Barefoot in Religious Places

I saw another post where a couple people attended services barefoot. How common is this in peoples' experience? How "accepting" is your own house of worship?

 

i've been in countless number of churches... no one has ever turned me away.

 

I know that Muslims are often barefoot in mosques since shoes aren't allowed in the prayer area.

 

in catholic places barefooting is regarded as a sign of penitence, mourning , or as a way to offer your sufferings (?) in change of something else to some semi-divinity of the colorful catholic pantheon. I had an aunt that made a vow for the healing of her father. the vow included a barefoot pilgrimage to the Madonna of Pompei , and also taking the name of 'Pompea' (yes, changing name, not officially though) in honor oh the Virgin. The request was satisfacted, or at least they interpreted the facts this way. I only recently discovered that her real name was different... no one ever called her by her real name, not even her HUSBAND. Very middle-age, huh. Back to the barefooting issue, a barefoot one in a catholic church is more likely to be regarded as a pious one than a dress code offender, if he7she is dressed accordingly. In the SBL list there was one guy who talked all the time about his barefoot altar boy office. I can't wait for mr. Berlusconi doing some barefoot pilgrimage as an expiation for all his sins after the recent issues with the church (although i suspect that in order to get full remission he should go one hundred circles round the earth). This way we will be able to see how much he is really tall , without those incredible heels he wears all the time.

 

I no longer visit churches (except as tourist attractions), but the church of my youth would have frowned on barefootedness. However, there are many religious traditions that demand that adherents remove their shoes at temples, shrines, etc. My guess is that more churches worldwide allow, or require, barefootedness than disallow it.

 

I've been to services from the Unitarian Universalist church and they were very accepting, but they're an open-minded bunch anyhow, they're one of the few places that openly welcome different faiths, too.

 

I don't go to service often, but if i was there barefoot, i never got a complaint, both in evangelic or catholic churches. At the baptism of my godson i was barefoot too without problems (i had slight shoes with me though, but put them off in the pew, and when the baptism cermemony started, i thought it would be good to leave them out).

I was at some dozen of curches as a tourist barefoot,without being rejected. If you go to southern countries, you have to care not to show too much skin (no skimpy tops, no short skirts, no hotpants ..), but if you care to cover up a bit, bare feet seem to be no problem. Ever walked on a bycantinc mosaic barefoot? There should be no other way!

"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" Exodus 3,5 *grin*

 

I plan to attend services barefoot later this month. Can't hardly wait!

 

I go to church barefoot -- regularly. No problem.

Hugz

 

the cult church I went to as a kid (church of christ) were a really up tight, narrow-minded, hipacritical bunch of asses. they didn't allow musical instraments in the building, if you got married there you had to play music on a tape player. I/m no longer a believer

anyhow, I would have been pointed out, made fun of and made to attone for my sin of showing disrespect by being barefoot.