Women’s Veil

Worship at the New Jerusalem Pangyo Temple of the World Mission Society Church of God

Women's veil is a regulation for Christians to keep when they worship or pray to God, and it is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 11. The main point is that men wear nothing on their heads and women wear a veil. In the letter sent to the Church in Corinth, Apostle Paul explained the regulation of veil based on the teachings of Christ. He emphasized that all churches should keep the rules of the veil, through God’s providence of creation and the nature given to men.

Teachings About Veil

When it comes to meeting the king or president of a country, there are certain etiquettes that visitors must follow. Likewise, there are laws and regulations in the Bible for praying and worshiping holy God. Women's veil is one of them.

Male Members

Now 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.

1 Corinthians 11:3–4

The Bible says that a man’s head is Christ, and if he puts something on his head and prays, he will dishonor his head. In other words, it is an act of disgrace to Christ. A man must not wear anything on his head when he prays or worships.

Female Members

And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

1 Corinthians 11:5–6

The Bible says a woman should have her head shaved if she wants to pray without a veil on her head. It does not mean that you will actually shave it, but it emphasizes that women should wear a veil. Women should cover their heads during prayer or worship.

Grounds for Women's Veil

Apostle Paul mentioned the order of the church and its related matters according to the example of Christ, in his first letter to the saints in Corinth (book of 1 Corinthians). In chapter 11, he explained the regulation of veil. In the Corinthian Church at that time, some women insisted on gender equality and attempted to remove a veil from their head during worship. Apostle Paul tried to correct this by explaining the teachings of Jesus Christ and the meaning of wearing a veil.

The Teachings of Christ

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Apostle Paul emphasized that everything he preached was according to the example of Jesus Christ, before explaining the law of women’s veil. It means women’s veil is a manifest teaching of Christ.

God’s Providence in Creation

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

1 Corinthians 11:7-10

When God created man, He first made Adam out of the dust, and then He took Adam’s rib and made Eve as his helper. This shows the order established by God the Creator. Apostle Paul explained that both males and females are equal in God, but in accordance with God’s providence of creation, women should put a veil on their heads.

Teachings of Nature

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

1 Corinthians 11:13–15

Apostle Paul emphasized once again that women should wear a veil just as it is natural and look beautiful when a woman has long hair. Such human nature implies that a woman is beautiful before God when she puts something on her head like having long hair. The phrase, “For long hair is given to her as a covering,” means that a woman’s long hair makes her want to wear a veil during worship. Some interpret this: “If you have long hair, you don't need to wear a veil on your head.” However, it is contradictory to the teaching of Christ that women should wear a veil. Additionally, if the use of a veil depends on the length of woman’s hair, Apostle Paul must have written a definite standard for the hair length.

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? . . . If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God.

1 Corinthians 11:13–16

But if anyone wants to argue about it, all I have to say is that neither we nor the churches of God have any other custom in worship.

1 Corinthians 1:16, GNT

Apostle Paul affirmed that there is no custom or regulation for a woman to pray without a veil on her head in the Church of God. He firmly stated that this regulation applied not only to the church in Corinth but to all the churches of God.

Subheadings and Outlines of 1 Corinthians 11

Subheadings of Bible Translations

There are translations of the Bible that have been divided into paragraphs to make it easier to understand the content of the Bible, and have subheadings for each topic.

In some Bible translations, paragraphs are divided and a subheading is written for each subject to make it easier for readers to understand the content of the Bible. In such Bible translations, the subheading of 1 Corinthians 11 is “The reason a woman should cover her head.” This shows that 1 Corinthians 11 focuses on the issue of a veil on woman's head during prayer or worship. The table below shows the subheadings of 1 Corinthians 11, which are recorded in some Bible translations.

English Translation	Publisher	Sub Headings
New International Version	Zondervan	On Covering the Head in Worship
New Living Translation	Tyndale House Foundation	Instructions for Public Worship
Good News Translation	American Bible Society	Covering the Head in Worship
Christian Standard Bible	B&H Publishing Group	Instructions about Head Coverings
International Standard Version	The ISV Foundation	Advice about Head Coverings

Women’s Veil by Denomination

Catholic Church

In Roman Catholic Church, female members wear a veil called Mantilla veil, but it is not strictly observed. Men members (pope, cardinal, archbishop, bishop) wear various types of hats on their heads. They have Papal Tiara, Miter, Zucchetto, Biretta, Galero, etc.

• 

  Papal Tiara

• 

  Miter

• 

  Zucchetto

• 

  Biretta

• 

  Galero

The Papal Tiara was used by the pope in a ceremony like coronation. However, it has not been used after the coronation of Pope Paul VI in 1963. A miter is a high pointy headdress. It is called miter in the American way, and mitre in the British way. In Latin, it is called mitra. A zucchetto is a hemisphere-shaped skullcap called Pileolus. A biretta is a square cap with three or four peaks traditionally worn by Roman Catholic clergy; sometimes a biretta is topped with a tuft or pom. In fact, a biretta may have three of four feathers on top. Also, the color of biretta varies according to rank. A galero is a red, broad-brimmed hat with tessellated strings used by the Roman Catholic cardinals.
The Eastern Orthodox Church has things similar to what the Roman Catholic Church has. Female members wear a veil on their heads when they keep Mass, and the bishop wears a miter adorned with the cross and icon (painting of holy figures).

Protestant Churches

There are not many Protestant denominations that acknowledge wearing a veil and practice it. The Plymouth Brethren, headquartered in Plymouth, England, are known as a denomination that recognizes women’s veil. Among the Anabaptists in the United States, the Mennonites let female members wear bonnet-shaped hats or veils based on 1 Corinthians 11, but they leave it up to individuals. The female Amish, a part of the Mennonites, keep long hair and always wear a hood around their heads.

The Church of God Keeps the Regulation of Veil

In the World Mission Society Church of God, men wear nothing on their heads and women wear veils on their heads during worship according to the teachings of the Bible. The Church of God has restored the truth of the new covenant, which Jesus Christ preached and the apostles kept 2,000 years ago, and so the church keeps the regulation of women’s veil as a part of the regulations of the early Church. The church teaches that the regulations of women’s veil is established and proclaimed by God, not made up by men.

“	The Church of God strongly believes that they practice the teachings of the Bible. They believe in God the Father and God the Mother according to the Bible, and keep all the seven feasts, including the New Covenant Passover, the Sabbath, the regulation of wearing a veil, and so on, just like the original Church of God 2,000 years ago.	“
— Monthly JoongAng, December 2017

“	― Is it also a teaching of the Bible that women wear a veil on their heads during worship? “As I mentioned earlier, our faith is based on the Bible. The Bible teaches that men do not cover their heads but women do during worship. That is the way the early Church did. 1 Corinthians 11 records the regulations of veil in detail. Unfortunately, as 2,000 years have passed by, in this day and age many churches today go against the teachings of the Bible even from this small point; women do not cover their heads during worship, or male priests put something on their heads to hold mass. If Apostles Peter, John, and Paul come in this age and see the situation, they will surely say that the only church the same as theirs is the Church of God.”	“
— Monthly Chosun, March 2020

In the Church of God around the world, regardless of location, male members wear nothing on their heads and female members wear veils on their heads.

Related videos

• The Church of God Members Wear Veils During Worship

See also

• New Covenant