Yesterday the reason I am in Berlin started: The World Psychiatric Association meeting. I have a talk to give on Thursday, but we had to get there. First we had breakfast: The day looked perfect, so I slipped on a professional jacket and started walking. If anything, I felt too warm.
There was the standard socialist protests outside. “Psychiatry Mordur”. They were giving out handouts. We walked through this. It is worth ignoring them, for the UN now mandates that people with a lived experience of disorders must he in the policy committees at every level in the CRPD — which is forcing all mental health legislation to be revised. The people running this are doctrinaire, and without any humour or flexibility.
By the time I left the conference, it was raining. I went to the wrong railway station, and had to reverse my course, to get back to where I started. By the time I got home, I was soaked and frozen. You cannot see the rain in this photo, but it was there.
Let us say that we have both acquired small umbrellas, and will wear our thick jackets today. My attire, though neat, was not practicable for the day, and I have not been here long enough to know how the weather changes. I got this wrong.
And we may have to something wrong in our churches: my grandmother always wore a hat to church, but in this time it happens rarely The meme of equality has bitten too deep. For the social justice wankers do not live in the protestors or UN or WPA, but in the church as well.
1 Corinthians 11:2 (3-16) 17-22
2I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. 3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. 4Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, 5but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head — it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. 6For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. 7For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of man. 8Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if anyone is disposed to be contentious — we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
17Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. 19Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. 20When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. 21For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. 22What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!
When Robyn and I considered our grandmothers, we both recall that there was such a thing as “Sunday best”. Our grandmothers would have felt naked without a hat on in church, and horrified if their husbands wore a hat into church: this was a time when people were sensible in the antipodes, and wore hats. The irony is that hats are now promoted (and mandatory in school) because the UV readings are high, and the risk of skin cancer great.
But we have followed fashion, even if it is fairly ugly. [1]
The issue of head coverings was the first where the rebellion of women against the order set in scripture in the name of equality happened. This was in my childhood. People, me included, turn up to church in jeans and there is no sense that it is special: apart from the newly created female priests, who rejoice in wearing the full clobber of the medieval cleric, as if they are at Hogwarts.
This should not be. A scarf or a hood gives covering. Woman of God, use them: it will make a difference. Ignore those who say it does not matter, and consider if everyone is not equal there is no dignity. Instead, rejoice in what you are.
- Hearthie, Robyn and her daughter hate that dress. And there were worse. Eye searingly bad combinations that even I could work out were wrong.
It bugs me that males wear hats in church unbrooked. My parents, my schools and the armed service all mandated ‘off caps’ indoors. Restaurants seem to have waived this as well and are now replete with oafish customers eating with their hats on. You wear one to keep the sun off, to keep your head warm, as part of uniform, or to ‘look cool’ [the latter is impossible with those crappy rapper lids]
The dress reminds me of seeing the King Tut exhibit in Chicago as a kid…..