Is St. Patrick’s Day A Christian Holiday?

Is St. Patrick’s Day A Christian Holiday?

 Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, March 17, 2026 (Donate)

Introduction

Today is St. Patrick’s Day in the USA (and of course, Ireland). It is day to remember St. Patrick who was a Christian missionary who brought Christianity to the Island of Ireland. We know a lot about St. Patrick and what happened to him because he wrote about it in his writings, like his book “Confession”.

With so many citizens of America having Irish descent, St. Patrick’s Day is almost like an Irish heritage festival! I have Irish on my mother’s side of the family. So, I feel a bit accustomed to this particular day.  

The History Of St. Patrick

The historical Saint Patrick is far different from the later legends often associated with him. Patrick was born in the late 4^th or early 5^th century in Roman Britain, likely around AD 385–390, into a nominally Christian family.

 

Earliest Surviving Depiction of St. Patrick is Years about 300-400 years after in the Book of Armagh (c. AD 807).

His father was a deacon, but Patrick himself was not particularly devout as a youth. Around age sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. There, he was forced to tend sheep. During this difficult time, he turned seriously to God, spending much time in prayer—in one sense, he probably felt a lot like Joseph.

After about six years, Patrick escaped. He returned to Britain and was eventually reunited with his family. Later, he, after he had grown in faith with Jesus Christ, sensed a strong calling to return to Ireland—not as a slave, but as a missionary to the people who had once enslaved him.

Patrick received some level of Christian training and was sent back to Ireland as a missionary. His work focused on preaching the gospel, teaching Scripture, and calling people to repentance and faith in Christ. Over time, many Irish people were converted, and churches were established. If you want to know more about how the Irish go back to Babel and Noah please see: The Tower of Babel).

Contrary to popular myths, there is no reliable historical evidence that Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland. Likewise, while he is often associated with the shamrock to explain the Trinity, this is a later tradition and also not found in his own writings.

The most reliable sources about Patrick come from his own literature, particularly his “Confession” and “Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus.” These books show a lot about his humility, his dependence on God, and his desire to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

From this perspective, Patrick should be remembered as a real historical missionary who endured hardship, trusted God, and faithfully preached the gospel in Ireland.  This is likely the reason he was honored in a holiday of his own by those who respected and knew what He did.

God Given Freedom

Man is made in the image of holiday-making God. We sometimes forget that God and His Word is the basis for holidays (holy days) in the first place.

God set aside certain holidays—feasts and festivals—in the Old Testament. Even from the beginning of Creation, God set aside the seventh day as holy (Genesis 2:1-2:3), and we still honor that as part of our weekly weekend celebration. Yes, even weekends are Christian holidays (Sabbath and the Lord’s Day).

Being creative, man often develops new holidays, mimicking what God did. In the Old Testament, the Jews came up with the festival of dedication/lights (Hannukah) which was an intertestamental holiday.

Jesus shows us the freedom and liberty we have to celebrate such a day, when He attended this festival at the Temple as recorded in the book of John.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. (John 10:22-23, NKJV)

So, developing new holidays, whether St. Patrick’s Day, St. Nicholas’s Day (December 6), or Christmas is merely man emulating what God did and the hope is to glorify God in these celebrations.

Sadly, many secularists and unbelievers warp these holidays and paganize them and turn them into unholy events. To this, I suggest we pray for them and gently share and educate those about the truth of God, His Word, people like St. Patrick, and the Gospel during these times.

The Shamrock and the Trinity

The commonly repeated story that Saint Patrick used a clover (shamrock) to explain the Trinity is considered historically doubtful and…theologically misleading. (Yes, I love the Lutheran Satire piece here!)

A Shamrock; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Historically, Patrick’s own writings—such as his Confession—never mention a shamrock (three leaf clover). The story appears centuries later in tradition, not in reliable early sources.

Theologically, the illustration itself can be problematic. Using one clover with three leaves leads to the idea that each leaf is only part of God, which is the error of partialism—the idea that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each one-third of God rather than each being fully God. Scripture teaches that the three Persons are distinct yet each fully and equally God, not divided into parts.

So the “error” is not something Patrick himself taught, but a later illustration that can unintentionally misrepresent the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

Development Of The Holiday

The development of Saint Patrick's Day as a recognized holiday happened in stages. 

In Ireland

The day began as a religious feast day honoring Saint Patrick. It was observed by the Catholic Church by around the early 17^th century (formally placed on March 17, the traditional date of Patrick’s death). For centuries, it remained primarily a solemn religious occasion marked by church services. 

It did not become a public, celebratory national holiday in Ireland until much later—officially recognized as a public holiday in 1903 under British rule (Bank Holiday Act for Ireland).

In The USA

Interestingly, public celebrations came early and were very festive. Irish immigrants in America were known to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the 18^th century. One of the earliest recorded civic celebrations was in Boston in 1737, followed by New York City’s parade in 1762. These events were less about church observance and more about Irish identity.

However, in more recent times, old historical documents in Spanish show that St. Augustine, Florida was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day around 1601—over 100 years earlier.[1] But one must remember that Florida territory did not become USA territory until 1822, so there is that matter as well.

In the USA, St. Patrick’s Day is not an official Federal holiday (e.g., school closures, post office closures, etc.). However, Massachusetts and Georgia recognize it as a state holiday. Most other states simply treat it as an unofficial holiday.

Conclusion

St. Patrick was a wonderful Christian missionary who spread the gospel to Ireland. March 17, is the day he allegedly died, and is the day that is celebrated in various parts of the world to remember his Christian work. 

Much of the modern St. Patrick’s Day has become a Irish heritage celebration. In the past, people wore green to represent Catholicism and orange to represent Protestantism. Both colors appear on the Irish flag. Today, it has become more about heritage to wear green and orange on St. Patrick’s Day regardless.

But let’s not forget Christ, the very reason Patrick was moved to become a missionary that change an entire prominent island for God. So in this sense, St. Patrick's Day is essentially a Christian holiday. 

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields. 

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[1] Frances Mulraney, Where is the oldest St. Patrick's Day celebration in the world?, Irish Central, 2018 (and updated March 14, 2026), https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/oldest-st-patricks-day-world.

 

Why Wouldn’t God Use Evolution?

Feedback: Why Wouldn’t God Use Evolution? 

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, March 16, 2026 (Donate) 

Letter, Unedited:

Evolution is not evil. It’s fact. My question is why wouldnt God use evolution, he has all the time in eternity to do his work. The earth really is 4.7 billion years old. You think that this amount of time is crazy and that it doesnt fit with the bible but in fact it does. The 7 days He used to create the Earth were only periods of time. They could be anything. There is no reason why God would not do it this way. It makes absolute sense.

Garit
USA

Point-by-Point Response: 

Evolution is not evil.

I assume that you are referring to evolution in the “pond-scum-to-people” sense, rather than merely variation within a created kind. “Molecules-to-man” evolution, and its accompanying millions of years during which creatures evolved and died and suffered with diseases, sets itself up against the testimony of the Creator, who has clearly stated in His word that He created in six actual days, and that His original creation was “very good” (Genesis 1). 

Beware of buying into an evolutionary worldview instead of looking at all things in light of Scripture. Image from Presentation Library

Careful study of the Creator’s written record of history further testifies that the original creation events happened no more than around 6,000 years ago.

So, you need to rethink some of this—is the God of the Bible being deceitful when He says He created in six days or are men’s ideas about evolutionary processes occurring over millions of years false? Besides, the concept of evil comes from the Bible and if you think Genesis 1 is wrong, then why do you think the concept of evil is absolute?

It’s fact.

Then repeat it. Please show me how you can change an ameba into a buffalo without adding copious amounts of information into the genome (something that evolutionary processes require, but which has never been demonstrated by empirical science to happen).

Two entirely different religious views about the past shouldn't be mixed; Image from Presentation Library

My question is why wouldnt God use evolution, he has all the time in eternity to do his work.

I’m not sure what “god” you are talking about. The God of the Bible is not bound by time, He created it (Genesis 1:1). He is the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). Please see Who created God?

The reason we know that God didn’t use evolution is because He told us what He did. God is perfect and cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) and His Word is flawless (Proverbs 30:5–6). It would be illogical to think that a perfect God, who eye witnessed His creation, would be wrong when He speaks on it and that imperfect, fallible human beings would be right when they speculate about the past, especially when they didn’t eyewitness it.  

The earth really is 4.7 billion years old.

Actually, careful study of the biblical record reveals that the earth is really 6,000 years old. And if you think that the methods used to determine the 4.7 billion years are accurate, then I suggest you do more research starting with the results of the RATE research project, as well as here (carbon dating) and here (radiometric dating):

You think that this amount of time is crazy and that it doesnt fit with the bible but in fact it does. The 7 days He used to create the Earth were only periods of time.

Then, do you think Jesus was being deceptive with His comments that are recorded in Mark 10:6? Jesus Christ, who is God (John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1) makes it clear there were no long ages. When He was asked about marriage and divorce, He said:

But at the beginning of creation God “made them male and female” (Mark 10:6).

Jesus, being God, can’t lie; so if the earth is 4 or so billion of years old, as evolutionists suggest, Jesus should have said at the “end of creation”. However, Jesus said, “beginning of creation”; six days after the beginning would still be considered the beginning when Jesus spoke this about 4,000 years later. Please see Did Jesus say He created in six days?

Think of the theological implications of this—if Jesus was lying, then Jesus cannot be God. If Jesus is not God, then people who place their faith in Him will not be saved.

Besides, you are making a bald assertion that the days are long periods of time without considering the major problems. For example, according to Genesis 1, God created plants before He created the sun. How can the plants survive for millions of years without the sun? Please see Did God really take six days?

Then there is the huge problem of death before sin. 

Death is the result of man's action, not the a method that a God of life would use to bring life.; Image from Presentation Library

They could be anything. There is no reason why God would not do it this way. It makes absolute sense.

Garit
USA

So you do agree that they could be six normal days? See, the problem isn’t what God could have done, it is an issue of what God said He did. Either you trust God when He speaks or you trust men when they say God is wrong.

Either way, you are placing your faith in one of these two. God is perfect and His Word is flawless, I suggest that you place your faith in God instead of man. Here is a good article on this: A young Earth, it’s not the issue! 

If God is wrong here, then where else is God wrong? The next generation of children is not ignorant of this. When they hear their parents or church leaders say one doesn’t have to trust Genesis, they take it one step further, they say, “Then why should I trust the gospel accounts either?”

This is one reason why the American church is dying and the church in England has almost died completely. When one generation compromises what God clearly says in one area, the next generation compromises most if not all of the rest of God’s Word.

I’m asking you in kindness to trust God and His Word over man-invented ideas. We were warned about such thinking by Paul:

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8, NKJV)

God will never be wrong but mankind is all the time. I suggest a deeper dive into science and how it is predicated on a biblical worldview; then recall that most fields of science were developed by Bible-believing Christians. Real, observable science confirms God’s Word.

Kind regards in Christ,
Bodie Hodge

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields. Originally at Answers in Genesis; Edited; Republished by permission.

 

Was Easter Derived From Paganism?

Was Easter Derived From Paganism?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, March 13, 2026 (Donate)

Introduction

Far too often in our modern secularized culture, the resurrection of Jesus Christ comes under attack. One such attack is the common claim that Easter, the name of the holiday that Christians used in the English-speaking world, was born out of paganism.

In other words, the claim is that Christians are an after-the-fact thief of a pagan goddess. But is this true? Not at all.

The claim that Easter is derived from a pagan holiday is frequently debated among Christians. The core celebration of Easter is not pagan in origin but is based solely in the biblical commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s dive into the details a bit more.

The Name “Easter”

The name Easter comes from an old English word connected to the spring season. The 8^th century historian Bede wrote that the Anglo-Saxon month Eosturmonath (roughly April) was named after a local figure called Eostre.[1] But this is the earliest reference to the resurrection being called “Easter”.

The Empty Tomb as Imagined; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Over time, English-speaking Christians used the word associated with that month to refer to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The etymology can be seen as: “Eostur Monath” to “Easter Month”.

Often months and weeks were named for people such as July, Julius Caesar; August, Augustus Caesar, Wednesday, Woden/Oden’s day; Tuesday, Tiwas/Tiras Day, etc. Thus, even if this month was named for someone who was later falsely elevated as a “god” or “goddess, it is irrelevant.

The modern idea that Easter originated from a pagan fertility goddess named “Eostre” or “Ishtar” is often overstated. Again, the primary historical reference for a goddess named Eostre comes from Bede, who suggested that the Anglo-Saxon name for the month may have been associated with a local goddess.

However, there is little archaeological or historical evidence confirming that a widespread pagan festival honoring such a goddess existed. Because of this limited evidence, many scholars view the connection as uncertain.

Even so, most languages do not use Easter. Instead, they use forms of Pascha, derived from the Hebrew Pesach (Passover), such as Spanish Pascua, French Pâques, and Greek Pascha. This shows the biblical connection between Jesus’ resurrection and the Passover season. Jesus died on Passover as our ultimate and final Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).

The word Easter is primarily an English and Germanic linguistic development tied to the name of a spring month, while the Christian celebration itself historically comes from the Passover context of Christ’s death and resurrection—long before the name Easter was ever used.

Early Debate By Christians When To Celebrate Easter

The earliest Christian observance associated with Easter was the remembrance of Christ’s resurrection in the New Testament as a regular occurrence with the Lord Supper. The yearly celebration immediately began and was connected to the biblical Passover. The New Testament records that Jesus was crucified during the Passover season and rose again on the third day—Sunday, which is the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1–6 NKJV; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1–7 NKJV).

Because of this timing, the earliest Christians connected the celebration of the resurrection with the Passover period. Early believers, many of whom were Israelites by heritage, celebrated the resurrection as the fulfillment of the Passover lamb typology, since Christ is called “our Passover” who was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).

Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Historically, the early church debated exactly when the resurrection should be celebrated. Some Christians in Asia Minor observed it on the same date as Passover (the 14^th of Nisan), while others celebrated it on the following Sunday (see: Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History Book 5, Chapters 23–25).

This disagreement, known as the Quartodeciman controversy, shows that the focus of the celebration was the resurrection itself rather than any pagan festival. The Christian celebration historically developed from the Passover via the context of Christ’s death and resurrection rather than from pagan worship.

Because of calendar issues (we use a solar Gregorian calendar[2] of about 365 days per year with an extra day every 4 years to correct it and the Jewish/Babylonian calendar in the days of Christ was lunar 354 days with an extra month about every few years to correct it), Easter moves around on solar calendars.

To make sure that Resurrection Sunday always comes after Passover, it is calculated based on the timing of a full moon and the spring equinox and a Sunday. In other words, Easter Sunday is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. By this reckoning, Easter is always after Passover (or may fall on Passover), but it won’t be before it.

Customs

It’s true that some cultural customs associated with Easter, such as eggs or rabbits, appeared much later in European traditions. These symbols are sometimes connected with themes of spring or new life.

Customs and associations: Easter is characterized with pastel colors, candy, rabbits, and eggs. Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Bear in mind that these customs are cultural additions rather than the basis of the Christian observance. The biblical focus of Easter remains the resurrection of Christ, which Christians have celebrated since the 1^st century.

Conclusion

Easter itself is not derived from a pagan festival. Instead, it developed from the early Christian remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection during the Passover season. While some later cultural traditions may have been incorporated over time, the primary basis and meaning of Easter in Christianity goes back historically to the biblical event of Christ rising from the dead.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

 

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[1] Bede, De Temporum Ratione (On the Reckoning of Time), Chapter 15, AD 725, Translated by Faith Wallis, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool, England, 1999.

[2] The Gregorian Calendar is a slight modification and correction of the Julian Calendar.

The Doctrine Of Clothing

The Doctrine Of Clothing

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, March 12, 2026 (Donate)

Introduction

One of my favorite discussions with unbelievers is about clothing. Those who don’t follow Christ’s Word (e.g., secular humanists, naturalists, Eastern mystics, pagans, spiritualists, etc.) still wear clothes. But why?

You need to understand that clothing is a Christian doctrine that comes from a literal Genesis 3! From a Christian perspective, we expect people all around the world to wear clothing because this doctrine has been passed down from Adam and Eve through the Flood with Noah and then to the whole world as people were scattered at Babel. So, the reality is that other worldviews and religions borrow this doctrine from the Bible whether they realize it or not.

Good! My kiddos are wearing their clothes! 

Let’s go back to the beginning of clothing—because when God made man, they were not ashamed and were made in pure innocence without apparel.

Origin of Clothing

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were created in a perfect world (Genesis 1:31, Deuteronomy 32:4) and were originally unclothed without shame. This is what makes illustrations of Adam and Eve so difficult in today’s culture—to be accurate, we have to have an amazing use of vegetation!

Genesis 2:25 (NKJV) states,

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Their nakedness reflected God’s innocence in their own creation—being made int eh image of an innocent God. The world was absence of sin. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their moral condition changed immediately. They committed treason against God and His Word and their innocence was no more.

Genesis 3:7 (NKJV) explains the first human response to sin:

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

This first attempt at clothing came from human effort as a result of their minds’ broken effect from sin. The coverings of fig leaves, which are scratchy and causes a bad rash, show they were in a hurry to hide their nakedness. But their effort was inadequate.  

Close up edge of a fig leaf to show how it is scratchy

They now had shame and wanted to cover that shame. It also shows the insufficiency of man’s attempt to correct the new path of sin they were now drowning in.

Only God was in a position to rescue man. God Himself provided the first “proper” clothing. Genesis 3:21 (NKJV) declares,

“Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”

These tunics or coats of skins reveal that death was now part of the creation. God warned that their disobedience by eating would lead to death (Genesis 2:17). And it happened just as God predicted. The punish for sin was death, so the solution had to involve death.

Plants are not living in a biblical sense (in our modern biological sense we say they are) but plants have no soulish life like man or animals. Man is further distinct from animals in that we have an eternal soul that is made in the image of our eternal God.

But because animals have soulish life (nephesh chayyah in Hebrew), this allows God to provide a substitute for man—albeit, it was only a temporary covering because animals are not eternal and not equal to God. This is why animals sacrifices from Genesis 3 forward could not truly satisfy the eternal and infinite wrath of God on sin.

This first sacrifice, therefore, shows God’s mercy toward fallen humanity. Also, it has the death of an animal, which is the foundation for the concept of sacrifice and substitution. The shedding of blood begins the sacrificial system (outlined in great detail in the Law of Moses) and ultimately points to Christ, the Lamb of God, who would die to satisfy the full punishment of the sin of mankind.

Thus, the doctrine of clothing in Genesis 3 teaches that clothing exists because of the Fall and the reality of man’s sin and shame. Wearing clothes is a covering for human nakedness and points to the need for atonement.

One has to be clever in our depictions of Adam and Eve; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

God Himself established clothing as the proper response to fallen man’s sinful condition, It also reveals that modest covering of the body is part of living in a post-Fall world—hence again, the clever use of vegetation in illustrations of Adam and Eve! In this way, clothing is both a practical and theological matter. We use it to point back to the seriousness of sin and forward to God’s substitution of Christ on our behalf unto salvation and redemption.

Clothing In Discussions With Materialists And Eastern Spiritualists

See why this is a great topic to discuss with unbelieving persons? Within their own worldviews, they can’t make sense of why they wear clothes! And yet, there they are wearing clothes.

Materialistic Worldview

For example, in a materialistic, naturalistic worldview where there was an alleged big bang form nothing, and millions of years of time when man supposedly evolved from animals—why wear clothes? If man is no different from ants or squirrels, why wear clothes? They don’t get up in the morning and put on clothes.

I’ve had some argue that they wear clothes because it was cold out—but these same people wear clothes when it is warm out! This shows the inconsistency in their argument.

Some materialists argue that animals, like squirrels, have hair to keep to warm—but we have hair too all over our bodies!

Eastern Gray Squirrel; Photo by Bodie Hodge

They might respond that if we didn’t wear clothes we would die in the cold—at which time you can remind them that in the materialistic, naturalistic, evolutionary worldview, that that means you should die and get out of way for superior creatures to take your place—this is what survival of the fittest is all about in an evolutionary worldview!

Other materialists might argue that they use their intelligence to fight against the effects of survival of the fittest and so they wear clothes. Then one can simply ask what is mass of intelligence—which is conceptual shouldn’t exist if they were consistent with their professed materialistic worldview!

As you can see, these arguments fall tragically short! This is because within their own professed religion, they really can’t make sense of clothing and the truth is that they are merely borrowing this doctrine from a Christian worldview.

Eastern Mystical Spiritual Worldview

The spirit-only worldviews of Eastern Mystics fare no better! In Eastern religions, they argue that all is one and all is spirit. This is called “monism”.

They argue that nothing physical exists but that we are all deceived into thinking that physical things exist. Thus, they claim, in Hinduism for example, that we are in the world of maya (i.e., the world of illusion) and that the physical world doesn’t exist.

So why wear clothes if clothes don’t really exist? Why spend money, which doesn’t really exist, on clothes, that don’t really exist? See the massive inconsistency? Thus, it is false; and they are borrowing the doctrine of clothing from a biblical understanding whether they realize it or not.

I hope these two examples, give you a taste of how powerful it can be when talking to people about clothing!

Modest Dress And Types Of Clothing From A Biblical Perspective

Scripture teaches that clothing should reflect modesty, humility, and godly character. This helps us avoid things like enticing lust, pride, or sensuality. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NKJV),

“In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”

In other words, there is no need to overdo it! This doesn’t just pertain to external garments and garnishings but really it is to affect the heart and a humble attitude expressed by how we dress.

My modest dress here included a riding helmet—guess what I was doing! Photo by Bodie Hodge

Modesty in the Bible obviously involves covering the body appropriately and avoiding clothing intended to provoke lust or draw excessive attention. Since clothing originated as a covering for shame after the Fall, we should continue to dress modestly. This helps us have a kind and humble dignity and respect for our bodies as God’s creation.

The Bible also acknowledges distinctions in clothing between men and women. Deuteronomy 22:5 (NKJV) says,

“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.”

This passage affirms that clothing should reflect the God-designed distinction between male and female. Sadly, in our secularized culture, even this aspect of the doctrine of clothing has come under attack.

Conclusion

At the same time, the Bible does not prescribe a single universal style of clothing—so there is plenty of freedom and various cultures often reflect that liberty. Throughout Scripture people wore tunics, robes, cloaks, belts, sandals, and head coverings depending on culture and climate. The biblical concern is not fashion but principles. Clothing should be modest, honorable, and consistent with one’s identity as a man or woman created in God’s image.

Therefore, from a biblical perspective, proper clothing serves hosts of purposes: covering nakedness, maintaining modesty, expressing humility, and we can even preserve the distinction between male and female while allowing cultural flexibility in specific garments.

So much more could be said about clothing, and I want to encourage you to visit your local church if you have specific questions regarding this beautiful doctrine.

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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.