Lambano
Well-Known Member
I saw my wonderful Muslim neighbor lady taking out the garbage one morning without her head scarf. I felt so embarrassed; it was almost like I'd seen her naked.
Please Argue with me about Head Coverings
- Thread starter DuckieLady
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Lambano
Well-Known Member
An intelligent, talented, and spiritually gifted woman. Don't sell yourself short. And don't lose yourself again.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
Ok, ok....I know you guys in the US of A get about without head coverings on your motorcycles but here in Aus it's Law.....a head covering is mandatory. Mine is a hard shell all for the purpose of mitigating curses and of course verrrrry handy when it comes to being intimate with the black top!......I guess God approves?
Lambano
Well-Known Member
It depends on if you pray when you ride. And those motorcyclists weaving between lanes on route 101 in the San Francisco Bay area had better be prayin' or they're going to be a dark splotch on the asphalt.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
I'm not part of a church right now, but when I did, yes, but I probably won't be going for a little while
My mom was really into biker guys and a few Hells Angel male figures in my life - never saw anyone without a helmet. Didn't matter how tough they thought they were!
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
Lambano
Well-Known Member
I think you're absolutely right here. Toughness is being able to take whatever pain is necessary to accomplish what needs to be done.
I remember this Bible study in which we were talking about Christ's crucifixion. (This would've been when The Passion of the Christ came out.) Someone mentioned that he was uncomfortable with Jesus showing very real fear in Gethsemane. "Father, if it be possible, take this cup from me!" He thought it made Jesus look like a coward. But no. This made me realize that to exercise the human virtue of Courage, you have to really be afraid - and then you do what you have to do anyway.
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You're correct, it's not about marriage. In his work Tertullian explained what was being practiced by the church in his day. There was a question as to whether the veiling was for married women only or also virgins. His conclusion was, look at the Corinthians. Paul wrote the letter to them, what do they do? They veiled their virgins.
Marymog
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@FluffyYellowDuck
The wearing of a head covering has developed over the years and was first mentioned in historical Christian writings in the 2nd century. Some monks wear them also. It is a sign of consecration and poverty.
1 Corinthians 11:2-6 is often cited as a biblical reason.
CadyandZoe
Well-Known Member
Okay, let me give you a response that perhaps you haven't heard.
In summary, Paul argues in favor of head coverings in 1Corinthians 11:1-16, but not for the reasons that we might suspect. I fear Christians have gotten the wrong impression from that passage as if Paul was commanding that a woman cover her head. This is far from the truth. In fact, before Paul addressed the issue, wives were already covering their heads. During that time, a wife covered her head in public in order to visually declare faithfulness to her husband. In other words, the head covering comes with a message, "I wear this head covering in order to let everyone know that I am not available and I am faithful to my husband." Paul isn't commanding women to wear head coverings; they were already wearing them.
So what is going on? In times past, not only was it customary for wives to wear head coverings, it was also customary for wives to remain silent during worship services. The Jewish communities did not allow women to participate in worship services. But after Christ (who freed women) wives were allowed to participate in worship services right along side the men. Not only were men allowed to pray publicly; women were given permission to pray publicly.
This new freedom, however, resulted in a dilemma for the Christian churches, for it was the custom of the men to remove the head covering during prayer. This was no problem for the men, but a woman praying in church created a situation in which a difficult choice had to be made between two undesirable alternatives: If a woman removed her head covering to pray, she appeared to disgrace her husband. If she donned her head covering to honor her husband, she appeared to disgrace God. What was a woman to do?
It is important to remember that the Christian churches were attempting to accommodate women, allowing them the freedom to pray publicly in church just like the men. The church in Corinth wrote Paul for advice. We want our wives to be able to pray in public, but what should we tell them to do with regard to our practice of covering the head? Should she keep wearing it during public prayer or take it off while praying in public?
Paul's short answer: If a woman honors her husband, she also honors her God. Therefore, she should wear her head covering while praying in church, because by wearing her head covering during prayer, she not only honors her husband, but she also honors God at the same time.
Having said all that, I want to focus on one specific verse in that passage, which is highly misunderstood.
"10 Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels."
First of all, the Greek word translated "authority" in this context is a bit misleading. It suggests that women wore hats 1) as a symbol of their authority over men (which is not likely) or 2) as a symbol of her husband's authority over her. I don't think either one is true. If that were the case, then why did the men wear hats? After all, when men prayed publicly, they removed their hats also, right? For this reason we know that since the husbands were wearing hats, just like the wives, the hats were not symbols of authority, but symbols of fidelity or devotion. Both the husbands and the wives wore hats in order to express their devotion to each other. A man removed his hat during public prayer to acknowledge that his devotion to God supersedes his devotion to his wife. Thus, Paul argues, a woman's fidelity to her husband is, at the same time, fidelity and devotion to God.
Second, and more importantly, the word "angels" can have more than one meaning. In certain contexts the Greek word "angelos" can refer to the person delivering the message, or it can refer to the message itself. Paul is saying that a wife should continue to wear her head covering, even during public prayer, because of the message it sends to everyone. Some imagine that angelic beings are looking down from heaven, lusting after women who have their heads uncovered. No, that is far from the truth. Rather, the hat on the head symbolizes something; relaying a message to the public. If I am right, the hat represents devotion and fidelity, and Paul wants the wives to continue to wear a hat, even during public prayer because of the message it might send if she removed it.
Now then, what message does a hat convey today? Does a hat convey fidelity and devotion? Do married men, in our age, wear hats to convey devotion to their wives? Do married women, in our age, wear hats to covey a message of fidelity or devotion to their husbands? No? Rather, husbands and wives wear wedding rings to convey (espouse) fidelity and devotion to each other. What does it convey, in our age, for a man to remove his wedding ring? What does it convey, in our age, when a woman removes her wedding ring?
Bottom line, wear a hat to convey a message is only relevant in a particular cultural setting. Cultural symbols are only meaningful to those living in that culture during that time period. Do I think a Christian woman should continue to wear her wedding ring? Yes. Do I think a Christian woman should wear a hat? Is it raining?
It's up to you. What message do you wish to convey? How will you be heard?
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