I think it was more a matter of the clothes that one had to wear by necessity through the work week. If you were a manual laborer, and had to wear rough and dirty clothes all week, it was nice to wear something special for, as my husband calls it, Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes.
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I really don’t know – someone else suggested it. It’s logical however, and it makes a great deal of sense that the tradition began that way and is preserved because people from those parishes feel it’s important enough to do so.

At the very least it’s as plausible as your suggestion.
 
Pariah Pirana:
It’s not a zero-sum game…

Your strawman argument is laughable – it’s simply wrong to suggest that if one dresses more formally for the Mass, they do so by taking their focus off of Jesus Christ. That just ain’t so.

That sorta reasoning (in all actuality an attempt at an excuse) is something I despise…
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Excuse for what? Not dressing to your personal standards? :rolleyes:

I for one will not be your sychophant. That seems to be what you are seeking - to make a post making an outrageous and stupid claim and attacking those who don’t agree with the premise, begging for someone to agree with your attack on catholics - for what? The way they dress!! HA. Shallow, uncharitable, foolish, reeking of insecurity.
THAT, if anything is despicable. Along with the inability to consider opposing points of view.
And I for one, am through with it. Good bye
 
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ridesawhitehors:
Excuse for what? Not dressing to your personal standards? :rolleyes:

I for one will not be your sychophant. That seems to be what you are seeking - to make a post making an outrageous and stupid claim and attacking those who don’t agree with the premise, begging for someone to agree with your attack on catholics - for what? The way they dress!! HA. Shallow, uncharitable, foolish, reeking of insecurity.
THAT, if anything is despicable. Along with the inability to consider opposing points of view.
And I for one, am through with it. Good bye
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Just look at your comments above. As crude and emotional as they are, they are not nearly as offensive as misdirecting a thread.

I asked “Why do Protestants appear to dress better (and/or more formally) for their Sunday services than Catholics for Sunday Mass?”

From you I first received not a stab at an answer (or a real attempt to disprove my premise), but wardrobe suggestions. While appropriate for other threads, it wasn’t here. When I pointed that out, you set-up an odd straw-man argument suggesting that people could not dress well/formally while also placing their focus on the Lord. That’s not only incorrect in itself (those who make the effort/sacrifice to dress-up are typically doing so to praise God it seems) it has nothing to do with the subject of the thread.

When I pointed that out in a direct manner (straw-men arguments and red herrings are horrible things) you responded as above. Why not just pass-up any thread I start in the future? Thanks in advance
 
I don’t know about all Protestants, but the African American women around my area really dress up for the Lord. We have so many churches around here and I love to see them as they are coming or going from church. It is a beautiful sight.

Don’t get me started about jeans, clam diggers, and sleeveless tops at Sunday Mass (bare arm pits at the raising of the hands at the Our Father in a semi-circle church is not a pretty sight).
 
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benedictusoblat:
I really don’t know … unless it has to do with the influence of Calvinism and the old idea that God blesses us with riches if we are good and punishes us with poverty if we are bad. The extension here is that rich people (except for “celebrities”) dress better than poor people.
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Perhaps coulpled with Victorian standards?

I wonder how people typically dressed for Mass in times previous.
 
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