Dec. 7, 2005 Dear Annie.
My nephew, who is in his early twenties, came to church one Sunday last month and wore a hat into the sanctuary. One of the older men in the congregation took offense to this, and asked him to remove the hat. He refused. That man is still bothered about it, as well as a few others who were there, but I take exception to their stance, especially since the sign on the front of the church says, "Come as you are." What is more important here, that old customs this young man apparently wasn't even aware of are followed, or that we welcome everyone into our church who'd like to attend?
Auntie in Alder, WA
Dear Auntie,
In my opinion, it is more important for people to be comfortable in church and know their presence is welcomed there, whether their heads are covered or bare. I understand the gentleman's concern, however, as it has long been considered good manners and a show of respect for men to doff their hats and keep them off in buildings, especially a church. This may seem old fashioned to young people, but it is very important to older people. Limits must always be set and observed or chaos would rein, especially since we are human and what seems appropriate to one person can be intolerable to others. I am thinking here of how much it would bother me if someone were to wear headphones and listen to their personal music source in church, or take a cell phone call (emergency workers and tow truck drivers excluded here.) In the big scheme of things, the peace, faith, hope and salvation churches ought to offer parishioners is what should be the focus here, not whether a young man complies with "the rules."
Annie
Please write to:
Annie, P.O. Box 1084, Eatonville,WA 98328
E-mail: letters_annie@hotmail.com
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