Do you think it is a sin for women to be soldiers?

Question

I do because the Bible says that women aren't to wear men's clothing and I know that battle armor and camoflauge are men's clothing!! Plus, women can get pregnant and a battlefield is no place for a pregnant woman.

Answer 1

No, remember Deborah ?
Judges 4:10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

Answer 2

What that means in the bible is that women shouldn't present themselves as if they're men. Don't masquerade as a man. Same goes for men. Do you only wear dresses? By what you're saying, it would be a sin for you to wear a pair of jeans.

You're right that a pregnant woman shouldn't be on a battlefield. Nobody should be. Pregnant women are not sent into combat. If a woman is already in combat, she shouldn't be getting pregnant, and as a soldier, she should know that.

Answer 3

What the Bible is teaching in the passage you reference is that men should look like men and women should look like women, that the differences between the genders should not be blurred. As to specifics, however, what pertains to a man and what pertains to a woman varies with culture and over time. For instance, today both men and women wear pants in our culture, but there are stylistic differences between them. The style of jeans that my wife wears is recognizably different from the style that I wear. No one who saw her wearing them would confuse her for a man. She looks very feminine.

As to battle dress, I don't think that it is a matter of what a man wears or what a woman wears so much as it is what a soldier wears, whether male or female. Most soldiers happen to be men, but that doesn't mean that battle dress should be considered exclusively male clothing (after all, men who are not soldiers do not typically walk around wearing body armor, do they?). What is the intent of that clothing? To blur the lines between genders, or to protect the wearer to the greatest possible extent?

In another example, consider hospital johnnies. Is it a sin for a woman to wear the same kind as a man? What about fire-fighting gear? Or police uniforms? Should women not be permitted to do any of those jobs either, simply because they dress much the same as their male counterparts? Again, consider the purpose of the dress styles involved.

By all means, do what your conscience dictates as you understand scripture; but I would be very cautious about labeling those who differ as "sinners". The New Testament teaches grace, and the believer's responsibility to be his own conscience before God.

As for pregnancy, I know of no army in history that has ever sent a pregnant woman into battle.

Answer 4

So I guess you side with the same stuffy men who in the 1960s told women not to wear pants?

P.S. Pregnant women don't serve on the front lines, and using their reproductive system as an excuse to limit service to their country is just silly.

I'm not being politically correct. Not all soldiers need to carry the heavy equipment that men do. There is a division of labor according to skill. Would you ban a woman from being a doctor on the front lines?

Answer 5

You're a silly little girl! Women have been soldiers from before history began. That's not always been a preferred role for them, but having served in combat with women, I can tell you there is no reason to deny them the opportunity to serve, with one exception: I don't believe women with small children should serve. They can wait until the youngsters are teenagers at least. Kids need their mothers - but the fact that a woman can get pregnant is not a valid reason to deny her the opportunity to serve. Again referring to my own service - pregnant women have indeed served, taking several weeks off to deliver their child - my own wife was in the Air Force when her son was born, took six weeks off, then returned to duty. Childrearing duties were shared between her and her first husband, and when he abandoned her, I stepped in. That son is now a staff sergeant himself, and a damned good MP!

Answer 6

NO. Who says battle armor and camo are mens clothing?

There have been female warriors through history, including biblical times. In today's world, pregnant women aren't sent to combat zones.

Answer 7

well look at what both men and women wore back then in the old testament.

Women wore robes and men wore robes...sorry dear, and they wore sandals. You don't see anyone today dressed like that. So what was the difference back then? You have to go with the times back then.

I think it is okay for a woman to be a soldier if she wants to be and has not declared her religious beliefs to get her out.

I do think that Real True Christians should Not be soldiers, same goes for the guy ones.

Answer 8

Ignoring the whole silly men's clothing thing, why is it not a sin for men to go out and kill people? Basically, isn't it a sin for anyone to be a soldier?

Answer 9

Who made the rule about what is men's and women's clothing? Obviously wearing a skirt and high heels wouldn't work, right? Not to mention that that is just one way modern women dress... others wear pants and suits, boots, etc. It doesn't matter.

Come on, do you really expect us to believe that you have never worn slacks or jeans? Were you really sinning?

What about sweaters? Men wear those, too. T-shirts? Originally men's under garments.

It's not a sin for women to be soldiers or any other thing they wish to be.

Answer 10

As an ex solider NO i don't think its a sin. I do think that's it is inappropriate for a woman to be on the front line, but, for simpler reasons, men by nature are protectors and having a woman in the foxhole would place thoughts to protect her as if it were his sister, wife, mother before the safety of his squad, platoon, battalion...etc

Just my two-cents.

Answer 11

No women are more emotional than men. War cannot have emotion. Just as I beleive women should not be president.

Women can do things men can do but war is a mans field.