Thread: Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
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Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 27 Sep, 2014 08:32 AM
This was an interesting topic in the Young Adults Forum, yet it became a circular argument since nobody seems to have the perfect definition on what "modesty" is.
Some of the members have used the cultural relevance argument--where women do not have to dress covered up with veils and clothing covering the ankles in today's society. Others felt that christian women should be able to wear mini skirts and sexier clothing to be fashionable (and can still be modest).
Can you imagine how this argument can go on and on?
Here are some questions regarding practicality:
1.To help prevent "lust of the eyes", should a church enforce a dress code on how women (or men) should dress in the praise & worship team or while attending a church service?
2.With the moral decline in society and the rise of sexual assaults (on both men and women), is it really practical for christian women and men to wear revealing clothes?
3.Can you imagine how many men (and some women) have lustful thoughts while seeing a sexy woman in the pulpit or in the praise team's stage? (you cannot easily read a man's or woman's minds or get them to admit this, so how should your church deal with this issue?)
4.Should only women who have real fighting/selfdefense skills (or a concealed weapon) be allowed to wear sexy clothing? (Many men have pondered this thought.)
5.Should capital punishment immediately be given to sex offenders to scare people in society? Should the male sex offenders be castrated?
6.Sexy type clothing is now being marketed to pre-teens (and even younger girls). Should christians protest these companies?
7.Neo-conservatism is becoming trendy again. Longer shorts and "mom pants" (for women) are in the mainstream fashion again. Should christians and churches become more influential in the fashion industry?
8.(Finally, the dating question) Are there men here who would actually prefer dating a christian woman who is "covered up" from neck to the ankles? What do the women here think about this?
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 30 Sep, 2014 10:11 AM
G'day sir,
Firstly, if you live in the USA, the society is somewhat secular. That means people are free to worship the sun, Yeshua, or a rock if they so desire. A church can police itself and that is the extent of its authority.
Speaking for myself, females who advertise their body in a provocative manner are a turn off... especially at my age! One does not marry the body, one marries the mind, the virtue and the complement to their personalities. We as men and consumers can reject poorly dressed females and choose ladies who display elegance or farm etiquette, or whatever genre of lady is complementary to what we do and who we are.
All valid questions, particularly for younger folks who are finding their way through life and having the television culture thrust upon them and feeling a need to respond to particular fashion trends.
A final though is, if someone, male or female is overtly advertising their sexuality, how many other people have experienced "their" sexuality and why would that make you special if it has been shared often?
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 1 Oct, 2014 12:55 AM
Personally I feel much the same as you A COOL, some people like such but I rather don't. Much like in a capitalistic society, sex doesn't sell to everyone, just the lowest common denominator. Thus guys and gals it comes a question of who you want to attract.
As for requiring people to carry weapons or martial arts training to wear something revealing I rather find that ridiculous. However I have trained in a few martial arts and loved it, so I'd recommend that everyone try it. Better to have a defence than not have one and suddenly need it.
Lastly we do have the question of what sort of photos are not only appropriate but recommended on this site. It is for Christians so that should be a clue most of us aren't the lusty type, or are trying not to be. However there are basic questions about photos and I think some take the 'no attraction should be based on physical terms' to an extreme. A person's build is IMPORTANT to some, most of all me because I'm a bean pole. Also you're going to sleep next to that face for the rest of your life, isn't it important to know what it looks like before you get into something? Also a lot of people have serious body image issues, and don't know what their build is in all honesty. So I highly recommend at minimum two pictures for all your profiles, a bust (face and shoulders) so I can see your face, facial composition and eyes, and a full length shot so I can determine if your body type is within what I could be attracted to.
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 3 Oct, 2014 04:47 AM
IMHO, I believe that we cannot control how people see us. We may be all covered up, but some people still tend to look at us with lust not because of what we're wearing, but rather because their hearts may already be filled with lust regardless of what they see in the outside world.
I believe that people should be able to wear whatever that makes them feel confident and comfortable. Choosing what we wear is an avenue for self-expression. I believe that God won't judge us based on what we wear. I think that He cares more about what is going on in our heads and hearts when we see "sexy" people.
I am not encouraging people to wear skimpy clothes. I am just saying that people should be able to wear whatever they like considering that they could handle the consequences of it. Personally, I wouldn't wear miniskirts when I go to church not because I might trigger lustful thoughts among other churchgoers. But rather because, I simply want to dress up for my God. :)
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 3 Oct, 2014 08:39 PM
My take on this one is.. Jesus made wine out of water.. So therefore it's not bad if you drink responsibly.. However, if you sit in a pub and drink wine, beer, and rum, and you know that it causes another Christian grief, resentment, and causes a lack of trust.. Then you're sinning... If you wear tight revealing clothes, and it offends 'thy brethren'.. Then it's wrong.. Trust me, you are advertising your sexuality, and you would be the instrument which is used to cause lust in the mind of men... Theres a chemical reaction that takes place in the mind of men upon seeing women in revealing clothing.. It's nature.. Society is dumbing down it's own members and preparing them for a road to Hell.. Imagine walking down the street in your skimpy little thong and a little bra and everyone watching you... You'd feel ashamed, and try to cover up the necessary.. But wear the exact thing on the beach, with the same amount of people watching, call it a 'Bikini' and it's automatically accepted.. Truly, this is a generation of misled people.. Too many Christians are 'Of This World'.. And not of Gd's kingdom....
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 4 Oct, 2014 12:35 AM
exactly my point. If somebody wears a thong in public and covers up because of shame, then that person isn't prepared for the consequences of his/her choice. Therefore, the choice made backfired.
We cannot control what everybody thinks of us. Even a woman who is all covered could still be an instrument for lust if the one looking has a lustful mind.
All I am saying is we should be able to wear clothes for ourselves; clothes that make us feel confident and good about ourselves. If a lady walks in public wearing a bikini (of course this is an exaggeration), and she's not ashamed of it, good for her. I can't do it, for sure. But I respect her choice. She's obviously confident about her body, so I'm happy for her. But of course this is just my point of view about clothes. If Adam and Eve didn't sin, we probably wouldn't even have to worry about wearing clothes today. :glow:
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 6 Oct, 2014 08:45 AM
Trinicop got it exactly right.
"So therefore it's not bad if you drink responsibly.. However, if you sit in a pub and drink wine, beer, and rum, and you know that it causes another Christian grief, resentment, and causes a lack of trust.. Then you're sinning... If you wear tight revealing clothes, and it offends 'thy brethren'.. Then it's wrong."
Romans 14
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is evil for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
Clothes should not be our sole foundation for confidence, it can help, but if we're dressing solely to feel good about ourselves or impress others at the expense of our weaker brothers and sisters, then we're doing wrong. We're not directly in control of the sins of other people, but if we wave alcohol under the nose of a recovering alcoholic, then we don't love that person very much. We wouldn't rub a junkie's face in drugs. We also shouldn't flaunt our bodies in front of someone who has trouble controlling their lust. So, there's a balance between caring for our neighbors, and dressing nicely. I would rather err on the side of modesty, but we should also not make ourselves a stock by the way we dress. Modest and contemporary, both are possible.
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 6 Oct, 2014 09:20 PM
Well said donthithtatmark :glow:
And I actually agreed w/ Trinicop as well.
I was just speaking for myself though. Even if a person walks naked in front of me, I wouldn't mind because I don't have an issue with it. But like you said, we shouldn't wave liquor in front of an alcoholic. I totally get that.
Here's what I am saying though. Sometimes it's sad that Christians are the first ones to frown upon people who wear skimpy clothes. We say, "oh, that person is making his/her body an instrument for lust. He/She doesn't care about her bros/sis that are weak and are prone to thinking lustful thoughts."
I think, the first thing that we should do is ask ourselves if we are affected by it. Does it trigger our own lustful thoughts?
If yes, then try to address it. Let's ask ourselves why.
If not, then that's great. It means our hearts are pure.
If we are certain that we are not affected by how people dress-up, then it's time that we ask our husbands/wives/kids whether they are affected by it in a lustful manner.
If yes, acknowledge it. Pray for it.
If not, then the heart is pure.
Yes, I can dress up modestly and I am confident about it. But that's ME. There are some people who have a different choice of style and us Christians should be fine with it.
Sometimes, we don't notice that it isn't lust that gets triggered when we see people wearing skimpy clothes. Not lust at all, but self-righteousness.
The bottom line is sometimes we get too carried away about what we see. We usually see one's outfit as a test of THEIR character rather than a test of OUR own character as Christians. :glow:
Christians Wearing Clothes in Modesty vs Practicality
Posted : 16 Oct, 2014 09:51 PM
I just want to say thank you, guys, for expressing your view on this subject. I have been discouraged at times and wondered, "are there still any guys out there who value modesty?" I like to wear clothes that are modest but still wear clothes that are fashionable and flatter my figure. It's not an easy balance. The clothes that we wear do send messages and I'm so glad to hear from some guys who are listening to the messages and who value a girl who is modest. It's as much about respecting myself as it is about respecting other people.
stock by the way we dress. Modest and contemporary, both are possible.