RK's concern isn't that tradition gets outdated, but that a given traditional fundamentally misunderstands the thing its celebrating.
The white gown symbolises virginity? I thought it was to match the other kitchen applicances. (ducking for cover now....)
On a more serious note than my previous post, the tradition of a white wedding dress isn't mandated, prohibited or even mentioned in Scripture. So the fact the original meaning is mostly no longer relevant is itself not relevant to the issue of tradition trashing truth. Maybe a white dress once symbolised the virginity of the bride but now women choose a white dress because that's what's available, or because they like it better than a cream dress, or because they save the black dress for funerals, or whatever else. I can't help think of the church a friend attends, where they don't take communion since the minister retired. Their tradition is that only an ordained minister can give communion, so without a minister they can't have communion. I'm not sure where that tradition came from but can't see anything in the Bible that requires it, but it would appear the church would rather partially shut down than dispense with its tradition.
Isn't that a particularly long standing tradition (not that I am agreeing with it) that only ordained people can administer the sacraments? I'm pretty sure that's even the case in my denomination.
Depends on the group. Baptists don't even call it a "sacrament" But, you certainly won't find anything in Scripture to suggest any such requirement.
Awww.... I just gotta nitpick the lawyer's choice of words here. If you're talking "suggest" you can lean on the idea that we shouldn't eat and drink in an unworthy manner, which suggests some form of oversight may be appropriate to make sure people aren't doing so. But to go from there to a specific requirement that only an ordained minister can dish out the bread and wine is a bit of a stretch. For that matter, the requirement that someone needs to attend Bible school for three years and then going through a fancy ceremony to become ordained in the first place doesn't seem to be mentioned in the Bible either.
Great! Then tell me oh wise one, what the heck does covfefe mean? Or better yet can you clarify something for me? Are you saying that all traditions we see in the church and that Christians practice are bad? And if not how do you think they should be distinguished?
Covfefe: Yiddish for meshugeneh... No, all traditions are not bad. Traditions are fine. I think it was Chuck Swindoll who said "Traditions are the living faith of dead men. Traditionalism is the dead faith of living men." As I said in an earlier post, the "traditions" that I despise are those that lead us to a practice or believe scriptural interpretation that is not supported by the text.
Now I see that you did already answer that in post # 15. Sorry about that. I must have been having a covfefe moment when I missed it. Yeah, once again I agree. Your OP had me scratching my head a bit. Edit to add: I've never got the whole anointing with oil, prayer cloth, praying over thresholds thing. Plenty of pastors I know will rattle off Scripture that they say supports but I still shrug and say I think it's unnecessary. Would you say that some or all of these are supported by the text or just traditions that are no longer applicable to one who is under grace and has an advocate with the Father?
I think those types of "traditions" are again, things that are not supported by a proper contextual interpretation but are often "supported" by a proof text. Although anointing with oil for healing within the context of James is clearly a biblical practice.
OK, the whole Palm Sunday thing. I'll open the kimono perhaps more than I should. http://b2gc.org/sermons March 20, 2016. "More Than Palm Sunday." This message will self destruct when the elements melt with a great heat. That is all.
I don't know about the whole open kimono and great heat thing...eww... but the sermon helped clarify what you were trying to convey. Thank you for posting the link brother.