I praise you because you remember all my instructions, and you hold on to the traditions exactly as I handed them on to you. Now I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered shames his head. Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head. It is the same thing as having her head shaved. If a woman doesn’t cover her head, then she should have her hair cut off. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have short hair or to be shaved, then she should keep her head covered. A man shouldn’t have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is man’s glory. Man didn’t have his origin from woman, but woman from man; and man wasn’t created for the sake of the woman, but the woman for the sake of the man. Because of this a woman should have authority over her head, because of the angels. However, woman isn’t independent from man, and man isn’t independent from woman in the Lord. As woman came from man so also man comes from woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it appropriate for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him; but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? This is because her long hair is given to her for a covering. But if someone wants to argue about this, we don’t have such a custom, nor do God’s churches. (1 Corinthians 11:2-16, CEB)
This passage subjugates women to men. Or is this because of Giants? Paul writes, “Because of this a woman should have authority over her head, because of the angels.” The angels supposedly saw human women and mated with them and that produced giants. (Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:32–33)
But the last sentence of the section confuses me. Paul says man has his origin from God and woman has her origin from man and men should not cover their heads or have long hair and women shouldn’t have their heads uncovered and have long hair. These things bring glory to the person and to God, but then Paul writes, “But if someone wants to argue about this, we don’t have such a custom, nor do God’s churches.” We do not have such customs nor do God’s churches or people. So which is it, women have long hair and men don’t and men don’t cover their heads and women do, or it doesn’t matter?
We need to read all of this through the full lens of love in the whole of scripture and see that all people are created and loved by God to be who God created them to be.
Do not conform to society, but be who God created you to be.
That is and should always be our custom.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 