Sgian Dubh and the Church

[McFarkus]

Yeah, my sgian is mostly ornamental as is my kilt pin. That's why I carry a pocket knife in my sporran. The boys like my sgian and thinks it cool. Some of the elderly ladies at church will marvel at the kilt and ask about that little black thing in my knee socks (LOL).

My sgian is Damascus steel and sharper than my pocket knife. If I have one I don't need the other.

[Skipper1]

As a countering opinion, though I feel odd wearing my hose without a sgian dubh there are times when I leave it off, either for practical purposes (such as airports) or out of respect for others. For example, I am not christian and do not normally enter churchs but as a scout leader I encouraged the spiritual growth of the scouts. We all attended chapel and always followed the tradition of leaving our knives outside the chapel at camp. It was a non-denominational space considered to be a place of peace and trust. We actually had a post just outside the entrance you could drive long knives into and a tray for folding knives. Just saying that sometimes one should honor the tradition and rituals of the place you enter.

[Jock Scot]

Just a couple observations from this interesting thread by a non church goer, apart from weddings and funerals.The wearing of a sgian dubh is not compulsory, you are not breaking some rule,convention, or, tradition by not wearing one. As I and others have said, this a non issue here in the UK; you wear one or not and no one worries one way or the other,but I think most kilt wearers do wear one here.

You chaps abroad and I am generalizing here, do have a problem , in as much as you are wanting to wear Scottish attire in a community that is not Scottish. You are not blessed with a Scottish accent with a birth certificate saying that you were born in Scotland so you are torn between cultures, it is inevitable.This is why the question was asked in the first place. Putting myself in your position, cannot be done, but I can try. Given that the sgian dubh is optional and given that one should bare other people's feelings in mind, whilst still being your own person, the wearing of a sgian dubh in church, or not, is still really a non issue. Surely.

[bigdad1]

I have carried a pocket or belt knife most of my life and am very comfortable around knives of any sort. I rarely leave home without a knife on my body somewhere. However in today's world there are exceptions to every rule and some are more important than others. When I fly my knife is at home unless I bother to check baggage it can travel in. When I go to a courthouse or a police station or any sort of facility where they frown on the public being armed I leave the knife in the truck. If I were to go to church I believe the sgian dubh would also be omitted from my wardrobe. Besides common regard for the church it involves common sense on my part.

[Jock Scot]

Interesting comments there bigdad1, the police in the uk have a zero tolerance policy to knives and Scotlands police are very strict.With good reason to be fair. You have to have a very good reason indeed to be carrying a knife. It would certainly be very unwise of me to forget to take my deer stalking knife, including the sheath, off when going to the shops to buy half a dozen eggs! However wearing the kilt and carrying a sgian dubh shopping, going to church, visiting hospital,even going to a police station will get no reaction at all.

[bigdad1]

Interesting comments there bigdad1
However wearing the kilt and carrying a sgian dubh shopping, going to church, visiting hospital,even going to a police station will get no reaction at all.

Here is San Diego I dare say you would get a reaction at least at the hospital and police station. Maybe not shopping but as to church, reaction or not I feel it is common respect to leave it off. Interestingly enough we have had a few groups of what they call "open carry" walking around in public with handguns on hips. According to that "open carry" law it can be done if the weapon is not loaded and the ammunition is apart from the gun. The police may stop them to check if they are loaded but no tickets or arrests. This is causing a lot of talk and upsetting many people. I was taught if I carry a weapon it best be loaded and I best be ready to use it else it may end up a suppository. That includes pointing a knife at someone or any other sort of weapon.

[Jock Scot]

Er, we had better head back to safer ground! My training was not any different to yours, by the way.

[bigdad1]

Er, we had better head back to safer ground! My training was not any different to yours, by the way.

Safer ground it is my friend.

[ThistleDown]

Now that we are back on safer ground.... I'm in British Columbia this fall, but still spend half my year at home just a bit south of Inverness. Both places are safer ground in that they have the same legal atitude towards "weapons". In Scotland and in Canada it has been decided not to permit the carrying of those things which have, as their prime purpose, the harming of human beings. The sgian does not fall within that prime purpose criteria since it is not now and never was a "weapon". It is therefore perfectly acceptable to wear it to church, to the shops, to your daughter's wedding, or to the pub of any evening. In Scotland and in Canada -- in fact I might stretch that a bit and say most elsewhere in the world I frequent -- there is neither fear nor threat attached to the sgian dubh.

Of course, in Scotland (and most often here in BC) there's nobody looking at the outside of your calf and asking what that thing is that's protruding slightly from your hose, so you don't have to respond by drawing it out and giving a ten-minute disertation on the fact that it's not a weapon even though you are meanwhile flailing the air with its blade

[Moses]

I think the issue is best viewed with the focus on the church congregation as the primary consideration. There are some congregations where the majority would be aware of, and aknowledge it as simply a part of the normal attire. However if you are in a situation where the people of your congregation are unaware or merely uncomfortable about it then that is the most important issue to consider. Maybe after the service if a few minutes are spent discussing your intent to carry the Sgian Dubh as just a part your apparel I think people would pay no further attenton to it