Universities are introducing dress codes for their students.
The country's Muslims in particular are going to greater lengths than ever to be seen to be dressing modestly. Muslim women newsreaders appear on television swathed in scarves. Schoolgirls in the north, who would previously just have worn a small cotton headscarf with their uniform, now go to school in waist-length hijab, in somewhat Indonesian style.
Now the Catholic Church has joined the debate.
In his latest circular letter to parishes, the Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, under the heading "nudity", calls on priests not to allow in church what he calls "fashions promoting lust and immorality". He says that any of the faithful wearing "clothes which reveal sensitive parts of the body such as the bust, chest, belly, or upper arms, transparent clothing or dresses with slits above the knees" should be "quietly asked to worship outside". As for boys, it says there should be no "jerry curls [long curly hair], tight jeans or earrings".
Traditional dress
A Sunday morning visit to the Church of the Assumption, in the Ikoyi district of Lagos, showed the Archbishop's recommendations were being well observed. Apart from one boy in tight jeans, everyone was looking very modest. Most women said they liked to wear traditional Nigerian dress to church - a blouse, wraparound skirt and some form of head-dress.
Many Catholics come from south-east Nigeria, and Sunday best for Ibo women means a lacy white blouse, a wrapper of fine woven cloth and an elaborate head-tie of stiff brocade or taffeta.
Many young girls wore an updated version of Nigerian dress - a long skirt and a nicely tailored, matching blouse. The most devout covered their heads with black, lacy scarves. Some of the men were in loose, pyjama-style Nigerian suits, others in western clothes.
Everyone I spoke to had heard of the Archbishop's campaign for modest dressing, and said they were wholly in agreement. I heard outspoken condemnation of people who come to the house of God half-naked, diatribes against tight trousers, skimpy tops and "spaghetti straps".
Bride barred
Several women said they believed they should imitate the Holy Mother, Mary, and cover their heads, since she always appears in images with a veil. And several of the congregation raised the issue of wedding dresses and the current fashion for brides to wear strapless, low-cut, evening-dress style outfits. "It's very, very wrong," one woman told me. "Very, very wrong. Especially the ones showing the boobs - you don't do that in the presence of God."
In fact, the wedding dress problem may have been the start of this whole campaign.
I was told that in a particularly notorious case, the parish priest in one Lagos church had refused to let the bride into the church for her own wedding. He said he would wait for her all afternoon if he had to, but she would have to go home and put on more clothes.
The rule to cover the head only applied inside a church – not outside a church. The rule was lifted in the 1960’s
-
The bible says to cover your head and the women who doesn't do it, shave off her head. The christians made rules up like "only in church" to make their own lives easy from following God's commands.
I think in terms of having a religion there is nothing called inside the place and outside the place, and nothing called before that time and after that time.
the religion has to be the same for everywhere and and anytime it is a static thing I guess
When Jesus came back he made most of these rules obselete. For example, it was haram to perfom works on the Sabbath. Jesus went against this and upset the elders. Adultry was punishable by death and Jesus condemned it. Jesus said that the old rules still applied to a cerain extent but people are to have more compasion. He preached extensively on judging people on what you perceive as flaws.
I think in terms of having a religion there is nothing called inside the place and outside the place, and nothing called before that time and after that time.
the religion has to be the same for everywhere and and anytime it is a static thing I guess
Are you sure about that? Death is death but did Isa not raise Lazarus from the dead? Is that not an exception?
When Jesus came back he made most of these rules obselete. For example, it was haram to perfom works on the Sabbath. Jesus went against this and upset the elders. Adultry was punishable by death and Jesus condemned it. Jesus said that the old rules still applied to a cerain extent but people are to have more compasion. He preached extensively on judging people on what you perceive as flaws.
I agree that Jesus certainly spoke against blindly following laws, just for the sake of following them.
Examples, when he let his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath and when he healed on the Sabbath, demonstrate this.
His parable of the good Samaritan also shown that it was those who acted 'religiously', not wanting to make themselves unclean by tending to a bleeding, potentially dying man, were in the wrong.
Our attitude towards God and our neighbours are what matters.
With regards to the modesty issue, I dare to make this statement: It is better to be modest in conduct and attitude, even when not covered, than to be covered from head to toe, but to do so with resentment.
(This is for discussion. I would love to hear people's views on this. Do you agree or disagree? And why?)
Peace
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
I agree that Jesus certainly spoke against blindly following laws, just for the sake of following them.
Examples, when he let his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath and when he healed on the Sabbath, demonstrate this.
His parable of the good Samaritan also shown that it was those who acted 'religiously', not wanting to make themselves unclean by tending to a bleeding, potentially dying man, were in the wrong.
Our attitude towards God and our neighbours are what matters.
With regards to the modesty issue, I dare to make this statement: It is better to be modest in conduct and attitude, even when not covered, than to be covered from head to toe, but to do so with resentment.
(This is for discussion. I would love to hear people's views on this. Do you agree or disagree? And why?)
The bible was written by men and the “cover the head in a church” rule was written by men
Well said! That too is the view of Athiests!
now you are stereotyping atheists...
I can already hear the Muslims responding: “The rules must be EXACT. 1cm of ankle exposed is OK but expose 2cm and you will burn for eternity!”
k
i suggest that you see a doctor of some sort, MAYBE he or she can stop the voices...
Had the non-believer known of all the Mercy which is in the Hands of Allah, he would not lose hope of entering Paradise, and had the believer known of all the punishment which is present with Allah, he would not consider himself safe from the Hell-Fire http://www.muftimenk.co.za/Downloads.html
The bible says to cover your head and the women who doesn't do it, shave off her head. The christians made rules up like "only in church" to make their own lives easy from following God's commands.
That's not really grounded in fact, not even the most traditional Catholics(that I know of) make their daughters cover their hair outside of Church, and to make a slight correction, it was in, I beleive, 1983, that cannon law dropped the requirment to cover hair in Church. Though the practice was really phased out in the 60's, along with segregated(by sex) seating
As for scripture, the only scriptural verse I am aware of commanding women to cover their hair is St. Paul in Corinthians, which is in context of Church, not outside, clearly Christianity dosen't consider hair to big a deal as Mary Magdalin washed Jesus's feet with her hair.
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Mary, the mother
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks