Title: Church Etiquette or Some Things You Should Know While in Church (Fr. David Barr) | Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Headings: Church Etiquette or Some Things You Should Know While in Church (Fr. David Barr)
Church Etiquette or Some Things You Should Know While in Church (Fr. David Barr)
Content: In some Orthodox cultures, crossing one's legs is taboo and considered to be very disrespectful. In our North American culture, while there are no real taboos concerning crossing one's legs, we tend to cross our legs to get comfortable while sitting. Should we cross our legs in church? No. Not because it is "wrong" to ever cross legs, but rather because it is too casual - and too relaxed - for being in church. Just think about it, when you get settled in your favorite chair at home, you lean back, cross your legs, and then your mind can wander anywhere it wants to. Remember that sitting in church is a concession, not the normative way of prayer. You surely don't want to get too relaxed and let your mind wander off too much. In fact, when you do sit in church, you should sit attentively - and not too comfortably. When sitting in church, keep those feet on the floor, ready to stand at attention (which is what "Let us attend" means).