Jw's and beards

by wannaexit 53 Replies latest jw friends

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  stuckinarut2

  If a brother wore a beard locally, he would be counselled for having a "Bad attitude"!
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  Finkelstein

  Jesus asks who said beards are unrighteous and unpure ?

  Men who judge others upon their looks or appearance are the ones unrighteous and are not inline with my directions to show love for one another.

  
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  steve2

  

  "Brothers and sisters, we are pleased to announce that, due to the recent adjustment in our thinking about beards, certain brothers are now allowed to have beards, full privileges have been restored to Brother Chuck Russell.

  "As you will know, he lost those privileges some years ago because of his refusal to remove his beard when Brother Rutherford decreed beards were out and clean-shaven countenances were in.

  "However, deep into this time of the end, Jehovah has seen fit to adjust our thinking on this critical issue. Truly, it will do all our hearts good to see Brother Russell back on Watchtower Study microphone duty. We now close with a prayer of thanks to Jehovah, the Great God of Ongoing Adjustments."
  
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  undercover

  It appears that new light might be coming down the pipes that BEARDS ARE ACCEPTABLE.

  Forget it. Ain't gonna happen. They might print some wishy-washy BS aimed more at outsiders peaking in, but they'll never give up what control they have over dedicated followers.

  Here in most of the US, they have the male population obeying their unwritten law. Why would they give up that authority? If they give up an ounce of control here, someone might be emboldened to refuse to obey some other rule over there. No - they won't let that happen.

  At best, they'll make it a local decision - which means one of two things: At best, local elders will continue to hold to whatever standards they've been holding to for the last 50 years, so no gain there. Or at worst, and more likely, local elders will be allowed to make a decision locally - as long as it's approved by the WTS, so again, no gain there.
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  konceptual99

  Beards are everywhere at R&F level in the org. Go to any meeting or any assembly and you will see loads of them.

  I bet you any money that one or more of the following scenarios have been happening time after time:

  1 - CO's feeding back that BoEs are not filling the need for appointed men as otherwise capable brothers are sporting a beard

  2 - BoEs phoning bethel asking for clarification as they are being openly questioned on the matter by brothers in the congregation

  3 - the GB and senior helpers seeing everytime they attend a regional convention how many beards there are and realising they need to make some statement on the matter

  4 - Someone convincing the GB that they need to choose their battles. Alienating a whole generation of brothers because they can't get their head round the unwritten rule simply opens the door to further criticism and scepticism.

  5 - The GB wanting to give old school BoEs the ammunition in an up to date publication to claim local circumstances dictate a rule for no beards.
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  oppostate

  Beards are everywhere at R&F level in the org. Go to any meeting or any assembly and you will see loads of them.

  What??? Not on any assembly or convention, and definitely not in the congs I frequent, both English and Spanish. There may be some "worldly" who gets invited to a meeting and shows up with a beard. But if they make progress then sooner or later the beard comes off before they are an unbaptized publisher.

  I'm In New England and there are lots of young men around town who are sporting a hipster beard, and older folk who have a beard also, (no women although I saw a heavy hint of a mustache and goatee on one female worker at a Dunkin Donuts, yeah I know, kinda creepy), but beards have always been regarded by witnesses as being a fashion of "the world" and counseled against.
  
  
  

  Besides, a lot of these bearded hipsters like to wear tight pants, otherwise known as tightpants

  
  

  --not to mention a man-bun.
  
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  Truthexplorer

  I saw a lot of men wearing beards here in the uk at the convention. In fact, several young lads from one local Cong were wearing them which I was really surprised about as some are sons of elders. To me it made a big statement.
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  neat blue dog

  Here's a brother from the LDC working in a project in Europe.

  
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  steve2

  Yes, but that brother's got a goatee rather than a beard, right?

  
  
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  neat blue dog

  Same thing. Anything on the chin is condemned.