it is a sin to add to your natural appearance? really? where did God say so?

[crossnote]

Walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you throw accusations like that around.

I don't understand your comeback. Was it out of conviction, because I didn't intend it to be personal, just a general observation. It would also help if you quoted me in full.

 

[chilehed]

A christian lady told me the other day that it is a sin to add to your natural appearance or take away from it. she told me adornments are a sin. she said that women go to hell for wearing make up or jewellery. she also believes hair dye sends you to hell. she says

Yeah, well, people say all kinds of silly nonsense. Ignore her.

 

[Radagast]

I didn't intend it to be personal

It read like an extremely personal attack on the O.P.

 

[TLSITD]

I am being deadly serious here

A christian lady told me the other day that it is a sin to add to your natural appearance or take away from it. she told me adornments are a sin. she said that women go to hell for wearing make up or jewellery. she also believes hair dye sends you to hell. she says there are testimonies based on this.

Some other christians have told me that wearing perfume, heels of any sort (even low heels. as someone with a disability all i can wear is low heels! a,m gonna be toast then!), wigs, weaves, etc even wedding bands can send you to hell.

oh and you cannot bob or trim your hair if you are a woman. or wear trousers. because, you know, hellfire.

I have hirutsim due to severe PCOS, if i don't shave or wax my face, legs, arms etc then i become very hairy (in summer this feels uncomfortable like am wearing a hair shirt, hot and sweaty) . I assume armpit shaving is OK as is to do with hygiene. so is it a sin to shave as a woman? for my comfort rather than vanity? also i don't want to look ungroomed or scruffy. that will limit my opportunities in life badly.

also is tweezing eyebrows ok? not to change shape of the brow or thin them but just if i want to pluck any straggly bits out?? for sake of looking neat, tidy, respectable?

I cannot find a scripture about any if these things saying they a sin except the one about not letting your beauty be due to pearls or braided hair and i assumed those were not forbidding these things per se but saying "let not your adornment MERELY be outward as in the wearing of costly clothes, jewels, braided hair etc" Maybe it only an issue if you wear those things to show off "Look how rich i am" or for other vanity reasons.

Also, if we are saved by grace, by faith in Jesus blood alone, i know we have to live holy as a sign of our salvation, but we don't do holy things to BE saved. so why would wearing say a wedding ring actually send soemone to Hell??? unless these things are an idol, i do not see why a problem? or the jewllery or clothes are linked to occult rituals (in some countries certain amulets linked to witchcraft)

To be fair i have gooogled a few of these "I saw women in hell for wearing x y z" testimonies and some of those churches linked to them have some bizarre doctrines eg tithing is mandatory under the new covenant, so is sabath keeping. now i realise many Godly christians practice these things and find them helpful and that is great! but i was under the impression that they weren't conditions for salvation? one of the churches also claimed that their founder had a vision by God that they were the last days "Ark"- the one true church by which you can be saved???!! many of them believe any contraception including natural family planning is sinful and that medication of any kind is witchcraft (again, i guess am gonna burn).

i do want to live a holy life before God but all these demands are making me a bit nervous? i grew up under a differen tkind of christian legalism and also suffered an abusive parent who created a picture of God in my mind as a stern cold wrathful hateful God... i am having much healing for that and am ina church where the emphasis is on Grace saving us and holy living being a result of that grace and not being alwys easy but not being a burden of dos and don'ts....my past led me to serious mental breakdowns and my MH has improved so much since learning about grace and how much am loved by God. This woman said my church is false because they dont talk about the wrath of God and how we live to live perfect and with NO SIN to make the rapture (this kind of thing reminds me of my upbringing, so not good for the Complex PTSD and associated issues). i shared my testimony with her but she was like "oh God did nice things for you so you would walk on the narrow way with Him and actually get saved properly!" oh, ok, then. unfriend. block. pray God help me forgive her and get me back on even keel

But seriously this has got me thinking WHERE did this idea come from that Christian women are not to adorn themselves? when i googled this is ofund an american website that said wearing a dress with a patter on it (eg flowers, polka dots) is adornment and a sin. now i am ona limite dincome and cannot sew. i have had lessons but i have no gift for it. many of my clothes are patterned or have short sleeves or skirts are mid calf (am also tall. i love maxi dresses but hard to find ones for 34 inch leg in the UK on a low budget). so am i going to be the devil's fried bread then? or is this all a load of nonsense?!

What you've shared is a good example of why I caution Christians not to trespass into the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit in matters of personal faith, which includes the interpretation of Scripture and instruction in how to apply its teachings to one's life, and imparting the spiritual knowledge of God's will in something that isn't specifically addressed in the Scriptures.

We can and should give each other Godly counsel and share our own knowledge from what God has taught us and from our personal experience in our walk with Jesus, but we shouldn't be dependent on other believers for our spiritual guidance rather than on the Spirit. (And a wise Christian will counsel you to learn to rely on God, not on other Christians, who are not your judge.)

We can't live effectively as Christians without understanding and learning how to discern the will of God. The Bible gives us instructions in how to do this; and the Scriptures and the Spirit are complementary in helping us to live by faith.

I have a few general recommendations, which will hopefully help you in this situation and in future situations like this:

First, ask yourself whether what the Bible says about whatever you need clarity on. Compare all of the relevant scriptures on that subject that you know of to get the best understanding of the teaching, and read verses in context and completely, so you don't misinterpret them.

(If any Christian teaching or any anecdote that someone shares with you isn't supported by what the Scriptures teach about that thing, or isn't found in the Bible at all, disregard it.)

Second, examine your own desires and objective honestly. Are you seeking to do what pleases God first and foremost, and to know and do His will, or are you seeking to please yourself and hoping that the will of God won't infringe upon your own? You'll get much more insight from God if your attitude is the former rather than the latter; and He knows which it is.

I recommend reading Romans chapter 14, which is a good description and explanation of personal faith and how it works.

Specific to this particular issue, ask yourself how you think God would want you to dress to draw attention to His Spirit, as a lamp of the light of His holiness and righteousness in the world, rather than to your flesh or your possessions.

And lastly but definitely not least, pray about it and ask God to give you His peace concerning whatever His will is.

 

[Junia]

I was thinking more in terms of 1st world spoiled brats rather than 3rd world needy children.

Uh, i mentioned i need hair removal because i have a seriou smedical condition. bearded lady syndrome or PCOS. look it up. corrected a cleft palate is the same kind of thing IMO. i am mildly disfigured. so are they.

ok, so being abused by my minister dad in multiple ways, also having serious neurological and MH issues linked to the abuse and living on welfare because some days i cannot get up and walk let alone work makes me a spoiled brat.

Jesus never labelled people spoiled brats or made comparisons in peoples problems. everyones needs matters to them.

one of the mental illnesses i have is a form of OCD called Scrupulosity which causes constant obsessive fears over losing salvation or not being good enough for God. my dad made me feel God hated me, and i have carried that all my life. so thanks for reinforcing that. bye!!

 

[Junia]

What you've shared is a good example of why I caution Christians not to trespass into the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit in matters of personal faith, which includes the interpretation of Scripture and instruction in how to apply its teachings to one's life, and imparting the spiritual knowledge of God's will in something that isn't specifically addressed in the Scriptures.

We can and should give each other Godly counsel and share our own knowledge from what God has taught us and from our personal experience in our walk with Jesus, but we shouldn't be dependent on other believers for our spiritual guidance rather than on the Spirit. (And a wise Christian will counsel you to learn to rely on God, not on other Christians, who are not your judge.)

We can't live effectively as Christians without understanding and learning how to discern the will of God. The Bible gives us instructions in how to do this; and the Scriptures and the Spirit are complementary in helping us to live by faith.

I have a few general recommendations, which will hopefully help you in this situation and in future situations like this:

First, ask yourself whether what the Bible says about whatever you need clarity on. Compare all of the relevant scriptures on that subject that you know of to get the best understanding of the teaching, and read verses in context and completely, so you don't misinterpret them.

(If any Christian teaching or any anecdote that someone shares with you isn't supported by what the Scriptures teach about that thing, or isn't found in the Bible at all, disregard it.)

Second, examine your own desires and objective honestly. Are you seeking to do what pleases God first and foremost, and to know and do His will, or are you seeking to please yourself and hoping that the will of God won't infringe upon your own? You'll get much more insight from God if your attitude is the former rather than the latter; and He knows which it is.

I recommend reading Romans chapter 14, which is a good description and explanation of personal faith and how it works.

Specific to this particular issue, ask yourself how you think God would want you to dress to draw attention to His Spirit, as a lamp of the light of His holiness and righteousness in the world, rather than to your flesh or your possessions.

And lastly but definitely not least, pray about it and ask God to give you His peace concerning whatever His will is.

I am the last person who would dress for attention, trust me. i struggle making eye contact and avoid social events. i asked about the shaving thing to correct a mild linked to a hormone imbalance i suffer with called PCOS. i just dont ant to be uncomfortable with summer coming and all this excess facial and body hair. i did not know it could send me to hell until a day or so ago.

re: jewellery, i have a part blood Romany gypsy mother. i think that is where my love of bling comes from, we gypsies love our jewels. so it i sjust the way i always have been, i am an artist, i love beautiful things.... i just see that i would get very low if i had to wear dull colours and no ornaments at all..... i dont think it should be a salvation issue- i do not believe those weird hoodoo type testimonies anyway..... i wear my hair shorter than many woman for practical reasons, my church say it is ok as not mentioned in Bible

 

[Radagast]

Uh, i mentioned i need hair removal because i have a seriou smedical condition. bearded lady syndrome or PCOS.

There is nothing wrong with shaving or waxing. Ignore that poster.

 

[Junia]

No, but if there is a sin to be found it would be in... the dissatisfaction of the way God has formed them.

that can maybe be dealt with in therapy. low self esteem is very deep roooted and usually linked to abuse. i will look into gettign some help with that. thanks.

 

[Junia]

There is nothing wrong with shaving or waxing. Ignore that poster.

Thanks. if i were to stop removing the hair, if am ever well enough to work again, and they not sure, i will need to get auditions (clasical mezzo soprano) and no one will have me in an opera looking like the Abominable Snowman!

 

[Junia]

My problem was dental. I bit the bullet (no pun intended) and had a full restoration of crowns and bridges, back and front, upper and lower. Cost me a fortune (I had one implant, $3500). Best money I ever spent (total bill, about $25,000). Did wonders for my confidence and my smile, as well as promoting proper chewing of food (helps the digestion). I didn't do it all at once but over a period of about 10 years.

you see, am very different from most Christians in that i do not believe it is wrong to do something nice for yourself (like dental work etc) once in a while. where the church got this idea that self esteem is a sin or secular humanism i do not know but i think in small doses ir must be a good thing? all good things come from God

 

[Job3315]

I am being deadly serious here

A christian lady told me the other day that it is a sin to add to your natural appearance or take away from it. she told me adornments are a sin. she said that women go to hell for wearing make up or jewellery. she also believes hair dye sends you to hell. she says there are testimonies based on this.

Some other christians have told me that wearing perfume, heels of any sort (even low heels. as someone with a disability all i can wear is low heels! a,m gonna be toast then!), wigs, weaves, etc even wedding bands can send you to hell.

oh and you cannot bob or trim your hair if you are a woman. or wear trousers. because, you know, hellfire.

I have hirutsim due to severe PCOS, if i don't shave or wax my face, legs, arms etc then i become very hairy (in summer this feels uncomfortable like am wearing a hair shirt, hot and sweaty) . I assume armpit shaving is OK as is to do with hygiene. so is it a sin to shave as a woman? for my comfort rather than vanity? also i don't want to look ungroomed or scruffy. that will limit my opportunities in life badly.

also is tweezing eyebrows ok? not to change shape of the brow or thin them but just if i want to pluck any straggly bits out?? for sake of looking neat, tidy, respectable?

I cannot find a scripture about any if these things saying they a sin except the one about not letting your beauty be due to pearls or braided hair and i assumed those were not forbidding these things per se but saying "let not your adornment MERELY be outward as in the wearing of costly clothes, jewels, braided hair etc" Maybe it only an issue if you wear those things to show off "Look how rich i am" or for other vanity reasons.

Also, if we are saved by grace, by faith in Jesus blood alone, i know we have to live holy as a sign of our salvation, but we don't do holy things to BE saved. so why would wearing say a wedding ring actually send soemone to Hell??? unless these things are an idol, i do not see why a problem? or the jewllery or clothes are linked to occult rituals (in some countries certain amulets linked to witchcraft)

To be fair i have gooogled a few of these "I saw women in hell for wearing x y z" testimonies and some of those churches linked to them have some bizarre doctrines eg tithing is mandatory under the new covenant, so is sabath keeping. now i realise many Godly christians practice these things and find them helpful and that is great! but i was under the impression that they weren't conditions for salvation? one of the churches also claimed that their founder had a vision by God that they were the last days "Ark"- the one true church by which you can be saved???!! many of them believe any contraception including natural family planning is sinful and that medication of any kind is witchcraft (again, i guess am gonna burn).

i do want to live a holy life before God but all these demands are making me a bit nervous? i grew up under a differen tkind of christian legalism and also suffered an abusive parent who created a picture of God in my mind as a stern cold wrathful hateful God... i am having much healing for that and am ina church where the emphasis is on Grace saving us and holy living being a result of that grace and not being alwys easy but not being a burden of dos and don'ts....my past led me to serious mental breakdowns and my MH has improved so much since learning about grace and how much am loved by God. This woman said my church is false because they dont talk about the wrath of God and how we live to live perfect and with NO SIN to make the rapture (this kind of thing reminds me of my upbringing, so not good for the Complex PTSD and associated issues). i shared my testimony with her but she was like "oh God did nice things for you so you would walk on the narrow way with Him and actually get saved properly!" oh, ok, then. unfriend. block. pray God help me forgive her and get me back on even keel

But seriously this has got me thinking WHERE did this idea come from that Christian women are not to adorn themselves? when i googled this is ofund an american website that said wearing a dress with a patter on it (eg flowers, polka dots) is adornment and a sin. now i am ona limite dincome and cannot sew. i have had lessons but i have no gift for it. many of my clothes are patterned or have short sleeves or skirts are mid calf (am also tall. i love maxi dresses but hard to find ones for 34 inch leg in the UK on a low budget). so am i going to be the devil's fried bread then? or is this all a load of nonsense?!

Im a tomboy and struggled a lot with how a woman should behave and dress. At some point I started wearing dresses and fixed myself a lot, I even did my nails several times, but then I kept feeling that wasn't me. Other people loved how I looked but I always felt uncomfortable just to pleased others.

I became obsessed with my looks until God told me to cut my nails. I did, I let them grow again, He asked me to cut them again. At some point I realized that they actually bother me a lot when they are long, and due to my job, they are not practical. I also realized the reason I let them grow was because a man I was dating said he liked my long nails and long hair, but I hated long nails and long hair! That's simply who I am.

The more I know Jesus, the simpler I've gotten. I do wear makeup if I am going to a gathering or a party, but I don't usually wear make up, but its because that's not me, that's not what I like. I dye my hair, but God had never told me thats a problem. I wanted to dye a pink stripe on my hair for years and I had a dream where the Holy Spirit told me not to do it, why? I don't know, but if He said no, I trust Him enough to follow His counsel. I love wearing pears, but when I am teaching in Children's Ministry I don't wear nothing that can distract the kids. I think it all depends on your heart intentions and the place. So, its not like a rule is the same for all. I have no issues with food, alcohol or drugs, so those things don't tempt me, change who I am or distract me, but show me a coffee place and you lost me because I love coffee! So, in a way its like that with make up, long hair and jewelry. You must know what tempts you, what changes you and distracts you.

My suggestion to you is to learn to listen to the Spirit. I love those women who dress nicely and wear bold jewelry, you can tell that's who they are and that's what they like, that's part of their personality, I just know my personality is different, and I accept that.

I actually left a church once because they preached twice on how a man should dress to be in the pulpit. They said they need to wear suits and dress nicely; no jeans and no sneakers. I laughed because several Pastor who are pillars in my spiritual growth, wear a shirt, jeans and sneakers. Those men dress super simple but are the greatest people I know. Its all about the intentions of the heart.

Ps: I also suffer from PCOS. I know what you are going through, but keep declaring God's healing and victory over your life. Declare His alignment in you.

I hope this helps!

 

[Junia]

i only really believe the simple Gospel bits in the Word these days. the religion bits, the "you must do this or that or you wont be acceptable to God who is a really angry person who hates you", i have no part of. i do go to church and take communion when i can, and been baptised but i don't do "religion" per se. i had to deconstruct from legalism and "have to" "YOU MUST DO X Y Z" type of faith. it was killing me. literally. people like me need Jesus and made to feel accepted in the Beloved. like mary magdalene, the thief on the cross etc you cannot expect the same standard of holiness from someone like me as you would from someone like paniel ngonde or paul rika or most of the Pentecostal Holiness churches who preach these teachings about hell and women need to dress modest and live holy to be saved.

i used to believe people only got saved if they were good enough. my daddy taught me i wasnt good enough. these men who took my innocence at a young age (grandad was the first, when i was only 3) taught me i was not good enough the kids at school who caled me names ecause i wasn't one of them taught me that. i thought jesus only liked "clean" people. nice people. then i met Jesus . am serious, i met Him. He came to me. and He was so gentle, not like i expected. then i decided ot rejct the christianity of my youth and follow this man

 

[crossnote]

It read like an extremely personal attack on the O.P.

Well, that was your perception, I was just going by the title. Heck, I don’t even know the OP. It was a general statement if you read it carefully.

 

[crossnote]

Uh, i mentioned i need hair removal because i have a seriou smedical condition. bearded lady syndrome or PCOS. look it up. corrected a cleft palate is the same kind of thing IMO. i am mildly disfigured. so are they.

ok, so being abused by my minister dad in multiple ways, also having serious neurological and MH issues linked to the abuse and living on welfare because some days i cannot get up and walk let alone work makes me a spoiled brat.

Jesus never labelled people spoiled brats or made comparisons in peoples problems. everyones needs matters to them.

one of the mental illnesses i have is a form of OCD called Scrupulosity which causes constant obsessive fears over losing salvation or not being good enough for God. my dad made me feel God hated me, and i have carried that all my life. so thanks for reinforcing that. bye!!

i wasn’t addressing you in either of my posts. In the one you quoted of me above, I was responding to Radagast, who also jumped to a false conclusion.

 

[Junia]

Im a tomboy and struggled a lot with how a woman should behave and dress. At some point I started wearing dresses and fixed myself a lot, I even did my nails several times, but then I kept feeling that wasn't me. Other people loved how I looked but I always felt uncomfortable just to pleased others.

I became obsessed with my looks until God told me to cut my nails. I did, I let them grow again, He asked me to cut them again. At some point I realized that they actually bother me a lot when they are long, and due to my job, they are not practical. I also realized the reason I let them grow was because a man I was dating said he liked my long nails and long hair, but I hated long nails and long hair! That's simply who I am.

The more I know Jesus, the simpler I've gotten. I do wear makeup if I am going to a gathering or a party, but I don't usually wear make up, but its because that's not me, that's not what I like. I dye my hair, but God had never told me thats a problem. I wanted to dye a pink stripe on my hair for years and I had a dream where the Holy Spirit told me not to do it, why? I don't know, but if He said no, I trust Him enough to follow His counsel. I love wearing pears, but when I am teaching in Children's Ministry I don't wear nothing that can distract the kids. I think it all depends on your heart intentions and the place. So, its not like a rule is the same for all. I have no issues with food, alcohol or drugs, so those things don't tempt me, change who I am or distract me, but show me a coffee place and you lost me because I love coffee! So, in a way its like that with make up, long hair and jewelry. You must know what tempts you, what changes you and distracts you.

My suggestion to you is to learn to listen to the Spirit. I love those women who dress nicely and wear bold jewelry, you can tell that's who they are and that's what they like, that's part of their personality, I just know my personality is different, and I accept that.

I actually left a church once because they preached twice on how a man should dress to be in the pulpit. They said they need to wear suits and dress nicely; no jeans and no sneakers. I laughed because several Pastor who are pillars in my spiritual growth, wear a shirt, jeans and sneakers. Those men dress super simple but are the greatest people I know. Its all about the intentions of the heart.

Ps: I also suffer from PCOS. I know what you are going through, but keep declaring God's healing and victory over your life. Declare His alignment in you.

I hope this helps!

Thank you, it does! it helps me to know that am not alone in being so frustrated with traditional religion. i now go to a small Anglican church who are very inclusive. we have people from all walks of life there and i love it. there are people getting saved, healed, set free form all sorts of things.....yeah, they are very liberal, but i honestly think these things are secondary issues. politics dont interest me much unles they to do with social justice. I prefer to quietly serve God ina pace that suits me and just treat everyone with compassion, i dont care about labels, about social class or colour or things like that- Jesus had compassion on all He dealt with, no partiality at all. yet soem criticise my church because we sometimes sing CCM type songs and we have 2 members who struggle wth being LGBT and naother who came off alcohol. i believe love stops us sinning notbeing told how angry God is with us.

 

[Junia]

i wasn’t addressing you in either of my posts. In the one you quoted of me above, I was responding to Radagast, who also jumped to a false conclusion.

oh, no worries, that is fine. i just hate generalisations and labelling people because James said to show no partiality to people if they poor or rich. we all the same in Gods eyes. we all judged the same as well..... God has same standards for us all. bless you

 

[Junia]

What you've shared is a good example of why I caution Christians not to trespass into the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit in matters of personal faith, which includes the interpretation of Scripture and instruction in how to apply its teachings to one's life, and imparting the spiritual knowledge of God's will in something that isn't specifically addressed in the Scriptures.

We can and should give each other Godly counsel and share our own knowledge from what God has taught us and from our personal experience in our walk with Jesus, but we shouldn't be dependent on other believers for our spiritual guidance rather than on the Spirit. (And a wise Christian will counsel you to learn to rely on God, not on other Christians, who are not your judge.)

We can't live effectively as Christians without understanding and learning how to discern the will of God. The Bible gives us instructions in how to do this; and the Scriptures and the Spirit are complementary in helping us to live by faith.

I have a few general recommendations, which will hopefully help you in this situation and in future situations like this:

First, ask yourself whether what the Bible says about whatever you need clarity on. Compare all of the relevant scriptures on that subject that you know of to get the best understanding of the teaching, and read verses in context and completely, so you don't misinterpret them.

(If any Christian teaching or any anecdote that someone shares with you isn't supported by what the Scriptures teach about that thing, or isn't found in the Bible at all, disregard it.)



I recommend reading Romans chapter 14, which is a good description and explanation of personal faith and how it works.



And lastly but definitely not least, pray about it and ask God to give you His peace concerning whatever His will is.

 

[Junia]

What you've shared is a good example of why I caution Christians not to trespass into the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit in matters of personal faith, which includes the interpretation of Scripture and instruction in how to apply its teachings to one's life, and imparting the spiritual knowledge of God's will in something that isn't specifically addressed in the Scriptures.

We can and should give each other Godly counsel and share our own knowledge from what God has taught us and from our personal experience in our walk with Jesus, but we shouldn't be dependent on other believers for our spiritual guidance rather than on the Spirit. (And a wise Christian will counsel you to learn to rely on God, not on other Christians, who are not your judge.)

We can't live effectively as Christians without understanding and learning how to discern the will of God. The Bible gives us instructions in how to do this; and the Scriptures and the Spirit are complementary in helping us to live by faith.

I have a few general recommendations, which will hopefully help you in this situation and in future situations like this:

First, ask yourself whether what the Bible says about whatever you need clarity on. Compare all of the relevant scriptures on that subject that you know of to get the best understanding of the teaching, and read verses in context and completely, so you don't misinterpret them.

(If any Christian teaching or any anecdote that someone shares with you isn't supported by what the Scriptures teach about that thing, or isn't found in the Bible at all, disregard it.)

Second, examine your own desires and objective honestly. Are you seeking to do what pleases God first and foremost, and to know and do His will, or are you seeking to please yourself and hoping that the will of God won't infringe upon your own? You'll get much more insight from God if your attitude is the former rather than the latter; and He knows which it is.

I recommend reading Romans chapter 14, which is a good description and explanation of personal faith and how it works.

Specific to this particular issue, ask yourself how you think God would want you to dress to draw attention to His Spirit, as a lamp of the light of His holiness and righteousness in the world, rather than to your flesh or your possessions.

And lastly but definitely not least, pray about it and ask God to give you His peace concerning whatever His will is.

i love Romans 14- thank you so much for that- it certainly clarifies things for me. that was a passage that helped me when i was in a facebook group one december and someone told me i was sinning for listening to christmas carols . i told them i dont do the christmas tree, i dont have decorations up, i dont buy lots of flashy gifts, i just like the songs. but apparently am sinning for celebrating at all. then the Lord showed me Romans 14 and that really helped me feel less condemned

 

[TLSITD]

I am the last person who would dress for attention, trust me. i struggle making eye contact and avoid social events. i asked about the shaving thing to correct a mild linked to a hormone imbalance i suffer with called PCOS. i just dont ant to be uncomfortable with summer coming and all this excess facial and body hair. i did not know it could send me to hell until a day or so ago.

re: jewellery, i have a part blood Romany gypsy mother. i think that is where my love of bling comes from, we gypsies love our jewels. so it i sjust the way i always have been, i am an artist, i love beautiful things.... i just see that i would get very low if i had to wear dull colours and no ornaments at all..... i dont think it should be a salvation issue- i do not believe those weird hoodoo type testimonies anyway..... i wear my hair shorter than many woman for practical reasons, my church say it is ok as not mentioned in Bible

The Bible does give us general instructions for how God wants Christian women to wear their hair and how He wants us to dress, and I believe we should abide by those for our spiritual benefit and God's glory and good pleasure. The specifics of what that will look like for you will have to be filled in by the faith He gives you.

All of us have unique personalities and cultures and not all the things which comprise those must or should be jettisoned when we become believers.

However, it's important to remember that when we come to be in Christ, we ourselves are no longer the focus and purpose of our lives but rather Him.

God wants our minds to be renewed so that we become more and more like Him in our ways and desires and less like the world from which He has called us out. Over time, with that renewal, many of the things we used to prize and admire will no longer be of concern to us and a new perspective and new desires will take their place.

 

[coffee4u]

I am being deadly serious here

A christian lady told me the other day that it is a sin to add to your natural appearance or take away from it. she told me adornments are a sin. she said that women go to hell for wearing make up or jewellery. she also believes hair dye sends you to hell. she says there are testimonies based on this.

Some other christians have told me that wearing perfume, heels of any sort (even low heels. as someone with a disability all i can wear is low heels! a,m gonna be toast then!), wigs, weaves, etc even wedding bands can send you to hell.

oh and you cannot bob or trim your hair if you are a woman. or wear trousers. because, you know, hellfire.

I have hirutsim due to severe PCOS, if i don't shave or wax my face, legs, arms etc then i become very hairy (in summer this feels uncomfortable like am wearing a hair shirt, hot and sweaty) . I assume armpit shaving is OK as is to do with hygiene. so is it a sin to shave as a woman? for my comfort rather than vanity? also i don't want to look ungroomed or scruffy. that will limit my opportunities in life badly.

also is tweezing eyebrows ok? not to change shape of the brow or thin them but just if i want to pluck any straggly bits out?? for sake of looking neat, tidy, respectable?

I cannot find a scripture about any if these things saying they a sin except the one about not letting your beauty be due to pearls or braided hair and i assumed those were not forbidding these things per se but saying "let not your adornment MERELY be outward as in the wearing of costly clothes, jewels, braided hair etc" Maybe it only an issue if you wear those things to show off "Look how rich i am" or for other vanity reasons.

Also, if we are saved by grace, by faith in Jesus blood alone, i know we have to live holy as a sign of our salvation, but we don't do holy things to BE saved. so why would wearing say a wedding ring actually send soemone to Hell??? unless these things are an idol, i do not see why a problem? or the jewllery or clothes are linked to occult rituals (in some countries certain amulets linked to witchcraft)

To be fair i have gooogled a few of these "I saw women in hell for wearing x y z" testimonies and some of those churches linked to them have some bizarre doctrines eg tithing is mandatory under the new covenant, so is sabath keeping. now i realise many Godly christians practice these things and find them helpful and that is great! but i was under the impression that they weren't conditions for salvation? one of the churches also claimed that their founder had a vision by God that they were the last days "Ark"- the one true church by which you can be saved???!! many of them believe any contraception including natural family planning is sinful and that medication of any kind is witchcraft (again, i guess am gonna burn).

i do want to live a holy life before God but all these demands are making me a bit nervous? i grew up under a differen tkind of christian legalism and also suffered an abusive parent who created a picture of God in my mind as a stern cold wrathful hateful God... i am having much healing for that and am ina church where the emphasis is on Grace saving us and holy living being a result of that grace and not being alwys easy but not being a burden of dos and don'ts....my past led me to serious mental breakdowns and my MH has improved so much since learning about grace and how much am loved by God. This woman said my church is false because they dont talk about the wrath of God and how we live to live perfect and with NO SIN to make the rapture (this kind of thing reminds me of my upbringing, so not good for the Complex PTSD and associated issues). i shared my testimony with her but she was like "oh God did nice things for you so you would walk on the narrow way with Him and actually get saved properly!" oh, ok, then. unfriend. block. pray God help me forgive her and get me back on even keel

But seriously this has got me thinking WHERE did this idea come from that Christian women are not to adorn themselves? when i googled this is ofund an american website that said wearing a dress with a patter on it (eg flowers, polka dots) is adornment and a sin. now i am ona limite dincome and cannot sew. i have had lessons but i have no gift for it. many of my clothes are patterned or have short sleeves or skirts are mid calf (am also tall. i love maxi dresses but hard to find ones for 34 inch leg in the UK on a low budget). so am i going to be the devil's fried bread then? or is this all a load of nonsense?!

The short answer, No.

Also, you need to start hanging out with a different group of Christians.