LDS are expected to wear their Sunday best to church. You might be looked at differently if you do not, but in the end, wear whatever you are comfortable with.
Upfront, it's important to remember that no matter what you hink, do or wear, you will surely find someone who will complain about it. They do so to appear self righteous, holier than thou, or sometimes it's just because they are a jerk or a bully.
I usually wear a polo shirt and khakis. Ever since Catholic school I don't like wearing a suit and tie to anything. It makes me feel like I'm gong to a funeral. Church should be a joyous event-and while it does have a bit of solemnity to it being super serious and severe isn't exactly the warm and and friendly kind of believers that we should be.
It's an interesting issue. The Lord does not care what we wear. He only cares about what is on the inside. I think that for me at least, What I wear to different occasions can be seen as a demnstration of the value I place on the event. For example, if I am a doctor, I will dress carefully when going in for an operation. I would be careful to make sure that what I wear is conducive to a clean environment and lessening the chance of infection. When I was married, I dressed in my best clothes as a symbol of the importance I placed upon being married to my sweet wife. Could I have dressed in my regular clothes? Sure, but I wanted to show my wife the imporance I placed upon the covenant I was making with her. My clothes became one part of how I showed her the value I placed in what was happening.
ReplyDeleteNow, do people dress up 'to be seen by men?' sure. Pride can certainly be a reason people dress up and nothing more.
So, maybe how we dress might not be so much about what God wants or what society expects, but more about the value we ourselves place upon the event we am going to.