Why cover your head?

danddolo said:

there may be christian virtue to be found in those women! they are chaste after all. perhaps they will be less harshly judged on the final day, even though they didnt believe in god or christ? just a thought.

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Yeah, who knows. If everything was clear we wouldn't have this fun forum.

David1967 said:

OK, since we are (some anyway) speculating. I once heard (cant remember where) that the reason for women covering their heads went back to Genesis chapter 6 concerning the sons of God making marriage and babies who became giants with human women. The head covering meant to hide their beauty from any randy angels who may want to relive the old Genesis 6 days before the flood. Don't know if there is any truth to that. Has anyone here ever heard of this?

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The NT does mention about covering that it is also because of the angles or similar. But that can also mean men.

Theweirdtophat said:

I always thought it was used to identify adherents easier. But it seems to be kind of a middle eastern and Asian kind of thing for one to cover their head.

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Lots of people wear hats. I think the pope and cardinals have those tall stove pipe hats.

Since I'm follically-challenged and Jewish, I wear a hat a lot.

Well it's not just that lots of people wear hats, but that their religion requires covering your head or at least encouraging it. I just don't know why it was popular in the middle east and asia.

Theweirdtophat said:

I hear religions like Judaism, Sikhism, Islam and even Zoroastrianism require people to cover their heads. But why? Why is it important for one to cover their head? Who came up with the idea and when did it start?

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Back in the ancient times, when you were starting a new religion, it was customary to write a whole bunch of random things on pieces of paper and toss them into a hat. Then the religion's founders would take turns drawing a paper from the hat and whatever was written upon it was arbitrarily forbidden.

David1967 said:

OK, since we are (some anyway) speculating. I once heard (cant remember where) that the reason for women covering their heads went back to Genesis chapter 6 concerning the sons of God making marriage and babies who became giants with human women. The head covering meant to hide their beauty from any randy angels who may want to relive the old Genesis 6 days before the flood. Don't know if there is any truth to that. Has anyone here ever heard of this?

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To be honest, I don't know when it became a thing, but I know that Jewish women covering their hair is alluded to at the Trial of the Suspected Adultress, when the Cohen unbinds the woman's hair, as part of the trial of humiliation (in the hopes that she would either confess or simply give up).

On a positive note, there is a passage from Solomon's "Song of Songs" that list many physical attributes of a woman. Since it was mentioned, it became part of Jewish law (or, perhaps Jewish law was already there, and the hint from Song of Songs just highlighted how) Jewish women should cover up certain things so that she can use them to excite her husband. These things include her hair (although this only pertains to married women, for some reason), her upper arms, her thighs, her breasts, and interestingly enough, her singing voice. (The last one never sat well with me, as I love to sing and am good at it.)

But again, it's not to HIDE her, and it isn't about SHAME. It's about acknowledging her beauty, and praising her modesty.

I've read that is signifies a few things, some being modesty, reverence, and unity.

Father Heathen said:

Back in the ancient times, when you were starting a new religion, it was customary to write a whole bunch of random things on pieces of paper and toss them into a hat. Then the religion's founders would take turns drawing a paper from the hat and whatever was written upon it was arbitrarily forbidden.

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For real? That's not very encouraging .

Baha'is don't have a strict form of head coverings.. For some of us to remove our hat shows respect during prayer...for others covering the head is showing respect..

I found this reference today:

There are so many ways to show respect to the Faith: some wear long sleeves, head coverings, veils, kneeling, standing and many methods of display. He does not want to set ritual, but pray in the way your heart tells you. This is respect for the Faith. The Persians all prostrate themselves when entering the Shrines and are revoked that the Westerner doesn't. The Guardian says 'that if they are offended, that is good.' In that way they can develop their own spirituality. He doesn't want the Persians to think that this is a Persian Faith.

(David's Collection, Beasley's Pilgrims' Notes)

In the almost immortal words of that Fiddler on the roof ....
Tradition

At times at work the Kippah and Tzitzit attract whispered comment and
or strange looks ... At the hospital where i work.

I think identification of us compared to them is entirely the reason...cool, fancy, mystical meanings and stuff added on or not....it's just a uniform item.

Theweirdtophat said:

Well it's not just that lots of people wear hats, but that their religion requires covering your head or at least encouraging it. I just don't know why it was popular in the middle east and asia.

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It originally was probably just for practical reasons, such as protecting your skin from the harsh sun and wind in the desert (for example, the Bedouins, where both the men and women cover themselves up for functional reasons). Then religions came along and tacked arbitrary reasons onto it.

Theweirdtophat said:

I hear religions like Judaism, Sikhism, Islam and even Zoroastrianism require people to cover their heads. But why? Why is it important for one to cover their head? Who came up with the idea and when did it start?

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It's due to taking texts literally, and an exoteric religious tradition, and literal guys compulsive lower nature to want/have any sort of dominion or control over literal woman.

Literal man and literal woman. The woman wears a covering/veil to show she's married or in subjection to man.

But in texts, man is referring to ones conscious mind, and woman the subconscious mind. When the subconscious mind is covered/veiled.. It is under subjection to the conscious mind. Every gender has an internal man and a woman....conscious mind and subconscious mind.
Husbands loving their wives would be ones conscious mind nurturing their subconscious mind. The conscious mind does have control over the subconscious mind. Whatever ones conscious mind is dwelling upon, positive or negative..it will impregnate the subconscious mind with.

Robert.Evans said:

The NT does mention about covering that it is also because of the angles or similar. But that can also mean men.

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One has 12 angels within their heaven (conscious brain) or 12 cranial nerves that are light/energy bringers.

The man(conscious mind) controls the woman(subconscious mind). But going beyond the mind, ahead of the conscious and subconscious mind is a power/energy/spirit within.

danddolo said:

there may be christian virtue to be found in those women! they are chaste after all. perhaps they will be less harshly judged on the final day, even though they didnt believe in god or christ? just a thought.

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Yes, a woman(subconscious mind) full of virtue, wisdom, and purity.