Black and White Christianity

[Sudsy]

This heading may have caused one to think this thread was about defining truth from error but it isn't. What I have in mind is talking about how Christians use the colours, or shades if you prefer, of black and white in their Christianity and what these colours/shades represent.

For instance, the colour/shade black has often been associated with death and darkness and evil but in other uses this colour/shade is used in more positive Christian ways. The colour/shade white is often associated with life and pureness/holiness and light but is also sometimes used in more negative ways such as portraying ghosts.

For openers, recalling a previous picture on a thread, it was obvious the colour/shade black was a dominant, if not only, acceptable colour/shade for a car in what I believe was a conservative Anabaptist church parking lot. What is the reason for chosing this colour/shade over, for instance, white ? Would not white be a better selection representing life and holiness and light ?

Wherever black or white is a preferred colour/shade in your church use or personal use to demonstrate something spiritual could you explain why you or your church choses this shade/colour.

[ken_sylvania]

These threads from people constantly arguing against conservative practices get rather wearisome.

[MaxPC]

Interesting thread, Sudsy. Being a liturgical church, the RCC has designated colors for the feasts and seasons with the note that theses colors may vary in a different nation.

Regarding black and white: in the West and Europe, black vestments are worn for funerals. Yet in Taiwan and other Asian nations, white is the color of mourning and so the white vestments are worn. I think it has to do with specific cultures

[Sudsy]

These threads from people constantly arguing against conservative practices get rather wearisome.

I don't see this as arguing against conservative practises but rather understanding why any Christian might prefer to use the colour/shade of white or black in their Christian practise. I used a conservative Anabaptist practise as an opener to get the idea going but these colours/shades are used throughout Christianity with some reasoning behind them.

Why do some Christians wear black to funerals of another Christian ? Would not white send a better message of expecting the dead one to be resurrected or this person has come out of the darkness and into the light ? It would seem to me to be a better testimony that we believe death has lost it's sting and we do not sorrow as others who are lost and headed for eternal darkness. Perhaps a testimony that when we get to heaven we will be given white robes. Treating the death of a Christian as a celebration time. I have witnessed funerals with this celebration emphasis and although white was not a dominant colour/shade other colours than black were.

Anyway, the idea was not to pick on those with conservative practises as some of the most liberal considered churches have their reasons for chosing black or white too.

[Sudsy]

Interesting thread, Sudsy. Being a liturgical church, the RCC has designated colors for the feasts and seasons with the note that theses colors may vary in a different nation.

Regarding black and white: in the West and Europe, black vestments are worn for funerals. Yet in Taiwan and other Asian nations, white is the color of mourning and so the white vestments are worn. I think it has to do with specific cultures

Thanks MacPC. I wonder why 'black vestments' are used for funerals. Is this perhaps the colour/shade that is worn to identify with human suffering of the lost of a loved one ? If so, I can see others sharing in that temporal loss by wearing black but the use of white for mourning would, to me, best represent that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope and would be more the opposite of those who die and will remain in darkness.

That is interesting to know about these varying practises of colour/shade use.

[Sudsy]

I just ran across this explanation regarding the reason behind the use of black -

Orthodox men typically wear long black garments to indicate a “lack of concern for color and other dictates of fashion, and thus helps keep priorities straight,”

I wonder why black then is considered over white. Perhaps black is not considered a colour due to it's absence of light whereas white is.

I didn't know I can help keep my priorities straight by wearing black. I think it might take more than that but it might help.

[Josh]

Black-car churches mandate they because before cars were around, they mandated simple, black buggies. There is nothing deeper than that.

[Ernie]

Black-car churches mandate they because before cars were around, they mandated simple, black buggies. There is nothing deeper than that.

I never heard that one. What I always heard was that base model cars were black. Any other color cost more and was considered a luxury. Eventually some Anabaptists thought the uniformity was a good thing and "as long as we keep it black, we won't have to make decisions about what colors are appropriate and which ones are not."

As far as black clothing, up until the 1800's, black clothing was more expensive, and some Anabaptist churches forbade it because of that. Then it became the same price as everything else, and became a fad, and then by the late 1800's, it was the color of choice. And then like black cars, Anabaptists liked their uniformity, and so they started mandating certain articles of black clothing.
I don't think any group only wears black. But I may be mistaken.

White headcoverings for women go way back....

[MaxPC]

Interesting thread, Sudsy. Being a liturgical church, the RCC has designated colors for the feasts and seasons with the note that theses colors may vary in a different nation.

Regarding black and white: in the West and Europe, black vestments are worn for funerals. Yet in Taiwan and other Asian nations, white is the color of mourning and so the white vestments are worn. I think it has to do with specific cultures

Thanks MacPC. I wonder why 'black vestments' are used for funerals. Is this perhaps the colour/shade that is worn to identify with human suffering of the lost of a loved one ? If so, I can see others sharing in that temporal loss by wearing black but the use of white for mourning would, to me, best represent that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope and would be more the opposite of those who die and will remain in darkness.

That is interesting to know about these varying practises of colour/shade use.

At least in the RCC colors are very symbolic: white for purity and heaven; black for mourning (in the West); green for hope; red for the Passion of Christ and martyrs, etc.

They say black is very slimming too but what do I know?

[Josh]

Black-car churches mandate they because before cars were around, they mandated simple, black buggies. There is nothing deeper than that.

I never heard that one. What I always heard was that base model cars were black. Any other color cost more and was considered a luxury. Eventually some Anabaptists thought the uniformity was a good thing and "as long as we keep it black, we won't have to make decisions about what colors are appropriate and which ones are not."

As far as black clothing, up until the 1800's, black clothing was more expensive, and some Anabaptist churches forbade it because of that. Then it became the same price as everything else, and became a fad, and then by the late 1800's, it was the color of choice. And then like black cars, Anabaptists liked their uniformity, and so they started mandating certain articles of black clothing.
I don't think any group only wears black. But I may be mistaken.

White headcoverings for women go way back....

This was explained to me as why black car groups have non black farm vehicles, since farm implements were never mandated to be black.

In my group the mandate of black shoes for church remains (although it is unwritten and wouldn’t be enforced).