Has the Watchtower ever rationalized their obsession with depilation or claimed there was a Biblical basis for banning beards, or is it simply because Jehovah's corporation/faithful and discrete slave says so?
Does Jehovah hate beards?
by brotherunsure 43 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Listener
This has been discussed recently and is a good topic. They don't want to be part of the world and see beards as being a bit out there, that is, stepping outside the norm or conservative.
I don't know how old you are but in the 70's it was pretty much a fashion statement, up to the minute type of thing to do and was wrong for a JW to draw attention to themselves in such a way. Others have mentioned that bow ties probably do that and more.
I'm from Australia and beards are not viewed in any of those ways these days and really just comes down to a personal grooming choice, just like various hairstyles.
I don't know what the viewpoint is on this in countries where it is expected that a lot of guys will have beards. We have so many immigrants here that it would be unreasonable to expect a person to conform to a no beard policy if they were from certain countries.
There may have once been a principle behind this policy but it just shows how out of touch and inflexible the org is.
An issue could be made of females and the expectation not to wear pants in fs or at meetings.
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bigmac
i thought jehovah had a beard---
"An issue could be made of females and the expectation not to wear pants in fs or at meetings."
do you mean knickers?
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FreeAtLast1914
I'm in the southern part of the US. Beards are literally viewed as outright rebellion against God and his organization. Unless you're on vacation, in which case they let you grow it as long as you wish. Only when you get back, you have to shave the thing because if you don't you're showing Jehovah how you feel about his beloved organization.
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ProdigalSon
Jesus is pictured in all the WT publications with a beard. They hate Jesus, therefore, no beards. Wouldn't want to look like a follower of Jesus, now would we?
Pharisees on steroids.
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Mad Sweeney
Anyone remember those awkward old drawings of a clean-shaven Jesus in BorglLit? They were/are downright bizarre to look at. I mean, what does a first century Jew use for shaving cream and a razor that gives him such a smooth close shave and why isn't it still on the market today?
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LockedChaos
They were anti-hippie
and have never gotten over it
Yet ANOTHER stupid rule!!
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blondie
Romans were clean shaven in the same time period...I wonder what they used?
It was only with the introduction of the fashion of shaving during the age of Alexander that the Greeks began to shave. This of course also happened in the so-called area of Magna Graecia in southern Italy which was controlled by Greek colonies. From there the fashion was introduced to the Romans.
It finally took a firm hold in Rome in about the third century BC. The great general Scipio Africanus is believed to have been the first to have begun the fashion of shaving daily. During the third century BC many barbers from the Greek parts of Sicily moved to Rome and opened shops.
Indeed a skilled tonsor (barber) could make good money in Rome. For shaving was neither a pleasant not a simple matter. The Romans lacked the high quality steel of today, so a razor (novacula) will have blunted very quickly. A visit to the tonsor may therefore have involved shaving, waxing and the use of tweezers to remove the various facial hairs.
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thetrueone
Why would he hate what he created.
He might hate people who disrespect his creation.
It this reason why in some religious faiths, men must not shave off their beards.
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moomanchu
I'm pretty sure Jehovah hates beards but only when women and little babies grow them .