Barefoot in Church - y/n?

haha thank you!!!!

 

I'm sorry, did I say MY church?

I meant, my parents' church, the one which won't take me off their members list and keeps sending me those envelopes every year ... =P

 

I guess it all depends how you look at it. Hehe, it reminds me of a joke I heard a while back: Two guys ask their priest about smoking and praying at the same time. The first guy asks "Can I smoke while I'm praying?" to which the priest, offended, replies "Of course not! Smoking is a sin!" The second guy asks "Can I pray while I'm smoking?" to which the priest, happy, replies "Of course! You can pray any time you want!"

Completely off-topic, I know, but I thought it was funny.

I think God's happy that you're learning about Him at all, barefoot or not.

 

I go barefoot everywhere except to job interviews and work (if I can't get away with it).

I don't see anything wrong with going barefoot to church, except the priest/reverend/minister/whatever-sect-you're-from-person could be offended.. No matter how nice you dress, no shoes means you're dressing casual, and if the standard of dress is higher than that (more likely that a few people think it's super extra formal regardless of where you are) people get iffy..

 

as to teh statement that you're making someone else uncomfortable in their place of worship, well, hell, it's YOUR place of worship, too. maybe their shoe-wearing tendencies make you uncomfortable.

 

I know this is an older thread but a quick update - been going barefoot (when weather permits) to church the last summer and this one and havn't had any objections. {hope I didn't just jinx myself}
thanks for the positive feedback
has anyone else gone to church barefoot?

 

i wear flipflops to church and usaully take them off and walk around and what not. being barefoot is neat...

 

I would never wear footwear in any religious building, be it church, temple or mosque. To me it is a sign of disrespect to wear shoes in holy places. I guess thats a cultural thing, in India people are nto allowed to wear shoes in temples and often inside people's homes also.

This is because we wear shpewhile walking around outside, so the shoes are covered with dust, mud, poo, whetever you stepped in. So we take them off before going in to the temple, to keep it clean and maintain its sanctity.

 

I wish that were the case here...I think you would be looked down upon if you didn't wear shoes in a church around here...but I agree with you...I think it is a sign of respect and also it is for cleanliness reasons...

...but in my house we are not allowed to wear shoes...that one my family abides by.

 

Hare Krishna!

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I wish that were the case here...I think you would be looked down upon if you didn't wear shoes in a church around here...but I agree with you...I think it is a sign of respect and also it is for cleanliness reasons...

...but in my house we are not allowed to wear shoes...that one my family abides by.
............From SGB
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We go to the places of worship for the Lord.

The Lord himself does not wear any shoes, wonder if anybody looks down upon Him!

He is there bare-footed, let us follow suit the way SGB does in her house following her parents.

With love,

Kumar.

 

Hehe...Ironically...they let me do it in the house (and I don't think you really find me with shoes unless its absolutely freezing...) but if I even entertained the thought of not wearing them to church.....they would tease me and never let me forget it....some cultural differences will never change

 

Sure...now my post shows up! lol....silly message board

 

Hare Krishna!

Dear Nicole,

Thank you for the post.


Love,

Kumar.

 

Common sense is needed here. In theory, and in warm countries the idea of removing shoes before entering a church or temple is vey good. But I don't think it would really be very practical in the British winter, for example. One would experience such extreme coldness in the feet, as to make any concentration on God quite difficult, if not impossible, and doing it for long periods could lead to rheumatism or worse. The last time I was in my local parish church (christmas) it was absolutely freezing, and everyone was wrapped up in their coats. The idea of going barefoot under these conditions is unthinkable. Unless, that is, one is extremely hardy!

 

Or a wolf.

 

i count thongs as footware. the barefoot issue is about stepping ont eh ground wiht your soles, not exposing your feet

 

Ha Ha! A wolf wouldn't be welcomed - unless of course it was wearing sheep's clothing, in which case it would fit in rather well with a lot of churchy types.

 

Being barefoot in church is not wrong. In fact, in some countries it is part of the culture. Let's face it, in cultures where going to church barefoot is comon, the people understand that they are on holy ground and doing sacred things.
I'm always barefoot when I go to church. Heck, I'm always barefoot since shoes throw me off balance. So far, at church, no one has said anything negative. Could be because I am a pastor.
Also, many of our servers choose to go barefoot while serving. When I ask them if it's because they are in a holy place and doing something important, they reply yes. Occasionally one will say "if you're barefoot, why can;t I be barefoot also?" If I can, after services, I sit down with them and their parents to explain the reasons for going barefoot in church. Usually, no problem.

 

yes. i noticed how warm the tiles were last night during midnight mass. the floor isn't heated to keep the bottoms of shoes warm.

 

wow, what a responsible and ethical way to spend collection plate money