I think there was an era where everyone tried to wear their best in public gatherings. There was some kind of critical mass whereby dressing that way was for the benefit and support of others. But since that critical mass no longer exists, it *looks* like dressing up is for one's own benefit. I admire those who still do it. For me, Sunday always feels like the 21st day of the week, and I call it a victory if I don't roll out of bed and curse the sun.
It also breaks down because when I appear before the judge, or the governor, or whoever else, I'm not appearing before someone who knows my every thought and my innermost secrets. I'm not appearing before someone who sees me when I'm sitting on the pan suffering from abdominal distress. I'm not appearing before someone who If someone believes they honor God by dressing up I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is when people tell me how they expect me to dress in church.
If a prostitute showed up at our church, looking like she just got off the street, I think that we should be tolerant of her appearance for a LITTLE bit. However, at some point, and sooner would be better than later, she should be told that she needs to dress more conservatively, particularly if she genuinely seems to be interested in getting to know more about Jesus. I mean, is it a good idea to have her in a short skirt with her butt peeking out and low cut shirt/blouse with cleavage popping out for all the heterosexual men and boys to see?
Sure, at some point one would expect her to dress more appropriately. The trouble with the concept of a dress code at church is that it becomes very exclusive of people who are Not Like Us. Whether we're talking about a hooker coming in after a Saturday night shift, or a homeless person wanting to know if this Jesus dude is for real, or just someone of more limited financial means, it would be a shame if they took one look at the church and decided that they wouldn't fit in, and ended up going somewhere else.
Church settings are not supposed to be a gathering for sale people who are not born again. And Christian men she updated exercise self control if she walked in wearing a g string and pasties.
Self control? Pleeeease. Unless they’re flaming gay they’re GOING to notice a woman in a g-string and pasties, particularly if she looks quite attractive in said g-string and pasties. They shouldn’t have to walk around with heads pointing to the ground and bumping into things just to avoid noticing her...
There is a sense of balance here.... of course a straight man is going to notice a young woman in a skimpy outfit, just as they'll notice a young woman in a skimpy outfit if they do the unthinkable and set foot outside the church building. Presumably most straight men are capable of looking a woman in the eye and not immediately dwelling on the intimate details of the services such a young woman might have been offering the night before. Being a straight man myself I know sometimes it can be difficult but that's where the whole self-control thing comes into play. Somewhere along the line comes the matter of not causing a brother to stumble but there's also the responsibility, metaphorically speaking, to look where you're walking.
To others' point(s), the vast majority of women don't go walking around like this because they actually want to (including those in the 'sex trade'). That one such woman would wind up in church on a Sunday morning should mean something else other than her (lack of) clothing should be the emphasis, and she certainly wouldn't return week-after-week in the same revealing outfit. But let's also be honest about this: plain Jane in the second row from the back in 47 layers of clothing can be just as 'seducing' because of her eyes, or how she smiles, or the sound of her voice. We don't need extreme examples to make points about self-control. One's 'Sunday best' need not be only about clothes.
Sure, a heterosexual man may find a woman’s eyes pretty or her smile. Or really like the sound of her voice. Most men, though, are gonna look, even if MOST of them self is genuinely struggling not to, at a woman in a short skirt and low cut blouse. Biology. Most boys REALLY, REALLY like girls. Especially when they flaunt themselves.