Modesty a woman’s opinion?

[Bootstrap]

So why did God say not to uncover a woman? Including was a reference to head covering by the way when you look at the word uncover.
I think it’s pretty clear what was meant by uncover.

What verse(s) are you thinking of?

[Soloist]

So why did God say not to uncover a woman? Including was a reference to head covering by the way when you look at the word uncover.
I think it’s pretty clear what was meant by uncover.

What verse(s) are you thinking of?

Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
Isa 47:2  Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
Isa 47:3  Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

That’s a pretty good passage

[JimFoxvog]

Hot take: modesty is more or less cultural training in being conditioned to be uncomfortable or not around certain parts of people’s uncovered anatomy.

Summoning Jim in 3... 2... 1...

I've given my opinion on the subject before, but if you want to hear it again--modesty is defined in scripture:

Women, for their part, should display their beauty by dressing modestly and decently in appropriate clothes, not with elaborate hairstyles or by wearing gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but through good actions. This is proper for women who claim to revere God.

So I agree with it not having to do with "uncovered anatomy" and I, like the Pope, do not have trouble with bare-chested women in cultures where that is appropriate, to use the biblical word. I won't link to pictures of the Pope being greeted by topfree women as some might take offense, but I'm sure they would not be hard to find if you want them.

I favor modesty as biblically defined and appreciate that many here apply the same standards to males and females even though that is not explicitly stated in scripture.

I agree with Jesus that such sins as lust come from within. If I lust, I can not blame anyone else, no matter what she may be wearing or not.

[Ernie]

I just don't agree with extra biblical requirements explicitly spelled out regarding dress.

The churches that I am familiar with who have extra biblical requirements do not expect people to join the church until they are in their mid teens. So it is a voluntary thing to take on the standards of the church. It is not like they are baptizing babies or pre-adolescents and then expecting them to agree to the church standards. The church standards are agreed on by the church and nobody is forced to join.

Question for you, is there anything you believe it is ok for a church to agree on or are all agreements forbidden in the New Testament?
What about putting new flooring in the church. Is the church allowed to agree on that?
What about expanding the size of the building? Is it ok for the church to agree on this?
What about sending money to someone in Africa? Is it ok for the church to agree on this?

[MaxPC]

Modesty covers a broad base, not just in dress as so many Conservative Anabaptist believe. It is far more than dress. It can be drawing attention to one self, which can be done in many ways. It can include bragging, seeking attention, seeking the lime light, always wanting to be in the center, etc. It is reflected in the kinds of houses we own, the vehicles we drive, our lifestyles, our businesses. For women modesty can be very visible in the manner of dress, but it also includes the way the children are dressed and the way homes are decorated. Sometimes I am appalled with the Mennonite You Tubers such as Megan Fox and Lynette Yoder. They are advocates for modest dress in women, which is a good thing. However the way they have their homes decorated with all the latest styles, the money they must spend to get their homes to look like a magazine, is anything but modest.

As for dress, I believe modesty in clothing choices will reflect humility, purity and a demur attitude. It will not be flamboyant or ostentation. It will not reflect negatively upon someone’s personal testimony as a saved follower of the Lord. A modest person resists the temptation to go along with the crowd. Modesty adequately covers the body and isn’t designed to draw attention to the body, or its form. And I believe that women should dress like women and men dress like men.

I am sorry, this is way beyond "a sentence or so".

My wife and I agree with this. Well said, Grace.

[steve-in-kville]

Modesty covers a broad base, not just in dress as so many Conservative Anabaptist believe. It is far more than dress. It can be drawing attention to one self, which can be done in many ways. It can include bragging, seeking attention, seeking the lime light, always wanting to be in the center, etc. It is reflected in the kinds of houses we own, the vehicles we drive, our lifestyles, our businesses. For women modesty can be very visible in the manner of dress, but it also includes the way the children are dressed and the way homes are decorated. Sometimes I am appalled with the Mennonite You Tubers such as Megan Fox and Lynette Yoder. They are advocates for modest dress in women, which is a good thing. However the way they have their homes decorated with all the latest styles, the money they must spend to get their homes to look like a magazine, is anything but modest.

As for dress, I believe modesty in clothing choices will reflect humility, purity and a demur attitude. It will not be flamboyant or ostentation. It will not reflect negatively upon someone’s personal testimony as a saved follower of the Lord. A modest person resists the temptation to go along with the crowd. Modesty adequately covers the body and isn’t designed to draw attention to the body, or its form. And I believe that women should dress like women and men dress like men.

I am sorry, this is way beyond "a sentence or so".

My wife and I agree with this. Well said, Grace.

I like this description as well. To that end, I've known men & women from plain circles who dressed modest and all, but were absolutely obnoxious in speech and character. That tends to be a big turn off for me. That to me contradicted the modest dress.

[MaxPC]

Modesty covers a broad base, not just in dress as so many Conservative Anabaptist believe. It is far more than dress. It can be drawing attention to one self, which can be done in many ways. It can include bragging, seeking attention, seeking the lime light, always wanting to be in the center, etc. It is reflected in the kinds of houses we own, the vehicles we drive, our lifestyles, our businesses. For women modesty can be very visible in the manner of dress, but it also includes the way the children are dressed and the way homes are decorated. Sometimes I am appalled with the Mennonite You Tubers such as Megan Fox and Lynette Yoder. They are advocates for modest dress in women, which is a good thing. However the way they have their homes decorated with all the latest styles, the money they must spend to get their homes to look like a magazine, is anything but modest.

As for dress, I believe modesty in clothing choices will reflect humility, purity and a demur attitude. It will not be flamboyant or ostentation. It will not reflect negatively upon someone’s personal testimony as a saved follower of the Lord. A modest person resists the temptation to go along with the crowd. Modesty adequately covers the body and isn’t designed to draw attention to the body, or its form. And I believe that women should dress like women and men dress like men.

I am sorry, this is way beyond "a sentence or so".

My wife and I agree with this. Well said, Grace.

I like this description as well. To that end, I've known men & women from plain circles who dressed modest and all, but were absolutely obnoxious in speech and character. That tends to be a big turn off for me. That to me contradicted the modest dress.

I agree if the obnoxious behavior is consistently present throughout their lives. With those I do not know well, I prefer a snapshot approach in which a snapshot (brief encounter) with the person I may have today may not represent their entire character.

I have seen good people engage obnoxious behaviors because they were in pain; under duress; or otherwise struggling, yet do not share those struggles. On occasion I will offer “Are you having a tough day?” Most of the responses are an outpouring of their troubles. I simply offer a listening ear.

[Somebody]

I agree with what the other ladies are saying. Modesty is not drawing attention to ourselves, in clothes or actions, etc.

[Sudsy]

I just don't agree with extra biblical requirements explicitly spelled out regarding dress.

The churches that I am familiar with who have extra biblical requirements do not expect people to join the church until they are in their mid teens. So it is a voluntary thing to take on the standards of the church. It is not like they are baptizing babies or pre-adolescents and then expecting them to agree to the church standards. The church standards are agreed on by the church and nobody is forced to join.

Question for you, is there anything you believe it is ok for a church to agree on or are all agreements forbidden in the New Testament?
What about putting new flooring in the church. Is the church allowed to agree on that?
What about expanding the size of the building? Is it ok for the church to agree on this?
What about sending money to someone in Africa? Is it ok for the church to agree on this?

In the NT there are various texts where the church specifically pursued agreement on certain matters. In the MB church I attended there was considerable effort to get everyone on board with certain decisions, although this was not always possible. However, those type of decisions were more like the 'What about' questions you asked and for any member that did not agree they did not remove them from membership.

Where I disagree with 'church standards' is when they require explicit defining of what scriptures says is necessary to belong to that local church. To me, the area of holiness should be kept as a personal, spiritual growth area and rely on the Holy Spirit to develop this growth rather than making up some list of what will and what will not be allowed to be a member. So, in that sense, getting everyone to agree to things like driving black cars, or no makeup and jewelry for the ladies, etc, etc. should never be requirements to belong to a local church.

If I saw some believer that exhibited many signs of Christ likeness and did not dress and live the way I do, I shoul be curious to know about their personal convictions and beliefs. Then seek the Spirit's guidance in those things for my own life. I think in some cases people join churches and accept their standards but at the same time resent them as they are not heart convictions. I was raised in a church that when restrictions were lifted, it soon showed those who had certain things as personal convictions and those who did not. And yes, some of these churches today have few that live by the requirements of previous times. But if they were living according to what man sets up and not by the Spirit, then they are likely living more true to their hearts than before. I believe what man sets up might be considered to be 'more holy' (more set apart) but under the surface they are rooted in pride that sets them apart from other believers in other churches and I hear it expressed in that way.

Well, got to go for now but appreciate the questions.

[Bootstrap]

So why did God say not to uncover a woman? Including was a reference to head covering by the way when you look at the word uncover.
I think it’s pretty clear what was meant by uncover.

What verse(s) are you thinking of?

Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
Isa 47:2  Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
Isa 47:3  Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

That’s a pretty good passage

What do you think "thy nakedness shall be uncovered" means in that verse? Do you agree with this?

https://www.gotquestions.org/uncover-nakedness.html

The phrase uncover nakedness almost always refers to sexual sin. In most newer versions of the Bible, the phrase uncover nakedness is usually reworded as “have sexual relations with” (e.g., Leviticus 18:6, 17, 19). Other passages, such as Deuteronomy 22:30, forbade a man to sleep with his stepmother because doing so would “uncover his father’s nakedness” (ESV). By entering into intimacy with the same woman who had slept with his father, a man disgraced his father (Deuteronomy 27:20; Leviticus 18:8; Ezekiel 22:10). This was one reason the sin of Absalom, David’s son, was so great (2 Samuel 16:22). As the ultimate act of disrespect, Absalom let it be known publicly that he was having sex with his father’s concubines. He not only violated his father’s bedroom, he violated God’s written law: “Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he dishonors his father’s bed” (Deuteronomy 27:20).