Inappropriate fabric

By Juliana Valdez

Many years ago, a contestant in the King of Carnival competition won with a portrayal entitled ‘The Sacred and the Profane’. These words were heard again in recent times when someone used it to describe the event which took place at the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

I viewed the news reports and listened to the comments from persons being interviewed. The sentiments expressed were many and varied. Two of the comments which were reported were, “Get over it” by one of the organisers, and “The aisle in the church was just like any other runway” by one of the models. Can you imagine?

This entire incident has brought about discussions among many, but many of our youth are confused and the questions are coming fast and furious.

“Miss, I thought the church was a sacred place. How come it could host a fashion show?”

“But Miss, it have so much community centres and other venues, why a fashion show in the church?”

“So Miss, the bishop and all them priest allow that in the church?”

It is obvious that many persons, especially those who find nothing wrong with the incident, are not aware of the far-reaching effects such happenings can have in the minds of the people who are trying to put things into perspective in terms of the secular and the sacred.

For those who are lukewarm in their faith and trying to improve it, their entire system of belief, faith in God, the holiness of church and “things church,” the old adage of “a time and place for everything” are affected. Not only by what has taken place but also by the utterances being made.

Our society is so overwhelmed by the double standards embodied in the do-as-I-say-but-not-what-I-do syndrome that when incidents like this occur and some find nothing wrong with it, it begs the question, where do we go from here?

Some commented on the attire of some churchgoers which, in their opinion leaves a lot to be desired and actually compared it to the models in the church. Remarks such as “The church is just a building like any other,” clearly communicates that the church as the House of God, a sanctuary, is not a view held by some.

The adults, decision-makers, planners of events must take into consideration the impressions that will be made in the minds of the young people. For the sake of the youth coming up, those to whom the future of our society will be entrusted, both morally and spiritually, awareness of appropriateness is a must.

Jesus reacted when He saw what was happening in the temple. The inappropriate activities caused Him to declare that His Father’s house was a holy place and should not be desecrated.

If we declare that the God we serve is the same yesterday, today and forever, then we must believe that the church continues to be the House of God, sacred and holy, and should be treated as such.

The comfort and peace one experiences when entering a place of worship is because we believe we are entering into the presence of the Holy One. How can our minds be wrapped around the image of Jesus, present in the tabernacle, to the images of scantily dressed individuals parading up and down the aisle, even to the sanctuary of the altar, where praise and worship is led?

Is this progress and is this the price we have to pay for it?