Can a man go to church in shorts? It would seem that finding the answer to this question would be quite simple. But the reality is that each clergyman has his own view of this dilemma, which leads to some ambiguity. So let's try to find the answer ourselves.
From a moral point of view…
Most Orthodox people to the question: "Is it possible for a man to go to church in shorts?" - will say unequivocally: "No!" Indeed, in their minds, this element of the wardrobe is associated with an inappropriate appearance, which in itself speaks of disrespect for the Lord God. And in this they can be understood, since shorts are an "idle" type of clothing.
For a better understanding, imagine an interview in a large company. There is a business atmosphere around, people in formal suits are waiting for new candidates for the post of manager, and then a man dressed in short beach shorts bursts in the door. Naturally, such a character, at best, will be asked to leave, at worst, they will be put up.behind the doors. After all, in fact, he neglected all the rules of decency and simply did not want to show respect to others.
From this follows a very obvious conclusion: if people are used to following the dress code at official meetings, then when going to the house of the Lord, they should not violate it either. Otherwise, it turns out that a believer puts the worldly laws of tact above the spiritual ones.
The opinion of theologians and theologians
The Bible also has some guidance on whether men can wear shorts to church. Naturally, this is not mentioned there in a direct text, but the main idea of the holy message is seen more than clearly. As the main example, theologians often cite lines from the New Testament, which describes the meeting of the Apostle Peter and Jesus.
In them, the reader learns about how Christ for the first time calls to himself a new disciple, fishing on the river bank. But he does not dare to approach him, as he is standing half-naked in the water. Only when he is dressed, Peter rushes after Jesus, not ashamed of his appearance (the Gospel of John 21:1-7 tells in detail about this). This story teaches us that we should come to a meeting with God only in decent clothes, because this shows the sincerity of our reverence and faith.
In addition, there are many lines from the book of psalms that talk about whether men can wear shorts to church. In general, they insist that any trip to the temple is a sacred ordinance. And the appearance of a person must fully correspond to the level of this event.
How do Orthodox priests view this issue?
To the question: “Can men wear shorts to church?” - servants of the Lord often answer: "You can." This is due to the fact that the faith of a person is much more important to them than his appearance. Therefore, even if a man comes to the temple in shorts, he will still receive the blessing of the priest and his instructions.
However, they still do not recommend taking such things so lightly. Indeed, even in extreme heat, a person can wear light pants, which will immediately solve this problem. Much worse is that many people specifically wear short clothes in order to stand out from the crowd. In this case, their act is a sin, since it is based on pride and self-love.
So, can men wear shorts to church?
Summing up all of the above, it is safe to say that no one forbids a man to go to church in shorts. However, from the point of view of morality and spiritual canons, such an act is, to put it mildly, reckless. After all, the way a person dresses shows how he relates to God's haven on earth.
As an exception, you can accept those situations when a man unintentionally does this. For example, having got out for a walk in the city, he, by the will of fate, finds himself near the temple. In this case, the appearance should not stop the believer from wanting to talk to the Creator on his territory. It should be understood that the sincerity of the soul is always an order of magnitude higher than the appearance and clothes of a person.
