Modesty

OK, so I just copied the title of a post from teampyro.blogspot.com. But I admitted it! Here's the original post, and if you want to have some interesting reading, check it out

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2007/05/modesty.html

I managed to throw in a few words. When I attempted to comment again, my scintillating and insightful...insights...were lost to the blogging world. I'm pretty sure that it's just my computer or me, messing it up again. I gotta figure out where those comments are going. Maybe you have never had the experience of a brilliant yet humble, gentle but unyielding, stern but gentle reflection upon the human condition get eaten by blogger. Well, it's tragic.

I've combed through many posts about modesty. Some, controversial (SEE ABOVE) and some on those pink and purple blogs that Christian women seem to feel obligated to use. I'm serious. What is with that hideous pink that Moms always seem to use? You're hurting my eyes. Oh, and those are never controversial.

There are many assumptions made in people who want to see modesty. For the sake of clarity, let me define what modesty actually means in most posts. (And I'm not simply talking about teampyro's post, which has certainly received a busy pummeling)

"Modesty/Modest: Clothing that meets fuzzy cultural or subjective standards of conservative, good girlness. Modesty is a virtue most needed by women, who arouse lust in men by their inappropriate clothing, or lack thereof. Men just need a side note about modesty, and certainly not an entire blog post. Men, however, do get lectures (and sometimes very good ones) about lust. Modesty is a lost virtue that, if regained, would help to restore this sex-crazed society or at least help curb whole sale lusting. I'm talking to you, young lady!"

It is my contention, however, that most arguments or pink and purple blog posts about modesty are busily hacking the weed off---at ground level. Modesty is EASY to make rules about. It's EASY to make fun of the 'dumb girl' who doesn't realize that her hot bod is doing to the guy across the aisle, it's EASY to make fun of the parents who froth at the mouth when anyone gently suggests that it might be a good idea if Lil Honey didn't wear jeans with JUICY across her bottom.

It is NOT EASY to face the root of it. It's not hard to challenge a society that glorifies porn, that turns women into separate body parts, that tells you that you have failed, as a women, if you are not sexy and desirable. That's why you can see unattractive heroes, but never (almost) unattractive heroines in the movies. Because no one can love an ugly women---a woman is defined by her looks.

So when Helen in her JUICY pants walks down the aisle to sit next to her friends, your first thought is not "Who told her that she needed to be juicy?" your first thought is "Wow---she IS!" Or the girl in the short shorts and the flimsy top is now just long legs and breasts. Women aren't people. They are simply a collection of gratifying lust objects.

This root causes lust in places like Saudi Arabia. If guys mentally undress immodest women, than the guys there just have to take a little bit longer. I'm serious. No amount of clothing stops lust. Maybe it stops some of the fleeting thoughts that cause some people so much guilt---they get obsessive over it, when they should recognize biological realities and simply say "I'm a human, and they are humans, too, not just there to please me"---but it sure doesn't stop lust.

Lust is not stopped by clothing. Lust does not come from someone other than yourself. Immodesty (according to your culture) can help feed your lust, but it does not create it. Immodesty does not create lust. LUST, and a fallen society, create immodesty. Lust flourishes the world over, it does not matter what the women or the men wear.

Then why is everyone so worried about modesty, if lust can and does flourish no matter what?

Because it is easy. Our human minds don't like to let other people choose so freely, we want to be able to set up rules, it's fun and self gratifying to make fun of people who don't meet those rules or standards. It's easy to blame someone else who forced you to sin, because all pity is immediately transferred to you. Adam started it, and it's been a long and 'glorious' tradition ever since.

It is not easy to confront a corrupt culture. It is not easy to realize that we must

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:11-12 TNIV)

Immodesty, culturally bound as it is, is not the enemy. Satan probably enjoys the in-fighting, the bickering, the skirt measuring, the mental standards that we measure other people with. Meanwhile, he is busy telling us that he is not the enemy... the women are. Lust is not the enemy...immodest (women/men) are...lust doesn't create immodesty or porn...immodesty and porn create lust...if you just got modesty right, all your problems would go away. Once you find the perfect standard, once you find the perfect, fulfilling wife/husband, once you put on the right clothing--you will win.

But lust is the enemy. Lust does create porn. People do have wonderful spouses, and they still struggle with lust. People have created 'perfect' standards, and they've found that the enemy isn't without...it's within.

I can and am irritated by the various other problems with many modesty arguments and mistakes (Women aren't really tempted visually, and if they are, it's just weirder and a recent phenomena produced by a wicked society, all immodest women are flaunting their bodies to seek affirmation, not sex, all immodest women want you to notice their awesome body, women should be more concerned with modesty than men should, women need to be more modest and careful, women create sin with their bodies, blah, blah)

But I didn't devote my blog post to that. Because once we recognize the real enemy, we can fight it.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Eph 6:10)