Kerala, the God's own country is increasingly becoming a land of moral policing, and now a Christian priest has made the headlines for making a speech questioning the dressing styles of girls these days. The talk, which was telecast on the religious channel Shalom, has not gone down well with many in Kerala, and it is evident from the negative response and memes it garnered from the netizens.
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"I often come across some girls, who wear jeans or pants, shirt or t-shirt in churches. They would also be carrying a mobile phone and handkerchief, and would have left their hair open without tying it with a ribbon. I wonder why these people are coming like this to church," the priest said in the speech.
"Has the Catholic Church permitted girls to wear jeans and shirt worn by men? Or does the Holy Bible gives you permission for that?" the priest said while quoting a few lines from the Bible that instructs on the dressing of men and women.
"It is not right for a woman to be dressed in man's clothing, or for a man to put on a woman's robe: whoever does such things is disgusting to the Lord your God" - Deuteronomy 22:5
The priest further criticised modern girls, who have also brought changes in the style of churidar, by not wearing shawls, stitching it with slits on the sides and wearing leggings. Moreover, he called these transformed dressing styles to be the sole reason for them not getting a good marriage proposal or a job as well as creating family issues.
It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Luke 17:2 - the priest is also heard quoting the biblical quote against the women, who are said to be provoking many men by wearing modern attires.
While few have supported the statements of the priest, many have been posting negative comments tagging it to be a "ridiculous speech." Even actress Parvathi T and IAS officer Prasanth Nair have also shared the video on their Facebook pages.
"I dont think every guys will be provoked by seeing a girl wearing jeans and top. It depends on each individual, and the way a person dress is not the sole reason why she is being molested or raped. There might be many factors for that," said Krishna Sankar, an entrepreneur in Kerala.
"Yes, in the Old Testament, it is said that women should not wear men's dress, but 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says I also want women to dress "modestly, with decency and propriety," not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. That means, modesty is important, and I don't think jeans and shirt are an immodest attires. Isn't it covering the whole body?," Jinu Abraham, an engineer residing in Bengaluru says.
"I am a person who goes to church every Sunday, I have seen many girls coming to church wearing dresses that are way too exposing. This speech seems to be applicable for them. Why should you expose your body to the whole world. I am a girl, still I feel bad seeing girls wearing such dress to the churches, a place that is considered to be sacred. But I don't think jeans is an inappropriate dress," an engineering student, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
Here are few memes on the speech that are doing the rounds on social media:
The video of a Kerala priest's speech on the dressing style of modern girls goes viral.Facebook 
The video of a Kerala priest's speech on the dressing style of modern girls goes viral.Facebook
Watch the full video of the Kerala priest's speech here:
