Quote:
Originally Posted by WildernessWill
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Finally, Christianity was declared to be the state religion. While all this was taking place, The Edict of Milan came into being which resulted in thousands of pagans “joining” the church because it was politically correct, after all their Emperor embraced Christianity. This great influx resulted in the adoption of many false doctrines and practices. They (Constantine and the pagan masses) were never spiritually converted. The final result, many pagan practices were woven into Christianity, changing it to the point the apostles would find it unrecognizable. From Constantine onwards the state began to mingle in church affairs. The saddest part is many of these customs, traditions and practices are still in the church today.
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Yeah-man! to that!
This one (click the link) has especially grieved my spirit and I think we would see revival if we would just drop this pagan practice of the papists and believe like the Apostles did in the Book of Acts!
"Let no man in holy orders conceal his tonsure,
nor let himself be misshaven nor keep his beard for any time, if he will have God's blessing and St. Peter's and ours."
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the Roman clergy systematically cut off their beards.
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The legislation requiring the beard to be shaved seems to have remained in force throughout the Middle Ages. Thus an ordinance of the Council of Toulouse, in 1119,
threatened with excommunication the clerics who "like a layman allowed hair and beard to grow", and Pope Alexander III ordained that clerics who nourished their hair and beard
were to be shorn by their archdeacon, by force if necessary. This last decree was incorporated in the text of the canon law (Decretals of Gregory IX, III, tit. i, cap. vii).
For the last 200 years there has been no change, and an attempt made by some of the clergy of Bavaria in 1865
to introduce the wearing of beards was rebuked by the Holy See. "