WHY PEOPLE ADORN THEMSELVES
First, it is important to remember that neither the adornments nor the behaviors are necessary to communicate with the particular god that the person worships. (That may be less true in pagan or occult religions, but those religions are not our primary concern here.) In the case of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he does not look at the outer man, but looks at the man’s heart. People who understand this about God know that God always knows what needs to be known about them. There is nothing that he learns from their words, clothing, adornments or behaviors that he does not already know. And knowing that, they should not find it necessary to try to communicate to God anything about their spirituality.

That being the case, what should we conclude from the practice of wearing certain kinds of clothing and apparel and engaging in religious worship rituals? The first conclusion we come to is that people who try to communicate their spirituality through clothing or behaviors (words, postures, rituals, etc.) that have religious symbolism are ignorant. They lack understanding of a basic principle of how God works: He does not look at the physical person, he looks at the heart. And if they don’t understand that, they have been wrongly taught by religious leaders. We could also say that they have not studied their Bible. They may have read it and memorized portions of it, but they have not studied it to understand how God works.

The second conclusion is that they may know a little about how God works but still employ the practices of their religion of choice anyway because it is in their best interests to do so. They are emotionally, and perhaps financially attached to that religion (denomination) and find the idea of separation from it abhorrent and scary. Separation from the religion of their fathers and friends is such a scary thought that they would not even consider doing something different even if they learned from the Bible that what they were doing was not what God wanted them to do. For these people, the teachings and practices of the religion have an idol-like influence. In other words, the religion has become an idol that displaces the One True God. Such people should take Jesus’ words to the Pharisees about following traditions to heart.

Thirdly, we find that there is a category of people who just want to be known and accepted as spiritual people with a deep connection to God. Typically this occurs within the religious tradition into which a person is raised, but it can also be a tradition that they have adopted later in life. Either way, they find comfort in the affirmations others give them regarding their piety, and/or they comfort themselves with the knowledge that they are faithful to observe religious laws associated with their religion of choice. Once again, religion and it’s  associated trappings (clothing, traditions, etc.) have become idols (gods) that must be served in order to maintain a sense of security that should be provided only by God.

Finally, we need to acknowledge that many are motivated by money. The plain truth about religion is that it is a big business and that it does promise great financial rewards for those who can successfully market themselves through it. And we all know that creating a godly impression  through clothing and other external features is a significant aspect of branding.

Regardless of how people come to practice a tradition, they may or may not know the truth about what the Bible says about spirituality. For them, the truth is not as important as the tradition and the measure of esteem, comfort and income they might receive from others who perceive them as spiritually connected to God and who reward them for their faithfulness to observe the rituals of the tradition. They have observed what others do that is regarded as spirituality. Then they adopt and practice those behaviors and put on those adornments and clothing that earn acceptance, and perhaps a reputation of a kind, as a spiritual person. Such affirmations are powerful motivations to continue practicing a specialized behavior. Some people learn to be clowns, some learn to be tough guys, some learn to be sexy, others act intellectual and some learn to be spiritual, but they all do it for the same reason: They want to be loved and accepted.

What it all boils down to is that people do these things to make some kind of name, or reputation for themselves. And it works whether they are born into, or find, or create, a community of like-minded believers who can easily recognize their common interests and then relate to each other appropriately. It is all about establishing their desired place (hopefully a high rank) within the religious community. Looking at it all honestly, it could be said that they are self-serving hypocrites who have learned to gain favor for themselves through their clothing and other religious behaviors. Along the way, the truth about what God says or wants is subordinated to the rules of the religious tradition. This is more evidence of idolatry.

Especially for leaders of each tradition, clothing serves to establish rank and authority for others inside and outside the tradition. When that recognition is made, there is a tendency to defer to the leader as a person of exemplary spiritual standing with the god that the leader worships. This distinction is good, of course, for the leader because praise, social deference and income, or financial favor, generally accompany recognition as a leader. Others who are not leaders also benefit from the recognition they receive from adherence to their chosen brand (tradition) of religion. They may not have leadership positions, but they earn the rank of “saint” because of their faithful piety in observing religious traditions. Their reward is not financial, but it still feeds their needs for acceptance and recognition as a spiritual person.