Headcovering

I thought i would share what it means to cover. You are welcome to add things to this explanation. Or you can ask any questions.
A headcovering is lots of things. It is a sign of submison to your fathers or husbands authourity. This means, Christ is the head of men, and men are the head of women. So we need to have a sign of our submision to our fathers or husbands authourity. But since, of course, we aren't married our fathers are our male authority. In the group of verses it says " A sign for the angles". This means, since the angles aren't perfect, we need to be an example for them. So the headcovering is a sign of being a Christen women. It is also a covering for your head. In verse, i think, 2-4 or 5 it says For if a man prays or prophesy with his head covered, he dishonnores his head. But if a women prays or prophesys with her head UNCOVERED she dishonnors her head, so it is as though her head were shorn(cut off). So it is saying head as a verb and a noun. So by saying dishonnors her head, it means dishonnerd her head as in men because men are the 'head' of women. Where it says with her head uncovered, that means her acctual head uncovered. So i hope this makes sence!
Jordyn

i agree but i am afraid to wear it cause my friends will probaly make fun of me




kayleigh

IT DOESN'T MATTER If they are making fun of u, they weren't real friends, as i told u in another reply. If it is right, DO IT! even if they make fun DO IT! it is biblical, DO IT! Well thanks!
Jordyn

Jordyn: I would add that by not covering when we pray, we're not only dishonouring our father (or husband, when we're older), but also God himself. Because Man is the head of Woman, but Christ is the head of Man, and God is the head of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3).

Some would argue that females are only meant to cover their heads when they 'pray' or 'prophesy' (in this context, 'prophesy' means 'teach', too), but there's another verse which says we need to pray all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Kayleigh, I could say that if your friends were true friends, they would accept you for who you are rather than making fun of you, but I know how harsh that sounds. Friends mean a lot to people, so it's hard to say they don't matter.

Remember that Christians are meant to be 'not of this world'(John 17:14). Wearing a headcovering is just one way of showing this, as well as showing respect for your father and for God.

My best advice as far as being afraid to wear a covering in front of your friends is, start small. This is pretty good advice for anyone who's going to start wearing a headcovering, actually. Start with a small bandanna or something that you can wear with your normal hairstyle and will look fairly 'normal'. Then gradually build it up, change little things, until you're wearing a full veil or whatever. This is good for both yourself and your friends getting used to wearing something on your head, and it's still a covering. If you go to school, you could probably get away with it, too, because you don't have uniforms in America, right? I couldn't do that when I started because I had to wear a school uniform and we weren't allowed to wear non-uniform things such as jewellery, big hair pieces, bandannas, et cetera. Luckily I'm homeschooled now so I can wear what I want.

I hope this helps,
from Rachel.

The main verses which are cited with regards to Christian headcovering are from 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, as you probably picked up from the top of the screen! I don't know what translation of the Bible everyone hear uses, but I'm going to write them out here from the NIV, because that's the one I have closest to me at the moment.

[color=blue](1) Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (2) I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings (note: also 'traditions'), just as I passed them on to you.[/color]

The first two verses are basically tell us to follow Christ's example. Being a man, Christ probably didn't wear a prayer covering, but I think this is telling us to follow is example generally. Verse two is telling us to remember God's teachings, the way Paul passed them on to us, not changing them to suit our own purposes.

[color=blue](3) Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. [/color]

This is explaining the 'headship order' to us. Lots of people get really hung up on the 'man is the head of woman' part, and don't realise that the headship order goes woman-man-Christ-God, so in 'dishonouring' man, we're also dishonouring God!

[color=blue](4) Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. (5) And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. (6) If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. (7) A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. [/color]

This is the bit that usually confuses people. It sounds like we're being told that long, uncut hair is an acceptable covering. But go through it and replace every time it says 'cover' with 'has long hair' and 'uncover' with 'bald' or 'has short or cut hair', and see how much sense it makes. Like this:

[color=darkred](4) Every man who prays or prophesies with hair on his head dishonours his head. (5) And every woman who prays or prophesies without hair on her head dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. (6) If woman does not have hair on her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should put hair on her head. (7) A man ought not to have hair on his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.[/color]

Does this make sense? No, it does not. How can someone without hair be likened to having their head shaved? They're bald. How can someone without hair have their hair cut, if there isn't any hair to start off with?

[color=blue](8 ) For man did not come from woman, but woman from man, (9) neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. (10) For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.[/color]

These verses I think say that, yes, we ought to submit to man, but we're not inferior animals. We were created for man, to serve and to help the men in our lives. The headcovering is a 'sign of authority'! We wear it 'because of the angels'! Now, I don't know why angels are being mentioned. I think it's one of those things that I'm not going to completely understand until I get to heaven, but it's pretty amazing to think that I am wearing my headcovering 'because of the angels'!

[color=blue](11) In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is a man independent of woman. (12) For as woman came from man, so also man is bon of woman. But everything comes from God. [/color]

And neither of us can function on our own. Nor can both male and female function apart from God.

[color=blue](13) Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? (14) Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, (15) but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. [/color]

Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me? Why is it that when we see a man with long hair, we think it's pretty weird, but if we see a woman or girl with long hair, we think it's beautiful? And about verse 15, the Greek word used for 'covering' here is actually a completely different one to the one used for 'covering' in verses 4-7.

[color=blue](16) If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice - nor do the churches of God.[/color]

And here's the verse specifically for those who would say that the headcovering practice is only for the church in Corinth. Not so! The 'churches of God' are mentioned here. All of them have 'no other practice' (meaning not to have a headcovering). That's all Christians, not just the ones in Corinth. If that weren't enough, look at 1 Corinthians 1:2, the beginning of Paul's letter.

[color=blue](2) To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours.[/color]

Everyone everywhere who calls on the name of Jesus to forgive us our sins and believes in him must comply with the ordinances (this we must do) described in 1 Corinthians. The verses from 11:17 onwards are talking about the Last Supper. Do you see any Christians saying that that teaching isn't neccessary to be followed?

I hope this has answered the questions of anyone who's still not sure about headcovering, without being too longwinded for those who already cover! I think, it's not a sin, per se, to not cover, but it dishonours God - who would want to do that?

And if all this isn't enough to convince someone, my thinking is, I would prefer to be wrong about this and still cover, and stand before the throne of God when I die and have him tell me "oh, you didn't really have to do that", than to be right about this and not cover, and get to Judgement and have God ask, "you knew you should, so why didn't you?"

It's a matter of faith to do it. Pray to God for strength, and he will giive you the strenght to do what you need to. It's not an 'I cover so I'm a better Christian that you' think, either. We do to do what God wants us to do, not what man (people) want us to do.

from Rachel.

Rachel, this is excatly right! This makes perfect sence!

Yeah, but it's unfortunate I couldn't get the colour to work, though!

[quote="kayleigh"]i agree but i am afraid to wear it cause my friends will probaly make fun of me


So Kayleigh said this. I am wondering, Kayleigh, how can you agree then refuse to do it because of your friends? I know they are speical, but is it more inportant to follow God, or have lots pf friends. And mabey like Macalay and Teddy and Hannah won't care.
Try it one day as an experiment, and see how it works!
Jordyn

Yeah, when I started covering I was very worried what my friends might think. I'm not sure, two years in, that they've even noticed yet! The friends that I was worried about were the ones which meant to most to me - the ones who have been my friends for a long time. I guess that friends like that don't really care what you look like, because they're friends with you and not who they think you are.

I agree with Jordyn, maybe you should try it one day and see if they say anything! And if they ask questions about it, just tell them why you're doing it. Who knows, they might agree with you and start doign it themselves!

from Rachel.

When I started, i was asked almost No questions at all! And i have one question i would like you to PLEASE! answer.
Why does it matter if they don't like it? Isn't it more inportant to follow God than it is to have friends? I know you have alot of close friends, but if you lose them for a while, mabye for a month or so, they might come back when they see how much you've changed. Just remember, God wants you to follow His desires, and not your own. Go out of your comfort zone to obey God. Examle: Say Teddy told you to stand on the lunch table at school and start singing very loudly. Would you do it? Of course not because when he tells you to do something, you don't have to and if you don't want to, it is okay. But if God told you to, then would you? Yes, because God told you to, and you still don't have to, He lets you have a chioce, but the thing is,it is not the same. If you don't want to, it is disobeying your Lord and Creator, but when you don't do it with Teddy, then it doesn't really matter because your not disobeying anyone in that instance.
So it is like headcovering. I know i called you today and simply asked if you could state why you cover at home. And you said " My reasons are the same as yours." But i asked you what my reasons where, but you could only name one. You need to be prepared for the questions. it is okay to stand out. And like Rachel said, they might not even notice, and she has been doing it for 2 years!!!! Well hope you read and respond.
Jordyn

I guess it doesn't matter if one's friends don't like it, but friends are very important to people, and it's often difficult to reconcile wanting to fit in with one's friends with wanting to please God. I was very worried about it and I don't think they noticed!

I agree with Jordyn; it's important to be able to answer the questions. I didn't get a lot of questions, but when I did, normally from complete strangers, I didn't know how to respond at first and often gave some sort of non-answer, which was absolutely not what I should have been doing. Practice something simple which you'll remember in the moment; I settled on "Because God told me to," and stuck with that for a long while. At first I had some long speech planned and I always forgot it when someone asked! Giving a short answer helps break the nerves. Often people will leave it at that (although some will ask "What religion are you? Are you a Christian? Are you Amish?"), but some will ask more questions and it's easier to answer after the first one. But it took me a while to be comfortable talking about it and answering questions, both with family members and complete strangers (although I've always been nervous about talking with people I don't know!).

Don't worry so much. Start small. When I started covering, I only did it in my bedroom. Well, my reasons were a little different from yours (my father wouldn't let me cover out or when he was around), but I think maybe God planned it that way because I'm not sure I'd have had the courage to wear the headcovering out at first. By wearing it just in my bedroom for a while, I had the strength to wear it out in public when my father said I could. But I was still very, very nervous at first, especially when it was the first time that my friends or extended family had seen me with the headcovering. And yet... no comment. Well, one question which came from my three-year-old cousin but when I told her "God told me to", she just nodded and started talking about going to kindergym.

Just pray for strength. God will provide what you need.

from Rachel.

It doesn't matter if your friends like it or not. You are your own person. You should wear it because God commands it, in my opinon. I will love you anyway. So will your friends, if they are really your freinds. This is how you find out who is your reall friends. So, when i started covering, i found out who my true friends were, the one who were most like me and loved me for who i am. Like in public school, they say be your self, but when u do, they judge you. Who care what others think. That is worldy thinking if you think that you can't cover because no willl like youi anymore. God wants us to have Christian friends., Those (hopefully) are the ones that should stay with you. And if they don't then they are judging u, aka doing the oppisete of what the Bible. Hope this help!
Jordyn

So, I don't cover anymore, but i would still like to post one this site. Is that OK?

Of course. If you leave it would pretty much just be me...

Yeah of course! I have my own forum and i would like the members to leave the main posts to me and the topic making to me and stuff like that,

?? I don't understand. What I meant was that if you left the forum, I'd be the only person left on the forum. It's just us two at the moment.

oh ok....