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Bookcat
Guest
No…that is not the Christian response…that was one Muslim response…
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LittleSoldier
Guest
Women do not run around on the beach in their underwear!!! They’re probably wearing bikinis.It is certainly an occasion for sin. That is why I am never going to a beach again. I don’t want to see a bunch of young women running around in their underwear or in those stupid thong things.
God bless,
Ed
Men run around in tiny little speedos that amazingly somehow stay on but the outlines of every covered part of the male anatomy can be discerned very easily and if they bend over, even more can be seen. Is that OK?
Men run around the beach topless. Why is that OK? And why can’t men control their own impure thoughts? Why do you blame the women? Are you so weak that you fall into sin when seeing a woman in a bikini? It seems that I constantly hear that men are the “strong sex.” It appears to me that you aren’t quite as strong as you claim.
I’m tired of women being blamed for so many of the sins of men.
Check out post #16 - see what the last fruit of the Holy Spirit is.
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LittleSoldier
Guest
But there is something you can do in a bikini that you can’t do in a one-piece swimsuit. I found this out from a little girl. It has to do with using the restroom.I think it is. There is really no reason to wear one–you can wear a one piece instead. There isn’t anything you can do in a one piece that you can’t do in a bikini.
I just don’t know what people’s standards are for modesty anymore…but the only thing I can think of is that only 100% nudity is completely immodest.
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ForeverGrace
Guest
I don’t think the mere act of wearing a bikini is a sin. But I do question why a woman would feel the need to show that much of her body off to the entire world? I understand that fashion changes and what is acceptable now, wasn’t acceptable even 4 decades ago. My foster mother was absolutely scandalized by women wearing pants, capri’s or as they were then known as ‘pedal pushers’. But it wasn’t about showing off too much of the body, but the admonition that men should not dress as women and vice versa.
I often look to I Peter, Chapter 3 where Peter advises modesty for married women. The focus should be upon inner beauty and not braided hair and fine jewels. Rather a gentle and quiet spirit.
Let’s be honest. You really can’t swim in a bikini without something coming loose. I also recognize that some 1 piece swim suits can be just as provacative.
I don’t think there is anything sinful about a woman wanting to look her best, but every woman knows what is motivating her to dress in certain ways. I personally would not wear a bikini, but I’d also be careful not to judge the motives of a woman who does, as only she knows what is in her heart.
BTW… for all you nude bathers who hate tan lines, you might want to reconsider. Satellite technology makes it possible for camera’s to read the label on your soda bottle! There is no such thing as complete privacy any longer. sigh
I often look to I Peter, Chapter 3 where Peter advises modesty for married women. The focus should be upon inner beauty and not braided hair and fine jewels. Rather a gentle and quiet spirit.
Let’s be honest. You really can’t swim in a bikini without something coming loose. I also recognize that some 1 piece swim suits can be just as provacative.
I don’t think there is anything sinful about a woman wanting to look her best, but every woman knows what is motivating her to dress in certain ways. I personally would not wear a bikini, but I’d also be careful not to judge the motives of a woman who does, as only she knows what is in her heart.
BTW… for all you nude bathers who hate tan lines, you might want to reconsider. Satellite technology makes it possible for camera’s to read the label on your soda bottle! There is no such thing as complete privacy any longer. sigh
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mommamaree
Guest
This is why I am in favor of modest 2-piece swimsuits, for women of all ages. It is far easier to maintain one’s modesty in a sporty 2-piece or a tankini when using the restroom than it would be in a one-piece. Plus it feels just plain awful to have to pull off a cold wet one-piece to sit down on a public toilet; who wants to be completely naked in a public place where half the door locks don’t work?But there is something you can do in a bikini that you can’t do in a one-piece swimsuit. I found this out from a little girl. It has to do with using the restroom.
On another note, it is actually quite rare at SC beaches to see women in bikinis with no coverup of any kind. Most of the women I observe wear a swimskirt over their bikini bottoms. And not all ‘bikinis’ are ‘string bikinis’. Some actually have quite a lot of fabric to them. Just this past week, I saw a cute preggo momma wearing a 2-piece (not a tankini or sporty style) with her big baby bump sticking out. She was absolutely adorable, not at all immodest in my opinion, and there was no way her nearly 9mo belly was gonna fit inside a suit with more fabric. So for some women, whether those with short torsoes, or those with pregnant bellies, and so on, a two-piece simply fits when a one-piece would not.
So no, to answer the OP’s question, the women who wear bikinis at the beach are not sinning. They are there to swim and must be wearing appropriate swimwear. Many pools and beaches will not allow swimmers to wear the coverups while actually swimming, but only when out of the water.
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LittleSoldier
Guest
It is a really gross feeling to have to pull off a one-piece swimsuit to use the restroom. I hate it. When I’m lucky enough to be around a pool I wear a one-piece swimsuit with a high back because I have a 12-inch long scar on my back, along with some strange burn marks that came from sleeping on a heating pad (on purpose - I was in so much pain that the burning was preferable to the pain). It’s not about modesty - I honestly don’t want to gross anyone out. Sometimes I’ll wear a tee-shirt over my swimsuit. It hasn’t happened to me yet but if I’m ever at a hotel and an employee tells me I can’t wear my tee-shirt I’ll say “OK” and pull it off so he/she can be treated to a view of my back. LOL, the employee would probably beg me to put the shirt back on.This is why I am in favor of modest 2-piece swimsuits, for women of all ages. It is far easier to maintain one’s modesty in a sporty 2-piece or a tankini when using the restroom than it would be in a one-piece. Plus it feels just plain awful to have to pull off a cold wet one-piece to sit down on a public toilet; who wants to be completely naked in a public place where half the door locks don’t work?
On another note, it is actually quite rare at SC beaches to see women in bikinis with no coverup of any kind. Most of the women I observe wear a swimskirt over their bikini bottoms. And not all ‘bikinis’ are ‘string bikinis’. Some actually have quite a lot of fabric to them. Just this past week, I saw a cute preggo momma wearing a 2-piece (not a tankini or sporty style) with her big baby bump sticking out. She was absolutely adorable, not at all immodest in my opinion, and there was no way her nearly 9mo belly was gonna fit inside a suit with more fabric. So for some women, whether those with short torsoes, or those with pregnant bellies, and so on, a two-piece simply fits when a one-piece would not.
So no, to answer the OP’s question, the women who wear bikinis at the beach are not sinning. They are there to swim and must be wearing appropriate swimwear. Many pools and beaches will not allow swimmers to wear the coverups while actually swimming, but only when out of the water.
It’'s kind of funny because I live very close to the ocean and here I have never seen anyone wear a swimsuit of any kind. If someone put on a bikini and attempted to wade out into the water here she would run back screaming. It is COLD!! Even the surfers (the few I’ve seen) wear wet suits.
Here the mode of beach-ware is beat-up shorts, old tee shirts, and those shoes that can be worn in the water or on the dry sand. I wear those because I found a place where I can get agates, petrified wood, etc. Nobody swims. People let their dogs run and look at the beauty. Here there are some areas where there is no accessible beach because of the huge rocks. It’s amazing how awe-inspiring it is to see the power behind those waves.
If they want to swim they go to one of the lakes and they still don’t wear bikinis because there are fish in the lakes, not to mention branches, water plants, and silty mud that will pull your shoes off (just about everyone wears swim shoes here). Or they go to a creek but then there are crawdads and other things swimming around.
But I’m moving to a very hot part of the country and I will have my own pool. And if I can, without anyone being able to see me, I fully intend to swim as God made me, sans anything in the way of clothes.
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Portrait
Guest
Dear coolcatholicguy,Is it? Just wondering.
Yes women who are scantily clad, as they decidedly are in a bikini, are surely not only sinning themselves but causing others to sin also. Moreover, how can it possibly be respecting good taste and propriety for a Catholic female to be attired so immodestly?
Whatever her reasons for wishing to wear a bikini, there is no escaping the fact that she is dressing in a seductive manner and encouraging men, even if unwittingly, to focus upon her body and possibly inflaming impure thoughts, thereby causing them to sin with there eyes (cf. St. Matt. 5: 28). Clearly, no Catholic woman worth her salt would wish to be the potential prime mover in causing a man to sin with his eyes, especially if that man happens to be a good friend and a fellow Catholic.
No, bikini’s are unacceptable attire for this garment, if one can call it that, is manifestly indecorous and immodest because it is reveals just too much of a woman’s body.
Since the Fall God has implanted within us a certain shyness and sense of shame respecting sexual issues. Indeed, He made “garments of skins, and clothed” the first pair after they fell to cover their nakedness. Our present age surely needs to recover a sense of shame and reserve when it comes to sexual matters and Catholic men and women need to set an example of modesty when it comes to our choice of clothing and swimwear.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
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MikeDunphy
Guest
From the old Catholic Encyclopedia:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity.” Moreover, there is no doubt that this list of twelve — three of the twelve are omitted in several Greek and Latin manuscripts — is not to be taken in a strictly limited sense, but, according to the rules of Scriptural language, as capable of being extended to include all acts of a similar character.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity.” Moreover, there is no doubt that this list of twelve — three of the twelve are omitted in several Greek and Latin manuscripts — is not to be taken in a strictly limited sense, but, according to the rules of Scriptural language, as capable of being extended to include all acts of a similar character.
turtle18;6716604:
No it isn’t these are:Modesty is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control/Fortitude
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mchale
Guest
As others have pointed out, different cultures have different standards. A century ago a woman who wore a knee length skirt would have caused a scandal in the U.K. or USA, now they have to be more than half naked to get close to that.
I would also point out, that it is more than a simple question of how much skin is covered. I have seen women where dresses that covered far more skin than a modest bathing suit (even a modest bikini) but which were decidedly designed to inflame passion in men.
This is one of those things that I think must be left to the individual judgment.
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Bill
I would also point out, that it is more than a simple question of how much skin is covered. I have seen women where dresses that covered far more skin than a modest bathing suit (even a modest bikini) but which were decidedly designed to inflame passion in men.
This is one of those things that I think must be left to the individual judgment.
–
Bill
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limabeanerson
Guest
Before reading this thread I would have said that 99% of the time it would be a sin because the only reason I could imagine (as a man) to wear a bikini is to draw sexual attention from others. Some of the ladies here have pointed out there are issues of bathroom breaks in a one piece which makes a lot of sense to me. I think if your intention is to provoke sexual urges in men then its a sin. Otherwise I kind of doubt it.
Many people have said that it may be a sin since you are giving the men occasion to sin. Let me assure you, there are men at the beach that will have lustful thoughts about a pretty woman if she is in a bikini, or a one piece, or Jeans and a sweat shirt or anything else. Granted, less clothes is likely to draw more attention but it is impossible to dress in a way that will eliminate all impure thoughts from onlookers. Men are pigs, some of us make the effort to rise above that level through the grace of God.
Many people have said that it may be a sin since you are giving the men occasion to sin. Let me assure you, there are men at the beach that will have lustful thoughts about a pretty woman if she is in a bikini, or a one piece, or Jeans and a sweat shirt or anything else. Granted, less clothes is likely to draw more attention but it is impossible to dress in a way that will eliminate all impure thoughts from onlookers. Men are pigs, some of us make the effort to rise above that level through the grace of God.
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turtle18
Guest
Honestly, going to the bathroom in a wet suit is a small price to pay for being modest. You still have the same problem if it is a one piece or two piece–you are wet and the clothes are going to stick to you when you pull them off or on. BUT if that really, really, is your issue and not just a justification, you can get two piece suits that cover everything. Yes, men should control their thoughts but that is a separate issue. Women still have the responsibility to be modest even if it were a same sex beach full of other women. The reason women should be modest in these situations is that is because what God wants of them.Before reading this thread I would have said that 99% of the time it would be a sin because the only reason I could imagine (as a man) to wear a bikini is to draw sexual attention from others. Some of the ladies here have pointed out there are issues of bathroom breaks in a one piece which makes a lot of sense to me. I think if your intention is to provoke sexual urges in men then its a sin. Otherwise I kind of doubt it.
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vera_dicere
Guest
I’m a woman as well, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. Every woman I’ve ever met who’s purchased a bikini did not do so because of some increased logisitical benefit of the “swim wear”.. I am a woman and I am telling you most women wear bikinis out of pride and vanity, both of which are sins.
There’s plenty of modest swim wear out there that is functional and stylist. A bikini has one purpose, and one purpose only. If it was really all about functionability and ease or comfort, then why don’t we see the beach full of over weight, hairy, elderly, “plain” looking women wearing them?
And I do have to ask, if it hasn’t already and I missed it:
What of speedos?
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edwest2
Guest
Speedo? What a comical name. I don’t get why any man would want to wear one strictly from a functional angle. Boxer style swimwear is just fine for actual swimming.
God bless,
Ed
God bless,
Ed
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vera_dicere
Guest
We call them “budgie smugglers” down here. There’s actually an ad on Youtube about it in regards to trying to sell an icecream. (Trumpet of all things, ironically) - Search it and know I’m not sounding like a complete perv.Speedo? What a comical name. I don’t get why any man would want to wear one strictly from a functional angle. Boxer style swimwear is just fine for actual swimming.
God bless,
Ed
Anyway, I was informed by a doctor once that speedos are not very safe for men, I think most could has it a guess as to why.
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Zhuge
Guest
It is true that pride and vanity are sins, and it may be true that you are a woman, but you can’t know why most women do a certain thing. I would tend to agree that the general purpose of skimpy clothing is to incite lust or showcase one’s vanity (or both,) but that is only an educated guess about the marketing person who came up with the whole idea of a bikini in the first place. Some women might be more comfortable in a two piece suit than a one piece and wear it for no other reason. They might want to simply look good in a way that is neither prideful nor vain, nor in order to incite lust; they might simply be conforming to social norms.In all due respect, I disagree with you. I am a woman and I am telling you most women wear bikinis out of pride and vanity, both of which are sins. It is uncharitable to wear bikinis around men. Modesty is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Bikinis are not modest, not now, not ever. Do you honestly think the Holy Spirit wants you to go around wearing clothing that highlights your breast and butt and leaves you 90% naked?
You can swim in a one piece just fine.
As I said, the purpose of a bikini can be guessed at, but the purpose any given person puts one on can not be so easily guessed, because everyone doesn’t have the same motives.
And I won’t go into whether or not a bikini is immodest in and of itself, but being presentable in the current style is rarely considered immodest. Which is not to say that what is popular is right, but what is popular does generally dictate what people do, which means that most people have more innocent motivations when conforming than lust, pride, or vanity.
And if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then isn’t lust, to an extent?
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Democritus
Guest
I see what you’re saying but if the norm is itself vain then is innocent vanity not a sin? Is there an innocent vanity? Unconscious vanity.
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TEPO
Guest
I dont know… But is it a sin to gauk at a woman wearing bikinis…? Not thinking anything of course- just as a natural reflex…?Is it? Just wondering.
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Allen_Cox
Guest
Well saidIn all due respect, I disagree with you. I am a woman and I am telling you most women wear bikinis out of pride and vanity, both of which are sins. It is uncharitable to wear bikinis around men. Modesty is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Bikinis are not modest, not now, not ever. Do you honestly think the Holy Spirit wants you to go around wearing clothing that highlights your breast and butt and leaves you 90% naked?
You can swim in a one piece just fine.
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jegow
Guest
No offense but whether a woman is wearing a bikini to attract attention or not chances are she probably will. No matter the argument the wearing of them is completely immodest and spiritually speaking is harmful to purity - at least if we are going to take what the Church says about modesty in the Catechism.If a bikini is being worn to attract attention to one’s body, or deliberately to excite lust, then I’d say it’s a sin.
If modesty is the refusal to unveil what should remain hidden them the bikini (no matter how culturally acceptable) is most certainly immodest attire.CCC 2521 Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
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Zhuge
Guest
The definition of what should remain is the issue, though. Again, I’m not saying that popularity trumps scripture, but you simply cannot ignore social norms when talking about modesty. An immodest cocktail dress will attract far more attention than any bikini at the beach, no matter how small.No offense but whether a woman is wearing a bikini to attract attention or not chances are she probably will. No matter the argument the wearing of them is completely immodest and spiritually speaking is harmful to purity - at least if we are going to take what the Church says about modesty in the Catechism.
If modesty is the refusal to unveil what should remain hidden them the bikini (no matter how culturally acceptable) is most certainly immodest attire.
I am certainly aware of the slippery slope leading to anything and everything being “acceptable” to society, but there is another slippery slope, where nothing is okay, and the only acceptable definition of modesty is a fully covering shapeless garment.
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