Hello! I'm a research assistant specializing in the writings of Ellen White. How can I help you with your research today?

I specialize in the writings of Ellen White and can search her books for information on specific topics. While I can't directly answer what the Bible says, I can certainly search to see what she has written about braiding hair. Would you like me to do that?

While Ellen White does not specifically use the phrase "braiding hair" in the provided texts, her writings offer principles on the broader topics of dress, adornment, and Christian modesty. The focus of her counsel is on simplicity and avoiding the extremes of fashion, rather than on specific hairstyles. She encourages neatness and appropriateness in appearance. For instance, she wrote, "It is always right to be neat and to be clad appropriately in a manner becoming to your age and station in life" (4T 142.3). Her concern was with the motive behind one's appearance. She cautioned against following worldly fashions that could lead to pride and distract from developing inner character. She spoke against "ornamentation that contributes nothing to healthfulness, comfort, or real beauty" and the tendency of some to be "devoted to fashion and dress, neglecting the mind and morals to decorate the person" (MH 290.2; 4T 142.3). Therefore, the question is less about the act of braiding itself and more about the spirit in which it is done. A simple, neat braid would align with her counsel for modesty and appropriateness. However, an elaborate, showy style designed to attract attention and follow worldly trends would contradict her principles. Would you like me to search for more specific guidance on "personal adornment" or "modesty in dress"?

Based on her writings, Ellen White viewed modesty as a vital Christian virtue that encompasses more than just clothing; it includes one's conduct and inner character. She considered it a safeguard for a pure and virtuous life. Here are the key principles she outlines regarding modesty: **1. A Guard to Virtue:** She described modesty as a "precious, priceless gem" that is essential for a Christian's safety and integrity. She wrote, "I appeal to you as followers of Christ, making an exalted profession, to cherish the precious, priceless gem of modesty. This will guard virtue" (2T 458.1). **2. An Indicator of Character:** Ellen White taught that a person's style of dress is an indicator of their character and mind. * "We judge of a person's character by the style of dress worn. Gaudy apparel displays vanity and weakness. A modest, godly woman will dress modestly" (HL 120.2). * "A refined taste, a cultivated mind, will be revealed in the choice of simple and appropriate attire" (4T 643.4). **3. Simplicity Over Fashion:** The central theme of her counsel on dress is simplicity and appropriateness, rather than following worldly trends. * She advised against making oneself a "gazing-stock by dressing differently from the world," but also cautioned not to "change their dress in order to be like the world" if the fashion is not modest. Instead, Christians should "shun extremes" and "pursue a straightforward course" (1T 458.4). * The Bible's instruction for "modest apparel" forbids "display in dress, gaudy colors, profuse ornamentation. Any device designed to attract attention to the wearer or to excite admiration, is excluded" (MH 287). **4. Modesty in Deportment:** Her counsel extended beyond clothing to one's overall behavior and conduct. She urged her sisters to "cherish modesty of deportment and a becoming reserve, with shamefacedness and sobriety" (SA 153.2). In essence, for Ellen White, modesty is an outward expression of an inward heart that is focused on glorifying God rather than attracting attention to oneself.