Elders and Ministial Servants are still today not allowed to be bearded. It looks higly politicial to me and I beleave it is a leftover from the McCarthy period in the 50s. Joseph McCarthy was a US Republican Senator and communist witch hunter. Take a look at pictures of people in the Watchtowers magazines and books. At the Kingdom Hall or field minisrty all men are wearing grey or brown suits, having the same haircut and of course not bearded. All women are wearing dresses but the colors varies more. Still they are banned to wear trouses at meetings and field service. You even see pictures of women wearing dresses doing garden work. Brothers are not allowed to say a praier or read in homegroups ( bookstudi ) if not having a tie on if the rules are compleatly followed. It is even better to come at meetings dirty, sveat and smelling like a pig wearing ugly suits and tie than clean and cut but without a tie. Very strict brothers do not take their jacket off, no matter how warm it is inside the hall. Remember an pioneer and elder here. He had his living from a nighttime cleaning job, used to work with his tie on and said: ?I ´m a JW all the day. People knows me as one of them and therefore I need the tie?. Sometimes his tie fell down to the bucket and got wet.
Beard and politic
by Trotsky 7 Replies latest jw friends
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got my forty homey?
Thats almost like the Abbott and Costello shows when the mean clam pulled Costello's face in the chowder by pulling his tie.
lol
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Islandboy99
I'll be sure to wear a tie from now on..... If I die without a tie on, I might not get a ressurection....
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Maverick
This is a physical manifestation of conformity! Any high control group, and this includes the millitary, need to have total conformity and reduce individuality to merits of rank. And if you don't think the JW's are into rank, think again! With the Dud males it's the size and shape of their bookbags, with the sisters...well it does not matter because they are second class, non entities in the WTS anyway! Often the suit is a mere costume! The cheaper and more tattered it is, the more "spiritual" the brother is! The WTS wants that money so don't waste it on a new, first hand suit! And don't waste time ironing your shirts either brothers. I never saw a more rag-tag bunch than the older brothers in the K-Halls! And forget shoe polish! I was raised in a military household, your foot gear had better be spit and polished or you were in deep do do pal! But the CO's, (Corporate inspectors), have, as a group, the worse footwear in the western world. In a country like the US, where getto kids can get nice shoes, to see these men walk around in the these scuffed up, unpolished, mud crusted loafers, (the eight CO's I dealt with all wore loafers), just made me cringe! And loafer is a good name for the shoes owner as well!
As for facial hair. Forget it! A little mustache might be OK, but a beard....they will mark you and take away any assignments you were given. If the Elders are not total cowards one might approch you and ask you to shave it off. Many of the newer elders are totall pansies and they will just talk about you behind your back, but never confront you about it! I know about this first hand. I was never confronted about my beard. And I'm French Canadian and can grow a heavy beard in three weeks. I was an MS, and went missing for one month and came back with a very nice beard. No one ever ask me a thing but my name was scratched off the talk list and they would not let me read at book study. One night there were no other brothers at the book study but me and the Conductor and he was squirming as to who would read. I was waiting to see what he would do. Just as he was assigning a sister to read, (remember my only sin was the beard), a brother came in and the look of relief on this cowards face was plain to see!
In summary, when it comes to dress and grooming, forget the Bible, forget logic or local custom. The WTS has their own agenda, and they do not care what the RF think! Maverick
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Wallflower
According to a BBC News item :
the continued wearing of ties could make you blind. Don't say you haven't been warned! :)
Wallflower
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shamus
Yes, they are pretty stupid when it comes down to the suit and tie thingy.
You can really see how stupid they really are, LOL!
Thank god I don't have to wear any more suits. Dam those duds!
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Country Girl
They're already blind: wearing a tie can't make it any worse.
CG
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Mulan
Actually, it's a Joe Rutherford thing. When he took over, beards went out.