new thread
You know guys, it really eats me that people (women in particular) are biased about men having long hair. It's ok for a woman to have her hair short, or at any length, but it's not ok for a man to wear his hair long. I say, if it's ok for JESUS to have long hair, it's ok for me. I am a nursing student (1 more year,praise God), and they gave this guy crap because he had dreads in. I mean, it shouldn't matter how long a person's hair is, as long as it is kept neat and looks halfway decent. The guy eventually wound up cutting his hair. If it were me I would have told them no way. Also, it's very tough being a man and working in a field dominated by women (often some that are very opinionated)!!
It's great to see another open God-fearing man. There are too many fence-sitters and atiests these days.
I refer to myself as a Warrior of Christ and not 'Christian' because of all the baggage and bad experiences people have related to Christians. I find that non-Christians are just put off by the tactics and hypocracy of so many so-called Christians who force-feed (not that I think all are this way).
Remember though, people are just as critical about Jesus as they are about long-haired men... I guess people are just impossible to please.
Stay strong.
wolfeyes
Very true, the christians that walk around and say "you're going to hell" give true christians a bad name. Christ didn't do that, he went to the people that needed to hear the good news, the sinners and tax collectors. He showed them love, and that's what people hate about Jesus. Jesus is love. People today are so bitter that they have no room in their hearts to love.
Yes, I believe in God and Heaven, but when it comes to religion, it tells you as a person what you are doing wrong and you won't get into heaven. I believe in bad things, but god religion is so friggin BORING!!! I am spiritual however, and love the medicine of music, and healing.
I have a lot to say on the issue of music as a healing art, and I'd also like to talk to you about your religious beliefs. I'm rather interested in your perspective. Email me?
For the record, I'm a humanist.
cheers, Barry
I believe in scientific discovery. Issac Newton, who had long hair, made contributions to mathematics, physics, astronomy, optics and more. Albert Einstein seemed to have noticeable hair during a time when few had long hair.
Reformed Southern religious hypocrite here. I just got to a point where I realized that churchgoing me was leading a less productive life than all those "evil" liberals around me.
I really have to admire those of you who can pull of the longhair thing and deal with church. I don't think I could be my real self at church without engendering conflict.
I still have strong Christian beliefs, but I think being real and true is more important than showing up at a building every Sunday. I mean, it got really bad... you know how they say "Father send us out to do what you would have us do" and I kept thinking "Father, send me in to do what I must do", which is to say that the church had become like "the world" to me, which is just totally out of whack, so I punted.
I still want to go back one day, but I'm just not sure on what terms I could do that.
Wolfeyes, I'm glad to see you are too a Warrior for Christ, I usually say Protestent because it's one word compared to three but I would like to ask that you might email me that we can continue such a discussion.
going off topic here but i'm also a Born Again Christian
and i agree some people who use that name arent true believers and give the rest of us a bad name
i have dealt enough with church people giving me a hard time about my hair, its so stupid, theres this pastor here who constantly tells me im going to hell for being "effeminant" because i have long hair, i also wear sandals to church and get bugged for that by him, and i have a beard. obviously he never looked at the stain glass paintings.........
So, what keeps you coming back? Not a flame, I really want to know. Please e-mail me if you think it's too OT.
it's really too offtopic to explain here because this isn't the place but i will email you privetly in a little bit and explain
Whats wrong with atheists? And if anything there's too few of us...
There are a number of us Athiests here on the Men's Longhair Hyperboard, please don't refer to us as some sort of blight.
One thing that gets old here, and I've seen it plenty over the years, is young Christians coming here to profess their religion. This topic gets out of hand quickly because it has nothing to do with the topic of the board and the culturally and religiously diverse crowd here doesn't want to hear about how great everybody else's beliefs in whatever god they were brought up to believe in or were convinced to believe in out of a troubled life.
You do of course over simplify the reasoning of "non-christians" non-belief in a fairytale god that no one in history has every provided a shred of proof for. You also include, along with Athiests, Christians who don't appear to you to be as pious as yourself. Many Christians do this as do so many religions and factions of all religions. Is this not exactly what you mentioned as they type of Christians who turn people off? I can only envision the other more pious Christians than you criticising you for your lack of adherence. Using time to talk about such vanities as hair and playing on the internet using a computer (what luxuries). I imagine that you come from some sort of middle-class upbringing which certainly isn't giving everything to the lord. You mentioned playing in a band...rock band no doubt? That is a no-no to "real" Christians (whoever defines themselves as that) because rock music is the Devil's music even if it says Jesus in it. Just ask the old religious leaders.
You end up chasing your tail playing that game.
don't take this as a flame because it's not intended that way. i think you confusing religons there,
theres NOTHING anywhere that says anything against Born Again Christians Playing,Listening To or otherwise enjoying Rock Music (so long as the lyrics arent glorfying demonic things), thats that CATHOLIC CHURCH who are against it, which while i don't want to judge any Catholic members of this board, is NOT the same religion, there are simalarites between the 2 but they are 2 sepret religions
the rock thing believe me i know, i'm what most would consider a fundimentalist and i both write and sing METAL
and no theres nothing wrong with it, i just keep the lyrics clean and try to use them to serve my God as best as possible
most christians i know are actually very supportive of my music,
also i'm not just believing in what i was raised to believe in, infact i completly rebelled against my familys beliefs, was raised athiest with pagan tendencys and i became a christian when i was 16 of my OWN choice
when i came to God the experiance was so intense that my eyes changed color and i asked God to make me how he wants me to be and all of a sudden i got the urge to grow my hair long, stop shaving, ditch my conservative cloths in favor of what you might call "hippie" threads and started wearing sandals all year round insted of shoes
so that says something, also my intrest in Metal developed AFTER that too and thats when i started writing songs
No flame taken ; )
When it comes to rock music it all depends on who you talk to in your religious community as to if it's evil or not. Maybe you were too young to be into Striper and other such x-ian bands in the 80's but their biggest critics were other Christians--it was absurdly funny in a way. I played in a local Christian band back in the mid 80's and remember well the different attitudes. Those Christians who liked modern music would find ways to justify listing to rock music, one way was to form your own rock band and make sure that you wrote songs about Jesus so you couldn't be criticised too badly...since you could prove that you were praising Jesus. I saw the contradictions and was interested in being a musician myself and not some kind of youth pastor under the rock & roll banner.
There was just too much weirdness involved with that scene. Like going to see Petra and half way through the show the band telling the crowd who was enjoying the show that it was time to calm down because they were having too much fun and it was time for a sermon (completely crushing the mood for the rest of the "show").
I don't know if they still do this in Christian schools but when I was in elementary and jr. high the school had speakers come in from churches and preach to all of the kids in a general assembly about how evil all rock music was. It is truly bizarre to look back on. They would show pictures of bands album covers, etc. and try to point out blurry areas that they wanted you to see things like "666" in. These speakers were disturbed folks.
You have your own views but remember that you do not represent all other Christians and these things that I talk about have been around longer than you have (yes, in Protestant denominations). Your intrest (and other's intrest) in embracing new things that older generations of Christians reject demonstrates the constant changing and adapting that religions naturally go through resulting in religious belief systems that barely reflect the origins from which they take their name from.
I'm telling you this because if you don't realize this stuff yet (and you seem to be saying that you don't) then you should be aware of it. Were the people who came before you in your religion (and those before them) right about things or wrong? If they were right then shouldn't you adhere to their views? If they were wrong then shouldn't you reject or at least examine EVERYTHING that they ask you to accept?
Strangely enough, my Christian "elders" always told me that there are no answers if you don't ask questions...but I find that questions are their weak point because they usually don't have answers that are reasonable.
There are bands out there who will not label their music "christian" (example:creed). But when you listen to the lyrics, they pretty much flat out tell you they're christian. Also, look at the band P.O.D (payable on death). they're christian, but you'd never be able to tell by looking at them or listening to their lyrics. They have long hair, tattoos, earrings, and the like. I used to be catholic, and if I walked into church with long hair,tattoos, and earrings, I would definitely turn heads. But it shouldn't have to be this way. People make it this way. If a man gives his heart to Jesus Christ and is born again, he is no longer a part of a "Religion" as society would say, but he has begun a relationship with his savior. He does not see us as the world sees us. He looks at your heart. I myself have four tattoos and three earrings. Nobody at my church (Assembly of God, which tend to be more conservative)has even looked at me funny or told me I had to take out my earrings or I'm going to hell. I know where my heart is, it's with the Lord.
actually i DO examine EVERYTHING i'm told on my own and make my own decisions on it, i have never and never will follow religion blindly
i actually am a huge fan of Stryper and they are one of my main inspirations in music (along with Bon Jovi and The Beatles but thats a diffrent matter....)
ok no offense to the athiests on here or to you
Rock and Metal are really not that diffrent then any other type of music, yes they are newer and sound diffrent but when you strip them down to thieir basic there just MUSIC,
music itself is just a form of expression like writing is or like talking is, its neither good nor evil BUT it can be USED for either good or evil
God can use anybodys talents and intrests to serve him,
so i see now reason why he wouldent use Rock music if it glorifies him, the christians who say that all rock music are just ignorant and unwilling to change and face the future, they don't have to LIKE the music but they have to atleast accept that there is nothing wrong with it used in the right context. they just say its evil because they don't understand. and yes SOME bands do have evil messages but that are the exception and not the rule and i avoid those bands anyway
i personally don't like country music, but i wouldent go and say that its evil because i don't like it, it's just another form of music and theres nothing wrong with it,
people need to look at rock music in the same context
now Hair Religion, im just wondering here, you said you were in a christian band, but now you say your an athiest?
did you somewhere leave the faith? i know this if offopic and you dont have to post this here if you don't want to, can you email me?
also to LonghairforJesus:
i also attend a Assembly of God church and aside from the pastor telling me nonsense that im going to hell for having long hair NO ONE else there says anything
actually quite a few of the female elders are jelous of my hair and have told me they wished they had it
i also plab on being involved with ministry someday and no i'm not planning on cutting hair
were all unique people in God, thats why i don't see why i have to dress up to go to church when it's not me
i wear jeanes, sandals and a t-shirt to church twice a week, thats the most dress-up there gonna get from me LOL
I highly doubt that Jesus had the same style of hair that is depicted in many portraits of him (example, from the Renaissance era). However, I will agree that Jesus' hair was longer than it would be accepted in today's standards.
When my wife was a nursing student, a long time ago in England, the girls had to always wear their hair up and the guys had to have short hair. This may have changed, at least I hope so.
I am also a born-again Christian, and what I tell those Christians who bug me about my hair is that the Bible says: "Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
I know it's not fair, and it's a double standard, but when I hear the word "nurse" I still think of a woman. OTOH, "doctor", (partly thanks to a TV show like ER), no longer necessarily makes me think immediately of a guy.
i COMPLEATLY AGREE WITH YOU. it is soo out of order the things said. At least there are some people who dont judge and have brains
I agree! However there is one bit where I take a slight issue: I quote: "I mean, it shouldn't matter how long a person's hair is, as long as it is kept neat and looks halfway decent"
Why should it be kept neat? Whether someone's hair is tidy or scruffy matters no more than whether it is long or short! I don't want my long hair to look too tidy, I prefer to look a bit on the wild side! Not too wild, mind!
Cheers, Barry
Scruffy hair is an eye sore :p For long haired men to be accepted fully by most people, including the different crowds, we have to prove that men are capable of having equally nice, if not better hair than women do. Sure, we don't have to care, but we'd all get further in life if we look after what nature has blessed us with. Scruffy hair was common apparently before the 1950's on most men as they simply didn't care, and they were few longhairs. I think these people reinforced an image which has been stereotypicalised with today's people, that long hair is scruffy and men are imcapable of having nice long hair. I think give it another 100 years of men growing their hair neat then we can do whatever we want.
And scruffy hair on a woman looks equally as bad as scruffy hair on a man IMHO.
Ya, I was very surprised when in the 90's the big trend for short hair on men and women became the super-scruffy look (ex. Meg Ryan). What is that all about, especially when you've seen them in longer hair and it looks quite a bit better? Cut it short and make it look like crap...good idea.
In a perfect world wherein everyone would be super tolerant of individual preferences, I'd agree that you should be able to go with whatever look you wanted. Of course, there's nothing wrong with wild long hair! But with such societal tolerance, at some point, some even more extreme folks might suggest that they shouldn't ever have to bathe, and then you might want to draw a line where a person's rights to live as s/he prefers should exist, but end where his/her presence truly offends others around him/her (should the rest of us have to wear clothespins on our noses?). At that point, they might argue back that their stankiness, scabs, and dirt left behind shouldn't matter to us, but I'm betting that they wouldn't have too many friends, save others like them who don't have a sense of smell. Diogenes tested this theory in ancient Greece by defecating on temple steps. He wasn't exactly popular with many ancient Grecians. ;-)
My point is that ultimately human beings want to draw lines to define where proper and improper behaviors meet and diverge, and unfortunately, as the outcast members of society, based simply on our grooming preference for long hair (even if it's clean and relatively tidy), we still encounter negativity and prejudice.
Thus, it seems wise not to push the envelope all the way, much though we might like to. We're dealing with a majority of world citizens who aren't ready for everyone maxing out their long hair preference, so much the same way that parents have to slowly and gently teach their children the lessons of life, we have to go slowly and patiently, teaching one step of acceptance at a time to the biased, short-haired world. Rather than bristling at being cornered into submission, it's better and sanity-preserving for us to view the situation as coddling intransigent youngsters who don't "get it," but still wearing our hair as long as we like, while keeping it clean and tidy. Save the wild look for those occasions where unleasing your inner wildman is more accepted.
This is a theory of proceeding according to the concept of reform, rather than revolution, which in a generally civilized world (cough, cough), is far easier for the unenlightened, traditionally bound, and mentally box-in creatures to tolerate, as they are, after all, our fellow world/life travelers. Alienating them all doesn't really do a lot of good in the long run. Patience and a willingness to teach by respectful demonstration takes longer and can be frustrating, but if you do it correctly, their minds can be opened bit by bit toward acceptance.
This has worked for me time and time again.
Respectfully,
JE
Not all women are of the opinion that men should have short hair. I'm of the opinion that all men should grow their hair LONG! Yee-hah!
JE
