by Witness 007 35 Replies latest watchtower bible
I think beard discussions are pretty much old hat... We all know the WT used to speak against them for publishers... they seemed to think it made you look like a hippie!
That all changed years ago . Now there are plenty of bearded brothers and elders
they seemed to think it made you look like a hippie!
You saying they don't think of me as an old hippie anymore? Bang goes any credibility I ever had.
George
Now there are plenty of bearded brothers and elders
In some parts of Europe, yes. In North America it is still absolutely (unwrittenly? Is that a word?) forbidden if you want to have any "privileges". No elder there would remain an elder if he grew a beard.
I would agree with FFGhost, in the US at least in my area beards are still a no-no and my jw has disparaging remarks about beards at times.
The ban on beards seems to be very much an institutionalised thing amongst the JWs. Even in those countries - such as Papua New Guinea - where men commonly wear beards, the ban on beards remains amongst the JWs.
And when I first started getting involved with that lot, I remember them claiming not to have any “man made rules”!
And when I first started getting involved with that lot, I remember them claiming not to have any “man made rules“.
In truth, all their rules are ‘man-made’, and when challenged they’re claimed to be “bible based”.
Yet Jesus is quoted as teaching that the whole Law can be summed up in just two commands. So how thankful the dubs can be that the GB have filled in what Jesus forgot. (Sarcasm added)
Notice they wrote the Jesus with a beard was effeminate???? WHAT woman has a Jesus beard.
I don't think they were talking about the beard per se.
Western culture went through a period where the traits we consider masculine today were considered brutish and oafish.
There's plenty of paintings of Michael the archangel that honestly leave you puzzled about his gender:
Paintings of Jesus, even with a beard, weren't much better.
Early WTs showed Jesus with a beard. But Rutherford was solidly against them because it reminded him of Russell and he wanted that memory erased from the minds of Bible Students, as they were then called. it stuck for decades.
Then the excuse became the hippie thing or drugs or anything to keep JWs looking squeaky clean in the eyes of everybody else. Part of their non-dress-code dress-code
Beard phobia, Charles Taze Russell had quite a luxuriant beard as did many of the men by his side and in the rest of the WTS. When Russell died, the control of the WTS was up for grabs, and Rutherford grabbed it. But not everyone supported him and Rutherford seemed to think that these men kept their beards as an affront to him. So he ordered no beards, and eventually chucked one out who refused to shave. After that it was no beards, even Jesus could not have a beard. The WTS finally decided there was too much "evidence" that Jesus did have a beard and let Jesus have his beard back, but no one on earth could have one and be in good standing with the WTS/GB. hahaha
Jesus would be disfellowshipped.....
