Boazy: "It's more the domain of the older Bretho's.. but.. that does not mean I don't see it as an ideal to work towards."

Boazy, you seem to be wriggling here - I'm asking you to explain why it is that it is "an ideal to work towards" for women to cover their hair while it is not one for men. Please just answer the question in your own words without fobbing us off to some bible website.

Also - I live on a farm, and am therefore very familiar with the joys of barbed wire and chainsaws... not to mention the odd glass of red :) However, in my case my partner and I work pretty well equally both indoors and outdoors, and in our business. Now that you mention a glass of red, I actually just stocked up with a mixed dozen from one of our local wineries, and we've just cracked a bottle of 2005 'Black Duck' Shiraz. Cheers!

Do answer the question Boazy - I'm genuinely interested in why it is that you think women should "ideally" cover their hair at prayer meetings, and how that is essentially different from the Muslim "ideal" of the hijab.

I always find the division of work according to gender quite amusing, living alone as I do on a semi-rural property. All basic chores are done by myself; from repairing a leak in the roof, changing fuses, brush-cutting and more, as well as the indoor work, which I always procrastinate over as I would rather spend the day pruning and weeding than washing dishes.

And somewhere along the way, I forgot to have children. So I have to 'fess up that I failed at both domestic slavery and breeding. Interesting that no-one I know have any problems with this, however, I probably have broken a variety of religious laws; like not wearing head-covering on the rare occasion I have been in church, indulging in fornication before, outside of and after marriage, using god's name in vain .... so many sins, too little time. Must go clear out that guttering now that the last leaves have fallen...

Fractelle, wonderfully said. I've got a grin from ear to ear.

R0bert

Oooo er, R0bert, I forgot to add how much pleasure I get from seeing a man with a big smile on his face...

I don't understand all this covering of the hair on your head in church. The covering of pubic hair I can understand.

Surely God having made Adam and Eve is not going to be shocked by the sight of either. After all he designed the hairy parts himself.

Hmmm...quite a bit to work with here...but all of it great.

CJ.. sorry, I'll try to be more focused this time. Didn't realize your question was expecting such a narrow response.

1/ Why not men cover their hair? This get's a bit 'doctrinal' so I'll give you the scripture.

1 Corinthians 11:1-16
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=53&chapter=11&version=31

I recommend you read all the relevant bits, its only 16 verses.
You might like also, to compare the way I've "cherry picked" partial verses below :) to give a "Hyper Paternatlistic/Man centered/Male domination" perspective of the Faith. But in fairness, you might also benefit from reading the 'rest' of each verse, and see how the 'balance' occurs.

But on the head covering, you can see from the text what it's based on, and it's self explanitory. In all honesty, this is an area which we should approach with humilty and sensitivity. For us, its about obeying God, not dominating women. This same logic is used by Muslim women at times, when they defend the Hijab or.. even the verse about husbands being able to 'beat' their wives. I find that abhorrent myself, and can only trust in peoples powers of reason and balance to see that such a thing (beating wives) has no place whatsoever in the Christian life. (oops..is that Pericles I see poking his head around the corner? "But what about daughters" ? :)

PAULisms...

The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband.(1Cor7:4)

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.(1Cor11:7)

neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. (1Cor11:9)

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man. (1Cor11:11)

Sounds a bit like Yemen eh Vanilla?

Before the blokes get too excited, each of those 'verses' should be read in their completeness (i.e...including the bits I left out) so.. you would need to access Bible gateway to check em.
Ch7 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=53&chapter=7&version=31
Ch 11 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=53&chapter=11&version=31