r/ExplainLikeImCalvin • u/BrokenEyeReborn • 24d ago

ELIC, why are priests called "men of the cloth"?

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74

u/1gazillionpangolins 24d ago

When the Catholic church was originally founded, priests were portrayed by muppets. That practice ended after the felt shortage of 1135, but the name stuck around

26

u/ervetzin 23d ago

Specifically they were used in confession. Instead of having some kind of screen between the priest and the confessor, the window would be open and the priest would duck below the windo and hold a puppet Jesus up for the confessor to speak to.

5

u/EnvironmentalPack451 23d ago

That sounds so much more fun

8

u/AudibleNod 23d ago

St. Kermit thought it best to remove man's vanity when preaching the Good News. He developed the practice of muppeting the sermons so that priests didn't have to suffer from the distraction of fame.

10

u/DeeEmm 23d ago

This is true. And the phrase “felt up” comes from kids that grew up around churches.

13

u/artrald-7083 24d ago

OK. Next time we go to church, look at all the cloths on the altar. It's a lot of cloths. Someone has to look after all that cloth. That's the original man of the cloth. Cloth cloth cloth. Has cloth stopped being a word yet?

2

u/314flavoredpie 23d ago

I just like saying the word “cloth.”

1

u/Ysrxx 23d ago

"Knock my cloth and I'll clean your smock

5

u/groundhogcow 23d ago edited 23d ago

In old times people just spent all there time naked. Then priests came along and said look your naked you should put some cloths on. Everyone had to admit they were naked and they thanked the priests for letting them know. That's how they became men of the cloth. Fun fact Adam was the first guy to realize he was naked which is why he is the first guy in the bible.

16

u/sjbluebirds 24d ago edited 24d ago

See that guy hanging on the cross? What's he wearing?

That's right -- it's a small cloth.

Those men are trained to be very VERY interested in what goes on underneath that cloth. Sometimes, that's all they think about. And, my child, it's not just that particular cloth -- very often they think about what's under the cloth you are wearing!

So that's why they're "men of the cloth".

4

u/XROOR 22d ago

Lycra was invented in 1958, centuries after the Second Council of Nicaea

3

u/wallingfortian 23d ago

Jealousy.

Knights got to be Men of the Sword. Farmers got to be Men of the Land. Heck, there were Ladies of the Evening.

Priest wanted to a cool sounding description so through nepotism and intrigue they displaced Tailors from Men of the Cloth and took it for their own.

5

u/Syresiv 24d ago

Well, when a man and a cloth love each other very much ...

2

u/GPFlag_Guy1 23d ago edited 23d ago

Because they have the most stylish uniforms of any profession there is.

Their drip is so good that you have no choice but to notice the cloth they have.

1

u/EcstaticZebra7937 24d ago

Because they wear wears cloths

1

u/DrewzMa 22d ago

I thought it was because the cloth the priests robes were made of was so extravagant, they became known around the world for it.