new thread
i know this has come up a few times before, but i just stumbled across this and thought it was interesting.
back in high school, i used to have arguments with my mom all the time about what the bible said about long hair on men. (for those who don't know, i grew up in an uber baptist home and went to a christian high shcool). i have been attracted to men with long hair for as long as i can remember. so every time i would come home with a long haired guy, the argument with my mom would start anew. she is still determined that god says men should have short hair, and still gives me a hard time about dating long haired guys. (think she'ss ever give it up? i'm nearing thirty, for goodness dake!)
anyways, i used to pull out verses and show them to her to prove her wrong, and she would get mad. i've never bothered to dig out my bible and look them up again to post them here, but i ran across them on the net a few minutes ago. thought i would share them for anyone else who has to have this argument with people.
here ya go:
http://www.elite.net/~ebedyah/PastorsSite/otherareas/longhair.htm
peace,
nic
Any religion (or the followers of that religion) that tell me that there are "right" and "wrong" aesthetic appearances is not one which I would ever subscribe too, or take seriously. I hardly see how the ten commandments (the only real contribution of the Abrahamic religions imo), have any relation to the length of my hair.
Christians and other religious people should preach (in fact, I don't think they should preach anything, especially to those who don't want to hear or have differeing points of view, but i'll not discuss this now) that we should follow the ten commandments and not "sin" (do bad unto others). When they start discussing my appearance such as long hair, not only do people get distracted from the very real and important matters, but they also get quite angry and frustrated.
Perhaps in times past where there were no laws against parents who abused their children, they could enforce whatever the customs of their time were (no doubt finding backing for their social prejudices in religious texts). But today, with significantly more freedom, at least in Europe, and various child and rights protection organisations, parents can no longer pass on their hatred and judgmental manners with such ease. Personally I've never had this problem because I'm lucky with my parents, but I know parents like mine are few and far between. I certainly enjoy my theological debates with my mum & dad. I guess if I grew up in a less fortunate family, saying "why does the bible (or whatever text you believe in) have any right to dictate my appearance?" would probably get me into serious trouble.
Anyway, I found it quite comical that even after all those years your mother still tries to impose her Matriarchal Tyranny (in the words of Stewie Griffin). I hate banal arguments :(
derf26
i hope i didn't give people the impression that i came from some tyranical family. i love my parental units dearly - they raised me well. they do believe that being a good person is more important than appearance. but ocd runs in my family (from both sides of the family. i was screwed from birth.), so sometimes we get hung up on little things. in my mom's case, one of those hang ups is disliking long hair on men. in my case, it's cleaning the bathroom. that's just the way it is.
Interrupted my towel folding to read this :-)
Hey Nic,
Okay. I'm going to get really transparent here.
I haven't run across anyone trying to disqualify men having long hair in the church...yet. Perhaps I go to a "hip" church. I have had a few personal opinions expressed at church. Some have said that they are happy for me. But, do not personally like long hair on men. Others have actually said that I look good, even better than before, with long hair!
I decided to grow my hair long because I WANTED TO. Then later, our church leadership asked us, the membership, to support their desire to attract the unchurched. Our senior pastor asked us to fill the empty church seats with drug dealers and users, prostitutes and thiefs. The thought is that these are the people who need love and care in our church the most. Many in our church, including me, are ex-addicts or have lots of "baggage".
Now, I'm not saying that all men who grow their hair long are "baggaged" people. But, a majority of "baggaged" people, men specifically, have long hair. So my thoughts turned to the fact that I would better trust a man with long hair if I were "baggaged". I want to cultivate that trust.
I guess Paul put it better this way:
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I think Paul would have long hair to save those who have long hair.
DavidH
Amen
From talking to you I get the impression that you aren't really practicing the Christian faith any more. If your mother still believes in the Bible but you don't any longer, I would think that she would have much bigger issues with the fact that you have dropped the Christian ways altogether than on a minor and maybe not even biblically provable point like hair length.
I would think she would be much more worried about your immortal soul than the hair length of a guy you date! I guess what I wonder is does she ever get into arguments with you about how you should be living (or not living) on other topics besides hair or is this just a pet peeve of hers?
- she believes that once you have accepted jesus as your personal savior, that you are saved forever. since i did that when i was thirteen, i am apparently safe for eternity. regardless of whether or not i denounce the religion now. wierd, eh? she will occasionally bring up something else, but not so much. she knows that i am basically a good person, and is pretty happy with that. but since i keep bringing long haired guys home, she gets to bring that one up regularly.
http://360.yahoo.com/infidelfreethinker
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-tZxzO7E4daDgKl2MzF_lVb31PZ_orJux06A-?cq=1
Interesting!
Cheers,
John.B
Anyone who believes in a deity that is more concerned with my adhering to an arbitrary dress code than with wars, starvation, genocide, etc.. is using their head as an obstruction to a proctology exam.
i really don't think that my mom has her head shoved up her gluteus maximus. the world would be a very boring place if everyone believed exactly the same things about everything.
The words in the bible clearly say,
"Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a sin onto him."
-actually Nature does not teach this because a Lion has a mane and a female Lion does not... thats just one example.
Ime an Athiest so i don't need to worry about these foolish matters.
Buy "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins as a Birthday present for your mother lol.
Ask whoever tells you this to read the verse in the original language. As a student of German, I know a lot gets lost in translation Especially since it has been 2 millenia since those verses were written. God did not say men should have long hair, I think it was Mark that wrote that verse and he was condemning a certain group of longhair's that were whoring themselves and looking effiminate on purpose.
Me, I don't believe in God no more, but I believe a Christian can have long hair and be a Christian. Look at some Portraits of the saints and warriors in years gone past.
- HAHAHAHAHA!!! it took me awhile to catch my breath after reading these sentences. don't you know that logic and religion don't mix? at least not with my mom. for the most part i've given up debating with her because she just ends up angry. i love my mom very much, and would rather fill the memory bank up with happy moments. she is more than welcome to her beliefs.
Your mom sounds like my Mom. Though she does like my hair(it is longer than I have ever seen hers) It is my father that would rather me get a "normal haircut". She converted to catholicism in 2003 and now nothing I tell her will sink in about atheism. I do respect her decision though, and when I am in town, I go to the services out of respect for her.
Hi Kenneth,
You're the first to mention that you don't believe in God in this thread. I have something to say about that.
However, I don't want you to think I'm singling you out. I'm only replying to your reply because you're the first the mention your belief (or absense of such.) This is for everyone.
I find this thread very interesting. I realize that it's way down the list now, and, no one will probably read this. But, it's okay. At least this continuance is present.
Here's a story that I thought would provoke more conversation. Let me know what you think.
DavidH
"Let me explain the problem science has with Jesus Christ." The
atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks
one of his new students to stand.
"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"
"Yes sir," the student says
"So you believe in God?"
"Absolutely."
"Is God good?"
"Sure! God's good."
"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anyth ing?"
"Yes."
"Are you good or evil?"
"The Bible says I'm evil."
The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a
moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here
and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"
"Yes sir, I would."
"So you're good...!"
"I wouldn't say that."
"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't,
does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though
he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you
answer that one?"
The student remains silent..
"No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water
from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. "Let's start
again, young fella, Is God good?"
"Er...yes," the student says.
"Is Satan good?"
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."
"Then where does Satan come from?"
The student : "From...God..."
"That's right God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
this world?"
"Yes, sir."
"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"
"Yes."
"So who created evil?" the professor continued, "If God created
everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to
the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil."
Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues: "Is
there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things,
do they exist in this world?"
The student: "Yes."
"So who created them?"
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his
question. "Who created them? There is still no answer. Suddenly the
lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is
mesmerized.
"Tell me," he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus
Christ, son?"
The student's voice is confident: "Yes, professor, I do."
The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"
"No sir. I've never seen Him"
"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"
"No, sir, I have not."
"Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your
Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God
for that matter?"
"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
"Yet you still believe in him?"
"Yes."
"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?"
"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."
"Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science
has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his
own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"
"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
"And is there such a thing as cold?"
"Yes, son, there's cold too."
"No sir, there isn't. "
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room
suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
"You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat,
unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have
anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which
is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such
thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest
-458 degrees. Every body or ob ject is susceptible to study when it has
or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or
transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat.
You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of
heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units
because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the
absence of it."
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom,
sounding like a hammer.
"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"
"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it
isn't darkness?"
"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the
absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright
light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have
nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to
define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be
able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will
be a good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"
"Ye s, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to
start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can
you explain how?"
"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains.
"You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a
bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,
something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.
It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."
"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved
from a monkey?"
"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,
yes, of course I do"
"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes
where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you
not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a
preacher?"
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion
has subsided.
"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let
me give you an example of what I mean."
The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has
ever seen the professor's brain?" T he class breaks out into laughter.
"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt
the professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No
one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have
no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no
brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his
face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess
you'll have to take them on faith."
"Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life," the student continues. "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"
Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, t here is. We see it
everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is
in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These
manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not
exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness
and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.
God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man
does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes
when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no
light."
The professor sat down.
That's a cute story, meaning cute in the sense of clever, but it has a few flaws of its own. Although no-one has seen the professor's brain, for example, it is possible to verify that he has one. At the crudest level, you could cut his head open (!), and of course nowadays we have imaging systems that let us see inside the body. The assumption that he has one is an inference from autopsies on many humans and other animals. On the other hand, where is there any evidence to make an inference of the existence of any god or gods? Not in this story, that's for sure. All you have is faith, and I don't, and that, pretty much, is that.
Oh, by the way, I don't believe that any physics professor would ever say that cold exists. It's more likely that someone on the other side of this argument would say that.
When confronted with such issues, I always like to pose the following Philosophical Question:
"Who would _Jesus_ despise and not tolerate, for [having long hair]?"
Other examples include:
"Who would _Jesus_ despise and not tolerate, for their personal sexual preferences?"
"Who would _Jesus_ despise and not tolerate, for being against War and the Death Penalty?"
and of course,
"Who would _Jesus_ Bomb?"
Food for thought...
Well stated! Need we say more?
peace, jonalbear
Hi, Hair Religion. On my last visit to your web site, I followed the link and signed up as a minister of the Universal Life Church. I am an atheist, but since the only tenet of the ULC is to always do the right thing, I can truly say that I accept their doctrine (Hey, always doing the right thing is harder than it sounds, but I promise to at least try).
So the question is, can I become a minister of the Hair Religion, now, and lead the righteous to ever longer hair?
You're doing it already and in a way that you find comfortable, right?
I'll take that as an ordination, LOL! Yeah, I have long hair, and I'm trying to grow it longer. Some of it reaches my natural waist, but it's very tapered. I haven't had a haircut since at least 2004.
nic, Interesting thread. Remember Paul was a Roman before his conversion and authorship of Corinthians. Short hair was the norm for the Romans and the look probably well ingrained into his psyche! The only reference in the Bible to longhair being shameful as far as I can tell!
peace, jonalbear
QUOTE:
QUOTE FROM LINK:
"When my youngest son was in high school, he decided to let his hair grow out. One of his Christian friends quoted to him 1 Corinthians 11:14, "Doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" So he came to me and asked me what the Bible taught about men and long hair. This study was the answer to his request."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This verse by Paul from 1 Corinthians comes up so much in hair forums, that I have taken the liberty of quoting the entire chapter 11 below. When you see the whole chapter, we see that we are talking about a type of orthodoxy, and an orthodoxy that Paul himself is trying to create as opposed to one that is expounded by Christ Himself, that we don't see in Christian churches now at all. And if one were to adopt the precept from verse 14, then one should be consistent and adopt it all, by covering women, etc.
Well, read for yourself or, better, go to the link.
1Cor.11
[1] Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
[2] Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
[3] But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
[4] Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
[5] But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
[6] For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
[7] For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
[8] For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
[9] Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
[10] For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
[11] Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
[12] For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of god.
[13] Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
[14] Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
[15] But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
[16] But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
[17] Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
[18] For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
[19] For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
[20] When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
[21] For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
[22] What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
[23] For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
[24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
[26] For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
[27] Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
[28] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
[29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
[30] For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
[31] For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
[32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
[33] Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
[34] And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
Funny thing the bible for over two millenia men (mostly men anyway)
have been able to find support for almost any arguement in the it. It and most religions were great tools to exert influence
and control of people throughout the ages, and is still going on today to varying degrees.
Anti longhairs will use various verses to support their view and we can pull some out to support ours. In the end it says 'God has created man in his own image" I would suggest it's the other way around. "Man has created God in his own image"
It's all about interpretation and control.
for the most part i agree with this, which is why i am no longer a part of the church. i can't say i am a fan of any organized religion.
I dont think your should pay any attention to this nonsense. I go to this church (catholic) and the priest has complimented me on my hair before. Its probably a disaplin thing, as christian schools tend to be stricter than most schools.
- it wsn't a school issue. my school was actually pretty laid back. the students were expected to dress 'in such a manner to show respect to the lord.' it was mostly left up to the individual to decide what was 'respectful,' and if there was a problem the student would be called in to speak with a counselor about it. it was (and still is) my parents who are the strict ones.
- i don't think that my parent's beliefs are 'nonsense.' i think they have thier own reasons for believing what they believe, just as i do. for me, everything is about respecting another's individuality and right to choose for themselves what is right.
- the church i grew up in was, like my school, also very laid back. i can recall quite a number of men who had longer hair in the church. i was always surprised that my parents liked the church so much since the church tended to be so much more accepting than my parents. here again i seem to be making them out like tyrants, but they definitely came from a different place and way of thinking than i have. if they hadn't moved me from the small town they lived in to the big city i live in now, i would undoubtedly have a more close minded way of seeing the world. i respect thier beliefs, and over time they have learned to accept mine. i can't ask for much more than that as long as they love me.
It was an interesting essay but I think it's a mistake to get into a debate that consists of throwing bible quotations around that are like the ones in the essay. Most fundamentalists are real good at digging up and reciting bible verses that they can take out of context and warp into a justification for some point of view, in this case, the idea that long hair is somehow, bad.
Instead, it is important to understand some things about the letters in the new testament and the history of the bible and Christianity in general. The letters were the first written texts of the new testament. They were first authored around the year 60. The first writing of a gospel, the gospel of St. Mark appeared around the year 90. The Christians of that time who were Jews, still considered themselves Jewish. In fact, the term Christian, did not appear for another 2 or 3 centuries. Until the writing of the first gospel, all of the stories and messages of the new testament were an oral tradition. In fact, that was generally the case with all of the bible, the texts began as stories, passed down over generations until someone thought it would be a good idea to get some of this down in writing for posterity.
So the bible is not some rule book, but rather a collection of stories recording the changing relationship between God and humankind over thousands of years.
So Saint Paul wrote and thought mainly according to the custom of what Christians now call the old testament. His letters were exhortations to early Christian communities such as the one in Corinth. Usually Paul advised his readers to, where there was no conflict, adopt the local customs of the day so as to live peacefully with their neighbors and avoid unecessary persecution. The comment about hair I think is commonly interpreted along those lines.
Fundamentalists usually do not understand or accept any of this. Most are people looking for easy solutions and answers to life's issues and questions and are uncomfortable with sublties, nuances and gray areas. (By the way, this is true for fundamentalists in other faiths as well.) For them, it's as if the bible suddenly sprang into existence as the "word of God" and church history began with the reformation. They like being told that everything in the bible is absolute truth to be followed literally. That's a simple concept which they find reassuring.
I don't have a solution to this, other than to thank them for their concern and wish them continued spiritual development.
- i didn't start this thread to spark theological debates.
- this was, in reality, my point. i always hated how my mom would pull out a verse to prove her point on things, and ignore the one i would pull out that said the opposite. but eventually on a lot of points i simply wore her out and she gave up. my purpose for this thread was to possibly help those with religious parents who like to use the bible as a reason for thier child to cut thier hair. although MY mom hasn't given up on the hair thing, she eventually gave debating me on clothes, sex before marraige, make up, and mental health issues - to name just a few. i guess she has to hang on to something, but perhaps someone else's parent(s) will give up on the hair issue and just let it grow.
Jesus Christ was a Nazarene.
Nazarenes vowed NOT to cut their hair. Thus He had long hair.
Jesus Christ was a MAN, and the only person WITHOUT SIN.
So, a MAN with long hair is not a sin!!!!
He also states in Leviticus in His own words: You must not cut the hair on the sides of your head.
You are confusing the fact that Jesus was from the city of Nazareth and thus a Nazarene with the nazirite vow. Those are two entirely different things. The Bible never says Jesus took that vow. In fact it says that he was known to drink wine on occasion and that's something those who took the nazirite vow were not allowed to do.
Though there is not only nothing to indicate what his hair was like but also such a poor record of him as a person that it's more likely he was the made up character in a story, as he seems to be, than a real person.
Well, according to the Bible...a man-god....and the religious idea of sin IS just a wee-bit subjective.
Circular reasoning should be avoided when making points...especially when based on a mythical man-god.
It would be better to say that if your god created us this way then why would it be sinful?...can your god create sinful things? Well, according to the Bible it's god can and does but that's a whole other contradiction.
To be fair, stating that your head has corners is a bit odd and it also refers to not cutting beards (not so much of a problem for the bearded lady). If you are suggesting that the sides of your hair shouldn't be cut then I guess Orthodox Jews would have it right, eh?
Greetings Nic, thanks for sharing the link to the bible stuff. Will enjoy looking it over. It constantly amazes me that so many people place unfair judgements on people and practice untold amounts of bias and bigotry based on bible scripture...what a shame. Ever notice that for every word of caring and love in the bible there are at least several more advocating death, blood sacrifice, genocide, vengeance, violence and a whole slew of dizzying horrors.
Good for you that you are resisting your moms misdirected biased views!!!
Cheers,
Max
PS Sorry for the rant, I just get crazed every time I hear of this sort of thing in the name of "the good book".
...because it makes more sense.
I wrote something about this about 18 months ago: http://www.mcfarland.co.uk/andrew/blog/2006-02-18
FWIW, I used to be a member of a very conservative denomination. Left in 2005, haven't cut my hair since, for personal and spiritual reasons.