Hello UHCAIan
I think "forcing" women to cover their heads (or forcing/enforcing other things, like "giving"); rather than actually teaching/preaching straight from the Word on the matter, allowing the Holy Spirit to convict or lead the people to understand and then
do according to their convictions (which if properly taught would eventually align with the Word) is the best way.
When something has been forgotten (like head coverings), it can be a very difficult thing to simply talk about and say - "now you must DO this".
Like all others things we learn as we go, some sooner, some later...I myself gave no thought whatsoever to headcoverings since the practice is forgotten.
But the subject interested me personally when i came across it. I had asked my pastor during my confirmation why women no longer covered their heads - he looked a little sad and said "it used to be a sign that one was a decent woman". So i decided to look into it.
It took several weeks of serious study both of the history in Scripture itself; along with simply looking at the practice in the East!
I took the passage apart and examined all the arguments for and against and had the "aha" moment that
indeed, Paul is saying women must cover their heads.
This was alarming initially...what to make of the fact that it is rarely done in the West (even falling out of practice in the RC church)? Had I come to the understanding a few years earlier, my (im)maturity level (I can't really know) might have led me to make a production out of it somehow at my own church, or with others. But I realized it is something each one (man and wife) must be shown for themselves to be the Will of God, otherwise they are being "forced" to "do" something they may not understand. This never works. So I don't talk about it.
And admittedly because no one else covered their heads at my church I was intimidated to suddenly start doing it (group think/peer pressure - and the question - had i
really understood the passage?). So for awhile I did not cover my head. But too late - the understanding was there now and so was the conviction (even though I am a widow and not remarried). Fortunately I sit at the back of the congregation. So the day came (I always wear a light scarf around my neck anyway), I discretely pulled the scarf up over my hair as we prayed and made confession of our faith. I doubt anyone even noticed. And so it is to this day. If I am ever asked about it (I doubt I will be), I'll simply say I believe it was always purposed, and I choose to do it.
I in no way will make any issue of it for anyone else....
Poppin
