God’s wisdom in allowing bearded JWs July 25 Watchtower

by Listener 14 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Listener

  The July 2025 Watchtower has a paragraph that claims that it was the superior power and wisdom of Jehovah that guided the GB into allowing jws to grow beards.

  The study article is ‘Can you still learn from basic bible teachings?’ under the subheading ‘Jehovah is the Creator’ Paragraph 7 states-

  “ 7. What did Rahela do to accept a change in direction?

  Your answer

  7 Rahela, who lives in Slovenia, has found that thinking about her Creator has helped her to accept a change in organizational direction. She admits: “Sometimes, it hasn’t been easy for me to accept decisions made by those who take the lead. For example, even after I watched the 2023 Governing Body Update #8, I was shocked the first time I saw a bearded brother giving a talk. So I prayed to Jehovah to help me adapt to this change.” Rahela recognized that as the Creator of heaven and earth, Jehovah is perfectly capable of guiding his organization in the right direction. If you find it hard to adjust to a new understanding or to accept new direction, why not humbly meditate on the superior wisdom and power of our Creator?​—Rom. 11:33-36.”

  It’s almost as if Jehovah is now the puppet and the GB is pulling his strings.
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  TonusOH

  If you believe that growing a beard was once a disfellowshipping offense, you might be a Jehovah's Witness!
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  HereIam60

  I really wonder about the mentaliry of the present Watchtower writers. That's the example they use of adapting to a change of direction? She had never seen a man with a beard before?! Yes, I realize it was a brother but that just indicates that the mind set was beards are wrong/forbidden before the Governing Body "Decided they have 'no problem' with it..
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  nowwhat?

  Many Yankees fans were dismayed the team would now allow players to grow beards. But after carefully listening to the wise words of owner Hank steinbrenner many have reconsidered and are renewing their season tickets.
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  Rattigan350

  Shaving everyday is just part of basic hygiene like brushing one's teeth and putting on deodorant.

  Wearing beards are just a sign of the laziness and rebelliousness of the people today.
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  Duran

  So does that mean that if Jesus had a beard that he was unhygienic and lazy?
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  NotFormer

  If the quoted paragraph 7 is real, and not a parody, then I can't help but shake my head at the way JWs have been infantilised by their leadership. It can't be healthy to feel the need for the approval of some high level committee for everyday decisions regarding grooming and deportment. 😔
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  TD

  Beards have been a mark of (male) degreed professionals for at least the last 20 years.

  Take Bob Borson, author of the popular blog and podcast "Life of an Architect" for example

  

  Or Matt Harris, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at USU:

  
  

  --Nothing even the least bit unusual here.

  (Sometimes I think certain posters are deliberately channeling Ken M.....)
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  Dagney

  Seriously, that paragraph 7 in a "Bible study" (rolls eyes) article sounds like a joke. How the faithful can take them seriously for anything is beyond me.

  Make me wonder who would actually raise their hand to read that answer from the paragraph...lol.

  Side note. A picture was posted of a family dinner last week Out of seven men at the table the only one with a beard was my JW relative. I hadn't though about that until this thread.

  This superior wisdom and power of this creator must be the same guy that awards touchdowns and home runs along with deadly crashes and warfare.

  Got it.
• 

  Journeyman

  The July 2025 Watchtower has a paragraph that claims that it was the superior power and wisdom of Jehovah that guided the GB into allowing jws to grow beards.

  Sadly, this paragraph is indeed from a real WT article - the July 2025 magazine is on the JW website now.

  The crazy thing is, the GB still seem to be set on making a big deal out of the beards thing by drawing attention to it like this, despite already telling the R&F not to make a fuss about it. The best thing they can do now is stop going on about it and let the fact they ever made a needless issue of it fade into the past. But no, they still keep banging on about it like this!

  Of course, these articles are usually written well in advance, so this heavy-handed reference was probably slipped in there back when this was still a "sensitive" issue - back when the GB were still making statements cautioning the R&F not to "speculate" or to "judge" whether the decision was right before or is right now.

  Really, what a load of fuss over nothing. And dragging the name of Jehovah into this is at best insulting (why would the Creator be so concerned about such a trivial matter, especially when the Bible makes no indicate of any such ruling?) and at worst, blasphemous.

  Just admit it was a stupid edict in the first place, and you're correcting a long-standing error, then move on.