The Plymouth Brethren

[GSD4ME]

Working in my local store, we get a lot of Plymouth Brethren in. The women (including teenage girls) all have their heads covered with a scarf, always have very long hair and are always very smartly dressed - always skirts, never trousers. The men look like all other men in the store.
Q: Why do the women have to have their heads covered? Why do they never cut their hair? Why do they always look very smart?
Q: Why don't the men have to cover their head? Why are they allowed to have their hair cut/not have beards?

I am also led to believe that women are not allowed to stand for any position of leadership/authority in their church nor are allowed to speak at all in any sermons?
Is this correct?

I'm just being inquisitive here as I think that ALL religion is pure bunkum anyway

[Pippa68]

Your last question can be answered here:

''Plymouth Brethren, group of Christian believers originating in the early 19th cent. in Ireland and spreading from there to the Continent (especially Switzerland), the British dominions, and the United States. One of their notable leaders was John Nelson Darby; the members are sometimes known as Darbyites. They refer to themselves as Brethren, Christians, or Believers. In a reaction against the formality of prescribed ritual, the requirements of ministerial ordination, and other established conditions in the churches of the times, groups of believers began to meet independently in Dublin and elsewhere for spiritual communion. Associations were formed c.1828 in Dublin and c.1830 at Plymouth, England, whence the popular name Plymouth Brethren. Brethren hold differing opinions concerning baptism and expect the personal premillennial second coming of Christ. The Lord's Supper, as a commemorative act of worship, is observed once a week. Followers of different leaders withdrew from time to time from the main body to form new congregations. This tendency to divide was carried over into the United States and Canada by emigrants, who established new meetings of the Brethren there. In the United States there are eight separate divisions, some of the exclusive type, stressing congregational interdependency, and some of the open type, stressing the independence of congregations. Basically fundamentalist, the Brethren consider the Scriptures the only true guide. No officers are chosen to preside over the congregations; the privileges and duties of the ministry depend upon the personal gift of the individual member.
Regarding the hair & clothes, I have been told that the brethren live by 'very simple' means which advocates plain clothing. I am not sure as to why the hair is covered, but I suppose I would liken it to nuns or muslim women (who often wear traditional dress, whilst the men do not).

[Clanad]

While we don't have nearby Plymouth Brethren churches, we do have Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish and others that adhere to directions in the New Covenant, such as I Corinthians Chapter 11. They do it with full freedom and believe it is reverential. They, like you, are free to believe as they wish...

[Morticiah]

We have a lot of Brethren near us ... but not Plymouth Brethren. I believe that there are several different sects. I think that Plymouth Brethren are more based in the USA

The one's I've worked with seem to shun some aspects of our modern technology and way of life (no TV etc). Their children are only allowed to go to Primary School, after that they are Home Educated.

They also tithe a percentage of their yearly salary, and this money is used to support other Brethren family who aren't as well off. I often see the Brethren ladies shopping in Sainsbury's and paying with Vouchers.

I've also been told that some of them won't eat publicly, but I don't know if that's true.

Anyway ... I found this site which has some interesting info about the role of women in the Brethren

http://web.archive.org/web/20040222142053/http ://freespace.virgin.net/john.barber1/brethren. htm#_Toc512926802

regards, Mort