Hats and Veils in Church

When it comes to the people we love, we naturally make effort to find out the things that please them. If your mom has a birthday coming up, for example, you might want to make her a birthday cake. Suppose that you know she loves chocolate cake but can’t stand vanilla. Would you bring her a vanilla cake? Of course not. When we think about the ones whom we love these answers come easily to us. Then, should we not show even greater courtesy to God Whom we love and worship? What kinds of things does God find pleasing? Do They prefer chocolate or vanilla? Trying to cover all of God’s preferences at once would be a little overwhelming, so let’s focus for now on something simple: hats and veils in church. If you have ever been to a sporting event in the United States, you might have seen people remove their hats during the singing of the national anthem as a sign of respect. On the other hand, there are many churches where leaders wear large hats called Mitres during formal events. Then, what does God think about head coverings? Are they respectful or disrespectful? Should we be wearing hats or veils in church? As we will see, the answer is different for men and women.

No Hats in Church Service for Men

According to the Bible, God considers it disrespectful when men cover their heads while praying or prophesying. This might be surprising to hear if you are coming from a church where leaders wear the aforementioned Mitres, but you can confirm this teaching for yourself easily enough:

1 Corinthians 11:1-4 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

Paul, who followed the example of Christ, taught that every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. Since, as Paul explains, the head of man is Christ, any man who prays or prophecies with his head covered is dishonoring Christ. For this reason, he goes on to explicitly state that men ought not to cover their heads in these circumstances:

1 Corinthians 11:7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

When we go to church our intent is to worship God. All of our good intentions will be wasted if we end up dishonoring God instead. Luckily there is an easy solution: simply worship God in the way God prefers, taking off any hats or head coverings during worship if you are a man.

Veils in Church Service for Women

Now we have seen that men should take off any sort of head coverings when worshiping God. Then, what is God’s preference for women during worship?

1 Corinthians 11:5-6 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

Here we can see that God has different preferences for men and women during worship. Although men are required to remove any head coverings during worship, the Bible teaches the opposite for women. Again, it would be a great shame to go to church intending to worship God and instead dishonoring Them. Luckily there is an easy solution: simply worship God in the way God prefers, putting on a veil in church service if you are a woman.

An Easy Way to Find a Church Which Loves God

Some people may find discussions of hats or veils in church strange. “Why does God care how I dress when worshiping Them?” Many churches in the world today even disregard this teaching entirely, preferring their own traditions of men wearing giant Mitres or women taking off hats for service like at a ball game. Although many people in the world disregard God’s laws, considering them something foreign (Hos 8:12), you have a precious opportunity to do better. You can choose to care about God’s preferences and come to worship God in a church that actually honors Their will.

1 Corinthians 11:16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

As Paul says, none of the true churches of God would ever dare dishonor God during worship by violating God’s veil regulation. So, come and join us in the church which Jesus established and the apostles attended, the church which cares about God’s preferences more than human traditions. Come and worship with the true Church of God.