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Fingers in
Pagan history
Rings
in Christian history
Rings in
Seventh Day Adventist Church
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Origins of the wedding ring
The Wedding Ring in the Methodist Church.
From the very beginning of the Methodist movement John Wesley
(1703-1791) advocated plainness of dress and avoidance of jewelry in
general and rings in particular. In his Advice to the People Called
Methodists, with Regard to Dress, he wrote: "Wear no gold, no
pearls, or precious stones . . . . I do not advise women to wear
rings, earrings, necklaces. Wesley went to great length to give
Scriptural support for his position, quoting among other scriptures
the words of Peter, "Let not yours be the outward adorning with
braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and the wearing of fine
clothing, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the
imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit"
Wesley’s preaching brought results. Both in England and America the
Methodists dressed as "plain people," without jewelry or rings. At
the organizing conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1784
the question was asked "should we insist on the Rules concerning
Dress?" The answer was, "By all means. This is no time to give
encouragement to superfluity of apparel. Therefore give no ticket to
any, till they have left off superfluous ornaments . . . . Allow no
exempt case, not even of a married woman. . . . Give no admission to
those who wear rings. Tickets were given for the admission to the
communion service. Those who did not comply with the very high
standard of the church were not admitted to this service. Such a
strict policy sounds unreasonable to many today. We must understand
this policy in the social context of eighteenth-century America
where the church regulated the lifestyle of its members.
The original rule regarding dress and ornaments became part of the
Methodist church manual, known as Doctrines and Discipline of the
Methodist Church and continued in this form until 1852. The early
Methodists took the admonitions of their founder seriously. They
lived a plain lifestyle, avoiding gambling, dancing, cosmetics, and
jewelry, including rings
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