I've been involved with the witnessess since 1976. My ex-wife was a baptised sister who fell in with the wrong crowd and left the fruth when she should have been disfellowshipped. Thats another story. After returning home in 1980 from working in the U.S. Navy, I contacked her parents and in 1982 started studying for ernest. I had a falling ourt with some of the aattitudes i was encountering and stopped studying in 1983. Time has passed and I still felt lost and alone, so I came back and started attending meetings and later a bible study in 2010. I have been told that because I wear a beard, I cannot go any further, including getting a Kingdom Ministry. I have had this beard most of my adult lilfe (30 years at least) and especiallly during the times of study. I keep it neat and trrimmed and have been able to find employment while wearing it, so what is the problem?? Every Watchtowwer and some Awake magazines, and most of the study book show men with beardds, including our savior Jesus Christ ! Why would I be any different? In fact in one Watchtower I countedd 27 men with beards and NO clean shaven. In a weekly study a few weeks age , the conductor even made note of Paul having a beard. So again what's the problem?? i would greatly appreciate a response to this Thank you.
Beards
by ThomasK9 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Witness My Fury
...how can I say this gently? ....... It's a cult. There, once you can grasp this point then everything else falls nicely into place.
The beards thing? Well your mileage will vary depending on location and particular elders, CO etc. but it's been a pain in the ass for many for decades since Rutherford took over from the bearded Russel and wanted a change of image I reckon.
Welcome, Stay awhile and learn
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Phizzy
They have no valid scriptural reason for their attitude about beards, even by trying to stretch a "principle", they have no printed material in the WT literature that is in the public domain about the issue, and frankly they have a stupid attitude to the wearing of beards.
You will find this is a very local thing, in certain parts of the world, and in certain congregations it is not a problem, for instance , in the Congregation I last attended the Elder who conducted the Theocratic Ministry School wore a beard, and still does.
Just leave the crazy cult and get a proper life amongst real, normal people, happiness in any measureable degree is not to be found within the Jehovah's Witnesses.
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Finkelstein
WTS. has always been shaping and molding their following adherents into their own sales representatives,
the reason the no long hair and no beards and curtailing exactly how people are to dress in public.
This has been done with intension to make the organization appear pure and righteous as possible, the no beards policy is just a part of this .
Other Christian based religions forbid their male members to shave their beards, as it would be disrespectful to god and his creation.
The WTS. publishing house has their own agenda of course, as they try to expand their organization.
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moomanchu
BEARDS:
At the start of his presidency, Rutherford would praise Charles Taze Russell, even stating that CTR was leading the Bible Students personally while being "beyond the vail"(from the heavens after his death). So for a while the Judge promoted remembering CTR. The reason he did this is because the brothers at Bethel still looked to CTR as their spiritual leader and held him in very high esteem.
In time Rutherford established himself without question as the new spiritual leader and president of the society.
However like first century Christians who followed different brothers like Apollos or Paul, there were still brothers at Bethel who still looked to CTR as their spiritual leader. The Judge decided the brothers were focusing on CTR to much (he called it creature worship). The Judge didn't want CTR becoming an icon, so he decided to try and get the brothers to forget about CTR.
Rutherford was aware that many members of the Bible students emulated CTR by growing beards. So in and effort to get CTR out of the consciousness of the Bible Students, the Judge ruled that beards were not allowed in the Bethel families. In a careful plan the Judge cut off the beards of Jesus, and Adam in WTS illustrations to reinforce the idea of no beards. Suddenly male facial hair was "un-Theocratic." Brothers were even told they couldn’t grow a mustache unless they wanted to lose there "privileges." The Bethel rules quickly trickled down to the congregations and the rest is history. The funny thing is if you ask a JW why they can't grow a beard there usual response is “we don't want to be associated with the hippie movement or uncleanness of the 60's”. They don't even realize that the beard ban was made way back in the 20’s. It wasn't until the 70's that the mustache rule was relaxed, this being because of the great popularity of facial hair in the 60's and 70's. The beard ban however still lingers on. The WT yearbook:yb74 97-8 Germany (Part One) *** It was now possible to print TheWatchTower in our own factory. The first issue printed was that of July 15, 1923. Some three or four weeks later a large flatbed press with automatic feed was set up and work began on the first volume of StudiesintheScriptures. Right afterward the book TheHarpofGod was printed on the same machine. But more equipment was needed. For that reason Brother Balzereit asked Brother Rutherford for permission to buy a rotary press. Brother Rutherford saw the necessity and agreed, but on one condition. He had noticed thatover the years Brother Balzereit had grown a beard very similar to the one that had been worn by Brother Russell. His example soon caught on, for there were others who also wanted to look like Brother Russell. This could give rise to a tendency toward creature worship, and Brother Rutherford wanted to prevent this. So during his next visit, within hearing of all the Bible House family, he told Brother Balzereit that he could buy the rotary press but only on the condition that he shave off his beard. Brother Balzereit sadly agreed and afterward went to the barber. During the next few days there were several cases of mistaken identity and some funny situations because of the "stranger" who was sometimes not recognized by his fellow workers. Mystery solved
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Balaamsass
Welcome to the group. Sorry, to break this to you..but you are correct about the beard....but wrong about the religion. Before you invest more time and energy, take a few hours and read "crises of Conscience" by Raymond Franz, he was a very kind man who was a JW Missionary and Member of the Governing Body of Jehovahs' Witnesses. It will explain a lot.
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Resistance is Futile
Welcome, stick around you'll be surprised what you can learn. I would also recommend you check out jwfacts.com.
You are correct that our savior Jesus Christ had a beard. The Watchtower's no beard policy is unbiblical. I been wondering if they've got this wrong what else could they be wrong about? Did you know that according to the Watchtower, Jesus Christ is not the Mediator between you and Jehovah?
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Finkelstein
WTS./JWS is a publishing House, the Kingdom Halls are instructional training centers for its sales Representatives. End of story.
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poppers
Getting their undies in a bind over wearing a beard should tell you a lot. Keep your beard and your life and find a different path.
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