To beard or not to beard

[Josh]

My MIL had a saying that how a person dresses is a reflection of their heart. Basically she followed the mindset of "more conservative, more saved" which at one time I thought as well. Again, we can pivot back to the head covering rabbit trail.

We just may have to do another head covering thread, don't want to take this thread off track.

Generally speaking, if I see someone in a policeman’s uniform, he’s usually a policeman.

[ken_sylvania]

My MIL had a saying that how a person dresses is a reflection of their heart. Basically she followed the mindset of "more conservative, more saved" which at one time I thought as well. Again, we can pivot back to the head covering rabbit trail.

We just may have to do another head covering thread, don't want to take this thread off track.

Setting aside the "more conservative equals more saved" idea (which I do not agree with), do you think a person's heart is reflected in how they dress?

[steve-in-kville]

My MIL had a saying that how a person dresses is a reflection of their heart. Basically she followed the mindset of "more conservative, more saved" which at one time I thought as well. Again, we can pivot back to the head covering rabbit trail.

We just may have to do another head covering thread, don't want to take this thread off track.

Setting aside the "more conservative equals more saved" idea (which I do not agree with), do you think a person's heart is reflected in how they dress?

Looking back, I wonder if she meant that by being a "reflection of the heart", that person is obedient to the church standards and not riding the fence and pushing boundaries like youth tend to do.

Subject all in its own, I suppose

[Pelerin]

The following is a Google Drive link to a draft of a booklet I was asked to share awhile back after I dared to suggest that Christian men wearing beards had not only historical and cultural support, but Scriptural support as well. It's a draft of perhaps 20-25 pages, not overly long.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xcW ... ue&sd=true

It says, “Unauthorized Error 401.”

[Heirbyadoption]

The following is a Google Drive link to a draft of a booklet I was asked to share awhile back after I dared to suggest that Christian men wearing beards had not only historical and cultural support, but Scriptural support as well. It's a draft of perhaps 20-25 pages, not overly long.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xcW ... ue&sd=true

It says, “Unauthorized Error 401.”

Not sure what to tell you, sorry. When I click the link, it opens the document. I could email it if your interested and want to PM me, though...

[Ken]

Seems to me that there are two separate issues here.

1. Whether or not to wear beards. There is at least some biblical language that addresses this question and those groups who advocate or mandate beards at least have scriptural support for their position, even though most more modern Christian groups around the world no longer adhere to these guidelines. It is more or less along the same lines as head coverings and long hair for women. There is scriptural support for those positions but a lot of more modern groups have moved away from them.

2. Whether or not to wear mustaches. I’m not aware of any biblical guidance on this topic. It seems largely to be a cultural anachronism from the 19th century or even before when mustaches were associated with the military. But as I understand it, that is why the most conservative Anabaptists like the Amish wear full beards but shave their mustaches (which I seriously doubt happened in biblical times). And why some more modern Anabaptist groups that don’t mandate beards have historically frowned upon mustaches, like my mother. Other cultures like Islamic cultures which mandate full beards don’t exclude mustaches like some Anabaptists do, so I think the mustache thing is mostly a Euro-centric cultural custom that doesn’t really have any biblical basis. At least that I am aware of.

[Joy]

My MIL had a saying that how a person dresses is a reflection of their heart. Basically she followed the mindset of "more conservative, more saved" which at one time I thought as well. Again, we can pivot back to the head covering rabbit trail.

We just may have to do another head covering thread, don't want to take this thread off track.

I have heard that too.

Growing up how we dressed was reflective of what came in the bags of clothes other people gave to us.

My family, too! 'Tis po' folks we were. We were happy with what we got.

[ken_sylvania]

The following is a Google Drive link to a draft of a booklet I was asked to share awhile back after I dared to suggest that Christian men wearing beards had not only historical and cultural support, but Scriptural support as well. It's a draft of perhaps 20-25 pages, not overly long.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xcW ... ue&sd=true

It says, “Unauthorized Error 401.”

Not sure what to tell you, sorry. When I click the link, it opens the document. I could email it if your interested and want to PM me, though...

I think you have to set the sharing permissions on the document to be viewable to anyone with the link. You are likely able to open the document with the link because you are signed in to your Google account but the rest of us don't have access.

[ken_sylvania]

2. Whether or not to wear mustaches. I’m not aware of any biblical guidance on this topic. It seems largely to be a cultural anachronism from the 19th century or even before when mustaches were associated with the military. But as I understand it, that is why the most conservative Anabaptists like the Amish wear full beards but shave their mustaches (which I seriously doubt happened in biblical times).

Yea, no, I don't think there were any Amish shaving their mustaches in biblical times....

And why some more modern Anabaptist groups that don’t mandate beards have historically frowned upon mustaches, like my mother. Other cultures like Islamic cultures which mandate full beards don’t exclude mustaches like some Anabaptists do, so I think the mustache thing is mostly a Euro-centric cultural custom that doesn’t really have any biblical basis. At least that I am aware of.

Leviticus 13:45 KJV!

[Ken]

2. Whether or not to wear mustaches. I’m not aware of any biblical guidance on this topic. It seems largely to be a cultural anachronism from the 19th century or even before when mustaches were associated with the military. But as I understand it, that is why the most conservative Anabaptists like the Amish wear full beards but shave their mustaches (which I seriously doubt happened in biblical times).

Yea, no, I don't think there were any Amish shaving their mustaches in biblical times....

And why some more modern Anabaptist groups that don’t mandate beards have historically frowned upon mustaches, like my mother. Other cultures like Islamic cultures which mandate full beards don’t exclude mustaches like some Anabaptists do, so I think the mustache thing is mostly a Euro-centric cultural custom that doesn’t really have any biblical basis. At least that I am aware of.

Leviticus 13:45 KJV!

This??

And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

I don't think that everyone else (non-lepers) during Old or New Testament times ever shaved their mustaches but kept their beards based on this verse. What does this even mean anyway? Are they not perhaps talking about face masks and not mustaches?