2007-01-25 07:05:18 · 11 answers · asked by @@@@@ 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Tradition.
2007-01-25 07:11:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It eliminates the focus on the personal taste of the person leading or participating in the service. It removes that distraction so we can focus on worshiping God. The robes, or vestments as they are sometimes called, link us to the very earliest days of the church when similar clothing was worn by the earliest Christians. Perhaps most importantly, the robes help establish a mood in the church that is unlike the world outside -- setting the mood for us to leave the secular world behind and find that peace that only comes when we focus totally on worship. The long cloth worn around the shoulders is called a stole and is the insignia of the ordained clergy -- it's an instant way of telling them from the rest of the worship leaders when you enter the sanctury for worship.
2007-01-25 15:16:32 · answer #2 · answered by Joe Blow 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
To impress people. The first Christian leaders wore ordinary clothing. But as time passed and styles changed, people wanted their liturgical leaders to stay the same. It made them look special, like they had a connection to the good old days when things were done right. The vestments of Catholic priests are still named for the items of ancient Roman clothing they are based on. So it's become a kind of uniform to indicate a more immutable, eternal function.
2007-01-25 15:24:10 · answer #3 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For a minister who doesn't have a lot of money, the robe is used in a formal occasion where looking good is important (weddings, etc.) That way he does not have to afford an expensive suit or rent one.
2007-01-25 15:31:44 · answer #4 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a minister, and the robe surrounds a need for the preacher and congregation to be reminded, constantly, that the office of the minister is to be regarded with a submissive attention to his work as the preacher of God’s Word.
2007-01-25 15:16:23 · answer #5 · answered by Heaven's Messenger 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Would you sooner they didn't wear robes? Personally, I'd find naked, wrinkly priests to be less than inspiring.
2007-01-25 15:36:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most do not.
Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal, some Methodist and some Presbyterian do. There may be a few others, but most don't. those that do, do so to be distinguishable from the laity.
2007-01-25 15:13:42 · answer #7 · answered by Desperado 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's a place to hide alter boys if someone stops in unexpectedly.
2007-01-25 15:18:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
No idea.
2007-01-25 15:16:54 · answer #9 · answered by Evil Atheist Conspirator 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
so no one can see what they really are doing down there....
2007-01-25 15:12:27 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋