Immodest Ladies and Stumbling Gents

There is a tendency to claim immodestly dressed women cause men to stumble, i.e., lose control. This is true especially in religious circles, where sex is considered to be a somewhat shameful secret that must be tightly controlled.

But let's examine the argument. Are we saying Jesus should never have preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God?

As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame" (Rom 9:33 NIV).

Now, we may object that the Gospel and immodest clothing aren't the same thing, and that is true, but both get a reaction from the flesh, and that makes them comparable.

When Israel heard the Gospel, their flesh rejected the idea that salvation could be by grace; they were immensely proud of their ability to keep the law (although they didn't). They stumbled, because they refused to trust God.

When a man sees a lightly clad woman, his flesh rejects the idea that the woman is a person whom he must respect. He stumbles because he refuses to trust God and the power of the Holy Spirit to keep him from losing control.

Men who lose control and use violence against women usually blame the victim. We heard this loud and clear from India this week when the police in New Delhi stated that a woman deserves to get raped if she is not covered from head to toe. This is, of course, nothing new. Adam blamed Eve for giving him the fruit instead of taking responsibility for his own actions. 

Does a woman disrespect a man if she dresses lightly? If a woman cannot trust a man to control himself, how do we expect other grownups to control themselves? A child tempts a pedophile just by walking to school in plain view. Should we hide all children until they are eighteen?

The mark of maturity is a willingness to take personal responsibility and keep our own flesh under control. Those who demand that others make their lives easier by hiding what tempts them are immature toddlers who cannot be trusted in the candy store. Perhaps they should consider moving to a monastery.