QUESTION:
Are Women Slacks an Abomination?
ANSWER:
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” [Deuteronomy 22:5]
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’: “but I say unto you, ‘That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” [Matthew 5:27-28]
“I don't want to hurt your feelings. But what happened to the morals of this Pentecostal church? It used to be wrong for you women to cut your hair. I remember that. But... And now you say, "Preacher, there you go. You're... you're hitting that." All right. You see where your private life is? The Bible is against it. If the Bible said in grandmother's days it was wrong, it's the same Bible tonight. The Bible says if a woman cuts her hair her husband can divorce her; she dishonors her head. Now, that's right. That's what the Scripture says. Now, there's something wrong somewhere, either in the pew or the pulpit, one. That's right. Now, that's truth. Now, notice. It used to be wrong for your ladies even to wear their skirts low and through the front and up like that, but now they... the Pentecostal women went shorts. Now, that's right. What do you do it for? Well, you say, "I won't wear them. I wear slacks." That's worse. You know the Bible said that a woman that'll put on a garment that pertains to a man it's an abomination in the sight of God?” [The Message To The Laodicean Church, Dallas, TX 58-0609 ]
“Why, you say, "Brother Branham, I don't wear shorts. I wear slacks." That's worse. That's right. The Bible said that any woman that'll put on any garment that pertains to a man it's an abomination. And you boys run around here with them little haircuts like this Arthur Godfrey, or (What is his name?) Elvis Presley. Why, you look like a woman. And women chop all of theirs off to look like a man. God made man one way and the woman another way.” [Behold I Stand At The Door And Knock, Greenville, SC 58-0617 ]
“Yesterday, when the wife and I had run over to the supermarket to get some groceries. And I was hurrying, because I was late with appointments and things, and rushing real quick. And there was a little boy standing there, half asleep. And a little old girl come along there with some little trousers on, that belonged to some man. They had to, 'cause they were made for men. And the Bible says, "It's an abomination in the sight of God for a woman to wear it." And with a lot of this here lipstick on, and her eyes about half asleep, she said, "Where is the so-and-so?" to that little boy. He said, "How do you expect me to know?" She said, "You remember, I never got in until six o'clock this morning." And she wasn't over twelve years old.” [Hear His Voice, Jeffersonville, IN 58-1005m ]
“Someone said to me not long ago, said, "Brother Branham," said, "you see, I don't wear those shorts. I wear those (you know, what is it you call them?) slacks." That's worse than ever. The Bible said that a woman that'll but on a garment that pertains to a man, it's an abomination in the sight of God. What's happened? It used to be wrong for you Pentecostal people to do that. Somebody let down the bars somewhere. If it was wrong then, it's wrong now.” [Hear Ye Him, San Jose, CA 59-0424e]
“If the Bible says it's wrong for a woman to put on a garment that pertain to a man, and you wear these little old overalls and slacks out here on the road... You grown women... I guess a little baby would be all--think if they're play with little boys and things. But look, when you--when you grown women fifteen, sixteen, eighteen years old, and up to grandma, out here on the road... And the Bible says it's an abomination in the sight of God for a woman to wear those things, and you wear them anyhow, and say you got the Holy Ghost? I wonder sometimes. The Holy Ghost will follow God's Word to the letter. And a preacher behind the pulpit that ain't got grace enough to preach it, I doubt he's got It. Well, that's what the Holy Ghost is for.” [What Was The Holy Ghost Given For, Jeffersonville, IN 59-1217]
“She said, "Listen, Brother Branham, I don't wear shorts." Well, I said, "That's very good." She said, "I do wear slacks." I said, "That's worse." That's right. The Bible said it's an abomination for a woman to put on a garment that pertains to a man. God don't change. He made a man to look like a man, and a woman to look like a woman.” [Hear Ye Him, Klamath Falls, OR 60-0712]
“I seen a religious society, a while ago, going in to have a some kind of a little blowout they have about every night, and these women all going in with these knicker-bo-... Or--or what--or what is them things you call them? Not shorts, but the other stuff. Yeah, they're pedal pushers. Or them things there. All on... They need a pedal pushed, all right; brother, that's a board about that wide. That's right. Head comes from... Pedestrian, that's "on your foot," and that's exactly what they need. That's right. But, oh, you say, "Well, now, I think it's more decent for a woman to wear that than it is for a skirt." God said, "It's an abomination in His sight for a woman to put on a garment... " And when a woman cuts her hair like a man. God wants a woman to look like a woman, dress like a woman, act like a woman.” [The Sardisean Church Age, Jeffersonville, IN 60-1209]
“Who is our Tutor? The bishop, the district presbyter? Who is it? The Holy Ghost. He don't pull no punches; He tells the Father exactly what's going on. He comes up and said, "How's My children getting along down there?" "Oh, Father... all Your daughters have cut their hair. They're wearing make-up. They're acting like the world. They put on immoral clothes, clothes that look like men; they call them pedal pushers and slacks. And Your women, Your daughters, are just climbing right into that... And, Father, the bad thing, Your sons, Your preachers, permit it. Oh yes, sure, they permit it (all the things that You taught) because they're afraid." How the Father must feel!” [Abraham's Grace Covenant, Middletown, OH 61-0317]
“Elisabeth had hid herself now, for several months. She was to be mother. But she was worried. And now, you know, I see these ladies... Please, sisters, excuse me by saying this. But these women that's to be mothers wearing these slacks out on the street, I think it's the most disgraceful thing to the race of humanity. It is a pity to think that they would do that. Oh, of course, I'm sure they don't do that around Dawson here, but--but they do it down in the States. It's terrible. They hate me for saying it.” [From That Time, Dawson Creek, BC 61-0520]
“How can women cut their hair? God says that, when they do that, it's wrong? How can you wear these little old trousers of a thing that they wear? When, God said, "A women that puts on a garment pertains to a man, it's an abomination in His sight." God don't change. How can we do it? And it's just presuming that it's all right. It's not all right. It's not all right. Our Pentecostal women does a thing like that, you better stop and check up, shake yourself, look back. Don't presume those things, 'cause you're wrong, absolutely wrong.” [Presuming, Phoenix, AZ 62-0117]
“I spoke on that one day in Oregon. There was a woman wrote me a great big letter. She said, "Brother Branham, you got a wonderful ministry, but you're sure ruining it." She said, "Now, what about..." Said, "I wear overalls all time." Said, "What about going out in the garden to pick some--some garden, and with a dress on. Don't you think it'd look much better with overalls on than it would be, or dungarees, ever what it is, than to have a dress on?" And said, "Look, I ride up into the mountains with the boys when they go up to herd the cattle, and," said, "I get into the mosquito-infested area." Said, "Now, with a--with a dress on, they'd eat me up. With overalls they don't bother me." I said, "That's thinner than the broth made out of a shadow of a chicken that starved to death. Mercy! It ain't got one Word of God about it. That's your own opinion." God said, "Let every word be a lie, and His be true." My wife wears dress. She picks in the garden. She has no trouble about it. And, anyhow, a woman ain't got no business with a bunch of men out there, herding up cattle, anyhow. She ought to be in the kitchen where she belongs. That's right.” [And Thy Seed Shall Possess The Gate Of His Enemy 62-0121m]
“And it paralyzes what little faith you have got. Lot could see the glamour, but he didn't have enough faith to see the fire that would destroy such glamour. I wonder if we have today? I wonder if us, well, as the women that wants to be popular, that wants to act like the--the rest of the women in the church, if they see that they want to--to act like the rest. They--they can see the possibilities of being a--a--a prettier woman, by being painted. They can see a prettier woman by having a younger appearance, by cutting their hair and acting like some of the others, or the movie star. But I wonder if that hasn't paralyzed their faith, to know that the Bible says that, "a woman does that is an un-... an unhonorable woman," and, "a woman that puts on a garment pertains to a man, is an abomination before God," slacks, and so forth, and shorts that they're wearing. And--and it just becomes so calloused till it becomes a regular routine of the people doing it. I wonder if they don't paralyze the very little faith that you had, even to go to church, you see. That's the thing it does.” [Why Cry? Speak! Jeffersonville, IN 63-0714m]
“Look at our nation, once one of the great moral countries of the world. Look at her today, it's the laughingstock of the world, filthier than anything I know of. When I got off the plane, and come in at Rome, and went up to Saint Angelo, to go into the catacomb, I was embarrassed when I seen a sign setting at the--the Saint Angelo catacomb, said, "A word to all American women! Please put on clothes before entering the catacomb, to honor the dead." Coming in there with shorts on, and trousers on, in a place like Rome; and then had to say, to the American women, "to honor the dead; and put on clothes." Why, it's become a stench in the nostrils! And all of our overseas money, and leased loans, and everything like that, will never buy friendship.” [Influences, Tulare, CA 64-0215]
“No more than see the young man out here, fine, big, fine-built fellow with his hair, what he curl it up like the women do, and leotards on, and a big long sweater hanging down, and purple shoes on. Masculine? Oh, my, what a horrible thing to call a man! What a thing to call a man! That's right. See some woman, supposed to be daintish and lovely, come out with a pair of man's trousers on, a cigarette in her mouth, and bobbed hair. What a thing to call a woman! Jesus called Mary, "woman." Shouldn't even be called that; just a female.” [Shalom, Phoenix, AZ 64-0119]
“Some lady said, "I don't wear shorts. I wear slacks." I said, "That's worse." Right. "The Bible said it's an abomination for a woman to put on a garment that pertains to a man." [Lamb And Dove, Yakima WA 60-0805]
“Therefore when a woman acts masculine, there is some... there is a perversion there somewhere. And when a man wants to be a big sissy, there is something wrong somewhere. God made a man and dressed him like a man, and a woman like a woman. He ever remains them to be that way. Amen. When you see them doing something else, there is something wrong. It's perverted. And the whole thing has become a bunch of perverts. That's exactly right. The whole race, the whole generation, it's, "the whole thing is a putrefied sore," as the Bible said. There is hardly soundness anywhere. You know that's the truth. You can't find hardly any--any among them out... But go out on the street, it's hard to find a real man; sissies as I ever seen. And women, they wear trousers, cut their hair, wear lipstick, smoke cigarettes, try to be a man. What do you want to be a man for? You're supposed to be a lady.” [Jehovah Jireh, Louisville, MS 64-0402]
Bible References: Deuteronomy 22:5; Matthew 5:27-28
[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, Washington, USA]