A new and interesting development locally is a monthly inter-faith coffee morning. A few of us from different faith traditions go and have coffee together in a local cafe. No agenda. Very relaxed. It is a meeting which includes RC, Presbyterian and Episcopal Christians, the local Immam and someone from a Tibetan Buddhist centre. We are in touch with someone from the local synagogue too, but so far I’ve not met him.
This week was a particularly good meeting. Someone had invited two liaison officers from the local police force – two individuals who work on diversity issues including race, gender, religion etc. One of the most interesting things to come out of the conversation on Tuesday was that of five of us sitting around a table, three of us had had trouble in the streets which had to do with wearing particular clothing associated with religion. In my case, the number of times I’ve had aggressive comments about my collar has meant that I now remove it before walking home.
It does not feel comfortable to have to modify one’s dress in the street in order to avoid trouble, and the police were very keen to point out to all of us that hassling someone because of the way they are dressed is a crime and should be reported every time. It was the fact that this is something that we had in common across faith boundaries which struck me most.
I’m aware of some people who think that the right thing to do is to carry on wearing clerical dress proudly at all times and to take one’s place in the streetscape. In theory I agree with this. In practise, I slip off my collar before I get past one of the local pubs, where there have been drinkers out on the street late at night since the smoking ban came in.
What would you do and what would you have a priest do?
How anyone survives ordained ministry in less temperate climates, I do not know.
These shirts are popular.
No, no, no, David. I stand by my point. But it’s good to know that some men’s clergy shirts are as bizarre as the women’s shirts they try to sell us.
(does anything good come out of Almy?)
It’s not just the clergy that has problems. I am a TA officer (RAMC) and wear uniform which clearly identifies what I am in public. The supportive/critical ratio I experience is more towards the supportive. The critics usually tend to be the ignorant and loudmouthed who are easily ignored or dismissed. If I faced any physical threat I would not hesitate to call the police and I certainly would not stop wearing uniform. Mind you, walking to George Square on Remembrance Sunday in Service Dress with medals and sword in the company of 3 or 4 others similarly dressed tends to put lippy dickheads off…
There are more people that benefit from seeing a person whose dress indicates their role than those who are critical. It will be a sad day when we cannot promote what we are and what we stand for (personal safety notwithstanding) because of the actions of a minority.
I used to be an avid 24/6 wearer of the dog collar, Kelvin, but have only worn it two or three times in the context of the school this academic year – and always when we were having a significant number of guests. My thought is that everyone here in this pretty enclosed community knows who I am and what I am and so issues of identification and witness etc are not really relevant. In the end it’s all about context – and so is the issue of personal safety. But it always has to be black for me.
I find this a strange blog – sometimes I wonder if it isn’t put together by Trinny & Susannah with its obsession with black!
Didn’t someone quite famous once say that we weren’t supposed to worry about clothes and something about lilies?
For me the question of whether or not I wear my habit in public is also dictated by context and safety issues.
I feel safer wearing my habit in the very diverse multi-cultural multi- faith environment in which I’m currently living than I did in the three years I lived in Glasgow. The nuances of which brand of Christianity I belong to matter little here, and what most people I’ve spoken to like is the fact they know I’m a person who takes my faith seriously, and will also respect their faith.
Agatha, I have long wondered what Trinny and Susannah would do faced with the requirement of black clergy shirts.
You are quite right that we are not to worry about what we wear. But I think we are allowed to laugh about it, and at ourselves in the midst of daily decisions.
Sorry – the humour had passed me by….
and of course, my last comment was a bit frivolous. There are many serious points being made here about discrimination, violence, and how and when it is worth taking a stand and when it is best to pass by quietly.
Well, if you will wear a clerical collar…