YOUNG PEOPLE ASK Should I Grow a Beard?

by neat blue dog 33 Replies latest social humour

  • neat blue dog
    neat blue dog
    Ok, ok, so the actual title of the article released today on jw-org is "YOUNG PEOPLE ASKShould I Get a Tattoo?", but I thought I'd replace some words and phrases from the actual article, as follows:
    "Regardless of the motive, you should think long and hard before deciding to have anything
    growing out of
    your skin! What questions should you consider if you are thinking about
    growing a beard?
    And what Bible principles can help you make the best decision?
    What are the health risks?
    Beards
    breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible,” says the website of the Mayo Clinic. “Sometimes bumps called
    ingrown hairs
    form around
    follicles."
    Furthermore, the website notes: “If the equipment used to
    groom your beard
    is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract various bloodborne diseases.”
    How would it affect your reputation? Like it or not, your appearance sends a message. It identifies you as either adultlike or immature, as either trustworthy or irresponsible. “Whenever I see someone with a
    beard
    I automatically put him in the drinking-and-partying category,” says a teenager named Samantha.
    Melanie, 18, sees another aspect to it. “To me,” she says, “
    beards
    hide your natural beauty. It’s as if those who wear them don’t want you to see who they really are, so they hide themselves underneath
    beards.”

    Will you always like it? Over time, weight gain or even simple aging can stretch and distort a
    beard.
    “I’ve seen what
    beards
    look like on a person decades later, and it’s not pretty,” says a young man named Joseph.

    “Facial hair styles
    often become outdated,” says 21-year-old Allen. “What was once significant to the wearer might not be important just a few years later.”
    Allen makes a good point. The fact is, as people age, their views change, their tastes change, and their affections change.
    “Having got a
    beard
    that only reminds me of foolish feelings is something I wouldn’t want to add to the list of things I regret years later,” says a young woman named Teresa.
    A mature person takes time to weigh all factors before making a decision. (Proverbs 21:5; Hebrews 5:14) So consider the following Bible principles that have a bearing on the subject of
    beards.

    Colossians 3:20: “You children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.”
    What consequences might you experience if you live at home with your parents but fail to respect their direction?
    1 Peter 3:3, 4: “Do not let your adornment be external—the braiding of hair and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothing—but let it be the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of the quiet and mild spirit.”
    Why, do you think, does the Bible put such emphasis on “the secret person of the heart”?
    1 Timothy 2:9: “adorn themselves . . . with modesty and soundness of mind.”
    What is the meaning of the word “modesty”? In the long term, why is modesty more attractive than
    a beard?

    Romans 12:1: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason.”
    Why does the way you treat your body matter to God?
    In view of these factors, many people have decided against
    growing a beard.
    In fact, they have found something better than
    beards.
  • zeb
    zeb

    should young people grow beards? only if they are male. (Sorry girls you are dudded again.)

    'so they hide themselves underneath' ..? By this comment "Melanie" (18) reveals she is like most jw young people at least two years behind her worldly peers in mental and social development.

    Beards. How about you get sick of shaving.

  • nicolaou
    nicolaou

    Adults should have the freedom to behave as such. My only quibble with comparing beards to tattoos is the permanence. A messy beard can be trimmed or shaved off. An ugly, amateurish tattoo glimpsed for the first time through the bleary eyes of a hungover 17 year old is with you for life.

  • Grey Goose
    Grey Goose

    Ha, i just read that article about tattoos on Jay dubya org. Absolutly pathetic.

    No where does it say not to get tattoos, so they resort to the old "bible principle" trick.

    I laughed when it said.. "The fact is, as people age, their views change, their tastes change, and their affections change—but their tattoos do not"...

    Suppose thats a bit like me and getting baptized into the JW org...

    And its a little offensive the article entitled young people ask, when the trend now (and always has been) is for any age group to get a tattoo. I mean, that guy on the bus dosn't look young now does he? And that guys tattoo on the bus, it looks utter shit anyway, who get's them like that these days?




  • crazy_flickering_light
    crazy_flickering_light

    Asked the full-bearded MS in my cong. He told me, it's no problem, he don't feel ill with it and the girls like it. He only lost some contacts, they blocked him at WhatsApp, because they only know his actuall pic and don't meet him in the last time.

    So, should I ask the elders or write to the headquarter if I can grow a beard?

  • pale.emperor
    pale.emperor

    This is a hot topic in my cong and many other congs here in the UK. No one can find any scriptural basis for telling you to shave so they usually use the "modest appearance" or "it's unkempt". But the problem is EVERY worshiper of Jehovah has a beard in all the illustrations in the books.

    I remember one brother telling me (when i had a beard) "id love to grow a beard. My wife would love it if i did. But i know it would keep me from being appointed. So why make it hard for myself? What not just shave it off?"

    If i moved to another part of the world where having a beard was considered offensive or dirty then i'd go along with that and respect the culture. But in this case, who decides when something is unkempt?

    I can go further than that... there's an elder in another cong that is well known for being strict. He brings a spare white shirt to the hall in case the visiting speaker turns up in another colored shirt!

  • crazy_flickering_light
    crazy_flickering_light

    Hi pale. It's also very troubled in germany. A cong nearby gives an unbaptized hell, for having a little, small beard. But in our cong, the MS is a little bit pissed I think, there happening a lot of crazy stuff. So he's not interested, if he had to step down.

    But there is and was never a scriptual reason for beeing shaved. If you look like one of ZZ Top or beeing a sister - there's nothing to discuss, it's inapprobiat. But if the beard looks good, trimmed and so - why not?It's not scriptual, so you don't have to follow.

    REALLY??? I heard about it, but I never believed it. A spare shirt? How stupid is the elder and how stupid is the speaker to change the shirt? Hey, if somebody come to you in the cong and tell you: "Your shirt is inapprobiat, take this one!" it will be a dream. Then you get a cheap, used white shirt - and you wear it. Funny. I would go immediatly, laughing and start my car loud, very loud. Or I ask, if he had a shirt from my favorite english shirt-brand or CK, will be perfect also....

  • Cangie
    Cangie

    "Whenever I see someone with a

    beard
    I automatically put him in the drinking-and-partying category,” says a teenager named Samantha."


    Well, maybe it's better if you stop being so opinionated, don't make judgments about other people based on their appearance, and realize that no one has to determine their life decisions based on the opinions of a child?

  • tiki
    tiki
    This is so hilarious! And that Samantha one...someone needs to get it through her head that you don't judge a person based on their looks but on their character. Jw peeps love to categorize and toss people into blanket groups without even getting to know what they are really like. Very shallow thinking.
  • neat blue dog
    neat blue dog
    This is a hot topic in my cong and many other congs here in the UK.

    I was under the impression that beards were allowed over there, due to the comments of some online and some JWs. I also saw a video from on YouTube of a witnessing cart handler with a beard. Maybe um thinking of another European country that allows beards?

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