Posted on 03/16/2009 11:28:45 AM PDT by Mind Freed
1 Corinthians 11:3-6
3Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. 6If 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.
I know that Laura Bush covered her head when she met the Pope, but it was meant as a gesture of respect.
What year is this?
Okay first we need to understand the context and the culture of the passage. One of the reasons the Apostle Paul wanted women to cover their heads was to make many different people and families of different income levels feel welcomed in service. Women at that time adorned their heads with jewels and decoration, and it was a great sign of wealth.
The reason they covered their head was to take away from that distraction in worship. Paul was trying to help those in worship to focus less on worldly things riches and to focus on the eternal.
Everyone’s head is covered at my synagogue.
I am very aware of the serious issues that are facing this country today. Excuse me if I had a question and just wanted to hear what others had to say. If you thought it was a silly question, then you didn’t have to reply to it.
I’m thinking that Paul wrote to the Corinthians because they had a special need/problem ... as with all the letters he wrote to the different churches ... each church was being addressed for their particular needs ....
Just my 2 cents.
Its a free country, do whatever you want.
Sounds like more of a cultural than a spiritual issue.
“Paul said this, not Christ,,important difference. You don’t necessarily have to obey the word of Paul. Just saying.”
Ummm....”All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”(2 Timothy 3:16-17). No truly orthodox, Trinitarian Christian should have a problem with that.
It’s a cute trick that liberals try to pit Paul against Christ and his “red letter words”. If they were truly consistent liberals then they would also argue that husbands shouldn’t love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for the church since Paul said that in Ephesians 5:25, not the “red letter words” of Christ. Somehow, when liberals like something Paul says they never make that same argument. I wonder why?
I like some of the newer praise songs but don’t like them turning into mindless chanting.
“I am very aware of the serious issues that are facing this country today. Excuse me if I had a question and just wanted to hear what others had to say. If you thought it was a silly question, then you didn’t have to reply to it.”
Well put, Mind Freed. You and everyone else have every right to ask a question concering any part of God’s Holy Scriptures. If the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write it, I don’t consider it silly or irrelevant to grapple with it and I don’t see how any true Bible believing Christian would have a problem with anyone doing that about any part of His word.
Sad thing is, so few people actually read his word today because they’re too busy watching American Idol, gossiping about Brad and Angelina, etc., etc. It’s even sadder when Christopher Hitchens probably knows the Bible better than many American Christians do.
One of the problems with current theology is that a great deal of it is based on knowledge and fallen human understanding. These are the same elements that led Cain to worship God according to his "interpretation" of the clear word he no doubt received from his parents, and the Lord had no respect for his offering. I don't assume that you haven't done this but, pray over the verses and ask the Lord what you should do. The Lord lives in you.
How did I get to ask the imam, from FR?
When I was little (60’s) my mother & grandmother made sure I wore a hat & gloves to church every week (Episcopal or Congregational Church)
And NO woman was in pants & men all had on suits.
That was over with by the 1970’s
Excellent point DesertRhino.
Some years ago a woman sought my opinion regarding 1 Corinthians 11:3-6. She had a specific concern, and as I came to find out, it was a concern shared by many women in her predicament. The woman was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, losing her hair, and considered shaving her head to end the her discomfort over the hairloss. The woman had Christian women and men pointing to 1 Corinthians 11:3-6 telling her that shaving her head was forbidden as it would be shameful.
Having reason to question the words of Paul, I sought the consul of the highest authority, God.
Numbers 6
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself (My note: himself and he throughout this passage means the person, male or female) to the LORD, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.
5 ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the LORD.
9 ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting; 11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day. 12 He shall consecrate to the LORD the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.
13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 14 And he shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings.
16 ‘Then the priest shall bring them before the LORD and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering; 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
Searching further,
Deuteronomy 21:11-13
11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your wife, 12 then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. 13 She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and mourn her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
What Paul meant is subject to much debate, but this I know. Regardless of anything Paul wrote, Jesus said He did not come among us to rewrite the law, nor did He intend any of His followers to rewrite the law. I believe both the Old Testament examples above mute what Paul wrote on the subject. People would do better to trust the law as given to Moses by God, and amplified by Jesus.
As for the woman I mentioned, she did shave her head to end the great discomfort of daily hairloss due to the chemotherapy. She has since recovered. She was not alone in her consternation caused by 1 Corinthians 11:3-6. Women with a wide array of health issues face the same dilemma, which is made all the harder for them because they are told it will shame God. I absolutely believe the laws given to Moses were not intended to shame, but to honor God.
And don’t forget to sacrifice a lamb.
Eastern Orthodox view:
Generally, yes.
I seriously cannot understand how so many can literalize the creation story and then allegorize almost all of the NT (e.g., “This is my body” but not really, “cover your head” but you don’t have to, “Don’t add anything” but we can write novels and make movies about Revelations).
I’ve noticed that whenever our culture finds something strange or uncomfortable, it becomes a “question of culture” and “better viewed with proper exegesis.” When it comes to the six days of creation, it’s an absolute Truth and the OT and NT must be taken literally.
Pick one. Stay there.
That was a very well thought out comment. Thank you for adding your input.
1 Cor 7:25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
So in this verse is Paul acting solely according to human judgement, albeit judgement that must be given great respect, or is he actually inspired even though he says he isn’t?
I’m not being a smart aleck here; I’ve wonderd for thirty years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.