1) I'm not really sure, to be honest. I'd like to say it's absolute, and in some aspects it certainly is. In others, it's cultural.
2) No, not ever. Our definition of modesty should come from God.
3) Yes.
4) Depends on the clothing. But you are perceived they way you are dressed. I'm generally perceived to be a nerd/grungy homeless man.
5) a) Depends on the locale, really. In America, probably not much of an argument. In Central America? Unless you want heat stroke every five minutes...
b) I'd consider that a good thing. But also, changing your clothing just to get noticed is a bad idea. It's superficial, and usually the change is not for the better.
c) Agreed. But you don't need to be naked to do so, and unless you happen to be in an Olympic pool with a timer, water resistance isn't an issue.
d) Also true. But why make it easier? Or on the other side of the coin, harder to not stare.
6) A lot of people? Yeah, they know. What with the tanning, and weight loss, and man girdles. But for the record, some people honestly don't know or understand. And I doubt most people think it through.
7) The one is self serving, and relies on the way others see you. The other is selfless, but still is in some way reliant on how others see you. I'm sort of...in between. It's different for a guy, especially an overweight one. Most of the time, I dress comfortably, albeit even shabbily, because I honestly don't care what others think, good or bad. Modesty rarely comes into the equation.
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1) a) After the fall, they realized they were naked, so they made clothing for themselves out of fig leaves.
b) Adam hid from God because he was afraid because he was naked. I think it's possible, yes. At least spiritually.
c) Not really, I think. God made them more durable clothing, and in some ways showed that the death of something else was the only way we could be covered from our nakedness, but the bible doesn't specify that the clothing God made them was different in any way but material.
2) Yes.
3) Shamefulness, evil, or defeat.
4) a) Joseph was leaving behind the dungeon, and wanted to convey good things about himself to Pharoah.
b) The prostitute likely dressed in a suggestive way so as to show her vocation?
c) Wedding clothing symbolized salvation.
d) The ladies in this passage were to dress in a way that showed their hearts and not their bodies.
e) The mans clothing conveyed his status in society?
5) Modesty: The quality of character of being free from vanity or boastfulness; something designed to prevent exposure of parts of the body.
Propriety: appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances; suitability.
Moderation: the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.
6) inclined to lustfulness; wanton; lewd. People who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom.
7) You will fall among the fallen.
Yes, to a certain extend. We shouldn't do anything that causes someone else to stumble, even to the point of going out of our way or denying ourselves stuff we consider harmless.9) Yes...and no. For one thing, I absolutely despise when people blame Bathsheba for David's lust. Bathing on one's roof was completely acceptable back then, given the climate and house design. And heck, it was freaking night time. Cities didn't have streetlights back then. David was the one who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and could've simply turned his eyes away and went about his kingly bidness.
At the same time...she could have said no to him. Yes, saying no to King David would have been hard or perhaps even deadly, but...she still could have said no, and went about her bidness.
10) Difficult to say. A lot, I'd think, from my own perspective. Aside from bodily differences, the cultural pressure to dress in specific ways is a lot harder on women than men.
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1) Depends on the swimsuit, I'd think. Some are modest, some aren't. I'm happy if the one I'm wearing stays on and opaque, honestly. I'm not sure what can be done. I'm reasonably certain I'd never stop to think about this on an average day at the beach. @_@ Best thing is to keep my eyes where they belong and my mind on the possibility of getting bitten by a fish.
2) No, I don't think so. I think we should strive to present and image God would be proud of? Besides, my calves are like chiseled granite.
3) One shouldn't enjoy tanning, since that leatherizes your skin and causes cancer. I don't know if there are practical solutions here, since the study assumes there are no modest swimsuits and that apparently anything revealing more than toes is immodest. I'd say the best solution would be to make comfortable, stylish swim wear that was also modest. And maybe didn't have that horrible polyester mesh liner.
4) The fleshly side.
5) Yes. This whole lesson was bizarre to me, since the clothing worn in ye olde times would likely be considered immodest now, and vice versa. It also assumes the bible gives a standard for modesty (as in hem length and such) when it really doesn't. We're supposed to dress modestly, but back then, that meant a robe and a tunic, as well as perhaps a head dress, not jeans and socks/floor length dress.
At the same time, we're really lax now on what it means to be modest, and any suggestion to remedy this tends to lead to comments like "Well grow up and learn to deal" or "I can dress how I want".
Gotta pray for those who are suffering physically and emotionally.