Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa
Are you speaking of something on the lines of Gurus, Rebbe Mendel Schneerson, Moses David Berg, or Jim Jones? I was having a discussion tonight and someone brought up Jim Jones. I said he got 900 people to kill themselves? Marshall Applewhite got all the men in his group to castrate themselves (surgically in Mexico) and kill themselves. Yet, I know a group called 12 Tribes headed up by a Yoneq Spriggs. Beards are to be grown by men in their group. Also everyone has to look like they just fell off a Sunday school felt board. Now, it is easy to just say well, those are cults. But the facts are it is part and parcel of all religions. Judaism? People who aren't Jews tend to believe that Judaism is a religion which has elements across the board for its believers. But just like Christianity that has more flavors than Baskin Robbins, Judaism does too. Same thing with Islam. You have hadith Islam, and Quran Only Islam. You have blow me up Islam and your nice friendly Islam, waiting for the day they take over your country. Hinduism is a virtual hodgepodge of different views. But I said all that to say this, the elders, teachers, and preachers in their respective religions have leeway as far as modesty. Mennonites, Amish, Pentecostals, Chabad Lubavitch, Muslims, all have their varying views on what is modest. Again, if you don't like what is going on in a congregation, you are free to leave. You don't like the idea of growing a beard like Rip Van Winkle, or Anton Lavey, then pick up the wife and kids and journey on to the next church of your choice. I have never been the lesser for being in a shave only church. Matter of fact it didn't bother me. My brother that I decided to shave smooth after our argument, wasn't my pastor, wasn't my elder, he was my church brother. No one told me I was going to hell over my fu manchu. It was never presented to me that way. But let's face it, all men have facial hair, even if they shave. In the time of Jesus, Judeans were either clean shaven, or full bearded. Grecian Judeans (Judeans who fully adopted the Greek culture) shaved, but to get into the court of the Judeans it wasn't facial hair that allowed you entry, it was your circumcision. I shave, I like shaving, shave more than ye all. But by the morning I have facial hair, I shave it, and when I get home I have facial hair by the end of the day. Again, never had a problem over shaving my face, never heard any of the brothers go wee wee wee all the way home because they shaved for church. So, for me I don't see all the hub bub. I have a great friend who makes it mandatory to have a beard in church. He is the other side of the coin, but he is not alone. There is always that swing of the pendulum. No beards, you be surprised just swings all the way to must have beards. Yet, in religion one must have balance, it is like swerving a car on sheet ice, if you over compensate in either direction you go off the road. That is your slippery slope. Is it a pastor (one leader) over a church? Or eldership (two or more over a church)? Or inevitably, no leaders at all in the church, just a bless me club over cookies and milk. Their is plenty to debate, and we will be knocking each other out while the house burns down around us. Hey, being Biblical is an awesome endeavor, impacting our world a splendid idea. But bearded or smooth brand new razor clean means nothing if we aren't turning our world upside down. Then you get those who say that the shave only church frightens people off with their BIC razors. No, didn't scare me off, didn't scare off all the brothers I know who shave and are in church. But like I said, to each his own. Don't like one pastor over the church? Leave. Don't like plural eldership? Leave. Don't like bearded song leaders? Get up, and go forth from among them.
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