new thread
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/5043/Shorthair.html
Here is something that is good for a laugh! Another Christian fundamentalist trying to justify their opinion about why they believe that long hair is a sin! It had me chuckling from the first line and it just gets worse by the end with advice to parents.
(Sort of a vanilla version of the Taliban)
While I think there are some misapplications of scripture in that document, it does present some difficulty for those of us here who do accept the Bible as the Word of God.
It shouldn't present ANY difficulty for you as a "believer" because, as you said, it contains misrepresentations. That makes this particular bit of nonsense bogus and as a "believer" you should be bringing holy-hell down on him for distorting your god's words. If you did believe this crap then you would sinning because you have long hair...if you don't have long hair and you are hanging out on this longhair board for some reason, then you are sinning just the same as you are being instructed by this man and his version of the Christian faith to keep away from the "world" (i.e. sinners with long hair).
Not to mention that this guy pulled verses from one of about 300 different translations of the "bible" since the middle ages to justify his personal opinons. Which one is correct and which do you accept?
Just because some of it sounds like yours doesn't mean that you have to accept it as yours. Obivously reason has told you that this guy has it wrong and before you read this you had already choosen differently based on your own understanding of yourself and the world.
I think it's great that you have a belief that makes you feel good, but laugh at what deserves to be laughed at and don't let crackpots like the writer of this anti-longhair article get undeserved power over you and your beliefs.
You'll note I have longER hair but hardly long hair compared to most on this board. There is a reason for that. It is one of the sacrifices I make to maintain my belief system. Just because I can't have hair as long as I would like doesn't mean I can't participate in this board.
Stanley, I find it hard to believe that you view not cutting your hair as a sin - especially when so many other religions regard cutting hair as a sin. Are you saying that God/Jesus doesn't love any male with long hair?
>>>Samsons a confusing story. He wasn't supposed to go near dead bodies. How big was that jawbone, then?
Did he drink wine? I don't remember.
Apperantly he was fornicating with a prostitute right before he tore the gates off of a city. Some of his murder and plunder did not seem justifiable at all.
But apperantly none of that really mattered.
Then he get's a haircut and falls apart.
Hey! Weren't some of those 50's/60's type samson movies a hoot? He never cuts his hair in his life, and has like a 3 inch mullet twig to show for it. Must have had severe split ends.
No Samson did not sin by having long hair. He was a Nazarite and contrary to the rubbish posted on the original link, Nazarite vows could be taken for years at a time resulting in very long hair.
The fact that God approved of Nazarite males having long hair shows there is nothing inherently sinful about long hair on men. Paul's counsel seems more directed at men and women who through their hair length intentionally try to look like the opposite sex.
Umm.... I am no Bible scholar, but I find it hard to believe that the Apostle Paul was referring to men and women trying to appear to look like the opposite sex at that time in history. It just sounds absurd to me. In any case, the Bible has various interpretations, so whichever interpretation we choose to believe is almost entirely up to our own belief systems.
Hi Stanley,
I can see your difficulty, but if you don't keep kosher, don't agree with stoning disobedient kids and don't force the lady in your life to take a ritual bath after mentruation (all of these are in the good book) then I guess this is one more rather silly verse that can be ignored, too.
Believeing in God is great, if that's what you feel. Living your life by the ramblings of some cleric who died over 2000 years ago is, I submit, less great.
Peace
Saul (Jewish atheist)
Yea, no fooling. What is it about monotheistic belief systems that tends to generate loud fanatics? And the shame of it is that the decent majority often "goes along" with the fanatics because the fanatics are "Christian" or "Moslem" or whatever.
I love reading about how long hair, or earrings on men, or whatever is "of the world", like short hair and suit-and-tie isn't? All clothing and hair styles are "of the world".
Thank whatever God(s) you believe in that we in the US have the constitution! Otherwise we'd probably have our own Taliban. As it is, Talibanesque fanatics continue their bid for power.
Just my opinion...
-Zorba
You bring up a VERY good point. How the prohibition on men can be enforced and not on women is not right. Paul doesn't say in those verses that 'well, you don't really have to pay attention to what I'm saying about women but you do have to abide by what I'm saying about men'.
I will wear my hair long as a symbol of rebellion against small minded oppressors everywhere!
Rock on!!!
All of this wouldn't really apply to me as I am not Christian. No offense to the people around here who follow the Bible, but aren't we made in God's image(according to the Bible), so that would mean as we have the ability to grow long hair, that would be a quality God has. Don't you also think that God would want us to be our own person, and long hair is a representation of our uniqueness?
I found a place similar to this months ago. I can't find the address now. I posted it here a few times.
The guy seemed to rely on Roman examples, like Roman busts/paintings of Jesus and Paul. These images were probably "Romanized" so Romans wouldn't find them repulsive! He also mentioned Herod, who was a butt lick anyway.
What I usually hear is that shoulder length hair and a beard was considered manly. Short hair was for little boys and eunuchs.
See link for more accurate interpretation.
That site was just what I was looking for-Jesus (God) looks at a persons heart and is concerned about that rather than external things. My Christian brother at work brought up 1 Cor. 11:14 to me (kindly) and now I have a NICE site to show him.
Momma always sed not to judge a book by it's cover.
For what its worth, here is my opinion. I consider myself religeous
in that I believe in God, but all these rites, ceromonies, churches
etc. were created by man, not God. Why should I follow some rule
made up by some prude with indigestion hundreds of years ago?
I agree with you. So are you one of those that believe in God but not in the Bible? If that's true, I'm with you on that one.
Yep.
Yay.
Oh great, just what the world needed, two flavours of Taliban! (I'll have one vanilla Taliban, one chocolate and extra sprinkles on the vanilla one.)
These religious fanatics are nothing more than communists.
LOL, that's a compliment for them buddy! Dont put real communists on "that" level, ever check out Fidel's hair, or Che's (lol)...
Taso