Why is it that so many COG ministers and leaders have to stick their noses into peoples lives? We have had men over the decades dictating clothing colors, car colors, red ties for men, hair lengths, how close to dance, skirt lengths, what type of car to buy, what jobs to have and not have, etc. Almost-arrested, Elisha, Elijah, Amos, Joshua, Habakkuk, doubly blessed and bitter disappointing "son" to Rod Meredith is also dictating what men should not be doing with their hair,
According to the false prophet and false teacher men should NOT shave their heads. Why? Because some pagan thousands of years ago might have shaved his head. They also shaved their faces, but you never see the foolish hypocrite claiming men should not do that ether.
Christian women should not have short masculine hair styles and Christian men should not have long feminine hairstyles. Since pagan priests tended to totally shave their heads, this does not seem to be a proper regular practice for Christian men (Leviticus 19:27; 21:5).
48 comments:
I remember back in the 1980's a minister in Worldwide told me how to keep my hair cut, not to ever wear jeans to service and he even told me not to be listening to christian rock music. Yet his kids could do any damn thing they wanted.
This brings to mind something that happened in April or May 1976. GTA was giving a sermon at the Auditorium PM service. At the time the men's swim team had bought into the idea that if they shaved their heads and bodies, they would swim a little faster. So they did. GTA was ranting about long hair, and then said, "And I see some are doing the other extreme. Maybe they have crabs and have to."
I hope Jesus never wore a toga. If he did, he's not welcome in LCG.
"Since pagan priests tended to totally shave their heads, this does not seem to be a proper regular practice for Christian men."
...and since pagan priests also tended to breathe air, eat food, drink water, and sleep during the night, these also do not seem to be proper regular practices for Christian men either.
Package deal. Take 'em or leave 'em.
Bob needs to address if it's proper to shave the genitalia area. I'm sure he has an opinion on this too.
The are many folically challenged men including minister's within the Church who have no1 shaved hair.
The are also many women including minister's wives who have short hair.
This is all a bit outdated. Each to their own in these matters. Micromanaging people never ends well.
Head shaving marked the beginning and completion of a temporary Nazarite vow, such as Paul took in Acts 21. As Paul was sent to Rome without being able to complete the vow (and have his head shaved again) he may have died with long hair.
It was a custom to take a temporary Nazarite vow between Passover and Pentecost. As there is now no Temple, it's no longer possible to do that, however, some Jewish men still annually imitate that custom.
Had a similar experience with a control freak in WWCG just like anon 10:45. Then they wondered why everyone in my age group stopped showing up the day they turned 18. I guess if there's any bright spot to all the authoritarian power games he liked to play it turned off a generation of people who would never go on to become tithe cattle.
Pagan's also pooped. Does Thiel say we should not do that either? Maybe that is part of Thiel's problem, he's been holding all in for too long. Let it go dude and relax a little! It must be hard holding ones sphincter so tight all the time about everything!
Is it me or is Bob Thiel starting to get as crazy as David Pack?
Hmmmm......might have some SHAVED ham 4 dinner tonite.Well maybe some UNSHAVED after what I have just read.
Hey I got it,UNSHAVED KOSHER HAM.
We await your comments Bob.
Anon 158 wrote: Is it me or is Bob Thiel starting to get as crazy as David Pack?
Some years ago I saw an RCG publication that had a number of photos of hair styles, explaining which were acceptable and which weren't. As far as crazies go, RCG is still the leader of the, uh, pack...
As for avoiding all things pagan, a few years ago at Painful Truth I started poking at Bob for his use of a photo of HWA sporting his "Sacred Treasures" pin. The background to the order is steeped in Shinto paganism. As if there aren't enough photos of HWA to choose from...
There you have it, the plain truth about combovers.
This is an absolutely correct teaching from the law of God. God commanded the Israelites not to worship foreign gods, or even adopt heathen worship practices. Believe it or not, this still applies to us today, and is just one of many reasons why God is about to punish His nation Israel. Shaving the head, shaving off the sides of one's beard (leaving only a "goatee", and putting tattoo marks on the body are absolutely forbidden by God. These were all originally worhip rites used by the pagan nations to worship their detestable "gods". God hates idolatry and DESPISES all of the aforementioned practices. Many today would say, in protest, "I don't shave my head, wear a goatee or wear tattoos to worship strange gods. I do it because I like the way it looks." That is the way human nature reasons around obeying God's laws. GOD HATES, DESPISES shaved heads, goatees and tattoos, regardless of the reasons why a man might do those things. We DO NOT have the right to do just anything we want to with our bodies, they belong to God. We have some leeway, but God draws the line.
Next thing you know you will hear Thiel saying women shouldn't shave their legs, underarms or bikini wax!
The same personality types who were attracted to the Pharisee lifestyle exist today. Fortunately, most of them are drawn to Armstrongism and torment one another, so the rest of us don't have to be bothered by them.
What "Dr." (See the Ambassador Watch first page) Thiel fails to realize is that the same things that raise our ire about him are also a turnoff to any potential members he might otherwise attract. In other words, his spirit animal is probably the skunk.
BB
Are you drunk or just having a brain fart?
Cory wrote: GOD HATES, DESPISES shaved heads, goatees and tattoos, regardless of the reasons why a man might do those things.*
Okay... Does God hate lepers? In Lev. 14 they are commanded to shave their entire bodies.
And the temporary Nazarite vow involves head shaving. Job shaved his head. Before Joseph was taken to Pharaoh, he "shaved himself" - only his face?
But Deut. 21 has the real topper: "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take them away captive, and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails."
* Perhaps you should add "Conditions apply".
OMG Cory Haffly, speechless, gob smacked, no words.....
Byker Bob wrote: Thiel fails to realize is that the same things that raise our ire about him are also a turnoff to any potential members he might otherwise attract.
Excellent point. Corporations pay marketing companies millions for what is sometimes only a nickel's worth of advice.
And just learning to take criticism will help immensely.
I have told Prophet Bob many times that pagans wore underwear and bras and that he and his wife must avoid this pagan form of dress at all costs.
He refuses to repent and listen.
It is futile to talk to him. He just has his own ideas about things.
Men of Christ's day wore beards yet neither Bob nor his wife or kids will even try to grow beards.
I think it is disgraceful
These Pharisees are whitewashed sepulchers or as I like to call them fancy toilet bowls.
It is all about the outside to them
You can beat a kid with a belt, cheat on your wife, lie to your friends, steal their money and lead people down the garden path , be a pedophile or incest maven in the church of God but if you wear your hair the wrong way or say dam- it... well you thrown out.
See? Its all about having that whitewashed exterior.
Cory
I don't think God is going to punish Israel because of goatees, shaved heads, or tattoos. Don't you think it will be for much more serious matters?
Why not rather come here and instead condemn the ministers for robbing members of the talents that Christ gives to each and every member, as in the parable of the talents. How can members grow and qualify for the kingdom if robbed of these talents? I would really like a answer from you Cory.
Shush, TG.
Oddly, the only "pagan priests" I know of in antiquity that shaved their heads were Egyptian. They werent the only ones in that country that did so, but the priests are usually depicted as such.
Despite some fundamentalist handwringing I came across that lacked citations, I see no evidence of priests in Mesopotamia shaving their heads (or wearing goatees or whatever). And in Egypt it doesnt appear to have been a constant custom.
Although, one could argue that since clipping around the edges of ones beard is a no no under the Law, maybe the Wahhabi Muslims have the right idea in punishing men who keep their beards tol short. :)
It was the false religion of the pagan priests that was offensive to God. Armstrongism always used the leaps they learned from Alexander Hislop in developing their fanatical doctrinal approach. Other evidence of this includes the teachings about doctors being modern day sorcerers, and birthdays being bad because of bad news surrounding Job and John the Baptist.
Pagans and God-fearing individuals often had many of the same very human habits and grooming rituals. It was the false worship which separated them, not the personal minutiae. Passing children through the fire to honor false gods was a big problem. How people wore their hair while they did it, not so much. This activity was happening while the Old Covenant 613 rules and regulations were in effect. Armstrongism has always picked and chosen and enforced from those to suit their likes and dislikes or convenience.
BB
"Go up, you baldhead!"
Men who shave their heads are not proper Christians?!?!? Reminds me of all the Church wide chatter when Ron Dart got a wig. Took some of the focus away from the 1972 Great Tribulation German attack on America that didn't happen. I remember people pointing to Dart's toupee as an example of Christ delaying his second coming. It was now OK to get your teethe fixed or buy that toupee.
Richard
No, I was not drunk, though I have been known to get drunk, sometimes very drunk. And often I do my best thinking when drunk. And no, this was not a brain fart, though I often do that, and it can be hard at times for people make the distinction. Yes, of course conditions apply, I should have added that, my apologies. If someone needs brain surgery, of course their head must be shaved. But to continue, HWA never taught the truth about these, and many other things from God's law. The reason is because he was afraid of offending people, which would have adversely affected revenue. If people are offended, they take their tithes and offerings elsewhere. What really needs to be said is this: God hates idolatry, and the first two commandments are about idolatry. The first commandment specifically forbids worshipping false gods, while the second forbids any and all rites, customs and accoutrements (not limited to "making graven images") associated with worshipping those strange gods. Shaved heads, goatees, tattoos and piercings were pagan rites associated with idolatry, with "passing children through the fire", Molech, Baal and all that stuff. The reason God so HATES, DESPISES these things is because He knows only too well when and how they originated. And He hasn't "gotten over" it, and isn't going to "get over it". Shaving the head, goatees, tattoos and piercings are forms of defacing, actually MUTILATING oneself. Yes, you read that correctly. In God's sight, shaving the head (aforementioned exceptions duly noted), is a form of self-MUTILATION! But more importantly, they remind God of the hideous brutality that was involved with those idolatrous rites! And yes, these things ARE a major reason why God is going to punish His people Israel (the U.S, Britain etc.) Are there other sins we will be punished for? Of course their are. Legalizing gay marriage will be a big one, you can be sure of that. Humans tend to downplay the grave seriousness of idolatry, but don't forget that idolatry is at the top of the list of the Ten Commandments, so it's obviously important to God.
Alright, then, show me a contemporary depiction of priests of Baal and Molech with shaven heads, goatees, tats and piercings.
I will go to work on that, but I suspect it might not yield the results we want. Contemporary artists wouldn't necessarily agree with what the Bible says.
What is the proper hair length? 5 inches, 5.5 inches, and if one has 5.75 inches he burns in hell? God could have easily given exact measurements. Come to think of it, our current units of measurements and time are not in the Bible, they are pagan.
The answer to that is simple. At the point where a man's hair length starts to make him look like a woman, it's too long. Even a child would understand.
Not contemporary with you, Cory. Contemporary with the practices.
Good on you for fronting up Cory.
But the US and UK are in NO WAY ISRAEL.
I thought that bogey man had been dead and buried.
Sign,obviously not.
Cheers.
The answer to that is simple. At the point where a man's hair length starts to make him look like a woman, it's too long. Even a child would understand.
Even a child understands that Sinead O'Connor is a woman. At what point does my hair length start to make me look like Sinead O'Connor?
How short can a woman's hair be? Not short enough to look like a man?
Jewish women tend to wear wigs to synagogue - once right, always right. Unless the standard changes.
The reason for Armstrongite men not to wear hairpieces used to revolve around such lofty concepts as vanity and deception.
So, what if a woman suffered from alopecia? How would these self-appointed arbiters of Phariseeism authoritate on that? If it's God's will for a woman to have alopecia, should she deceive others by wearing a wig? Should she shave the remaining patches of hair so at least she was neatly and presentably bald? Would those remedies indicate vanity? Should she pay for corrective treatments, or should that money be sent in to do "the work"? Should she be given tapes of the weekly sabbath services so that her appearance wouldn't present a stumbling block for weak ones?
Stay tuned for additional questions, like would it be wrong to get an abortion on the sabbath? Is it OK to vape on the day of atonement? Should you use restrooms that have been contaminated by people who eat unclean meats? What about the modern day practice of keeping unclean animals as pets? Would a Christian use hollow-point ammunition? Is it disrespectful to pray in your underwear? If you vacation in Jamaica, would it be wrong to get a dreadlock weave like some of the NFL football players have?
Why did HWA stop teaching the truth about wearing mixed materials?
There must be dozens of more ridiculous questions that our local Pharisissies could expound upon.
BB
Sigh Cory, so heavy laden, so burdened with the "law." Why don't you give your load to God, look at the stars, smell the coffee. Let Him worry about the fire and brimstone.
I sound burdened by the law?
When I was a child I'm not sure if I would have known that Sinead O'Connor was a woman. Maybe, but I can't say for certain. A child thinks simplistically, in very black and white terms. It isn't until we get all grown up that we start seeing all the different shades of gray in life. To a small child, hair length is a major indicator of gender, and that's a big reason why God laid down the rules about hair length, so as not to confuse our children, until they get old enough to start seeing all those different shades of gray.
The US and UK are in no way Israel? That bogeyman is dead and buried? Have you noticed something in the news called "Brexit"? HELLO, anybody home?
Cory Haffly wrote:
To a small child, hair length is a major indicator of gender
Surely this is why God made the male lion with a long, flowing mane and the female lion with short, close-cropped fur.
God did not make lions. They evolved.
People are not lions.
When I was a kid it was the hippie years and I though guys with long hair were degenerate freaks. Nobody told me I should think that, I just did. I still do. I guess all the freaks need their own country so we won't bother them and they won't make us gag.
God didnt make lions? They evolved into what?
Genesis 1: 21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
I was kidding, sort of, to help make my original point. Just havin' fun wid ya.
Post a Comment