Concerning Head Coverings

I began my "foray" into blogging with the idea of organizing a study on the head covering. First I began gathering information on headcoverings of Christian Ladies, as talked about in 1 Corinthans 11. There is much information on the subject in websites of churches and individuals, with several viewpoints concerning what it means and how and when to do so. The book that "started it all" for me can also be found online, at Headcoverings.org. (by Paul K. Williams, see photo)

I very quickly realized that covering the head was a much broader subject, since women have been covering their heads for much longer than most realize. It seemed to me that this was not merely a Christian injunction, that is, something to mark out which were Christian Ladies and which women were not. I came to understand that a woman covering her head is natural, submissive, modest, and even beautifying. Doing a search into websites and news articles on this subject, I also quickly realized that even though all women have this tendency to want to cover their heads, there are many names that may "mark" which women you are talking about. Christians usually refer to a "headcovering" - all one word - and this includes Roman Catholics as well as Anabaptists and Protestants. Jewish people refer more to "hair covering" for women, as it relates to the idea of modesty, tzniut, and then usually use the separate words "head covering" when referring to something a man uses to cover his head. When talking about Muslims, the media tends to refer to their "head scarf" or "veil", while the Muslims themselves use the term "hijab" (spelling differs). When head coverings are talked about in a secular way, sometimes the term "head scarf" is used, but also "head cover", "scarf", or the particular form of hat, such as bonnet, snood, or babushka. Now, this is not absolute, just a general observation.

So I believe that a Lady who covers her head in public is not alone, and need not fear being "marked out" for any specific treatment, other than that of a Lady. That is why on my Zoomshare homepage, I made these observations:

"I think that you will notice that wearing head coverings is not (and should not be) done JUST BECAUSE of an oppresive, ignorant, or male-dominated mandate.

"Wearing a head covering is (and should be) a FREE-WILL, MODEST, FEMININE and NATURAL* CHOICE made by women all over the world, throughout the ages. (*Natural - part of one's nature, which is given by God.)

"Women today do not need to rebel against their own nature OR modesty because this "modern, secular society" demands that they be more like men, OR more "sexy" - "letting their hair down"."

Sure, I believe that Paul was upholding certain truths for men and women to follow in their worship and in their relation to one another - Eternal Truths - which are natural, and even little girls follow. When was the last time you saw a little girl playing dress up and not cover her head with something - whether it be a cloth, a dressy hat, or even flowers?

(Be sure to check out my Zoomshare website, to see all the links I found at the time, along with photos and news stories.)