Sgian Dubh and the Church

[bchunter]

I am a very regular church-goer, and wear a kilt on occasion. At first I did not sport a sgian and was very often asked why I was not wearing one. When I started wearing one, I had one fellow question why I had it, only to have his question answered by another fellow in a suit that produced a folding pocket knife that dwarfed my sgian and proclaiming he always carried it and a sgian was no different. No one else ever asked, but I do get questions when in a business suit why I'm not kilted.

[SteveB]

I wear my kilt to church every Sunday and spend most of my time in a classroom teaching first and second scholars about the Worlds religions. I have never been without the sgian dubh. It lives in my hose. The edge is functional, it cuts open cardboard boxes, it slits open envelopes, makes short work of string, and slices up the apples we share. Whether the sgian dubh has a history of having been a weapon or not, it is perceived here as part of the tradition of high hose, garter ties, sporran, kilt pin, or cap badge. All of the gents who wear the kilt to church wear the sgain dubh. In this I am not alone as generally there are at least ten kilted men in service.

[Panache]

With all due respect gents

I have on my key chain a Leatherman Micra

It has a small sharp blade for cutting stuff

Better yet it has a small pair of extremely sharp scissors!

Better yet it has a small Phillips screwdriver bit that opens up a myriad of my kid's toys.

I like knives and swords

a lot

Those X Markers that have seen the adornments on my library walls know this.

However I will pit my Leatherman Micra against any sgian dubh for anything outside combat.

I like to wear the sgian dubh, but I am not bound to always wear it.

When it is right I will

When it is not right I won't

The claim that one has to carry one in all situations for want of a sharp edge isn't really that forceful an argument.

There are certainly options that might not upset other folks.

Cheers

Jamie

(Somewhere the much esteemed Rab Gordon has just put me on his "naughty" list! )

[BoldHighlander]

I like to wear the sgian dubh, but I am not bound to always wear it.

When it is right I will

When it is not right I won't

And in the end what it all boils down to is that each of us must decide for ourselves what is right for each of our own situations....traditions or not.

Only I know what is acceptable/correct for my situation, as each of you only know what is for yours.
All else is just beating a dead horse

[ThistleDown]

With all due respect gents

I have on my key chain a Leatherman Micra

It has a small sharp blade for cutting stuff

Better yet it has a small pair of extremely sharp scissors!

Better yet it has a small Phillips screwdriver bit that opens up a myriad of my kid's toys.

I like knives and swords

a lot

Those X Markers that have seen the adornments on my library walls know this.

However I will pit my Leatherman Micra against any sgian dubh for anything outside combat.

I like to wear the sgian dubh, but I am not bound to always wear it.

When it is right I will

When it is not right I won't

The claim that one has to carry one in all situations for want of a sharp edge isn't really that forceful an argument.

There are certainly options that might not upset other folks.

Cheers

Jamie

(Somewhere the much esteemed Rab Gordon has just put me on his "naughty" list! )

With much respect, Jamie, I don't hear anybody else in this thread saying that they have a love affair with edged weapons like swords and knives. What they seem to be saying is that a Leatherman, a Swiss Army knife, a pen knife and a sgian dubh are NOT weapons and should not carry the same stigmatism, whether carried in a pocket or tucked into the top of hose or strung on a keychair, as such things as swords which have, as their sole purpose, the harming of humans.

[Phil]

I hope any of my posts here are taken as my purely personal opinions and what I am really trying to say is that in a place of worship I would forego wearing a sgian dhubh, especially if it caused anyone else in that place distress. I think that is the main reason why I don't wear one in the first place from thinking ahead if it might be unacceptable. At the recent Gathering here in Edinburgh I deliberately left it at home for much the same reason. It is not something I would ever use for any practical purpose, just a decorative accessory really, and is not an essential component of the dress.
As a matter of fact I have never carried a knife of any sort since I gave up smoking a pipe when I had a sort of tool that included a blade to scrape out the bowl. I really have no need for a knife other than in the kitchen.

[davedove]

I'm still having a hard time figuring out why anyone would NEED a knife during services. I'll admit I'm not a bit church-goer, but when I have gone, you go in, sit down, listen to the preacher, read from the bible, sing from the hymnal, and that's about it; no cutting required.

Yes, I usually have a pocket knife with me (I'm a farm boy), but I've never needed it in that situation. If the sgian dubh bothered someone during church, I would leave it in the car. If there were some activity at the church after the services, I could always retrieve the blade if I needed it.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

With all due respect gents

I have on my key chain a Leatherman Micra

It has a small sharp blade for cutting stuff

Better yet it has a small pair of extremely sharp scissors!

Better yet it has a small Phillips screwdriver bit that opens up a myriad of my kid's toys.

I like knives and swords

a lot

Those X Markers that have seen the adornments on my library walls know this.

However I will pit my Leatherman Micra against any sgian dubh for anything outside combat.

I like to wear the sgian dubh, but I am not bound to always wear it.

When it is right I will

When it is not right I won't

The claim that one has to carry one in all situations for want of a sharp edge isn't really that forceful an argument.

There are certainly options that might not upset other folks.

Cheers

Jamie

(Somewhere the much esteemed Rab Gordon has just put me on his "naughty" list! )

Jamie--

Can you skin a deer with your Leatherman Micra?

[Panache]

Jamie--

Can you skin a deer with your Leatherman Micra?

No, but I imagine that the need to do so amidst a church service is a relatively rare occurrence.

OK MoR you did call me a rightly so on my statement. I'll admit that for the original purpose of the sgian dubh my Leatherman micra would not be a good substitute.

However I find it a very handy tool (kilted and not) for all the things that tend to pop up everyday. It is also something that i can bring with me to my children's school without causing concern.

Cheers

Jamie :ootd:

[bigdad1]

Jamie--

Can you skin a deer with your Leatherman Micra?

How did the question go from should I wear a Skian Dubh to church to can you skin a deer with your Leatherman? Does the word inane come to anyone's mind?