Tattoos
Modesty
& Modifications
Caution!!! The slides below have pictures that some will find disturbing, including blood and partial nudity. Please take caution!!!
The History of Clothing
Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were naked and knew no shame.
After Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened, and they saw that they were shamefully naked.
At first, they made an attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves, but God decided that it wasn’t adequate as a covering.
So, He gave them "tunics" of skin that would better hide their nakedness. This was a precedent established by God for all people to follow.
Even after the tower of Babel, the descendants of Noah continued to wear clothing because they had an unbroken chain of parents, going back to Adam and Eve, teaching them to hide their nakedness. These tunics, from one culture to the next, had some variations, but they were basically robes that covered the body from neck to ankles, for both men and women.
The robes (or tunics) of men were often shorter than those of the women, so that they could more easily move their legs to provide / protect their people.
As far as we know, the Scythians, from the Eurasian steppe, were the first to invent pants (around 1,000 B.C.).
They invented pants for their military, specifically for their horse-riding soldiers. The Persians quickly saw the advantage in this type of clothing and equipped their soldiers to wear the same.
The Greeks were disgusted by the idea of pants and made fun of those who did, calling them uncivilized barbarians.
The Romans also were disgusted by those who wore pants, even into the New Testament age.
But soon the Roman soldiers began to wear a kind of trouser called "braccae" which were better suited for colder climates (when they were fighting up north) against Germanic tribes whose men were also wearing a type of pants.
As pants became more common among the Roman soldiers, they also became more popular throughout the general population.
After the Western Roman Empire fell in A.D. 476 (to these uncivilized pants wearers), new kingdoms arose in Europe with its male citizens wearing various types of pants. There was no need for women to wear pants as they did not work outside the home or fight wars. Women therefore continued to wear the "tunics" of old, which evolved into various types of dresses throughout the centuries.
It was not until the 1800s, when men took eastern vacations, that they encountered Turkish belly-dancing women wearing pants and wanted to export this fashion back to Europe.
Yes, this was the same type of pants that Barbara Eden wore in I Dream of Jeannie, and belly-dancers continue to wear today. This style of pants is called Herem pants for obvious reasons.
In 1851, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Elizabeth Miller, Amelia Bloomer and other 1st wave feminists, pushed for a dress reform and ushered in the female pants called "Bloomers".
Eventually, "Cycling Bloomers" were used when riding on bicycles. This new fashion, however, did not catch on since it was still considered to be immodest by most women.
Pants for women did not become popular until WWII, when women were encouraged to enter the workforce, while the men were off fighting overseas.
Working in long flowing dresses, was too difficult and too dangerous in these factories when near all these many machines, so pants seemed to be a safer and more practical choice.
After the war was over, many women remained in the workforce and continued to wear their pants.
Even today, there is much discussion on whether or not Christian women should wear pants.
There is, however, no scriptural passage forbidding women from wearing pants. So, it would seem to be permissible.
But we would offer a word of caution, and possible reasons for why you and your girls might not want to wear pants.
1. Pants were invented for male soldiers, and therefore Deuteronomy 22:5 may apply. The only times that the word trouser or pant is mentioned in the Bible is when men were wearing them.
2. It was feminists who pushed for women to wear pants, and we should distrust anything and everything they encourage. The long list of godless policies that they have demanded over the years should turn us from anything they endorse.
3. The secular world encourages their women and girls to wear pants, as it is a sign of authority to them. We have all heard the question: "Who wears the pants in your family?"
4. If men wear pants and women wear dresses, it is easier to keep a distinction between the sexes, especially in this time of androgyny. Women wearing dresses is inherently ladylike. When Christian women wear dresses, they are making a statement to the secularists and to the feminists, that we choose femininity over feminism.
The Rise of Western Paganism
It is not our intention to make laws where there are no laws or to say more than what scripture says. The Bible does not tell us what we must wear or what we must not wear. It does not tell us how many inches below our knees our garments must hang, or how loose fitting our shirts must be, but it does provide principles for us to follow, and we are commanded to keep ourselves pure from this world.
James 1:27
"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
As Christians, we do not do what the world does. We do not follow the empty and ever changing fashions of the world. We do not modify ourselves to conform to this world and the unnatural things they do.
If God didn't want women to call attention to themselves through braided hair and fine jewelry, wouldn't He also want us to be modest (and natural) in hair coloring as well?
We do not follow the trends of the wicked or listen to their music. No matter how popular those trends might become. We wear our clothing as a covering to hide our nakedness. We wear our clothes as they were intended to be worn. We do not express ourselves by deviant behavior or mimic their attitudes of disrespect.
We have no desire to revel in a false immaturity. Nor do we desire to dress up as our favorite cartoon, movie, or video game characters, as is the current trend. There is too much to be done for His Kingdom that requires wisdom and maturity.
Nor do we desire to glorify ourselves by calling attention to ourselves when God deserves all the glory.
We do not promote the use of illegal drugs or the back-to-the-earth, free love, hippie lifestyle, nor do we want to dress like them and promote their ideas of fashion, as this will give mixed messages of acceptance to the unsaved.
We do not use our clothing to make "statements" of our sinful rebellious nature, but rather we pray that we are free of such thoughts. If these attitudes do creep into our minds, we repent of them.
We are also called to be children of the light. Keeping our thoughts pure from wickedness. We do not want to glorify the dark realm of evil by dressing as those who want to live in darkness.
We do not wear the clothing of the opposite sex, nor do we desire to express attitudes and behavior of those of the opposite sex. God made men and women to be different and He wants us to keep a differentiation between the sexes, even in clothing. Effeminate men and masculine women are an abomination. If individuals struggle with such sins, they should seek forgiveness rather than revel in such perversity.
Deuteronomy 22:5
“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God."
We do not pretend or "identify" to be things that we are not. Men should not pretend to be women. Women should not pretend to be men. Neither should pretend to be animals.
We are not animals. We are human beings. Made in the image and likeness of God. We do not desire to be animals or place them above their created order.
Nor do we want to support the "furry" movement (the wearing of ears, tails, paws etc. of animals, whose end goal is bestiality.
Romans 12:1,2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Leviticus 19:28
"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord."
We do not promote or appreciate tattoos. We do not need a tattoo to remember the names of the ones we love. We do not receive our identity from a tattoo. Our bodies are not billboards. Our bodies are not "things" to do with as we please. Our bodies are not even our own but belong to God. These bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit, not to be defiled.
Look at the picture here and the one above it. Have we Christians become so blinded by the world that we cannot acknowledge that these behaviors are outward manifestations of paganism? Western culture (Christian culture) is disappearing fast, reverting back to the cultures of many gods.
Just take a look at these photos and judge for yourselves.
Corinthians 6:19,20
“...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Is this not the willful mutilation of the body?
Who receives glory from this? Who is promoting this?
Is it God or the devil?
There is very little difference between these modern mutilation practices and the ancient practices of foot binding, neck stretching, or cranium elongation, all of which were pagan practices.
Throughout history, wherever Christianity spread into the pagan parts of the world, we taught them of our God and Savior, along with Christian values and culture. We instructed them to put away their sins and put on clothing to hide their nakedness.
Instead of Christians spreading our culture today, we have accepted these pagan practices, and shed our clothing, exposing our most private areas to anyone who wants to see them and assuring ourselves that public nudity is "ok" because we are at a beach, pool, or hot-tub.
But is this Biblical?
Biblical Modesty
As stated above, before Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, they were naked and knew no shame. Afterward God made them tunics of skin to hide their nakedness.
About 1,500 years later (after the Flood) Noah planted a vineyard and became drunk. He was passed out naked in his tent, when his son Ham came in and saw his father's nakedness. Ham went to tell his two brothers of this situation, but instead of joining in on the "fun" they took a garment to cover their father, and respectfully walked backward, so that they would not see his nakedness. When Noah awoke, he cursed Ham (through his son) and blessed Shem and Japheth. Clearly, there is shame in nudity.
Nahum 3:1,5,6
"Woe to the bloody city [Nineveh]... “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts; “I will lift your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, And the kingdoms your shame. I will cast abominable filth upon you, Make you vile, And make you a spectacle."
Luke 8:26-35 tells us about the naked demoniac, but once he was healed by Jesus, his mind was restored, and he put on clothing. Clearly, the devil wants to disrobe us, but we must cover our nakedness.
Please excuse the immodest photos below,
but people need to understand this issue.
If it is shameful and sinful to expose our nakedness why are so many of our Christian women (mothers and daughters), wearing clothing that reveal their breasts?
Why are they revealing their midsections?
Why do they feel the need to show so much of their legs, by wearing short shorts?
Why do they wear their clothing so tight that it reveals every curve of their body?
How does clothing like this hide their nakedness?
Pants, dresses, skirts, shirts - they wear them as tight as they can get them.
And just when we thought the clothes couldn't get any tighter, our women started wearing
yoga pants.
Not just in the gym, but everywhere...
even into our churches.
The growing immodesty and irreverence in our pews is growing every week.
Our schools let our girls wear spandex shorts when playing their sporting events.
I wonder what the guys will be looking at and lusting over.
And now, we have men and women, interacting with one another, practically nude, as if there is nothing strange or inappropriate about it.
1 Corinthians 12:23
“...and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty.”
Leviticus 19:29
"Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness."
Seeking the attention of the opposite sex, our women are dressing in sensual, erotic ways. Happily enticing the eyes of men to areas of their bodies that should be reserved for their husbands or future husbands.
And we wonder to ourselves why fornication and adultery are so prevalent in our society.
Proverbs 7: 10-12
“And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking at every corner.”
Have our women never heard the words of Jesus, found in
Matthew 5:28,29
“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
Do they not care about the sins they bring upon our men, who have trouble enough living in a porn infested society.
Everywhere we look, there are half naked women on billboards, TV, movies, magazines, our stores, and streets. Do we really need our women dressing like this as well?
1 Timothy 2:9,10
“...in like manner also…women [should] adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but with good deeds, which is proper for women professing godliness.”
The definition of the word “modest” is: "dressing or behaving so as to avoid impropriety or indecency, especially to avoid attracting sexual attention. When speaking of clothing, it is not to be revealing or emphasizing the figure."
1 Peter 3:3,4
“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
