Non-believers being more insistent on dressing up for religious services

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Has anyone noticed this is often the case? Just something that came to me, I remember getting in arguments with John Dibble about it, who basically was saying that he didn't even believe in God but it was still inappropriate for me to be wearing band shirts and ripped jeans to church. And Mikado in IRC sort of expressed similar sentiment, it shouldn't be banned but he'd prefer people not wear jeans to church or synagogue even if he wouldn't attend either anyway. And on DU I've seen similar sentiment, "I don't even believe in God but dressing the way people do to these megachurches is so trashy, I know I would never do that when I went to church growing up". Meanwhile though most people who go really don't care, unless they're olds or extreme legalists.

Anyone have theories as to why this is?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Dibble, it's pretty hard to argue the message from the New Testament is that outward appearance and dress are quite important in God's eyes. Not to mention what Jesus wore.

I haven't read the entire Bible cover to cover (how many Christians have?) though my church does have a little devotional packet called "Leap of Faith 2012" (basically Lent, but they're not calling it Lent because that's too mainstream/traditional religion) that includes the entire Gospel of Mark in readings throughout 40 days. So I'll have read the entire Gospel of Mark by the end of it.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not to sound all Nasostolgic here, but dressing up for church was a great way of instilling pride and reverent behavior in people. It's a shame it has gone away.

What the hell? Churches with people dressed up tend to have them just standing around and not doing anything and not being reverent at all. As opposed to all the people I saw today in torn jeans waving their arms in the air, often swaying with their eyes closed, and sometimes jumping around. They seemed a lot more excited and worshipful than any formal dressed up church.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not to sound all Nasostolgic here, but dressing up for church was a great way of instilling pride and reverent behavior in people. It's a shame it has gone away.

What the hell? Churches with people dressed up tend to have them just standing around and not doing anything and not being reverent at all. As opposed to all the people I saw today in torn jeans waving their arms in the air, often swaying with their eyes closed, and sometimes jumping around. They seemed a lot more excited and worshipful than any formal dressed up church.

You would really hate hesychastic practice.

So that's some type of prayer in quiet thing? I don't mind that, it has its place, but doesn't need to be in church. If I'm going to church I want something to happen.

I'm more of the school of thought that holds that band shirts and ripped jeans are never appropriate.

So what would you wear to a hardcore show or event like Dude Fest?

BTW I think the big issue with reading the whole Bible isn't that it's so long, but that long parts of it are so pedantic and boring. My church planting pastor buddy once talked about this if you read all of Exodus, it starts out exciting of course with all the plagues and the burning bush and whatnot, but then the second half is basically long detailed instructions about building a tent, the Tabernacle. There's a lot of other such things in the Old Testament. Thew New Testament though is mostly devoid of this type of content, even if Paul can get a little rambling and uninteresting sometimes.

And there's a Catholic tradition that discourages reading the Bible? I know this was done in the Middle Ages to keep the masses in line, but would any priest today seriously tell the laity they should not read the Bible?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

That sounds pointless. See I'm reminded of this video I once saw from a church in Las Vegas. The pastor was a guy wearing hipster glasses, a varsity jacket and holey jeans, and he was on a stage without any type of religious iconography, so he basically looked like he was on a Comedy Central stand up show or something. And he basically gave a sermon like a stand-up comedian. He'd just throw in all these funny stories and amusing personal anecdotes and then sort of relate them to something in the Bible, most memorable part: if you feel unimportant because your job is just something like valet parking don't because you can be "parking cars for God!" and even Jesus would need a valet when he went around preaching in the modern era.

Now if all churches were like that and most people growing up went to one, I'm sure there'd be far less cases of people falling out and quitting going. I think churches would like that.