Growing a Beard: Reaction from JWs

compound complex

Hey there,

How have JWs reacted to a fellow member who decides to grow a beard? I'm speaking of the brothers (unshaven).

Thanks,

CC

I knew a couple of guys who grew beards and nothing much happened to them except one of them wasn't allowed to give talks until he shaved it. The other one was from Holland and had the beard when he moved here, he said over there they don't make a big deal out of it and I think the elders here were too perplexed to figure out how to deal with it so they just pretended it didn't exist.

Awakened07

In one way, it seemed to get more relaxed as time went by while I was still active. While growing up, it was a big no-no. But the latest years of my attendance, there were several brothers sporting a goatee or other type of beard.

However - I don't think any of them were elders or ministerial servants, or had any such ambitions. I remember one brother who I think was an elder (or used to be, can't recall now) who would grow a full beard every year during summer, and then shave it off and stay clean shaved for the remainder of each year. I'm not sure, but I don't think he was reproved over it.

LuckyNun

I never understood the facial hair thing. Other than growing facial hair would make people mistake you for a hippie. That was back in what, the 60's, when clean shaven was the professional style? So what about when society norms change and facial hair no longer means you're this close to starting a commune?

And who decided the molest-ache was the only allowed facial hair for modern-day JWs? I never saw Jesus with a molest-ache!! Those were god-inspired artist renderings of Jesus in the magazines, right? What was it, the 1990's before they decided he should look a little "ethnic" since he was from the Middle East? I saw a lot of beards, but never a molest-ache!

I think it would be great if enough guys grew beards and goatees to start a mass reproving/disfellowshipping. Even better, have some sisters stop shaving legs and see if the elders pipe up.

The Last Nephilim

I just grew a goatee and only a young brother, whom I see every day at work, has said anything about it. In the spirit of the worldly guys we work with who like to tease each other about every little thing, he told me that it doesn't grow out evenly and so it makes me look like a 15 year- old trying to grow facial hair. I just laughed and said, "Well, my wife thinks it's cute and there's nothing wrong with it biblically, so..." Not another word has been said about it!

moomanchu

Called the bearded one.

JW's always say beards identify you with the hippies 60's movement.

However JW's outlawed beards back in the 20's.

marmot

re: outlawed in the '20s Wasn't that all Rutherford's doing? IIRC he was trying to stamp out C.T. Russell loyalists (hence the vendetta against similar facial hair), kinda like a lion eating the cubs so he can wipe out all genetic lineage of his predecessor.

darkuncle29

I grew a goatee when my employer's dress code permitted it, as all the guys did at work for a while. IT was an unofficial competition. Due to my hair coloring, that's when I learned I'm a calico.

Also at this time, I told the ministry school scheduler to not give me any talks during the winter season as I was working alot of overtime. IT was getting irksome to me to have a talk every three weeks or so.

So I grew my partial beard and missed alot of meetings due to work. When winter was over, I went to meetings ocationally and kept the beard. I even have a family photo of us right after the memorial, me in a silver suit and beard. It was also at this time that I noticed that they stoped asking me to do mikes at meeting, and that made me happy. There were a small group of other young brothers that also grew some facial hair at this time. One was married, and his wife liked it so it stayed.

When we moved closer to work, I didn't go to the new hall much as I knew nobody there. That's where my fade unknowingly began.

GermanXJW

After I had grown a full blown beard when I was on vacation and came back to the congregation, a pioneer sister said to me that all male who stopped to shave had become apostate and that I should respect the conscience of the congregation. Well, count me in to the apostates.

jacethespace

...fraid theres new light on this now.... bikini waxes are expected now

Growing a Beard: Reaction from JWs

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