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Question
Hello,
I am confused about something after visiting a synagogue. There all men had to cover their heads to worship.
I remember a time when at Mass every woman was required to cover her head to get into church but men were not allowed to wear hats in church as it was disrespectful. But many say the bible says that the covering for woman is their hair and that men should cover their heads to worship.
What do you think?
Catholicism lives by tradition and scripture. To just select out certain detailed parts of scripture and stringently apply them to modern times can distort and even work against the overall meaning of the message. I believe that's what Paul meant when he said we should live by the spirit and not the letter of Old Testament scripture. Therefore I feel it's more important how one inwardly approaches God than how he or she looks on the outside. This also touches on the New Testament idea of washing not just the outside of the cup, but the inside too--i.e. not just taking a shower and wearing the right kind of clothes, but also 'washing' our minds of sinful thoughts and attitudes.
I hope this helps.
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Answers by Expert:
Michael Clark, Ph.D.
Expertise
I'm a progressive Catholic--not a liberal, conservative nor a single-minded critic of Catholicism. I simply believe that adults in the 21C should use the mind God gave them and not just repeat ancient and medieval modes of thinking.
I can probably help with questions that intelligently and respectfully question those aspects of Catholicism that are not infallible. But if you're looking for someone to vigorously defend or perhaps refute Catholicism as a whole, that's not me. So please ask another expert.
Experience
I run an educational website earthpages.org and know what the web has to offer. I might suggest hyperlinks and/or book titles as I have a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and a considerable personal library.
Publications
Print Media:
My table from "Religions and Cults" at earthpages.org is reproduced with permission in L. Lindsey, S. Beach and B. Ravelli, Core Concepts in Sociology, 2nd ed., p. 157
World Wide Web:
My online article "Letter to God" coauthored with Buddhist monk, E. Raymond Rock, appears on several different spirituality-based websites, including http://tinyurl.com/db7a5o
I've interviewed, as a Christian, a self-proclaimed mystic: http://tinyurl.com/cawykr
My articles appeared at the former New View magazine nuvunow.ca and are published at earthpages.org.
Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology
For more info, please see my CV and letters of recommendation and my blog at michaelwclark.com.
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