Opinion: Jewelry–Yes or No?

Andrea Francisco

(Edited by Angela Mangueira)

On our campus, jewelry is a debate that has been going on for many years and nobody is brave enough to debate about it. When I arrived to Southwestern, jewelry was not allowed because it was inconsistent with Seventh-day Adventist standards. However, even though jewelry is not allowed, students still wear it and I believe that this policy is not being enforced, as it should. As Christians we are called to be separate from the world.

My question to people is this: is wearing jewelry a sin? If you wear an earring or wear a bracelet, does it make you a less of a Christian than others?

I was raised in the Adventist Church and the jewelry debate was always around. As I researched, I noticed that on one side of the Bible quotes that God absolutely condemns jewelry. The other side points out that there are number of verses that mention jewelry in a positive sense. At the same time, there are a number of moderates and a lot of confused people who do not take a firm stance. Some accept certain types of jewelry, such as wedding bands or non-metallic jewelry, while others simply do not know what to think.

1 Timothy 2:9 says “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” This passage clearly tells us that as women, we should dress modestly, must not braid our hair, must not wear costly garments, nor wear gold or pearls.

I personally do not wear jewelry, because I personally don’t like it. However, I see many women as well as men who walk around on campus with jewelry. I personally believe that wearing jewelry does not affect the way people learn in school. There are certain things on campus that should be taken in consideration as well, such as shorts. And if jewelry is banned from campus, then women should not dress up with expensive clothes as it says in the Bible.

Considering the evidence that God not only doesn’t condemn the use of jewelry but also has actually given it as a gift to his faithful children, reasonably it can’t be stated that jewelry is a sin. We have to keep in mind that some students are not Seventh-day Adventists and see nothing wrong with wearing jewelry.

If you feel that God has led you to not wear jewelry, then I want you to know that I am not ridiculing you at all. You have my respect. I just feel that jewelry is not such a big deal.

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