Saturday, May 22, 2010

Ditching the Clerical Collar For a Tie is Too Roman Catholic


I have heard certain Protestant ministers make fun of Roman Catholic vestments. I have even heard some make the claim that the wearing of these vestments will eventually cause a person to become Roman Catholic. But I am convinced that ditching the clerical collar for a necktie is perhaps the most Roman Catholic thing you could possibly do. Why?

Vestments in some form or another date back to the time of the Apostles. They cannot be considered Roman Catholic unless a person considers the Apostles to be Roman Catholic. They serve as teaching tools and are designed keep our attention away from the personality of a particular pastor. A white collar shows that the pastor is owned by God and that his teachings should not be his own but the words of Christ. Pastors should be replaceable because they should all be bringing us Christ and not themselves. But does the tie symbolize anything at all? I always think it looks like the person is dressed for a fancy business meeting. But where does the necktie come from?

Wikipedia says:

The necktie traces back to the time of Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) when Croatian mercenaries from the Military Frontier in French service, wearing their traditional small, knotted neckerchiefs, aroused the interest of the Parisians. Due to the slight difference between the Croatian word for Croats, Hrvati, and the French word, Croates, the garment gained the name "Cravat". The new article of clothing started a fashion craze in Europe where both men and women wore pieces of fabric around their necks. In the late seventeenth century, the men wore lace cravats that took a large amount of time and effort to arrange. These cravats were often tied in place by cravat strings, arranged neatly and tied in a bow.

The French were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. To wear a necktie is to adopt the style of the Croatian mercenaries that were fighting for the Roman Catholics. So ditching a piece of historic Christian clothing such as the clerical collar for a necktie is a deviation from historic Christian practice and a celebration of Roman Catholic soldiers.

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