Mennonite Headcoverings (Part 2)
The Kleine Gemeinde
Holdeman Mennonites
Believe it is a direct Biblical commandment which is a necessary part of a Christian woman's daily attire as based on Paul's writing in Corinthians. It is placed on a woman's head after baptism only, and baptism itself is given only to those who have been born again. Young girls may be baptized as young as 10 years or as old as 60 years, but not until then will they use the head covering. The black garment is generally a small bun type of covering placed on the back of the head with the sides tucked in with hair clips. Older women usually wear a broad cloth that covers half of their head but the younger girls, specially the ones on the edge, use a much smaller one. During any worship service, at home or abroad, they will put on another much bigger triangular covering, which ties under their chin, falls down their back between their shoulder blades and must completely cover the other smaller covering. However they only use the bigger covering when attending services conducted by their own church.
Beachy Mennonites
Wear their headcoverings in the same style as the KG. It is a plain white cloth worn at the back of their heads. In fact, the only difference between theirs and the KG is the color and the length. Beachy women wear a longer covering than the KG. Some believe that girls should start wearing it at a very young age but some hold to the same doctrinal view as the Holdemans as in that it should only be worn by born-again, baptized members as a symbol of submission to God. A Beachy gentleman told me he believes it is proper and respectful for a 9-year-old girl to start covering her hair in public whether or not she's born again while another Beachy man declared that his daughters did not need a head covering until their spiritual eyes were opened. I respect each opinion.
They believe the headcovering is mandatory as found in the Bible; however, as time goes by it is being viewed more as a necessary garment required by the church after baptism than as a symbol of Biblical obedience. Some of them wear the covering without a clear understanding of exactly why they must wear it. Thus, while pre-teen girls do not wear any headcoverings, by the age of 15 or 16 they are considered to be of "joining age". Although they are not physically forced to join, the verbal and emotional pressure placed on them by parents and peers is more than enough to convince them to enter baptism classes (this is the opinion of an ex-KG girl who spoke to me.) From then on the black triangular, fall-back headcovering is worn, held with clips, until she decides to leave the KG church.
Holdeman Mennonites
Believe it is a direct Biblical commandment which is a necessary part of a Christian woman's daily attire as based on Paul's writing in Corinthians. It is placed on a woman's head after baptism only, and baptism itself is given only to those who have been born again. Young girls may be baptized as young as 10 years or as old as 60 years, but not until then will they use the head covering. The black garment is generally a small bun type of covering placed on the back of the head with the sides tucked in with hair clips. Older women usually wear a broad cloth that covers half of their head but the younger girls, specially the ones on the edge, use a much smaller one. During any worship service, at home or abroad, they will put on another much bigger triangular covering, which ties under their chin, falls down their back between their shoulder blades and must completely cover the other smaller covering. However they only use the bigger covering when attending services conducted by their own church.
Beachy Mennonites
Wear their headcoverings in the same style as the KG. It is a plain white cloth worn at the back of their heads. In fact, the only difference between theirs and the KG is the color and the length. Beachy women wear a longer covering than the KG. Some believe that girls should start wearing it at a very young age but some hold to the same doctrinal view as the Holdemans as in that it should only be worn by born-again, baptized members as a symbol of submission to God. A Beachy gentleman told me he believes it is proper and respectful for a 9-year-old girl to start covering her hair in public whether or not she's born again while another Beachy man declared that his daughters did not need a head covering until their spiritual eyes were opened. I respect each opinion.
Conservative Mennonites
are close to the Beachy in their belief of the headcovering. Anyways, among the different churches of this Amish Mennonite sect, the headcovering is usually in the same white kerchief-style as the Beachy Mennonites but with a little more variety in the way it is made and less emphasis on a specific color. Again, each Conservative church has a different way of practically applying the doctrines; but most of them believe that a woman can only wear the covering until she has declared her born again commitment.
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