Women, Modesty, and Veiling

(Veiling of women in different era, source: Diaqnoz.Az)

"I am Orthodox and I do not agree with veiling" on a comment that recorded on Instagram while posting a reel of female Orthodox veiled at a church and monastery. 

I am Orthodox and I do agree with veiling.

So, why?

The first place, that people may think that we are "sexist" or "pervert" as controlling on female clothing appearances. That's possible because we live in a modern era which is the female rights are more honourable and important in its society. Many girls are independent raised well and having same chances of working at secularism typically careers. But, as Orthodox Christians, who we know that we are about 2.000 years living to equip our Christ looks like in the modern era, which that has been fallen down, especially rising up feminist's movement. The feminism is mainly different from what women have fought for equality gender as surely their aim is to dominate and create the "change" being normalised and extremely radicalism, like allowing women to be a pastor at a church, lead a church, and trying to make Christianity looks "friendly" for girls. Lord have mercy.

St. Nina the Preacher

Orthodox Church has been canonized holiness female saints in its history, like St. Nina the Preacher, St. Olga of Alaska (priest's wife), St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, St. Helen the Mother of Constantine the Great, and other greatest and holiness female saints. My favourite female saint is St. Nina the Preacher because she was the greatest and most influencer preacher, even she was considered the most honourable female preacher in Georgia where she preached and died. She had a vision of Mary the Theotokos which she gave a Grapevines cross and urged her to preach the gospel. She wake up and surprised on a cross, then begin preaching nearby until Georgia, which the country that she made Georgians to become Christians. She is called Equal-to-the-Apostles because she preached in Georgia. 

St. Nina shows that women can preach but it should be based on her capacity, like if she is a nun, she can preach based on what's she doing as a nun, if she's a theology lecturer, she can preach based on her job as a theology lecturer, etc. However, she isn't still allowed to be a priest or lead a church, as traditions based - men roles to lead a church and be an ordained priest by bishops, which St. Paul writing in 1 Timothy 2: 11-12 and history says that all-bishop of five old churches in the first century was male. I love St. Nina because she was the most honourable preacher. She definitely had a courage, genius, true love, compassion, obedient, and was like Mary the Theotokos, she also became the female role models for female Georgians which proud of.  

Then, talking about modesty and veiling, the Bible that saying in Deuteronomy 22: 5 and 1 Corinthians 11: 2-16. God created male and female different but He wants us to work together in different roles. Having different roles that doesn't mean that we are inequality or who should dominate, but we are supposed to working together to make the world and community better. God doesn't want us to exchange God's roles that has been created for us, in the name of modernism. Yes, women can work, but she remains different from men and she must work together with men. She can live alone and independent but she would need to work with men even though she's celibate like nuns as well as men would need to work with women. There's no dominance based gender, we are working together as reaching God's aim on this earth. 

Female veiling, that will be always on a women's decision, whether she wants to veil or not. This scripture and the Fathers Spiritual press on "honour" instead of "obligation" like other religions. God wants women to honour herself, God, and husband if she's married while attending at a church or praying at a home. But, she can take off covering head up when she is outside or isn't praying. So, she has own decision to cover her hair up or not. A veiled woman is the great example for girls and church community because she's respected and she wants to honour Christ in herself, also her body. But, again, men, even husbands cannot control her decisions at a church. She can attend the church uncovering her hair up. She has own right to protect her body and choose dresses in whatever she wants to. But, Christ, thing to dress modesty including covering hair up is about honour of herself, God, and husband if she's married. A husband or men can lead women in the right pathway unless she will listen or not - we cannot force and we have to respect their decisions. So, we should pray for them so they can decide the best for themselves, that she won't regret at all and she is happy with her decisions. God will lead women in the right pathway.

However, in the ancient, female was expected to all time veiling, not just at a church, based on St. John Chrysostom who lived in the five century under Patriarch of Constantinople commented on St. Paul to Corinthians (source: orthodoxethos), that's something like hidden things that we do not know or never educated anywhere as the first and foremost, we have never been taught and we only know Western Christianity which is mainly different from Eastern Christianity. Nuns, all-black-covered who are committed to celibate in Orthodoxy, to describe how female over those times veiling all time in public. But, we are in now modern era, we don't have that such obligation, only being some restrictions of attending a church, is expected to cover hair up. 

We see Mary, the greatest mother of Christians who veiled in the whole of life. Mary is the only female role model for girls over the world. She was the mother of Jesus and was the first people to follow Jesus and became a Christian. She visited Jesus' tomb about three days in a row and she became the first person witness Jesus' resurrection where He asked her to announce with the Apostles that He is risen. A holy Mary, the entire of life spent praying until the Holy Mother fallen asleep, then rose up to heaven which she promised in front of Apostles that she will be praying from there, all her life. She loves praying and taking care herself. A good woman who loves praying like Mary. Looking if she is like Mary, she is going to be a prayer in the entire of her life and going to be holiness. She loves praying, loves God, and loyalty to kids, husband, family, house, church, and community. If you pray to find a future wife, see if she's like Mary who loves praying and having a good relationship with God. So, always important to pray for girls and female over the world because we have restrictions of knowledge or how to treat women better without God's teaching us. God's leading us, that will work better of course because within God's guidance, everything is blessed and making us happy. We cannot imagine that how can we don't rely on God. 

So, I am an Orthodox man and I do agree about veiling because there are three reasons here:

1. This is St. Paul writing to Corinthians on veiling for women as mentioned "honour" of herself, God, and husband if she is married.
2. Mary is the example for girls over the world because she veiled all-time in the whole of her life. Girls need Mary as female role models like boys need Jesus as male role models.
3. We have to keep living in traditional, thinking conservative, dressing in modesty, and rejecting in the name of modernism, progressive, or liberalism.

But, again, that's a women's decision, not me. I am totally okay when my future wife doesn't want to cover her hair up when attending a church. We have to respect them and we can encourage them in making a better decision and staying to live a Christ's life. We love them like God loves them. That's very important for us to pray, love, lead, encourage, and stay to live a Christ's life.

So, let's pray for girls and female over the world!