by SpannerintheWorks 31 Replies latest jw friends
I knew one guy who had a beard. A really nice person, but he was ostracized for having one, they all viewed him as weak. Yep he had no privilidges either.
Then my most best-ist JW friend grew one, and did I cop it. I had the elders suggesting that he was not a good associate, that he is weak and my friendship with him would also weaken me. I ignored them and continued to our friendship. Later he shaved and fell into line with their ways and is an elder now...
Kep
Any witness can have a beard (even the women).
You just claim to have any one of a number of skin conditions which are caused or exaserbated by shaving. The hair growth actually is a good 'cover' for the condition which does not, in fact, exist.
My friend, a brother, simply claimed he had 'shaving rash'.
I live in Ohio, at our DC's there were often a fair number of bros from West Virginia that had beards.
I've had a beard since the late 70's when I decided to start drifting away from the Borg. When I first grew it, they tried to counsel me on having one and said the JW's don;t have beards becasue prominant ones in the community don't have them. Well I then decided to point out to them that there were several promanant bussiness men in Blue Earth and surrounding communities that did have them and I named names. Even the Mayor of Blue Earth had one, well that shot down their potental reasoning on the matter, but informed me that I could not progress in the congregation as long as I kept it. I have had it ever since, Well I did work in a necular power house for a while and we were required to have resperator training, so I had to shave it, and leave it off for about 2 months.
Seedy
I've never seen a 'hovah with a beard. In 11 years as a 'hovah, not one did I see. However, when I spent a few days at the lake with the family, a 'hovah friend came up to see us, and he saw that I was sporting about 4 days growth, which for me is pretty much a beard. He actually questioned my "spirituality" because I didn't want to shave at the lake on vacation! What a dick!
TR
Since when did Jehovah's Witnesses, who use the following catchphrase and pride themselves on being:
No part of the world (tm)
concern themselves with:
they tried to counsel me on having one and said the JW's don;t have beards becasue prominant ones in the community don't have them.
So now they concern themselves with conforming to the norms of the community.. er uh.. Satan's world?
What a boatload of BS and another example of hypocrisy found within their belief system.
In my personal experience, I was raised a JW, and in my 20 years of association with them, in the entire Chicagoland area, I NEVER saw a faithful active Dub with a beard. If you had a beard or a goatee you were considered spiritually weak and denied any priviledges. I attended various District and Circuit conventions and NEVER did any brother have a beard.
In fact, I was removed from carrying the microphones at meetings and reading at Book Study because my sideburns were too long. I also noticed that VERY rarely did any "white" brother have facial hair of any sort. It was acceptable for the "hispanic and african-american brothers" to have a mustache, but facial hair beyond that was unacceptable, and facial hair on a "white" brother was almost unspeakable.
Another testament to the Jehoveer's Witlesses attempting to control every aspect of your life.
Fuck the Watchtower Society, and fuck Jehovah's Witnesses with their never-ending bullshit.
Sorry I used foul-language if it offends anybody, but this subject brings back bad memories for me. Of how I was judged by people as being wicked or evil simply because I had some hair on my face. Talk about maintaining appearances and being unchristianlike. Jehovah's Witnesses are the epitome of hypocrites and unchristian behavior.
We had an elder in our hall who had a beard and it was announced from the platform that he had "medical authorisation" to wear a beard since he had a skin condition that made shaving painful. And now you know the rest of the story . . . .
I grew mine while on a business trip. When I returned, it was a subject of conversation at the next elder's meeting. At that time (1995), there was a letter from the WTS to COs and DOs stating that the congregation could not stop a man with a beard from being an unbaptized publisher or being baptized if he had a beard. It also said that the elders could use a man with a beard for whatever they deemed appropriate as long as it was in keeping with local custom. Being here in Maine, beard are definitely local custom. On that basis the body of elders voted that I could continue as an elder with my beard. (goatee, actually)
Shortly thereafter I announced that I was stepping down from being an elder. That had been in the works for a while. When the CO came around, we met with him. After discussing my stepping down, he then went on a tear about beards, forced the elders into re-voting on the matter, and started making a case for me being removed. All the time he kept saying "It's not a rule, but ..."
A rule by any other name is still a rule.
once there was an elder who said that men with beard have a psycological problem -
they hide any bad deed by beart.
so I said that a clever one then would go always well shaved to implement the feeling at others
that he is not guilty of any sin.
this elder now is a former elder - he prefered some quickies with another married woman
and is divorced, menawhile married with his new conquest, still well shaved to hide his psychological problems, this word-fucker
Yes I have.
But they are a cause for conniption fits for many an asinine storm trooper a.k.a."elder"!
Dismembered
Edited by - Dismembered on 13 September 2002 14:16:52
