How do you feel about women not wearing bras? Is it a Sin?

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John Hyperspace

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It's very distracting. Making it difficult to concentrate. All I ask is that, if a girl ever find herself with me, and I am having to do some difficult task under pressure in order to save the children - please do not be distracting. Wear a very long dress with... okay, wait. No. Wear cargo jeans with a flanel... no. Okay, baggy jeans and a heavy cloth shirt, and glasses with... okay just make it one of those things they wear in the Middle East. The children will thank you.
 
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2PhiloVoid

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sounds like you're blaming men for women choosing immodest dress in Church. Its not sexist because I expect the same from males.

I'm not specifically blaming men, but I am implying that men are a bit too sensitized to women's bodies due to media saturation, media that typically "sexualizes" the role of women and the meaning of their bodies.

For instance, I think most of us can agree that a woman's breasts are usually a pleasant, natural adornment of her body. However, the way in which men perceive women's breasts nowadays is a bit problematic because they are "sensationalized." So, rather than seeing women's breasts as a pleasant adornment that is also contextualized by the feeding needs of infants, men often see them instead as purely sexual fetishes, where the form is quite separated and de-contextualized from the fullest array of social function. So, now, if a woman's contours happen to show behind fabric, people (men) become overly "uncomfortable."

Don't believe me that the media does this? Let me know the next time you see a sexy bra commercial that features nursing bras. o_O

2PhiloVoid
 
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Godlovesmetwo

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So, rather than seeing women's breasts as a pleasant adornment that is also contextualized by the feeding needs of infants,
No need to go overboard in such scientific objectivity! :)
 
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Philip_B

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I recall when I was working for a mission in Papua New Guinea a group of women arrived from Sydney to declare to the women that they should 'burn their bras' which was the call of the time. Sadly in the village it made little sense, though one of the ladies came to one of our female staff members are asked he if she had an old one she could burn for them.

A lot of this is a cultural question, not a religious question. The patent for a bras was issued in 1913, previously western women supported their breasts using a strip of cloth wound around the body, and then various forms of corset.

I think women should wear what they want to wear.
 
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jimmyjimmy

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But here's the thing - and it's why I tend to get grumpy in these threads - if it's really about the woman's conscience, everyone else should butt out. The refusal of others to do so suggests that there's some other concern at play.

Some people's conscious are broken. People do wrong in every area of life; therefore, there is need for correction in all areas of life. If a Christian woman dresses like a tart, it's definitely everyones business to tell her so, and to help her dress appropriately.
 
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Paidiske

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But we're not talking specifically about Christian women here, are we? Or at least, the OP didn't specify that.

And even if we are, there may be some people who have a role or a relationship in which correction is appropriate, but I don't think that's the whole community.
 
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jimmyjimmy

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But that's a different argument. Telling women to be careful what we intend in how we dress is one thing. Telling us that we "cause" men to sin is inaccurate and piles on us a guilt for which we are not responsible.

And you can't tell what a woman intends or intended by looking at her. You can make some educated guesses, but you can never know for sure.

A woman's clothing, or lack of it, is certainly a potential cause for men's sexual sin. I'm sure you also understand that a persons enjoying a nice cold beer in front of a brother who has an addiction to alcohol would be the cause of his brother's sin.
 
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Paidiske

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No, I refute that either of those are a cause of sin.

The cause of your sin lies within you, not in what is around you.

(The apple did not cause Eve to eat, the gun does not cause the killer to murder, and so on... )

A man's sexual sin is his own; he should learn to keep custody of his eyes and thoughts and behaviours.
 
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nuranoora

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Peace be upon you! In my opinion, and this may not be completely right or wrong, a woman doesn't have to wear a bra if its very uncomfortable for her or painful or any of those things. However if she doesn't want to wear a bra because she wants to accentuate her upper body parts, then she shouldn't be doing that. If she doesn't wear a bra, she has to make sure that her female parts are not the first thing people are going to see when they look at her, if you know what i mean. That way it will not be a sin. So wearing baggy loose shirts or cardigans or jackets will do. I hope this helped a little....Have a blessed day! Nura xx
 
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jimmyjimmy

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No, I refute that either of those are a cause of sin.

The cause of your sin lies within you, not in what is around you.

(The apple did not cause Eve to eat, the gun does not cause the killer to murder, and so on... )

A man's sexual sin is his own; he should learn to keep custody of his eyes and thoughts and behaviours.

Paul must have been incorrect when he said, "cause your brother to stumble" I guess.

Of course the sinner is at fault, but the tempter is culpable;therfore partly to blame, according to Paul and Christ.

The reputation of Christ and His church is at stake here, as well.
 
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Paidiske

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Not causing your brother to stumble is a separate argument.

Of course, if you know your brother or sister in Christ well enough to know what his or her particular weaknesses are, supporting him or her in that is a good thing.

But that is very, very different to blaming women for men's behaviour, or labelling a woman a "tempter" when she may have intended no such thing.

Edited to add: and while I'm thinking about it, the argument about causing to stumble cuts both ways in this. Why do men not think about whether their treatment of women might feed into feelings of shame or worthlessness, or of being reduced to bodies/sexual objects rather than beloved daughters of God with all the dignity that implies?
 
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jimmyjimmy

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Not causing your brother to stumble is a separate argument.

Of course, if you know your brother or sister in Christ well enough to know what his or her particular weaknesses are, supporting him or her in that is a good thing.

But that is very, very different to blaming women for men's behaviour, or labelling a woman a "tempter" when she may have intended no such thing.

Edited to add: and while I'm thinking about it, the argument about causing to stumble cuts both ways in this. Why do men not think about whether their treatment of women might feed into feelings of shame or worthlessness, or of being reduced to bodies/sexual objects rather than beloved daughters of God with all the dignity that implies?

Your commitment to feminism apparently blinds you to clear scriptural teaching. Stick with the scriptural argument, please, not the feminist talking points.
 
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Paidiske

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Which bit of my argument do you see as contrary to Scripture? Do you not think that treating women with honour is Scriptural?

Edited to add:

Perhaps my line of reasoning is unclear.

The besetting sin of many Christian women in this regard is not the immodesty of their dress; it is a neurotic sense of guilt/shame (that is, feeling guilty, ashamed, dirty and so on when it is not objectively justified). This neurotic guilt is brought about by the discourse around modesty, temptation and so forth which permeates their church environment and community. Their sense of themselves before God and in their community is degraded (in effect, they've bought into a lie) and they need help to restore a healthy sense of self and therefore healthy relationships with God and others.

So in arguing that one might also be concerned not to cause one's sister to stumble, I am pointing out that contributing to that kind of culture of neurotic guilt can be just as much a cause of stumbling as can a carelessly revealed glimpse of cleavage.
 
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mmksparbud

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Good grief! I spent most of my life hiding the things!! They sprouted early and the young boys were glued to them. I walked around hunched over, and carried my books in front of me. I always wore a bra. However, to me, that seemed to accentuate the problem. I had to take physical therapy for the neck problems my posture was causing. Holding my shoulders back seemed to be shouting "Look at these!" I couldn't afford breast reduction. Bras are uncomfortable, the wires caused sores. For some of us, Modesty would mean a poncho. Finally, I am at an age and physical condition that it no longer matters. I am prone to cysts and my doctor said no more bras--what a relief. I am disabled and when I had to quite work, I only wore them when I went out----now, not even then. At this age and condition-nobody is looking--finally!
 
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mindlight

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But here's the thing - and it's why I tend to get grumpy in these threads - if it's really about the woman's conscience, everyone else should butt out. The refusal of others to do so suggests that there's some other concern at play.

The womans conscience is central but standing at the front of a Sunday service wearing a mini skirt, showing cleavage and not wearing a bra will impact on a lot of other people also. Surely her conscience must accommodate predictable impacts on others?
 
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mindlight

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My reading of the verse from Timothy is that it's more about costliness and displays of wealth, than displays of flesh.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't think about how we present our bodies, but I think that verse from Timothy's a pretty shaky foundation from which to try to harangue women about their necklines or hemlines.

(Of course - side note - the bra as we know it only dates to the late nineteenth century or so. It or anything like it would have been totally unknown in Paul's day, although apparently some Greek and Roman women did bind their breasts for support, though probably more for display than for modesty! Wind back a bit more than a century from our time, and you'd have had people discussing whether it was respectable to abandon a full corset, and no doubt opining that only a tight-laced corset would properly support a right relationship with Jesus... food for thought?)

I guess modest Hebrew women did not wear bras around Jesus then nor in the early church.
 
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JackRT

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From Wikipedia:

In the late 19th century, bras replaced the corset as the most widely used means of breast support. By the early 20th century, garments more closely resembling contemporary bras had emerged, although large-scale commercial production did not occur till the 1930s. Since then bras have replaced corsets (although some women prefer camisoles) and a minority go without. During the 20th century, greater emphasis has been given to the fashion aspects of bras. Bra manufacture is a multibillion-dollar industry dominated by large multinational corporations.

It is a total mystery to me how women could possibly have survived for several hundred thousand years without the assistance of "large multinational corporations" ----------- or bras.
 
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Paidiske

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The womans conscience is central but standing at the front of a Sunday service wearing a mini skirt, showing cleavage and not wearing a bra will impact on a lot of other people also. Surely her conscience must accommodate predictable impacts on others?

I don't have a problem with a church having a dress code (and for those "up the front" I think it's a positively good idea). But again, the OP wasn't talking just about Christians or church.
 
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