survey sez!
Reader's responses to The Big Question.
The Question:
How do you answer when someone asks, "Why do you dress
modestly?"
The Answer:
“I've never had anyone ask that question; only: why do I wear long
skirts/dresses. I only mention this because some seem to be of the opinion
that anything other than skirts/dresses and modesty are mutually exclusive
terms.”
The Answer:
“Have you seen my legs?”
The Answer:
“I had to laugh when I saw this.
No one ever asks it like that. To
them it is a fashion or trend or part of your religion; modesty to someone out
in the world is so much less than how I dress [that] they wouldn't even think to
call how I am modest. I used to get
the ‘Why do you wear skirts all the time?’ and now it is the carefully
probing, ‘You sure like skirts a lot don't you?’
To those questions I give a basic Biblical answer to pretty much
everyone. To a select audience I
also give a historical explanation of my religion.
In the ‘world’ I live in, I also have to put up with the occasional
‘Your religion oppresses women’ comments.
Because of this, many times my explanations of holiness practices also
include those of men and why what we ‘require’ of men is as stringent as of
women, only since society also expects men to act that way, it isn't as
noticeable as it is on the women.”
The Answer:
“Well, that's the problem. People
ask me why I wear skirts. That's
all they see. It would be easier
for me to describe why I dress modestly than why I wear skirts.
The concept of gender distinction is completely foreign to generations
born after the 60s. And the church
has done a horrible job of explaining gender distinction and modesty as two
separate concepts. Wearing a skirt does not make you modest.”
The Answer:
“No one has ever asked me that.
It's not that I don't, but I never have been asked that. Since I'm a guy,
it's not as noticeable, I guess.”
The Answer:
“I tell them I dress modestly because I am trying to be a Christian
and I think that God approves of me dressing modestly.”
The Answer:
“I am a witness for Jesus. I
want to try to be like Jesus, and I just don't feel very comfortable wearing
some clothing. I don't want to be a bad witness of Jesus.”
The Answer:
“I generally tell them: #1¾because
I want to (because I do. The Lord
has put a love for holiness in my heart. Otherwise
I'd be miserable feeling like I was bound.)
#2¾because
the Bible specifically addresses men's and women's apparel.
Most people are very receptive of this avenue.
You have to talk about holiness without making non-Pentecostals feel
condemnation. That will steer them the other direction in a heartbeat.”
The Answer:
“They don't usually ask it that way.
It's usually, ‘Why do you always wear dresses?’
Then, I answer, ‘It's because I believe it's important for ladies to
dress like ladies and for men to dress like men.’
That's usually all it takes.”
The Answer:
“Because I love God.”
The Answer:
“Because the UPCI manual says to dress modestly...hahaha.
The principle of modesty is threaded throughout the scripture along with
the equally pertinent principle of gender distinction.
I wear skirts and have long hair because I am being gender distinctive in
an effort to mirror the image of God. I
wear long skirts and long sleeves in order to cover my body, as any man would
obviously be overcome with lust if he were to catch a glimpse of my elbows.”
The Answer:
“I ask, ‘Why do you not dress modestly? What is wrong with
you?’ “
The Answer:
“Well, I don't think I've ever had anyone ask it that way.
The question is usually, ‘Why don't you wear pants?’
My answer to them varies to a degree depending on the situation at the
time. But mainly I say because I
believe that modesty is something that is required from God as mentioned in the
Bible. Not just in dress, in all
things. How we dress is just a more
outward expression of that modesty.”
The Answer:
“Tell them the truth¾it
totally depends on the individual.”
The Answer:
“I would respond with a question, ‘Why not? Why would somebody
want to dress immodestly?’
The Answer:
“Because the Bible tells me to and I want men to respect me and not
see me as cheap and easy!”
The Answer:
“I dress this way because I choose to.
Before I would give a Biblical answer but that seemed to turn a lot of
people off because of all the ‘rules’ we have.”
The Answer:
“I dress modestly in public so that I can feel relaxed and not
worry about ruining my dress outfits. I
also feel comfortable in casual clothing. I
dress up for church so that I look professional when I go to church.
I do this because I take going to church as a necessity for today.
Also, I feel that I need to put on my best clothing for when I go to
church because when a guest is invited to your house, you want to look your best
for this guest, not only in dress but also in how your house is kept.
This is the same way for God. You
put on your best clothing, no jewelry except marriage rings, though, to show God
that you want to look your best for Him.”
The Answer:
“I tell them it is my own personal conviction.
When they say, ‘I thought it had something to do with your church,’ I
say, ‘Well, that's secondary. My
personal conviction on modesty is first as it has to come from my heart, and oh,
yeah, our church does teach on it as well.”
The Answer:
“Because the Bible teaches us how to dress.
If I read it and believe it’s God’s Word, then I put it to work.”
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