strapless dresses

[gb93433]

For ladies: tight enough to know you are a woman and loose enough to know you are a lady.

For men: tight enough to know you are a man and loose enough to know you are a gentleman.

Modesty at all times in public.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Are strapless dresses ok for Christians? I'm talking about prom or wedding dresses that sufficiently cover the torso (no plunging necklines) and come down to the knees or below. A simple yes or no will work--I just want to know how the majority of Baptists feel about it.

I'm generally against them for men, but for women, it depends on the dress. If my daughters wanted to wear one, I would defer to my wife's judgment.

 

[corndogggy]

For men: tight enough to know you are a man and loose enough to know you are a gentleman.

Err.... makes no sense.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Err.... makes no sense.

Think "your reaction to seeing a young woman."

 

[corndogggy]

Is it a kilt made for a man or for a woman? If it's MADE for a man, then it's a man's.

A kilt is just a plaid skirt. There's no special differences other than historically a kilt is made of wool and is slightly longer than a typical skirt, both of which skirts can be too while still being a skirt. It's the same thing.

 

[corndogggy]

Years ago one of our local churches began a women's volley ball team. The only restriction was that all the women had to wear dresses. The team never materialized.

I saw some Pentecostals swimming in dresses once. Very strange.

 

[corndogggy]

You know what is/is not male or female clothing.

You go in a store and it has Men's clothes and Women's clothes. The line has already been drawn. Men wear the clothes made for men and women wear the clothes made for women.

So if there is a yellow poncho for women and black poncho for men, it is a sin for men to wear yellow? :thumbsup:

Is wearing flip-flops a sin? I mean it's the same exact thing for men and women.

MANY men up north, even police officers, wear women's panty hose for warmth, due to needing a thin layer of insulation that won't hamper movement. Is that a sin?

A woman wearing one of her man's shirts is one of the rites of passage that all red blooded American men ought to experience. So this is a sin?

Up until very recently, any kind of extreme or even not so extreme sport often had women having to buy mens gear due to not much being available for women. Even once it was available, all that was changed was that you got some choices in colors, like pink or white. Were they sinning until they could buy the stuff in pink?

Rubber hunting boots are nearly always marketed towards men, there are no pink duck hunting boots and you won't find many in the womens area. Is it a sin for a woman to go duck hunting in these boots?

 

[Zaac]

So if there is a yellow poncho for women and black poncho for men, it is a sin for men to wear yellow? :thumbsup:

Are ponchos not made for men and women?

Is wearing flip-flops a sin? I mean it's the same exact thing for men and women.

Are flip flops not made for men and women?

MANY men up north, even police officers, wear women's panty hose for warmth, due to needing a thin layer of insulation that won't hamper movement. Is that a sin?

Are they wearing them to act effeminate? There's simply a difference between wearing stuff for practical reasons as opposed to donning it to try to act like the opposite sex.

A woman wearing one of her man's shirts is one of the rites of passage that all red blooded American men ought to experience. So this is a sin?

If it's her HUSBAND and she's wearing it at home, go for it. And it's only a rite of passage that needs to be experienced with MARRIED people.:thumbsup:

Up until very recently, any kind of extreme or even not so extreme sport often had women having to buy mens gear due to not much being available for women. Even once it was available, all that was changed was that you got some choices in colors, like pink or white. Were they sinning until they could buy the stuff in pink?

Were they trying to act like men by wearing it or were they wearing the available gear to play the sport?

Rubber hunting boots are nearly always marketed towards men, there are no pink duck hunting boots and you won't find many in the womens area. Is it a sin for a woman to go duck hunting in these boots?

Is she trying to act like a man by wearing the boots?

Honestly, you already know the answer to these.:laugh:

Men's clothes are for men. Women's clothes are for women. Neither should be worn by the opposite sex to make them be portrayed as the gender they weren't born to be.

 

[Zaac]

A kilt is just a plaid skirt. There's no special differences other than historically a kilt is made of wool and is slightly longer than a typical skirt, both of which skirts can be too while still being a skirt. It's the same thing.

Is the kilt being worn for the man to act like a man or as a woman?

 

[Zaac]

I'm generally against them for men, but for women, it depends on the dress. If my daughters wanted to wear one, I would defer to my wife's judgment.

See this is one of the major areas that I believe fathers have failed to lead. You are the head of the household, not your wife.

God holds YOU responsible for your family.

Your wife should only be affirming what you say. You know how a man's mind works. Your wife doesn't.

 

[corndogggy]

Are they wearing them to act effeminate? There's simply a difference between wearing stuff for practical reasons as opposed to donning it to try to act like the opposite sex.

This wasn't your original argument, you're changing the logic now that you have examples of when it isn't cut and dry where men only go to the mens side of the store and vice versa. Now all that has been thrown out the window and its all in how you act, no?

Were they trying to act like men by wearing it or were they wearing the available gear to play the sport?

I mean really, is there even a difference? By playing a mans sport with a mans equipment, by definition are they not acting like a man?

 

[corndogggy]

See this is one of the major areas that I believe fathers have failed to lead. You are the head of the household, not your wife.

God holds YOU responsible for your family.

Your wife should only be affirming what you say. You know how a man's mind works. Your wife doesn't.

To be honest, a mans mind can lust over any halfway decent looking woman wearing anything less than a full burqa. These questions are much more about current societal norms than whether things like the absence of a couple of skinny little straps will cross the line and turn your precious little snowflake into an object of lust for every man within viewing distance. Believe it or not, mothers are typically much more in tune with what is considered acceptable. I have two daughters and my wife will complain in private about what some of their friends are wearing when I wouldn't think anything of it. Yes, women are actually better at some things than men.

 

[padredurand]

You know how a man's mind works. Your wife doesn't.

This is my objection to the whole conversation. How, exactly, does a man's mind work? You would think by your comments that all men see a woman and, based on her wardrobe, automatically turns to lustful thoughts. I give you ten points for methane production. You can infer what you may from that but I don't believe you.

I support my family by working outside the church. I work for a regional hospital and believe I have one of the best jobs a person could have. My principle responsibility is to drive a 42 foot mobile medical coach. Guess what we do on that mobile medical coach? Mammograms. Yep. 20 a day for five days a week. I don't do the actual exam but when I'm not driving I register patients and escort them down the hall to the changing room.

We do our best to keep the changing area unseen through the use of both a curtain and a solid door but in the average week I get to see at least 50 women in various stages of dress. Mammo gowns are not what you would call modest. The back are open and the women folk wear nothing beneath them but what they were born with.

A man has to make choices about where his mind is. If a man chooses to objectify women to the point a man can't see a shoulder without thinking about seeing the rest of it unwrapped he's got a serious problem. I dare say it is a sick, twisted, perverted mind.

A Christian man ought to be able to view any woman as a person of divine worth. She's somebody's wife, daughter, mother or sister. She is a precious being Jesus found worth dying for. She has intellect, emotions, troubles and joys. She lives a life as complex as any of ours. Often, when I see them at work, they are afraid. They are afraid of us finding something, they are afraid of the compression from the machine. They are afraid of the vulneability of being partially clad in a bus full of strangers.

A predator would find this to be an opportunity for fulfilling his voyeuristic behavior. I am convinced that the venue doesn't matter. Weak minded men will be stirred to lust if a woman was wrapped in burlap from head to toe.

I'm not buying the message that women should over dress because men can't control their libidos. No, sir. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Use it sometime.

 

[InTheLight]

Yes! Padre, you hit it out of the park, city, and state!

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

I was gonna say this earlier, and should have, because now I just look like I'm parroting ITL. But this whole thread reminds me of how the Taliban make their women walk around in tents with the flaps closed.

 

[corndogggy]

I was gonna say this earlier, and should have, because now I just look like I'm parroting ITL. But this whole thread reminds me of how the Taliban make their women walk around in tents with the flaps closed.

Probably because somebody mentioned burqa several times? :thumbsup:

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Probably because somebody mentioned burqa several times? :thumbsup:

Guess I missed that. Oh well ...

 

[Tom Butler]

Strapless evening gowns are not a problem for me. Gownless evening straps, on the other hand.......

 

[JamesL]

I think most here are envisioning that strapless dress only on a slim, fit, young, beautiful girl

What I mean is that some seem to think that the gown is automatically going to induce lust in the eyes of every boy in town. But that's not at all the case. If she's 150 pounds overweight, most boys would rather see her in an Eskimo coat

I can tell you - if that girl isn't physically attractive to begin with, there isn't a gown, swimsuit, or anything else that'll make boys drool over her

But if she's a knockout, she'll make boys drool even if she's wearing a pair of coveralls

 

[Zaac]

This is my objection to the whole conversation. How, exactly, does a man's mind work? You would think by your comments that all men see a woman and, based on her wardrobe, automatically turns to lustful thoughts. I give you ten points for methane production. You can infer what you may from that but I don't believe you.

I didn't ask you to believe it. Most of the folks who disagree struggle with the lust and just pretend like they don't.

I support my family by working outside the church. I work for a regional hospital and believe I have one of the best jobs a person could have. My principle responsibility is to drive a 42 foot mobile medical coach. Guess what we do on that mobile medical coach? Mammograms. Yep. 20 a day for five days a week. I don't do the actual exam but when I'm not driving I register patients and escort them down the hall to the changing room.

We do our best to keep the changing area unseen through the use of both a curtain and a solid door but in the average week I get to see at least 50 women in various stages of dress. Mammo gowns are not what you would call modest. The back are open and the women folk wear nothing beneath them but what they were born with.

A man has to make choices about where his mind is. If a man chooses to objectify women to the point a man can't see a shoulder without thinking about seeing the rest of it unwrapped he's got a serious problem. I dare say it is a sick, twisted, perverted mind.

A Christian man ought to be able to view any woman as a person of divine worth. She's somebody's wife, daughter, mother or sister. She is a precious being Jesus found worth dying for. She has intellect, emotions, troubles and joys. She lives a life as complex as any of ours. Often, when I see them at work, they are afraid. They are afraid of us finding something, they are afraid of the compression from the machine. They are afraid of the vulneability of being partially clad in a bus full of strangers.

A predator would find this to be an opportunity for fulfilling his voyeuristic behavior. I am convinced that the venue doesn't matter. Weak minded men will be stirred to lust if a woman was wrapped in burlap from head to toe.

I'm not buying the message that women should over dress because men can't control their libidos. No, sir. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Use it sometime.[/QUOTE]


You don't have to buy it. Just keep pretending like it isn't a problem and the folks will keep getting sent to treatment centers.

AWARENESS – LUST, A HIDDEN PANDEMICThe Church/Porn Connection

By the time a person reaches 21 years of age, Barna’s research estimates they will have viewed more than 2,000 hours, on average, of pornographic images that reduce the dignity and value of human life. (Barna, 2010, Media Exposure, Addiction). There is no distinction between Christian and non-Christian, except that it is something Christians are loathed to admit.

Unlike drug or alcohol addictions, which have obvious physical evidence and consequences, a person addicted to lust can appear to be “all together”. What makes lust much more powerful and insidious than other addictions is that lust consumes through the eyes and creates a “hit” through the thoughts. Like other addictive agents, lust causes a drunk-like state resulting in disconnection from self, God and others.

In 2003, Charles R. Swindoll wrote in An Open Letter Concerning the #1 Secret Problem In Your Church, ‘Our church is in significant trouble….This trouble concerns a severe disease that is eating away at our congregations, perhaps even some of our own leadership, from the inside out….The problem is pornography.’

It is difficult to identify any response to Swindoll’s observation because very few talk about the issue of lust, and it is this lack of openness that enables the problem to persist.

Lust is like a plague that has broken out around the world. It affects men and women, young and old, both Christian and non-Christian alike. The church is not immune.

All forms of technology promote sexual images. It is everywhere: T.V., magazines, internet, billboards, mobile phones, iPads, and, in people’s thoughts. It is unavoidable and relentless. While technology brings positive change in the way we communicate, it has a downside: anonymity and easy access to an endless supply of pornography. This makes everyone, particularly young people, extremely vulnerable.

Yesterday’s lust does not satisfy today’s appetite. A person struggling with lust will always find at some point their lust will want more and different. It is not uncommon for a person to feel disgusted at the sight of certain kinds of pornography and say ‘I will never look at that or do that’ but then find they engage in it at some stage.

In order for a person to maintain the illusion that they are still in control of their lust, they try to create a new invisible line they vow never to cross, only to find themselves pulled across this line. Almost seemingly against their will they find themselves hopelessly enslaved to lust.

Crossing ‘the line’ often contradicts a person’s values, morals and spiritual beliefs, causing intense shame and guilt that pulls them further into themselves, and leaves them further exposed and vulnerable to lust temptation.

Because the male brain, in particular, is wired “visually”, pornography is incredibly powerful. Some find themselves hooked from the very first pornographic image they see.

A person addicted to lust loses power to say no. They become powerless over what the image does to their thinking, emotions, and self-esteem. Left to their own devices, they continue to progress into more destructive forms of lust and “acting out”, leading to ever worsening consequences. They may be able to stop for a period of time in their own strength; however, the mental obsession to lust will eventually win. Once a person opens themselves to that ‘one’ lust image, it sets off an unstoppable craving for more that has to be satisfied, sometimes leading to hours and hours in front of the computer looking for the perfect image.

Unfortunately, some Christian teaching adds to the problem. Scriptures like ‘we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’ (Rom 8:37) and ‘forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead’ (Phil 3:13), are used as “faith” statements to cover up or deny the behaviour and guilt, as though it did not exist. This results in the underlying issues of the addiction remaining unresolved, and leaving the person a target for the next image that eventually comes along with further destruction.
http://www.lifebuilders.org.au/2010/07/the-churchporn-connection/