Men, would you have problems being with someone who looks like a Mennonite?

[quietthinker]

If I lived in Babylon at the time of Daniel I'd probably wear a turban and a robe and nobody would blink an eye but if I walked downtown Sydney with the same attire the chances are I wouldn't be seen as a person, only my attire. The same principle applies to middle eastern women getting around in a full burkha in a western country.

 

[quietthinker]

I think if we as believers in Jesus are to draw any attention it is to the fact that we love the unpretentious, we love the qualities of the heart that are bent on health and harmony and humility, qualities which lift the downtrodden while taking no comfort in compromise with Worldly practices and habits.

 

[quietthinker]

very interesting! you normally don't hear about men and modesty, but in exodus 28:42, anything above the knee for men was considered "nakedness." I get uncomfortable around topless men in summer. As bad as my dad mowing the lawn in Birkenstocks and socks!

ahhhhh, Birkenstocks and socks! what a statement and challenge for the fashion conscious.
A discussion on the cold weather in Canada after a bible study on Zoom with people from around the globe brought up the subject of underwear. There was deafening silence and noises of alarm with wide eyes when I told them I didn't wear it here in the tropics. I think saying too much more on comfortable tropical living would have blown some fuses. A good thing my regularly worn birthday suit was kept out of the conversation.

 

[Sabertooth]

If I were single and eligible to such a woman, I'm not sure where our paths would ever cross.
But if God brought us together, I don't see that clothing choice as being a deal-breaker (unless I was expected to dress in the male equivalent).

As a mild autistic, I have sensory issues toward certain fabrics. I tend to be a jeans & T-shirt guy in the winter and aloha shirt & shorts guy in the summer.

 

[BarneyFife]

I'm feeling pretty insecure today and sometimes I'm painfully aware that as an anabaptist that I look pretty Amish/Mennonite. (Prayer covering/long dresses/not super flashy/etc)

I am not looking to change that and don't want to get into the details about why some of us dress that way, but I do want to know what the outside perspective is. It's just something I'm wrestling with/feeling heavily insecure about as far as outside judgments, but also have to stick to my convictions.

I blame it as being a reason for some things in my life at times. What do you think? Would it bother a man/would it not? Curious.

Edit: I explained it anyway in #11.

I wish more women were modest in their apparel.

 

[BarneyFife]

There isn't any denying that it's more noticeable, but you have to remember that Amish/Mennonites are usually pretty secluded in their own communities so to them they aren't sticking out at all. The plain people are weird to them. Everyone in their community likely looks the same and limited to a particular dress pattern, but limited to solid colors and/or floral prints. Modesty in their communities aren't limited to the women only. The men don't wear buttons because it would be too easy to accidentally unbutton the top few buttons for comfort, or because of flashiness. There are other anabaptist/Mennonite churches who look exactly the same as everyone else.

I am anabaptist, but neither Mennonite or Amish - they are just other types of anabaptist. I explained the reasons for the way I dress in #11. There is a major difference between intentionally flashing a sign to the world and trying to draw attention or the impression of success through clothing, possessions, or whatever, and unintentionally drawing attention because you chose to live a modest life and Jesus is in it and has every part of your life - and if you do and people notice that, then I don't really see the problem.

I'm a big obnoxious, flashing light that can't be ignored - people notice it. That's fine. Either people will get offended (almost never), or in my experience, people will feel way WAY more comfortable discussing the gospel with you, sharing history, asking questions, needing advice, wanting to know more, opening their hearts up to something that they shut out for one reason or another long, long ago. That is not a problem in my eyes. That is a benefit.

"I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own."

Well. Okay then. If other people see it and they are more comfortable, then cool.

Edit: After writing the obnoxious light thing, brings to mind what Jesus said, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Living as I do in Central PA, folks from old-order groups are normal scenery for me and, frankly, anywhere they are heavily stationed tends to have safer and cleaner neighborhoods, even those surrounding them. I see more Brethren than anything else. I think they mingle more than some of the others.

I can tell you this much, just from age and experience: Any man who would object to your modesty would be one that you probably wouldn't want around for long.

 

[BarneyFife]

Was it any different to the southern states justifying their ownership of slaves .....and getting that justification from scripture....blind to the obvious?

Is there really no difference between the evils of slavery and a tradition of dressing modestly?

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, (1 Timothy 2:9)

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; (1 Peter 3:3)​

In the mouth of two or three witnesses...

 

[BarneyFife]

I hate yoga pants. When we bought our house 3 years ago the realtor, who was attractive and 30-ish, showed up at most of our appointments in Yoga Pants! I thought there was a bit of a discrepancy between the image of her employer--Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway--and her attire. She was such a nice robber, too. lol

 

[amadeus]

very interesting! you normally don't hear about men and modesty, but in exodus 28:42, anything above the knee for men was considered "nakedness." I get uncomfortable around topless men in summer. As bad as my dad mowing the lawn in Birkenstocks and socks!

Living Oklahoma we don't go to the beach like we did in our youth in California before we knew the Lord. But even here, especially in the summer time, I am reminded that the 'old man' of flesh of me is still not completely dead even at 77 when young women expose too much. Sometimes it is necessary for me to look away even in places like Walmart.

How much exposure of self is too much? Each person must decide for him or herself, but if they are really believers in and followers of Jesus they should be thinking of what kind of affect they may have on others. We really are to be our brother's keeper, at least we should be as much as we are able. We cannot make and try to enforce the law for others, but we do need to do as much as we can for them.

When I was in Germany for my study year [1969-1970], I was at best a backslid Catholic. During that time a friend of mine from Eureka California hitchhiked with me from West Berlin to Spain to get away from the cold Berlin winter. We did. In Spain in a small inland town away from all of the tourists, it was a beautiful day and slightly warm. So in the hotel room we put on our new Lederhosen [German short shorts for men made of leather] purchased in Berlin just before we left. Then we went out into the sun and walked together up the inclined sidewalk away from the hotel. Coming down the hill toward us was a very old nun [fully covered from head to foot with only the skin of her face and hands visible] with a severely hunched back. Walking downhill it was difficult for her to look far in front of her because of her sharply bent back. Her face was naturally directly always at the sidewalk no more than a few feet in front of her. Only when we were almost together, us walking uphill and her walking downhill, did she look up enough to see us. The calm expression on her face changed immediately to one of bewilderment and perhaps a little fright. She did the sign of the cross as Catholics often do and quickly reversed direction so as not to approach us any more at all. My friend and I exchanged glances and were of the same mind on this thing, when one said to the other. Let's go back and changed our clothes. We did.

Our exposed skin in a village where the locals did not expose skin we were we guessed a sight for sore eyes. That we were taller than Spaniard men was also undoubtedly a factor. I was only 5'9" which in Spain was taller than most native men, but my friend was 6'6", a giant just about anywhere... We never wore the Lederhosen again in Spain. Spain was not Germany! And we were not more than nominally Christian at the time.

 

[BarneyFife]

Yay! @FluffyYellowDuck -likes- my Yoga Pants indictment!
Not many are sympathetic to that kind of thing nowadays.
I no longer have the wandering eye of a 20-year old man, but I think it is cruel for people to dress (or undress, as the case may be) in a manner that strengthens the hands of the tempter, whether the object be male or female. Some of the gals I see walking around on the streets of the city of my local county seat might just as well have left home naked. Just sayin'

 

[amadeus]

Yay! @FluffyYellowDuck -likes- my Yoga Pants indictment!
Not many are sympathetic to that kind of thing nowadays.
I no longer have the wandering eye of a 20-year old man, but I think it is cruel for people to dress (or undress, as the case may be) in a manner that strengthens the hands of the tempter, whether the object be male or female. Some of the gals I see walking around on the streets of the city of my local county seat might just as well have left home naked. Just sayin'

"I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" Job 31:1

 

[DuckieLady]

Yay! @FluffyYellowDuck -likes- my Yoga Pants indictment!
Not many are sympathetic to that kind of thing nowadays.
I no longer have the wandering eye of a 20-year old man, but I think it is cruel for people to dress (or undress, as the case may be) in a manner that strengthens the hands of the tempter, whether the object be male or female. Some of the gals I see walking around on the streets of the city of my local county seat might just as well have left home naked. Just sayin'

I don't like the yoga pants either. I have a pair for working out/winter. It's VERY hard to work out in a full length dress and I have to. I was sick for a long time and was wasting away, so building strength has to be part of my routine. (*Partly from being sick and mostly, but also from severe depression for years. Both were bad. Couldn't get out of bed some days.*)

That said, I got the worst pair on Amazon. (They were $4 and they were just for wearing under dresses during winter at the time. I didn't care.) They look like fabric fleece mom jeans. I sent a less flattering picture to my mother, complaining that the back was also on the front, and her and her friend had tears from laughing.

I did have an atheist gentleman say to me once something on the lines of, "Finally a good, clean (or something) woman in a sea of [REDACTED- bad language]." So, despite being shocked that someone would say that to me with that language, it does say something that if even the ungodly men notice something about it, I would be surprised if the Godly men didn't think about it.

 

[Mantis]

You don't have anything to worry about concerning your looks if that is you in your avatar.

 

[DuckieLady]

You don't have anything to worry about concerning your looks if that is you in your avatar.

Thanks Mantis and everyone else that said that, too. Just to clarify, it is me.

 

[Triumph1300]

I'm feeling pretty insecure today and sometimes I'm painfully aware that as an anabaptist that I look pretty Amish/Mennonite. (Prayer covering/long dresses/not super flashy/etc)

No problem for me at all.
We used to attend a United Pentecostal Church and the women dress differently and don't cut hair.

We left the UPC because of certain doctrines.

It becomes a problem when people make the dress code a condition to salvation.
I.o.w. you cannot be saved unless you dress as we do.

By all means dress as you like. Bless you.

 

[DuckieLady]

No problem for me at all.
We used to attend a United Pentecostal Church and the women dress differently and don't cut hair.

We left the UPC because of certain doctrines.

It becomes a problem when people make the dress code a condition to salvation.
I.o.w. you cannot be saved unless you dress as we do.

By all means dress as you like. Bless you.

you're right! thanks, triumph! i was apostolic pentecostal long ago and remember the hair thing. in the Greek, the word is a removable covering and the same word used when Moses removed his veil. "doesn't even nature show you..." is the example given by nature, and "if anyone wants to be contentious about this..." was because nobody wanted to! imagine how shocked i was to have to completely change it around to the opposite. that was a huge culture shock to me and a big shift. i explained more on #11, but as a woman that was a big transition in having to change my mind about something you know they REALLY teach seriously.

 

[Paul Christensen]

I think dressing or behaving provocatively takes a road that few foresee.

It all depends on your definition of "provocatively". A prostitute on a street corner may dress provocatively, but I think that is not how the OP is dressed. Quite the opposite.

 

[Jay Ross]

@FluffyYellowDuck, the beauty of a woman is not in her body, or in the clothes that she wear, but in her ability to communicate with me face to face so that I can see her beautiful mind and know that she compliments me when we are together. I know that you compliment God when you are with Him in mind and in spirit, no matter what others around you may think of you. Your heart is one that wants to bless others around you as you care for their needs.

God sees your heart, whereas mankind assumes the status of the person's heart and judges accordingly.

We all need to allow ourselves to be drawn into the loving embrace of our Lord and God and to follow His leading in all things, worshipping God as we live our daily lives with His Glory shining through us.

May the Lord indeed bless you. May the Lord enlarge your influence of others to do the right things, that the Lord would have us all do, that the Lord's Hand will rest upon you all the days of your life and keep you from doing evil and not cause any pain for others or yourself. (1 Chron. 4:10) May you know the joy of the Lord all of your days.

It is this joy of the Lord that is the beauty that we all can see.

Shalom

 

[Renniks]

I'm feeling pretty insecure today and sometimes I'm painfully aware that as an anabaptist that I look pretty Amish/Mennonite. (Prayer covering/long dresses/not super flashy/etc)

I am not looking to change that and don't want to get into the details about why some of us dress that way, but I do want to know what the outside perspective is. It's just something I'm wrestling with/feeling heavily insecure about as far as outside judgments, but also have to stick to my convictions.

I blame it as being a reason for some things in my life at times. What do you think? Would it bother a man/would it not? Curious.

Edit: I explained it anyway in #11.

Honestly, I find woman in dresses and conservative attire rather attractive at times.
I like the natural look.

 

[BarneyFife]

No problem for me at all.
We used to attend a United Pentecostal Church and the women dress differently and don't cut hair.

We left the UPC because of certain doctrines.

It becomes a problem when people make the dress code a condition to salvation.
I.o.w. you cannot be saved unless you dress as we do.

By all means dress as you like. Bless you.

I've never understood this. How can one expect to be taken seriously when dictating terms to another as to what must be done to be saved other than what is contained in the simple Gospel message? Everyone must be convinced in their own minds, especially on peripheral issues. The way some people carry on you would think the Holy Ghost had retired.

A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.