Religion and Men’s/Women’s Coverings?

Richard Hollerman

If you have kept your eyes open as you circulate among people—in the marketplace, in school, in the business world, or in the religious world—you will notice that there are a variety of differences between various kinds of people and various churches. Different religions hold to different views.

People wear headwear or hats for many reasons. Some wear a covering on their head for protection, others do this to keep their hair contained, while others do this merely for decoration or fashion. Some people do this for medical purposes, others for modesty reasons, and others to make some distinction (such as a badge or office), and still others as part of a uniform for sports. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headgear# Religious_significance)

Here, however, we are particularly interested in religious reasons for headgear In an article explaining head coverings or hats, we find the following (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headgear#Religious_significance):

In Judaism, men cover their heads out of reverence for GodJewish religious headgear for men include small cloth skull-caps, called kippahs or yarmulkes. Some men wear them at all times, others in the synagogue. In Orthodox and Hasidic Judaism, the kippah may also be additionally covered by hats such as fedoras or shtreimels. Traditional married Jewish women cover their hair in various ways, such as with headscarfs, called tichelssnoods, or wigs, called sheitels according to the principles and halacha of tzniut.

The article continues:

Similar to the yarmulke is the zucchetto worn by Roman Catholic clergy. Other forms of apostolic headgear include the mitrebiretta, tasselled cardinal’s hat, and the papal tiaraOrthodox Christian clergy and monastics often wear a skufia, a kamilavkion, or a klobuk. See also the fez (clothing). The term red hat, when used within the Roman Catholic Church, refers to the appointment of a Cardinal, a senior Prince of the Church, who is a member of the electoral college that chooses the Pope. On being appointed to the cardinalate, he is said to have received the red hat, or cardinal’s biretta. Traditionally Christian women were required to wear a headscarf while in Church, however this custom has been in decline since the 1900s and is only followed by women of certain denominations and cultures. (Ibid)

The article also has::

Male Sikhs are required to wear turbans. Some Sikh women also wear a turban however it is not a requirement for female Sikhs. Turbans are also worn by Muslims especially among Shia Muslims, who regard turban-wearing as Sunnah Mu’akkadah (confirmed tradition).[5]

Notice also:

In Islam, the Hijab, or headscarf, is worn by women because it is considered modest. Muslim men also wear a skullcap called a “kufi” or taqiyah (cap). Until more recent times, men in most Muslim societies were rarely seen without headdress of some sort. The doppa originating in the Caucasus is worn by Kazan TatarsUzbeks and Uyghurs. Conservative Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia, especially in the rural areas, are often seen wearing a thin kopiah.

We can see that these head covering practices broaden our understanding of the religious aspect. What about the Zoroastrian religion?

The black satin headgear called or known as fenta or topi is a pillbox-shaped skullcap, worn by Zoroastrians. It is considered by some in the Zoroastrian religion to be of vital spiritual importance. In earlier times, a saucer-shaped, red-and-white-striped kipah was the hallmark of the Zoroastrian.

Notice also this comment on Buddhist practices:

Buddhist priests in China wear the bao-tzu (more commonly known as the mao-tzu, 帽子 Mandarin màozi), the classic skullcap that is the most like the Jewish tradition. In Japan, the cap is more in the form of a pillbox and is called the boshi (帽子). Though not of ecclesiastical significance, the Buddhist skullcap does denote something about the priest’s standing in the community.

From this brief treatment of head coverings or head gear we learn that various religions have varied practices. This would be true of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Judaism. Each of these religions and many more have reasons for their practice of the head covering. Some pertain to males and some pertain to females. Sometimes both male and females in various religions require the wearing of some kind of head covering.

In contrast to some of these practices, Biblical Christianity has its own practices although this may differ from that which may be found in groups and people who claim to be Christians regardless of what the Bible says.  Thus there are many who claim to be Christians who do not adhere to Biblical instructions regarding some sort of covering.

So what does the Bible say? In New Testament times (the first century), we find that women wore their hair long (Luke 7:36-44; John 12:3). Paul the apostle also says that “nature” teaches that a woman is to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:13-16).  A man, in contrast, is not to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14-15). Further, according to this writer, God is saying that a man must not pray to God with covered head and a woman is to pray to God with a covered head (vv. 3-16).

What does this mean in regard to the purpose of this short article on head coverings or head gear? Christian men must not cover their head/hair when they pray to God, whereas Christian women must not fail to cover their head/hair when they pray (1 Corinthians 11:3-12).

But someone may object, “Wait a minute! Are you saying that Jewish men to cover their heads are in the wrong? And that Muslim men are in the wrong?  Yes, they are. If God in Scripture says that the Christian man must not cover their heads while praying or prophesying and Islam says that men must wear a covering, we know that God is correct. Further, if Scripture says that Christian men must not cover their heads while praying but Jewish men wear kippahs or yarmulkes, we know that the Jewish practice must be wrong!

What we have observed in regard to Judaism or Islam and men praying, could also be stated in regard to nearly every religion of the world. Most of them violate Scriptural directives in regard to head coverings. The practice of women would also be different, especially in regard to women’s hair styles.

Isn’t it amazing when we think about this? We would suspect that the world (including the religious world) would violate God’s will regarding the hair and with regard to head coverings. And this is just what we find.

What will you and I do? Will we follow the passing trends of society—or will we follow the ways of God? Will we submit ourselves to the world around us—or will we seek for answers from the Word of God? Let’s determine to discover the mind of God by going to the Word of God. This is the only way!