AIBU to discuss religious faith/religious styles of dressing with others?

[ConfusedWife1234]

There is a lady who might be in her sixties at our church who seems to be very conservative and I am not sure why she attends our not so conservative church.

So she holds the opinion that women should wear only dresses but no trousers... and I happen to wear a lot of dresses and skirts and wear only dresses for church because it looks better but do not think women should not wear trousers.

One day she approached me and praised me for dressing that womanly and modest like a child of God (as she called it) which is rare among young people today and I was a bit shocked, because I am not even trying to be modest... just unhappy with my body... lol.

I tried to discuss with her because I do think that actually God does not care so much about people wearing trousers (and in Biblical times men and women all wore long robes). Of course she did not agree with me.

Actually I did not start this topic to discuss religion but my question is a different one... later some folks told me: Why did you discuss this with her.? You should just have nodded in agreement to avoid a discussion.

They thought I was right but they wondered why I was so stupid to start a discussion.

How do you think?

Stuff like that is often more cultural and it probably comes from something she was taught when younger or a more conservative church she has been to before. Does she know many young people well? Because often you change your perception of someone's appearance when you know them better as a person.

I would frame it the other way she was trying to give you a compliment in a clumsy way. So YANBU to discuss but it sounds like the sort of thing someone would say who was feeling a bit threatened/left out by changes in style of doing church.

really I don't see why anyone should criticise you for replying to a remark that SHE made, it's not like you went up to her and randomly said 'know what, you are bonkers with your trouser-hating views'
I get that just nodding and smiling would be really to endorse a view which as others have said could be quite detrimental, it kind of co-opts you into her side. A different case but something similar happened to me the other day. i was walking down the street and happened to be dressed in a loose, sleeveless, below the knee dress. Ahead of me were 2 younger women dressed in shorts. A man probably in his 30s maybe older walked past me and said 'ah, whatever happened to the days when women dressed like women' which I took great exception to as I was not 'dressing like a woman' I was 'dressing like me on a hot day' and I really don't care to be roped into his fantasies of what women are or are not supposed to do, especially as 2 other women were being criticised by implication. I said 'women can wear what they like' which seemed a bit lame but all I could think of at the time. Then I had to make a conscious effort not to let it ruin my afternoon, bastard.

I'm confused about where you say you didn't know about hats in the bible. If you're living your life by this book then wouldn't it be in your best interests to know what it says, and do it?