Actually this is nothing personal against you, Debbie, although your post is PART of the reason I asked this question. See, recently we had a very nice new family attend our church (twice in fact.) I really hoped they might stick around and join us as we seem to have much in common. Yesterday I found out that they won't be back because we aren't "conservative" enough for them. The last Sunday they visited it was very cold and most of us ladies wore slacks to church. They didn't like that and feel it is disrespectful for women to wear slacks in the church building.I know this is directed at what I said, because I stated that I believe FOR ME it is important to dress up for church, since a specific worship time is set aside for reverence and respect for an Almighty God.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
It hurt my feelings that they would not attend my church over this, when we agree in so many other SCRIPTURAL areas. Then when I read your post, it just reinforced what I've heard growing up and read here and even said to my own children, that we should be respectful "in God's house."
This isn't just about clothes. If you have a personal conviction about that I'm not going to insult you or say you're judging me. You have the liberty to wear whatever you feel is appropriate, as I do. This is about the fact that God doesn't have a house, yet we use that term and reinforce it by our behavior. As I said in another post, I've even told my kids not to run "in God's house." I believe I was wrong to tell them this. Socially they should be well-behaved and respectful of others in public, but not because a certain building is "sacred" as compared to any other.
I just think we've heard the term "God's house" and we've repeated it, but it isn't biblical and we shouldn't make it seem so. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. I believe we can have a discussion/debate about this without slinging insults or personal attacks. After all, that's the purpose of this forum.