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Messed up Priorities


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I once attended a church that said you couldn't be a Christian if you drove an automatic transmission equipped car. Another church said if a woman ever cut her hair, she wasn't saved. Several taught (especially during the hippie years) that if a guy's hair touched his ears, he was going to hell. A church in the Chicago area once split into 2 camps, and finally into 2 separate buildings, over whether Adam and Eve had navels (belly buttons) or not. One church taught unless your Bible was black, it wasn't proper and the owner was in sin. It goes on and on.
Maybe people should be more concerned with addressing and obeying what the Bible says, verbatim, rather than making up a bunch of man made doctrine.
At least the woman was honest about her attachment to trousers, rather than hiding it. Personally, I am thankful for that. I also think it seems like "a small price to pay" to serve, but if someone is going to be part of an organization, whether it be a church or business or anything else, the rules and demands should be followed. If it is against the Bible, go somewhere else.
Priorities change. When you are hungry, eating is usaually a priority. If you are trying to lose weight, maybe not eating is a priority. I hope she doesn't regret her decision later.

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I once attended a church that said you couldn't be a Christian if you drove an automatic transmission equipped car. Another church said if a woman ever cut her hair, she wasn't saved. Several taught (especially during the hippie years) that if a guy's hair touched his ears, he was going to hell. A church in the Chicago area once split into 2 camps, and finally into 2 separate buildings, over whether Adam and Eve had navels (belly buttons) or not. One church taught unless your Bible was black, it wasn't proper and the owner was in sin. It goes on and on.
Maybe people should be more concerned with addressing and obeying what the Bible says, verbatim, rather than making up a bunch of man made doctrine.
At least the woman was honest about her attachment to trousers, rather than hiding it. Personally, I am thankful for that. I also think it seems like "a small price to pay" to serve, but if someone is going to be part of an organization, whether it be a church or business or anything else, the rules and demands should be followed. If it is against the Bible, go somewhere else.
Priorities change. When you are hungry, eating is usaually a priority. If you are trying to lose weight, maybe not eating is a priority. I hope she doesn't regret her decision later.

It's been several years ago, but I remember some Christians fighting about the non-black Bibles.

I've also heard fights over whether one should or shouldn't write in their Bible.

Issues such as these are matters of preference, not doctrine, and shouldn't go beyond such. The only time we should be willing to take on "worth fighting for" stand is when it's a clear biblical teaching; not matters of preference.
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:rolleyes: Oh, brother.

My Bible's burgundy... :hide:

I've also seen fights over whether a hard back Bible is as real a Bible as a leather Bible!

The Bible I currently carry to church is burgundy, but I do have some black Bibles, as well as one blue Bible...and a hardback Bible and some with covers of other materials.
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I don't know, Jerry - I know of churches that teach the kinds of things he mentioned - if not the actual things, some very like them. Manmade traditions being taught in place of God's Word....it does happen, unfortunately, even in what many would call good churches.

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I once attended a church that said you couldn't be a Christian if you drove an automatic transmission equipped car. Another church said if a woman ever cut her hair, she wasn't saved. Several taught (especially during the hippie years) that if a guy's hair touched his ears, he was going to hell. A church in the Chicago area once split into 2 camps, and finally into 2 separate buildings, over whether Adam and Eve had navels (belly buttons) or not. One church taught unless your Bible was black, it wasn't proper and the owner was in sin. It goes on and on.
Maybe people should be more concerned with addressing and obeying what the Bible says, verbatim, rather than making up a bunch of man made doctrine.
At least the woman was honest about her attachment to trousers, rather than hiding it. Personally, I am thankful for that. I also think it seems like "a small price to pay" to serve, but if someone is going to be part of an organization, whether it be a church or business or anything else, the rules and demands should be followed. If it is against the Bible, go somewhere else.
Priorities change. When you are hungry, eating is usaually a priority. If you are trying to lose weight, maybe not eating is a priority. I hope she doesn't regret her decision later.


Sounds like you attended a Holiness church. A friend of mine used to be involved in that denomination and they had some extreme teachings. "No hose, no toes and no shows" was on of them. If a woman wore pantyhose she was going to hell. If a woman wore shoes that exposed their toes she was going to hell. And if anyone watched any movies or TV they were going to hell. Women also could never cut their hair or wear shirts with sleeves shorter than three quarters length of the arms. Yet at the same time his church had two woman pastors who would preach AT THE SAME TIME during Sunday service screaming over each other. Edited by Wilchbla
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Having read this thread through, the question one must always ask is: "Is it God's will?" And the short answer to that is that only the persons themselves will know. Yes there are clear directives in the bible concerning certain things we have to live by, but modesty is tricky. I am blessed to have a wife that is modest, yet in modest attire looks stunning and dare I say it, appealing. This is no fault of hers, and I can not and will not ever tell her that she must now wear sack cloth because some man can not keep his eyes to himself. They say the worst non smoker is one who used to smoke and it is always the case with ex smokers that they will always want another cigarette - the addiction never leaves, the habit can be controlled, but any ex smoker knows that even one drag will put you right back.
My reason for that simile is simple - where there is fire there is smoke and any church that subjugates woman must have there leadership checked. Woman were not created less than man, just different with different roles. Men do not have leadership over woman because they are inferior. Ehp 5:25 makes it clear how we are to treat our wives. Is the body inferior to the head even though the head leads the body? They are after all the same flesh, just with different roles. Like wise the husband and wife, the parent and child, the church and pastor, the Bride and Christ.

A lot of these IFB rules remind me of the Pharisees, and we know what Jesus thought of them (vipers), so I ask if pants is really the issue in churches that maintain such standards, are they following the will of God, is this pastors wife so wrong to refuse and does her husband not secretly agree with her sentiments that he does not convince her otherwise? A mini skirt is still a skirt, so do we ban all skirts? There are woman's pants that are modest. I agree that tight fitting pants designed to reveal the curves have no place in the church, or any where else for that matter, but do these churches ban the woman who wear these pants outside of church?


Issues such as these are matters of preference, not doctrine, and shouldn't go beyond such. The only time we should be willing to take on "worth fighting for" stand is when it's a clear biblical teaching; not matters of preference.


John81 has it exactly right and I myself will not be a member of any church that uses man made rules to subjugate the congregation into living a life of slavery when Jesus set us free from all that. It is these and many more wrongs in the IFB churches that makes me angry. We who are IFB and maintain that we hold to the fundamentals of the faith, have the true inspired Word of God, follow sound biblical doctrine and have a better understanding of God's word and how it is meant to be "rightly divided" than "those other churches" should lead by example and not by arrogance and the need to be right.

I do not maintain to know the wife, her attitude, her husband, nor the particular church involved. But we all need to remember that the Pharisees were against Christ, ironic when there name meant "the separated ones" or also known as chasidim, which means loyal to God, or loved of God. They were known for their strict adherence to the scriptures, yet in the end controlled through many stupid rules and regulations based on their own interpretations. We as IFB's must be very wary that we do not fall into the same trap, condone the same misguided zealous behavior and must never "forget our first love"

I end with this verse that is as applicable toady as it was 2000 + years ago - "Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."
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1. - Yes there are clear directives in the bible concerning certain things we have to live by, but modesty is tricky.

2. - ...and I can not and will not ever tell her that she must now wear sack cloth because some man can not keep his eyes to himself.

3. - ...There are woman's pants that are modest.


1. - I think the Scriptural principals on modesty are very clear: not flashy, not transparent, not tight fitting, do not show legs or thighs, etc.

2. - There's a verse in the NT about doing things to cause a brother to fall into sin you might want to consider.

3. - Yes, men and women are to dress distinctively different. Men wear pants, ladies dresses/skirts.
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1. - I think the Scriptural principals on modesty are very clear: not flashy, not transparent, not tight fitting, do not show legs or thighs, etc.

Show me verses for specifics mentioned above

2. - There's a verse in the NT about doing things to cause a brother to fall into sin you might want to consider.

Yes , specifically 2Cor 6:3 - but it's just as much a sin to take offense - Rom 14

3. - Yes, men and women are to dress distinctively different. Men wear pants, ladies dresses/skirts.

Again, show me verses that specify without any doubt that this is true - men wore robes - not much difference there to dresses or skirts. In fact lots of men wore what could be regarded as a mini skirt!!


Besides, I think you missed the point I was making - That many of us IFB's are very arrogant in our assurance of what is right or wrong or "biblically correct" and that ofttimes it's based on individuals interpretations that the rest just follow - let us all be as the Bereans and question the motives behind some "rules" and "traditions" - If it's in the bible - then by all means obey - but it must be in context and backed by the rest of the Word.
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show me verses



Genesis 1:27 Deuteronomy 22:5 Job 31:1 Isaiah 47:2 Romans 12:12 Romans 14:19 and 21 1 Corinthians 11:7-9 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 Ephesians 5:11 1 Thessalonians 5:22 1 Timothy 2:9 Titus 2:2-5 Titus 2:12-13 Titus 2:14 Hebrews 10:22 James 4:4 1 John 2:15-17
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Genesis 1:27 - Don't know how this applies as we do not know if this is spiritual or physical?
Deuteronomy 22:5 - Out of context and out of Dispensation - Or else I am dammed for wearing my woolen jersey with my jeans and not having fringes on my clothes (vrs 11 & 12) and many more things in Deut.
Job 31:1 - A good vrs for those WHO take offense to learn, not for those who give.
Isaiah 47:2 - A verse we can learn from but not to be taken as a command to live by.
Romans 12:12 - Not applicable.
Romans 14:19 and 21 - I agree 100%, but best you not drive that new truck or live in that nice house or bring your beautiful wife to church or I may be offended and become envious because my truck is old and my house small and my wife ugly. Lets get serious now - we can not make up rules to suit ourselves because if we had to stop doing everything that mite offend we would never leave the bed, and even that would offend some!
1 Corinthians 11:7-9 - Read the whole chapter in context - we are told to judge for ourselves and that if any one was contentious that they had no such custom and neither did the church of God and again later we are told to examine ourselves - motives possibly??
1 Corinthians 11:14-15 - Same as above.
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 - To do with lifestyle, friendships, relationships and yes, modesty would/could be a part of that, yet does not enforce clothing rules and traditions.
Ephesians 5:11- Not applicable - my statement questions the motives behind mens' rules and traditions in the church - I mite as well make a rule that internet is not allowed as it is the main tool for pornography, etc and as such is a fruit of darkness - where do we stop?
1 Thessalonians 5:22 - Not one believer can and let him who is free of sin cast the first stone (we forget that one don't we) - My facial features offend many so as such cause those offended to sin - must I wear a mask?
1 Timothy 2:9 - Agreed - but take it too far as some do and let us stone all woman wearing earrings, a gold wedding band and clothes that cost more than the poorest in the church - Whose rules of modesty do we follow -what man has the right to decide what is and isn't? Does your wife have earrings, a wedding band, etc?
Titus 2:2-5 - Nothing about clothes, never mind pants anywhere there.
Titus 2:12-13 - Same as above.
Titus 2:14 - Same as above.
Hebrews 10:22 - Again, same as above.
James 4:4 - Verse is about living as the world does - so get rid of the car, the C/cards and everything else the world does that is not in the Word - God gave us brains, the Holy Spirit, and we know what's right and wrong - so lets not get stupid here. If we want we can make up anything we want from any verse in the bible and as yet no on has shown me specific verses for what I asked in the above post.
1 John 2:15-17 - Same as above


Again, missing the point. I agree 100% with modesty, but I rule my house as Christ (most times - when I let Him) rules me. But many times I do not let Him and so it is in the church - we must ask, always, is what we do Christ based or man based, and more often than not you will find it man based.
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