new thread
LOL! See, anyone can twist anything in the bible to their own benefit!
Found a site that picked some things out of the bible that say TO grow long hair:
SHOULD MEN HAVE LONG HAIR?
Many Christians claim that God does not want men to have long hair. They are wrong: God loves long-haired men.
According to God's law, a man must not cut the hair at the sides of his head and he must not clip the edges of his beard. (Leviticus 19:27) If a man is a NazariteÑone who is specially dedicated to God - he must not cut his hair at all. (Numbers 6:5)
The Bible tells us that Absalom, king David's son, was the most handsome man in all Israel: he cut his hair only once a year. (2 Samuel 14:25)
The apostle Paul, however, wrote: "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?" (l Corinthians 11:14). But nature teaches us nothing of the sort. Perhaps Paul, who was bald, was jealous of men who had long hair. He had also repudiated God's law, so he felt free to invent laws of his own. (Galatians 2:16, etc.)
Jesus, however, did not repudiate God's law. ÒDo not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets... For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass away until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:17-18).
We can therefore safely conclude, on biblical evidence, that Jesus, too, had long hair and a long beard, just as orthodox Jews have to this very day. So fellows, if you fear God, love Jesus, and want to be the most handsome men in the land, get your hair cut only once a year. And never shave.
Read the Bible!
Ahh, so that's why all the Jews I see have huge 4 foot sideburns... I always thought it was a Jew trend lol!
LONG HAIR!? by Ollie Olwagen
I prefer to wear my hair long, and I mean l-o-n-g, but ever since I started doing that, I had the strangest reactions from different people.
My mother asked me, very politely, but extremely cautious, if I am using any drugs. The length of my hair made her immediately suspicious. But that was way, way back in the past and I know that she has a different opinion about long hair now.
One night I went to play pool with my friends and guess what? In spite of the fact that I was the most slender-built person in the group, which included two macho mean machines, the owner came to me and told me that he did not want any trouble from me. The rest of the group wore their hair short.
Men with long hair is something some people don't like at all. So I thought it would be a good thing to discuss this issue to get rid of all misconceptions regarding this, for some people, such a controversial issue.
Fact is, some Christians even say that it's unbiblical to have long hair and refer to the verse 1 Corinthians 11:14
To understand this scripture we need to consider what the situation was like in Corinth. At this time Corinth was known for its immorality and perversity and the men that were sexually perverse had long hair. Paul who wrote this letter didn't want the men in the church to be taken for perverse and that's why he wrote these words.
So this is NOT God's commandment to all people throughout all times, but Paul's SPECIAL ADVICE to the people in Corinth, at that time!
Another interesting thing is that the prostitutes in Corinth had short hair or shaven heads and Paul didn't want the people in church to be taken for prostitutes so that's why he told the females in church not to cut their hair - 1 Corinthians 11:6. Again that was Paul's SPECIAL ADVICE to the women in Corinth at that time and NOT God's commandment to all Christians through all times.
Numbers 6:1-5 is very interesting. This scripture talks about the Nazarites. The Nazarites were people who devoted themselves to God and made a vow to Him. One of the signs that they made this vow was to LET THEIR HAIR GROW LONG!! The long hair was the sign to people around them that they had devoted themselves to God. Their long hair was actually a SIGN OF HOLINESS! Makes you think doesn't it? Why would long hair sometimes be seen as a sign of holiness and sometimes as a shame?
To me it is clear that God has nothing against long hair. The Bible also says clearly that God doesn't look at your outer appearance but He looks at your heart! 1 Samuel 16:7. God doesn't care if you have long or short hair, what's important isn't the length of your hair but if your heart belongs to Him.
I say to you as a reborn Christian, if you like long hair, let go, let God and let your hair hang down, man!
That's the other thing I was going to comment on...
and Adam didn'tinvent the scissors...
You can see how long "prejudice" and "stereotyping" has been around and we as a human race still have not removed these behaviors today!!
Even more sad is that some religion leaders today attempting to use God's name to tell people what they should or should not be doing.
Just a wide-open question here...Back in Paul's days where the only weapons that I am aware of were stones and spears, how did one cut their hair back then? ....With a sharp edge of a rock?
Pauls day was in the roman empire thier was alot more around than rocks and spears. Not long after him thier was even indoor plumbing.
Now there's something I did NOT KNOW!
Thanx!
"Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?"
Points:
1. Since 'nature' makes hair grown down to, well, who knows where...
okay, lets say....ummmmmm...the waist, when left alone...
Paul must have had some other 'lesson' from 'nature' in mind.
2. My opinion is that since half of all men experience some major hair loss...
THAT must be the 'sign' that nature was showing us...
that is: "Look, you guys, see how women's beautiful LONG hair is their GLORY?"
"Just look at you balding guys... Don't you think Nature is telling you something...hmmmmmmm?"
* "Does not Nature itself teach..." I cannot see what other 'sign' Paul
could have been pointing towards other than that...
Since, in fact, on this very board...Nature is nuturing MANY LONGHAIRED MEN!!!
Anyway, I have other comments to make but...well, maybe someday...
Oh lord, I hate that book along with any other religious book. I grow my hair or cut my hair because I feel right about it. I make my own decisions in life, respect myself, my family,and friends. I don't live my life based on the words of some imaginary fellow. Heck, next you are going to tell me that Santa clause exists.
.
Better watch yourself...the women of the quilting bee who wrote the bible may strike you down!
AMEN TO YOU, TOO!
I just looked this up. Gal 2:16 says "by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." Repudiation? Invented laws? Bare citations w/o text included can be misleading, as the Bible warns us (see Hezekiah 1:32).
There are MANY ministers (and such) who quote that one passage that says men should have short hair.
Just showing that you can twist anything you read in the bible to whatever you want to believe.
Yes, some people do do that (and they do it quite often to suit their own desires and needs), but the essence of the passage isn't changed when someone attempts to change Scripture around. It's just like when someone waltzes into a conversation half-way through and hears something (as a single statement, let's say) and misunderstands because they weren't there to witness the beginnings of that conversation. Hence, they understand something out of context and away from its original meaning.
B
damn it, you're using the same non-logic as the anti-hair christians are!
if god is at all what you christians think 'it' is, he should love everything and everybody. and you're telling me he loves/hates long hair?
please, make up your mind yourself...
(this is one of the reasons why i dislike such "this is good, this is bad" religions... people use the rules as justifications of their actions, as if it made them immune to critics. stupid stupid.)
AMEN, BROTHER!
The meaning of the various parts of the Bible which refer to hair can be argued backwards and forwards for ever.
Since we are told that the ten commandments contain 'all the law', the only question which Christians (and Jews, since the 10 Cs are in the OT) need to ask is whether long hair for men breaks any of the commandments.
It doesn't.
Case proven.
Keep on growing.
And love thy heighbo(u)r, even if he has a buzz or a mullet.
But if his hair is dirty and unkempt, feed him to the wolves!!! ROFL
Here we have a book consisting of scriptures written by a variety of sources over thousands of years. Some of it is historical fact backed up by archaelogical evidence. Some of it is parable. Some of it is allegorical but has been interpreted as fact.
Taken in that context, there are some life lessons that sill have relevance today. However, bear in mind that much of it is either an attempt to explain the unexplained (creation, for example) or propaganda to make the facts fit the prophesies (much of the new testament).
If someone today claimed to be inventing a new religion because:
a - he is the son of God
b - his mother is a virgin
c - he was concieved as a result of an angelic visitation
d - he hears voices
e - he can turn water to wine
f - he can raise the dead
While some of these events may have a rational explanation, I suspect that he would be viewed by the majority as at best a harmless nutter or worse, hounded by the authorities and disposed of.
Following his death if his followers then claimed he had risen from the dead, would you believe them?
We would be sceptical today, yet millions the world over believe this without any evidence to substantiate it. Why? Faith without proof? Those same folk rightly reject new religious cults yet believe the unbelievable because it all happened thousands of years ago in another land?
Frankly, I place more credence in the tooth fairy.