Watchtower 1954 "Jesus was clean shaven and had short hair?? What! (page 3)

What the bible says:

(Acts 15:28-29) 28 For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU, except these necessary things, 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If YOU carefully keep yourselves from these things, YOU will prosper. Good health to YOU!"

What the WT said before

***

w548/15p.511QuestionsFromReaders***

The later Watch Tower publications show Jesus as beardless and with short hair because he is shown that way in representations of him that are older than the traditional effeminate-looking picture.

Then they said something else

*** w68 5/1 pp. 286-288 Questions From Readers ***
Nevertheless, as already shown, it is apparent that Jesus did wear a beard, and so artistic representations of him in future Watch Tower publications will harmonize with the Scriptural evidence to that effect.

Then they said in the very next sentence (implying that beards shouldn't matter)

Doubtless the early Christians followed the custom of the time and locality in which they lived, with regard to the wearing of a beard. The Roman custom was beardlessness. Romans converted to Christianity would very likely continue in the Roman custom, while converts from the Jewish community would continue in the Jewish custom of wearing a beard.

Today Christian ministers, like the early Christians, are concerned with neatness and cleanness, but they strive to dress inconspicuously, so that their appearance does not in any way detract from the dignity or the effectiveness of the message they bear. (2 Cor. 6:3, 4) In recent years in many lands a beard or long hair on a man attracts immediate notice and may, in the minds of the majority, classify such a person undesirably with extremists or as rebels against society. God’s ministers want to avoid making any impression that would take attention away from their ministry or hinder anyone from listening to the truth. They know that people are watching true Christians very critically and that to a great extent they judge the entire congregation and the good news by the minister’s appearance as a representative of the congregation.
(really???)

But customs be damned, we can't have any of us looking like Russelite hippies!

***

w733/1p.139pars.18-19RightsorDuties—Which?***

Then ask, ‘With whom does my style classify me in the eyes of people in general? Would someone on whom I call identify me as a minister of Jehovah’s witnesses?’ Why would you feel strange among outside associates if you did not wear long hair? Do you fear what they might say? Do you feel that they expect you, as one of Jehovah’s witnesses, to dress as they do? Or do you think they would respect you more if, as a minister, you dressed as they do?

If the responsible brothers in the congregation recommend that you change your style, or if others feel it is not befitting a minister, would you be willing to change? Perhaps you might think that they are mistaken, or perhaps out-of-date, and that there is no need to change just because others in the congregation are disturbed. Then, would you accept the pattern that Christ himself set?

And

***
w733/1pp.139-140RightsorDuties—Which?***
NOT
STYLE,BUTSEPARATENESSFROMWORLDLYPRACTICES

23
We can view the matter of style, or of dress, from another standpoint. Suppose that you, as a man, lived in Israelite times, under the Law, and did not like a beard. Perhaps you liked the way Egyptians looked, clean shaven. What would you do? Would you exercise your personal right to shave? No, for you would not have such a right. You would have to wear a beard, because the Law commanded all males: "You must not cut your sidelocks short around, and you must not destroy the extremity of your beard."—Lev. 19:27; 21:5.
24
Was this Law given because of style? No. It was to keep the Israelites from imitating the practice of some of the pagan nations around them. Israelites were to keep their beards trimmed, neat, well groomed, however. An untended beard or a shaved-off one betokened grief and mourning because of some calamity. (2 Sam. 19:24-28; Isa. 7:20) The hair was also periodically cut, unless one was under a Nazirite vow. In Ezekiel’s prophecy the priests are commanded to clip their hair and not wear it loose.—Ezek. 44:15, 20.
25
Also, God recognized that a style of clothing can classify one wrongly when he commanded that "no garb of an able-bodied man should be put upon a woman, neither should an able-bodied man wear the mantle of a woman; for anybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah your God." (Deut. 22:5) Why? Because it would be an inducement to immorality.
26
So while there are some styles of clothing that have similarity, such as women’s slacks and men’s trousers, yet there is usually a definite distinction in style or material. But when one wears clothing so that he or she is virtually indistinguishable from the opposite sex, this is bad in Jehovah’s eyes. The same is true with clothing that is so tight or scanty that it is conducive to immorality and classifies the individual with those who have a reputation for detestable practices. If, then, you feel like insisting on a certain style of hair or dress, or some practice, ask yourself, ‘Am I doing it to imitate worldly persons?’

So, what can we learn on a really deep level about JW's through "The Beard"?

The bible, as the WT acknowledges, would have allowed for Jewish converts to keep their beards, while not making Roman converts grow one. Evidentally, in the 1st century, local customs mattered!

But that changed when Christ returned! (who are we kidding?) And by Christ, I mean Judge Rutherford, (whose motto was "Is it different? Great!") Beards were bad. What does the bible indicate? Not important. Locality and culture should matter. Just look at Roman and Jewish converts and what Paul told them. (which was essentially, chill out and live and let live) Never mind, bad example.

It only got important to the borg when it got noticeably embarrassing.

Because JW's, who decry Pharisee like adherence to tradition even as they become experts at it, had a problem. Knorr didn't like beards either. And he was in charge of whether anything was "worldly" or not. Yet Jesus had a beard. This was evidentally a problem that could cost people their eternal lives!!!

"So this is how we'll handle it" said Knorr. "We'll use the example of Jews with mandated beards in the OT, and make a new rule. We'll FLIP it and say that we mandate NO BEARDS are how Jehovah wants men to look today. Even though the Apostles waned to add no further burden to Christians and we are under the law of Christ only. But we KNOW that facial hair absolutely PISSES OFF YHWH! I know this is true, because I am pissed, and I am of the annointed"

The lesson boys and girls, men and women, theists and atheists, cartoons and real people, is that this cult does whatever the hell it wants. It makes a rule, then bends a scripture. They do not do it the other way around.

In the mean time, they piss off a whole bunch of people over crap that doesn't matter.

This rant brought to you by Jeff, who had to deal with this situation once in his congregation, and couldn't believe he had to tell a brother he couldn't be used for "privileges" because of a beard. He never felt closer to YHWH after that.

Watchtower 1954 "Jesus was clean shaven and had short hair?? What!

avishai

AllTimeJeff

civicsi00

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