Does God Have a Fashion Sense?

I'm not what you would call a "religious" person. I never really was. My mother would tell me and my sister to get ready for Mass every Sunday morning, and my sister would appear in a pretty dress or skirt outfit. I, on the other hand, would wear comfortable jeans and a sweater, or something like that. My mother would completely freak out.

"Candice!" she would bellow, "Put a dress on!" Now, being a tomboy, I hated dresses. I just wanted to be comfortable - especially if I was going to sit through an hour-long Mass with Father Perini at the helm, giving more of a lecture than a homily.

Then, the argument would ensue. I would always say, "God doesn't care what I wear, Mom. He loves me no matter how I look." That would drive her insane. I understand now that Mom wanted me to look good for the other people at Mass, not for God or Jesus or any of the other deities that Catholics believe in and pray to. Isn't pride one of the seven deadly sins?

This is most definitely the case for Congregational Churches. I have been to a few services in a Congregational Church down in South Carolina, as one of my best friends growing up was of that denomination. It was more of a fashion parade than a religious service! The women tried to top each other with the clothes and hats that they wore. During the week, they worked as school lunch ladies or secretaries, but on Sunday they became fashion plates with the Gucci dresses and Manalo Blahnik shoes. I even heard women on more than one occasion pass judgment on another woman's outfit.

The first of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." If people are spending such outrageous amounts of money on their Sunday clothes to impress others at church, doesn't it seem as though they worship another before God? I have seen people miss church because they don't have nice enough clothes. Doesn't this make Vera Wang a god before the Lord Almighty? Call it blasphemy if you will; it's the truth.