Thoughtful post on modesty:
Looks like the topic of the day in LDS X-land is modesty. Why not? 
When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, they were endowed with necessary shame for their n*kedness, and God gave them animal sk*n to dress themselves. Everyone who knows the difference between good and evil (and that’s everyone capable of personal accountability) knows that gratuitous exposure is inappropriate in public settings. Everyone who has the cognitive capacity to operate in civilized society recognizes the godly discernment with which they were born.
We like to blame cultural norms for the way people dress. That may bear a bit of superficial blame. Nevertheless, every time one of us leaves the house, we know how much or how little we’re wearing, and we know why. We decided to present ourselves to the world in a certain way, to provoke a specific reaction in others and attempt a specific kind of influence over them. We know—inherently—that some ways of dressing provoke carnal reactions. We know, and we made a choice. There may be cultural excuses, but there’s no mistake between oneself and the Lord.
Immodesty is rude. That’s pretty much it. It inspires unwelcome thoughts and objectification. It makes conditions more difficult for people who would like to respect you as a person. It indiscriminately gives away too much of you to some people who haven’t earned it through trust and other people who didn’t ask for it at all. It introduces energy that is hostile to the Spirit.
There may be honest variations in what constitutes modesty, but we all know that modesty is kind and polite. Modesty is a righteous goal that’s good for everybody. And we know it because Adam and Eve knew it—before there was anyone else on earth to instruct them of it. They hid themselves because they knew, and we know too.
One who truly wants to be holy doesn’t waste time blurring moral boundaries. That person is a modest person, and the way they dress is a reflection of it.
When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, they were endowed with necessary shame for their n*kedness, and God gave them animal sk*n to dress themselves. Everyone who knows the difference between good and evil (and that’s everyone capable of personal accountability) knows that gratuitous exposure is inappropriate in public settings. Everyone who has the cognitive capacity to operate in civilized society recognizes the godly discernment with which they were born.
We like to blame cultural norms for the way people dress. That may bear a bit of superficial blame. Nevertheless, every time one of us leaves the house, we know how much or how little we’re wearing, and we know why. We decided to present ourselves to the world in a certain way, to provoke a specific reaction in others and attempt a specific kind of influence over them. We know—inherently—that some ways of dressing provoke carnal reactions. We know, and we made a choice. There may be cultural excuses, but there’s no mistake between oneself and the Lord.
Immodesty is rude. That’s pretty much it. It inspires unwelcome thoughts and objectification. It makes conditions more difficult for people who would like to respect you as a person. It indiscriminately gives away too much of you to some people who haven’t earned it through trust and other people who didn’t ask for it at all. It introduces energy that is hostile to the Spirit.
There may be honest variations in what constitutes modesty, but we all know that modesty is kind and polite. Modesty is a righteous goal that’s good for everybody. And we know it because Adam and Eve knew it—before there was anyone else on earth to instruct them of it. They hid themselves because they knew, and we know too.
One who truly wants to be holy doesn’t waste time blurring moral boundaries. That person is a modest person, and the way they dress is a reflection of it.Great post! Modesty is an attitude of respect toward God, ourselves, and each other, reflected in the way we act (including the way we dress). Modesty means not vainly displaying one’s body, wealth, intellect, or *anything* other than the Light of Christ within us.
