by NikL 51 Replies latest jw friends
This is what the bible says about how men should look in adornment, note the hair on the sides of the head are not to be cut.
If a guy was to walk into Kingdom Hall looking like that he could just pull out his bible and quote the scripture. What could the elders do in response ?
The local BOE has the authority to determine if brothers can have beards and have "privileges" but those same brothers while giving a talk in their own congregation cannot do so in another congregation unless the BOE of the congregation they are visiting approves of it. The same is for circuit assemblies and conventions, the WTS reps decide who gets to have beard and have a part but they follow the WTS guidelines wherever I have been.
In my old hall most of the women had beards.
I shave mine off
Legalism at it's best. Ray Franz wrote about legalism in COC. Big problem within WT.
...some other congregations were letting men with beards read the watchtower on stage. What a revolution this was! He was hopeful that it would migrate to his congregation so he could have a beard.
You may be in a cult, if you hope you will be allowed to grow a beard one day...
C T Russell the founder of the Watchtower Corporation wants to know whats this bullshit about no beards ?
NikL: Maybe the school is different?
Yes, by the very nature of it being a 'school'
Whereas you would need to be 'exemplary' to be used on the 'service meeting' for demonstrations, or to auxiliary pioneer etc
The requirement for the TMS was not as high - though most publishers/elders didn't really realise
Benefit from Schhol Book, page 282
Guidelines for School Overseers
Enrolling Students. Encourage all publishers to enroll in the school. Others who are actively associating with the congregation may enroll if they agree with the teachings of the Bible and their life is in harmony with Christian principles. When someone expresses a desire to enroll, warmly commend him. If the person is not yet a publisher, you as the school overseer should discuss with him the requirements for enrollment in the school, preferably doing so in the presence of the one who is conducting a Bible study with him (or in the presence of a believing parent). These requirements are the same as for a person to become an unbaptized publisher. They are found on pages 97 to 99 of Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry. Keep an up-to-date list of all who are enrolled in the school.
The exception to this would be 'school' parts when presented as part of an Assembly such as at a Circuit Assembly - in this case the 'student's would then need to be exemplary - ie their BoE would be happy for them to auxiliary pioneer.
I do think though that that recent WT article has created a 'bit-of-an-issue' - I don't believe the actual policy has changed though, it's just that the GB has reiterated the old policy in a 'current' WT magazine, so have brought it to the attention of publishers....
I once had a beard but I lost it, along with my umbrella and raincoat. I reported the loss to the police who said, "We believe you had an umbrella and raincoat, but never that you had a beard." I recovered the umbrella and the raincoat but never recovered from my hurt over what the police said.
As a publisher in the MS, after I grew a beard they didn't say anything but I noticed ALL of my assignments were in the third school in the basement.
That was perfectly fine with me so I never challenged.
