I am Catholic and choose to follow the last guidelines formally given by my faith. I am not saying this is a requirement, but my choice.
The good of our soul is more important than that of our body; and we have to prefer the spiritual welfare of our neighbor to our bodily comforts. If a certain kind of dress constitutes a grave and proximate occasion of sin, and endangers the salvation of your soul and others, it is your duty to give it up. O Christian mothers, if you knew what a future of anxieties and perils, of ill-guarded shame you prepare for your sons and daughters, imprudently getting them accustomed to live scantily dressed and making them lose the sense of modesty, you would be ashamed of yourselves and you would dread the harm you are making of yourselves, the harm which you are causing these children, whom Heaven has entrusted to you to be brought up as Christians."
Pius XII to Catholic Young Women's Groups of Italy
THIS LEAFLET DISTRIBUTED BY: THE LEAGUE FOR MODESTY IN DRESS, NY
The Church speaks about Modesty
Pope Benedict XV has taught very clearly about modesty in an encyclical letter (Sacra Propediem, 1921), commemorating the 7th centenary of the founding of the Franciscan Third Order.
"One can not sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and station. Made foolish by a desire to please, they do not see to what degree the indecency of their clothing shocks every honest man and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for such apparel as for a grave fault against Christian modesty. Now it does not suffice to exhibit themselves on public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of churches, to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passions to the Eucharistic Table, where one receives the Heavenly Author of Purity
Peace Be With You,
Debra
2007-12-01 21:24:32 · 12 answers · asked by Debra M. Wishing Peace To All 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Oops! Here are the guidlelines I choose to follow.
Standards of Modesty in Dress
Imprimatur dated Sept. 24, 1956
"A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat; which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows; and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees. Furthermore, dresses of transparent materials are improper."
The Cardinal Vicar of Pius XII
2007-12-01 21:36:30 · update #1
Since this is a question concerning individual faiths and choices all answers are appreciated and "thumbed up" by me. Just a curious discussion.
2007-12-01 21:38:19 · update #2
in my religion it's much the same. Covered to the elbows and skirts below the knees, no plunging necklines, no super- tight clothes, cover your hair if you are married..
Peace
2007-12-02 02:30:41 · answer #1 · answered by LadySuri 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As each and every culture has developed its own standards, which are generally rooted in both traditions, trends and climate (to varying degrees), I can assume no single axiom. What is conservative today was scandalous 100 years ago. What social conservatives question/crritique today is still far more than necessary in most indigineous tropical cultures.
The human body is essentially beautiful. Its beauty stands on its own, or adorned with cloth, but the more layers one adds the more a figure looks like a lump than something beautiful. Perhaps that is intentional, if one assumes human beauty is not to be appreciated, or if climatic conditions warrant such layering.
It is culturally subjective which extreme one uses, or how one expresses individuality and self-esteem within those parameters. I would suggest that each individual is the best suited to describe for themselves what is appropriate, but I would wish we could all agree that people should not feel pressured into breaching those limits by social pressures. A person of the tropics should not made to feel shamefull for not hiding every inch of one's skin, nor should a person used to thick layers of robes be expected to wear western swimwear.
2007-12-02 13:45:14 · answer #2 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Modesty is a good thing.
The real question is, "How do you get your self esteem?"
Where do you find your self acceptance? If you say you feel comfortable dressing skimpy,.. then it is obvious to me that you like the attention. Otherwise loose fitting clothes would feel more comfortable.
Fantasy land... People grow up on TV. They judge others by their looks, and decide to judge themselves the same way. They desire to be liked, and get a fare chance in the game of love. So they develop a messed up sense of priorities.
The funny thing about love though. If you love someone, you learn to take physical aspects as a part of this love. Attractiveness is up to the eyes of the user. Physical beauty is having an even flow of features. Then being physically tone,.. because it feels better to massage a tone body, because the muscle has nerves as well as the skin. The fat doesn't. It's most important to let your spiritual ora shine through. A happy person looks better to me. A confident person is more trustable. A compassionate person is compassionate.
So it's all about priorities. People worried about looks tend to be spoiled by them. Or, put off by others because of years of being hit on by halfway trustable guys. Not really an in-between there.
2007-12-02 05:41:02 · answer #3 · answered by itofine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The religion I was born in had similar suggestions: dresses high-necked to mid-calf and trousers under; no jewelry and no makeup even to reduce other people's discomfort and allow some interaction with society. Not even allowed to attend religious gatherings to learn of Salvation.
I should note that I personally don't have "religious" belief as religion is the outward form, hopefully not a 'belief' meaning something powerful you are willing to die for. (I DO have spiritual beliefs including not using appearance to draw attention away from G-d, worship, and spiritual matters)
2007-12-02 12:01:33 · answer #4 · answered by carmen v 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can it not be said, though, that even the clothing you consider modest would be scandalous in an earlier era? Exactly how far does one take this idea? To the point of simply wearing sheets with eyeholes cut out?
My point is, modesty is a matter of one's heart, not one's wardrobe. The latter changes with the times; the former does not.
2007-12-02 05:35:05 · answer #5 · answered by Sam K 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Concerning modesty? I run around skyclad.
(Look it up.) Whoever said the human body, the creation of the God and Goddess was ugly and/or sinful?
Now, the body aside, it is good to be modest in the "non-arrogant" manner. For instance, bragging/boasting is uncool.
2007-12-02 06:51:05 · answer #6 · answered by wiccanhpp 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Buddhism is all about modesty. This is why monks shave their heads, it's a sign of modesty and detachment. While Catholics, Jews, and Muslims cover their hair, we just lop it off, lol...
Since the body is doomed to fade away with age, becoming attached to our looks will only bring suffering...
2007-12-02 15:56:22 · answer #7 · answered by Shinkirou Hasukage 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As for what my faith requires, I'm really not that bound by it, as I see the inconsistencies in the bible, and am actually hurt by how badly women are portrayed in it. I seriously believe the bible was written by men, supposedly interpreting God's word, and in the process decided to suppress women at the same time. It seems to me, for the most part, the only time women were mentioned in the Bible was to remind men how evil we are, as well as how to abuse us and keep us under thumb, other than that, we aren't really mentioned, other than to be reminded that we are all evil and held accountable for the sins of Eve. Not quite the loving God I prefer to picture.
2007-12-02 05:35:19 · answer #8 · answered by Ista 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I think it's more of a desire to want to honor your heavenly Daddy! :-) I'm Protestant by the way. (But I don't really think that's important :-])
The Hidden Beauty of the Heart
When we truly understand our Father's love for us, and have a true picture of how He views us, we can walk in complete security and confidence in this life, regardless of our upbringing. And when that revelation sinks deep into our hearts, it will affect us internally, and then externally.
His love will transform us internally...all of the former devices, so to speak, that have developed over time that try to fill that need for love and acceptance, will melt away by the work of His Spirit as we surrender to Him. If we "awaken love before it's time" (Song of Songs 3:5), or let the love for a man become our main focus before it is God's time, our devotion to Christ gets interrupted. We must surrender this part of our lives to Him...in that place of surrender is where the Spirit works. As we believe how loved we are, our love for Christ will produce that hidden beauty of the heart that Peter speaks of in I Peter 3:3,4.
"And let not your adornment be merely external-braiding of the hair, and wearing gold jewelry and putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."
Knowing His grace and love will change us externally...
Our culture has conditioned us from childhood to focus on beauty and romance. Come on, think about it...have you ever seen an ugly or overweight Disney princess? And everyone of those tiny-waisted, long-legged girls "find their prince" and live happily ever after. It is everywhere we look..."if you look like this, you will get a guy like this, and you will be happy." Derek and I have very intentionally warned our three girls of this trap. We want them to be secure because of who they are in Christ, not because they have a pretty face or the right clothes. SO, if we should not imitate our culture which worships beauty and romance, how do we dress? Like women in Bible times? Is it time to bust out the drapery and face cloths? No, but the word says modesty is becoming to a woman of faith.
As we decide what to wear, we should be aware of two things: First, avoid vanity. The reference to braided hair and gold jewelry speaks in Bible times of those in royalty, or those in harlotry. Royalty dressed this way to be vain...to flaunt their wealth and position. This is obviously a sinful attitude.
Second, the reason for the harlot to dress this way was to allure men. We as women of faith should never desire to cause our brothers (or unbelieving men for that matter) to stumble over our appearance. Yet, this is an extremely common way of living for women. "What can I do to get that second look?" We need to ask the Lord to help cleanse us of the contamination of our culture, and to truly desire to please Him first. And that will cause us to be the most beautiful women on the planet.
I saw this quote on a sister's myspace, and I thought it was the perfect summary:
"A woman's heart should be so lost in God, that a man needs to seek God to find her."
Let that be our motto Lord. We want to be beautiful...inside and out.
2007-12-02 20:22:10 · answer #9 · answered by Jesus thinks I am cool! I am His 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our body is a creation of god, let's show it to the world....
Pius XII was the so called "Nazi Pope" Interesting that he had time to address young women's groups of Italy....
2007-12-02 05:33:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋