Wearing Jeans and T-shirt ok for Sunday? Vs. Dress/skirt?


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Basically I got told that trousers are fine but like suit trousers.   Im not a dress fan either so I wear a suit skirt and blouse to Church every Sunday with black flats.  I do like looking my best for Church.     

The guidelines for dress you can find in a booklet on the lds.org website called For the Strength of youth.  I got given this book when I was looking into the Church (I'm 32) but the standards of dress are the same what ever age. 

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19 hours ago, zil said:

As you've noticed, dresses / skirts are the norm.  Unlike @SilentOne, the only time I've seen a woman at church wearing pants was when she was an investigator, coming from or going to something that got in the way of putting on her "Sunday clothes" or similar anomaly.  I have seen some of the young women / girls wearing some sort of stretchy, shin-length pants under skirts.

A friend keeps an elastic-waist skirt rolled up in a WalMart bag under the seat of her car, so she can pull it on over anything on Sunday mornings.

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It's not called - Sunday Silk.  It's called Sunday Best.

So, what it is supposed to be is you thoughtfully choose your best clothes to wear on Sunday.  If all you have is t-shirt and jeans, then you choose your best t-shirt and best jeans to wear to church.  If you can do better than t-shirt and jeans you go get the better outfit that you can afford.

Now, if your work asks you to wear business suits and you refuse to do it, you'll get fired.  If your football team asks you to wear the proper uniform and you refuse to do it, you can't play.  God asks you to wear your best that represents your respect for God.  You won't get fired if you wear something you think is Sunday Best but others think is not.  But there are at least minimum standards of modesty - for endowed members, it's easier because you just need to make sure your Sunday Best covers your garments.

In any case, if you walk into church in your t-shirt and jeans and feel so out of place it distracts you from your worship, then it's not a good thing.  At the same time, if you walk into church in something else and you feel so uncomfortable it distracts you from your worship, it's not a good thing either.  You'll have to figure out a happy balance taking into consideration what is the best way for you to focus on worship and help others focus on worship as well.  This flows out of the commandment to love others as you love yourself.  Not just others and not just yourself either.  And all of you trying to fulfill the first commandment to love God.

My husband has 3 suits that he rotates wearing to Church - suit and jacket pair.  My 2 teen-age boys tend to grow like weeds so they only have 1 suit jacket and suit pants each that they wear every single Sunday.  We live in Florida, it's waaaaay too hot to wear suit jacket, but my husband and kids walk into the air conditioned ward building and put on their jackets.  Most of the guys in the ward don't wear the jacket.

I wear business clothes to church.  My best clothes is my Maria Clara gown made of abaca fabric and hand embroidered on the shawl.  I don't wear that to church because it is too flashy and would make me stand out and become a distraction.  So, I choose my next best - my business clothes.  I have a couple of pantsuits that are one of my very best business clothes so I sometimes attend church in pants.  My only indulgence on Sunday is my shoes.  I love shoes and have several pairs that are fancy.  I wear these to church.  Not many people pay attention to what kind of shoes people wear so I don't feel like I stand out and become a distraction in my 4-inch high heels especially when there are 14 inches between my husband and I.

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

Edited by anatess2
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1 hour ago, anatess2 said:

If you can do better than t-shirt and jeans you go get the better outfit that you can afford.

If you can't do better than a t shirt and jeans, you're not trying.  The jeans I'm wearing right now are Wrangler 13MWZ from WalMart, and at $27, they cost more than I've paid for any of the last dozen suits I've had.  Goodwill, eBay, DI, Salvation Army and plenty of others have tons of nice clothes in every size for under $20.

As for comfort, I'd rather wander around all day in judo gi pants if I have to wear pants at all.  However, out of respect for others, I wear jeans, slacks or cargo shorts outside the dojo or workout room.

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I grew up in a suburban area, but it still had some remnants of farming (horses and such), and one member was a big ol' farmer who came to church in overalls. Every single Sunday.  But you know what, wards really do become extended families, so people will get to know you, and not your attire.  So wear what you are comfortable with (and that may mean dressing up a bit if it makes you feel less out of place).  But the farmer of my story didn't ever worry about what people thought, and I am pretty sure he was just as spiritual as any other person there.

Edited by bytebear
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I live next door to a major military base. It's common to see military service members of *both* genders come to church wearing their uniform, a result of their either just coming off of duty or having to report for duty once they get out and not having time to change beforehand. As such, I can't think of anyone who has issues with seeing women wearing the uniform-mandated pants. 

It's also common for people to show up in everyday clothes because they're moving in or out and their Sunday stuff is packed. The US military reserves the right to shuffle service members around as there is a need for them at one base or another, meaning that some service members can relocate as often as every six months. 

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I always used to wear a shirt and tie to church and when I got to my mid 20's I started always wearing a suit. That was about the time I started going to the LDS services, but it carried over to when I returned to the C of E. Then one day it occurred to me that I was about the only person (at least among the younger people of the congregation) who even wore a tie, let alone a full suit. Nowadays I always dress casually for church, with the exception of baptisms and weddings.

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Once I was had to work on Sunday- a really nasty job that was going to bleach and destroy my clothes.  So I picked out the most ugly worn out clothes I own and came to work... only to have the job canceled last minute.  So got in my car, and drove straight to church in the most filthy outfit I own. :)

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3 hours ago, anatess2 said:

So... the young men attended church in their scout uniforms except for the priests blessing the sacrament who wore their white shirt and tie.  The deacons in scout uniform passed sacrament.  Interesting, huh?

So now you're going to have to spend eternity wandering around the outer darkness wondering why they ever thought it was worth the risk of allowing Sacrament to be passed by anyone wearing a non-white shirt.  :rolleyes:

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9 hours ago, Jane_Doe said:

Once I was had to work on Sunday- a really nasty job that was going to bleach and destroy my clothes.  So I picked out the most ugly worn out clothes I own and came to work... only to have the job canceled last minute.  So got in my car, and drove straight to church in the most filthy outfit I own. :)

Excellent. Proud of you!

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