by UnshackleTheChains 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
shacky -I noticed a young brother with a beard being given more privileges within our hall.
I wonder to what extent he is being given drudge work privileges?
I found this was one area where your ethnicity may or may not allow you to have a beard. Which always baffled me. Perhaps it's different here in the UK.
Apparently in some congs in the UK there are a lot of Polish immigrant JWs and their JW culture doesn't permit the beard. They then force this on to their native brothers and sisters claiming to be offended if a Brit was allowed on a platform with a beard.
If I was still in the UK and that happened to me, I would direct them to the nearest airport and tell them they'd be best off in their own country instead of having the gall to force their culture on the locals.
The very fact that someone gets shocked by a beard and then has the audacity (not that great freeware music software) to claim to know your "weak spiritual attitude" and determine your right to be a good Christian based on having a beard is beyond me!
Beards? I just realized that I don't give a shit.
I think that's a good sign. I'm leaving this Cult behind.
Doc
Beards? I just realized that I don't give a shit.
Wow! This is exactly how I feel.
About 10 months ago my brother (this is in Texas, USA) reported to me that he'd seen someone reading the watchtower with a beard in another congregation, but it still wasn't allowed in his congregation. He was sure hoping that it would come to his congregation. I suggested that he just grow a beard if he wanted to, and he started reciting cult nonsense about wanting to help the flock and if he couldn't do that with a beard it wouldn't be worth it, blah blah blah. I further suggested that if anyone prevented him from helping due to his beard it was them hurting the flock not him failing to help. Predictably, this was dismissed without any real rebuttal.
In any event, I do think practicality is winning out slowly - there's a lot of men that want to wear a beard, and beards are undergoing something of a resurgence these days. They're either valuing their personal expression above a bunch of drudgery sold as "privileges" (and if so, it's a shock it's taken so long...) or they're realizing that the shortage of men that care to do the drudgery puts them in a position of power as such a man and they're negotiating perks.
OEJ - He'd seen someone reading the watchtower with a beard
I must admit, I've never seen a watchtower with a beard.
Having said that, I had a beard and got moaned at about it quite a lot. Some old sister(tm) (RIP), said she didn't like my beard. I knew it was because of her jobo programming and not because she gave a monkeys about it really. I don't think they've changed much over the years. Still micromanaging.....I would imagine even the scum leaders at Warwick have forgotten why there's a beard thing.
As people have said, nothing has changed.
There are exceptions in a few countries. Everywhere else, there are maverick JWs, but it is likely they will not qualify to be a ministerial servant or elder. If they somehow do, it is a very rare thing, like spotting a woman carrying a microphone in a Kingdom Hall. It's happened, but it's like spotting a rare animal outside it's native habitat roaming your neighborhood.
Watchtower has most recently, like it's always done, discouraged beards, all the while seeming to say it is okay.
What londo said. In the uk it seems to be accepted but in the states still nope
