Debunking an age old Christian hoax:
Dressing modestly has nothing to do with sexuality
according to the Bible!
I just recently attended a church, in which one of the
“elders” took to the stage to make an important announcement:
“Greetings everyone, this message is especially for the women, so please
listen up. Summer time is here, and it
can sometimes get hot, so we tend to dress a bit loosely. But let me remind you
that the Bible says women are to dress modestly…”
The Bible tells women to dress modestly, but what
exactly does this mean? As I have pointed out in this debate
with Tektonics.org, proper attire or modesty is up to the individual to decide.
Therefore, it may range from long skirts to a bikini. Nevertheless, for
centuries Christian men have jumped to the conclusion that “dressing modestly”
means women are not to dress in a way to allure men sexually, or to show off
their body which would cause men to become aroused, or as they put it.. “do not
cause your brethren to stumble”. These very same Christian men would then
concoct strict dress codes for women to abide by, which would be enforced by
social punishments. These male chauvinistic interpretations have dominated
women’s lives for centuries even to our current times, and have never been
questioned. That is, until today.
ExamineTheTruth.com has decided to take on
Christianity’s elite boy’s club and have uncovered what may be one of the
greatest hoaxes perpetrated on mankind. Let us have a look at the verses in
question, 1 Timothy 2: 8-9:
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1 Timothy 2 Read
This Chapter |
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2:8 I will
therefore
that men
pray
every
*
* where,
lifting up
holy
hands,
without
wrath
and
doubting.
|
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2:9 In like manner
also,
that women
adorn
themselves
in
modest
apparel,
with
shamefacedness
and
sobriety;
not
with
broided hair,
or
gold,
or
pearls,
or
costly
array;
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According to the New Testament Greek, the word modest means well arranged, seemly, modest
and has nothing to do with sexually alluring clothe! In fact, sexually alluring
clothe is no where being addressed in these verses! Where are these Christian
men getting this from? Rather, according to the Bible, modest apparel is
already defined for us, and it must consist of shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. This means a women is to avoid
glamorous or expensive clothe. For example, a Christian woman should not buy
designer brand clothe from Brooks Brothers or J Crew, rather, she should buy
her clothe from Wal-Mart or buy something second hand. But again, notice how
sexually alluring clothing is not part of this definition! This point was also
presented in the Ahmed-Beaumont debate and went uncontested.
Therefore, a woman can dress like Britney Spears, and even join professions
such as exotic dancing or swim suit modeling, none of this is condemned by the
Bible. Rather, these women fall well within the Biblical confines of morality
and do not violate any tenant. Of course, many Christians women are aware of this.
But the problem gets a lot worse. Notice how verse 9
begins with, "In a like manner", to understand what the Bible means
by this, we need to look at the verse right above it, which is verse 8. This
verse asks for men to pray everywhere. So, we must ask, is a man supposed to
pray where ever he goes? What if he goes to the bank to cash a check and
forgets to pray? Or goes to the bathroom? This of course is impossible. No man
will be able to fulfill this requirement of “praying everywhere” or even come
close. Therefore, we are forced to look at verse 8 as a recommendation, and not
a absolute command. Recommendations are not expected to be followed. If a
person does not follow a recommendation, then that is perfectly fine. Therefore
verse 8 is not a command of God. Rather verse 8 is a conception of something in
its absolute perfection, and it is clear, that man is not expected to meet this
standard, but rather, a person should try to imitate it to the best of his
ability. Therefore, to summarize this point:
Christians do not have to pray everywhere they go for the
rest of their life. If they were to
cease in prayer when they go somewhere,
then that is fine. But he should hold this as his objective goal.
I don’t believe there is a sane Christian alive on this planet who will reject this harmonization of verse 8 which I am offering. Now, when we come to verse 9, modesty should be looked in the “like manor” as verse 8, because that is what the Bible says. Therefore, modest apparel should be adhered to in the like manor as “praying everywhere”. Thus we are lead to the following conclusion:
Christians do not have to be modest. If they were to cease in modesty,
then that is fine. But she should hold
this as his goal.
By the way, this means a woman does not have to wear
Wal-Mart and Target clothing for the rest of her life. Not only that, but a
woman does not have to walk around the rest of her life with shamefacedness and
sobriety as also stated in verse 9. No. She can laugh and cheer, argue, debate,
lecture, be loud, and yell just like Muslim women are allowed to do, every day
of their lives.
Go back to the Morality Debate
What
about the “lust” verse of the Bible?