Different Regulations in Different Churches??

edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church

Hey guys i visit two separate churches. and i wore a short sleeve shirt in these two churches at different times. I went to 1 church, took communion and everything was fine......

i went to the other church in a (Friday Meeting) not even during the Holy Liturgy and the Tasony told me not to wear this shirt and wear other shirts with longer sleeves.

Arent they both churches? shouldn't they folllow the same rules? Or is it according to the priest and what he wants?..

Hope u guys understand how i feel. ??? (by the way i read the disscussion on the tank tops but my ? is different)

Hope u guys can help........Yasou Maanaa :)

Comments

  • Was it the same shirt both times?
  • Well then clearly the tasoni from the other church just had a different way of thinking than anybody from the first church. Keep in mind that priests are humans too… not all of them think the same. You can ask two priests the same question and get completely different answers. When it comes down to a question of clothing; that’s just a moral preference... She may have found the shirt inappropriate while nobody in the other church did. I haven’t seen the shirt so I can’t be the judge, but just try to appease her, it will make things easier…
  • ...............interesting..............
    ::)
  • Very interesting indeed. But why would it be inappropriate. My guess is, its because it was short sleeve :) I sometimes go to church with short sleeved shirts............. its never a problem. Inflexible I think

    Fady
  • I never gel my hair when going to Church (Holy Liturgy or not)and I never wear shorts and even sometimes I think it's inappropriate to wear jeans to Church and I wear a tie and a shirt to Church. While some people will think I'm over-worried, or whatever..

    So it kinda depends on your moral and how you think of clothing as a sin and as respect.

    Mike
  • why no gel? sometimes I have to cause if its a bad hair day, I will draw attention to myself if I DON'T gel :)
  • I understand that but I'd ratheer go with REALLY bad hair than go with gel, it's just my moral understanding...

    Mike

  • You guys/gals are getting off topic....

    Lets try to stear this back on course.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Angi,

    Please try to think of it this way...

    If you were going to see the President of the United States, would you dress accordingly?

    How about if you were going to a formal event, wouldn't appropriate attire be worn ?

    Then what about when you go to church, you're going to see God - The King of all Kings - greater than everything or anyone.

    Doesn't He deserve a higher level of Respect?

    Personally speaking that is how I and most people look at it...

    Form your own conclusions.
  • actually, in egypt in some churches now and long ago, short sleeves were not allowed, especially if taking communion. however, as things changed, some people stopped following it and barely anyody knows that.
    i know, but i still dont follow it :-\. i think its the heart that counts, not whether it is short sleeves or long sleeves.
  • afterall, its just a matter of opinion is all. U weren't breaking any church rules or anything..they'd probably just rather not you wear it in that church.
  • I hate to be the one to concoct some convoluted scenario, but…

    Is it possible that you washed the shirt and that caused it to shrink so maybe it was tighter and that caused it to be less appropriate?

    Random fact… cotton can shrink up to 4% and wool up to 7% after being washed. That may not seem like much, but a shirt isn’t that big to begin with. This will surely make a difference in appearance…

    Anyway aside from this…

    Tasoni wasn’t picking on you… if she said something to you about it; she did it for a reason. Especially in the Egyptian community a girl’s reputation is the most important thing she has. I think Tasoni was just trying to look out for you. Heed her words…

    Proverbs 1:20
    Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares…

    Rather than be rebellious and dismiss any rebuke, listen to her advice. Besides, will a few inches on your sleeve really make a difference?
  • Thank u guys....i feel a little better about this situation.

    True........its the heart that counts and I also agree where its out of Respect......i know we should all think of it that way........but i was confused of the part where why each church saw it differently....

    But then i guess its b/c its from the different perspective of each one.......Thanks. :)
  • i knew she want picking on me b/c........
    another day my friend forgot and also wore a short sleeve shirt b/c she came straight to church from school or the park........and she told me that Tasoni also told her.....

    ALso, its not that it shrank .........Tasoni was mostly looking at the length of the sleeve itself..........b/c i have other shirts who are longer sleeves and same width......

    But anyway........true.........a few inches wont make a difference.......

    Also, maybe b/c the Tasoni that told me about it came from Egypt way later than the Tasoni who didnt tell me anything. maybe in egypt......its more strict i say??
  • Tasoni's daughter in our Church wears short sleeves...
    I think it's Ok...

    Mike
  • again mike it all goes back to how you look at it and your mentality i guess
  • Yea, every church has their own separate kind of rules. Believe it or not, but that's what makes our Church so unified.

    - Chris

    By the way, you guys call your priest's wife Tasoni? "Tasoni" means "sister" in Coptic. I don't get that.
  • interesting concept chris separate kind of rules makes our church unified do explain plz ??? ???
  • Wasim,
    First off, "rules" is probably stretching it. More like "guidelines".
    Second, yes, I believe that each church having their own separate guidelines makes our Coptic Church so unified. What I mean is that because the Holy Synod does not set down a firm set of rules on every little thing, this leaves room and flexibility for each church to choose to do as they please concerning that specific topic. There is less room for disagreement with the Holy Synod's guidelines because church's are allowed to have their own.
    Our beliefs, our liturgy, etc. are the same throughout. However, such things like this short-sleeve discussion and other things like the tone of certain alhans (i.e. in the East Coast, lahns tends to sound more polytone than mono, but, for example, even this differs from each church - St. George's in Brooklyn, NY follows a very monotone lahn, and it is in the East Coast).
    Then there are things like alhan class. Some churches have it some don't. Some churches will light candles during unusual parts of the liturgy that other churches don't.

    That's what I mean.

    God, who is glorified: in the counsel of saints: Who is sitting on the Cherubim: was seen in the land of Egypt.

    - Chris
  • [quote author=Banoub link=board=1;threadid=382;start=15#msg5466 date=1088523021]
    St. George's in Brooklyn, NY follows a very monotone lahn, and it is in the East Coast).


    I go to Saint George ;D. Yes! Our liturgy is monophonic. Are there churches who sing in a polyphonic mass? I’ve never heard it before. That must sound very interesting.
  • Yea. My church for example.

    St. Abraam's in LI, NY. We follow a tone that leans towards polyphonic. What I mean by polyphonic is more about pitch of the lahn than the actual tune. I know that in St. George, your head deacon, lol, i guess he refuses to change the pitch of every lahn so they all sound the same. By the way, how old is that guy anyway?

    Back to the topic, I like polyphonic liturgies, vespers, etc. because they keep you interested. You never know what the next pitch is. The priest is the one who sets each pitch. Like, he says his part, then when our time comes to respond, we use his pitch. Of course, his pitch differs sometimes. This makes it polyphonic. Get what I'm saying?

    Rejoice and be glad, O Egypt: and all her borders: for unto you came the Lover of Mankind: Who was before all ages.

    - Chris
  • Ohh, I understand. It’s a fluctuation in pitch. That’s still monophonic, it’s just more colorful. Polyphonic is two groups of people singing the same at the same time but they begin at different times. For example, one group starts the song and then 5 seconds later the second group begins the same song while the first group continues on so the first group will be 5 seconds ahead. I didn’t think there were any masses like that.

    Uncle Nagy is in his 40s I think. That’s not old. He is a great deacon though. I love his voice.
  • Uncle Nagy...oh he's not old then. Really good guy.

    Lol. Then I made a big vocabulary mistake. Really sorry :-[
    Yea, that would be funny if there were masses like that.
    Yea, sorry about the mix-up :-[. But I'm sure you guys still get what I mean right?

    Christ ascended to heaven, and sent to us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and granted life to our souls.

    - Chris

    Thanks for the move admins. :)
  • + One time St. Arsenius was eating with his brothers the monks. But since he was very delicate and lived a vey luxurius life before gonig to the desert, he would pick the hard beans from his plate before eating. His spiritual father wanted to teach him a lesson of humility and self control, but did he do?. His spiritual father got up off the eating table and slaped the monk sitting next to St. Arsenius! Then St. Arsenius said to himself, this slap was for you, Arsenius.

    + Sometimes God gives us messages in different ways than we normally think of. Please, revisit thesituation with yourself and find Why di God allowed this to happen? and believe in God, you will find a great lesson that will benefit you a lot.
    Pray for me
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