Genesis 41 14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.

Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

God made no mistake when he created man with a beard. He made no mistake when he created man with a foreskin.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is fitting for instruction and reproof. Why did he put it in the Bible that Joseph shaved? To show that he sinned?

Why have you made me thus (Romans 9:20) and then allow circumcision among the baby boys. How terrible.

Item #19 The Beard from the 37 Articles of Faith or A Statement of the Christian Doctrines of the Church of God in Christ Mennonite

Leviticus 19 27 Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards. Admittedly I do not attend that church that often but since I have relatives and some friends that do regularly and I occasionally get to a wedding or a funeral there and I wonder Even the Pastors and Ushers look like they have not only their beards trimmed but some have there eyebrows quite neat. Is this not in direct opposition to their own writings?

Galatians 1: 6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News.

Galatians 3: 1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christs death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

Galatians 5: 1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and dont get tied up again in slavery to the law.

2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 Ill say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from Gods grace.

Revelations 22:18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

Revelations 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.---To me this refers to the book of Revelation as the Rev 1'3 you are blessed to study this prophecy refers to Rev. I mentioned that to get things in back in context. - But let's don't debate that on this thread and go back to the beard. calledoutPTL

Read Acts 21:23-26. Paul evidently shaved his whole head there. calledoutPTL

I see there aren't many takers on this subject. As someone who likes a beard, I can say this without someone saying "yeah, but you don't like a beard..."

1. The argument I was given as a boy was that the beard serves as a distinction between the sexes. While I know of women who can grow a beard, I only know of one who actually lets it grow, so there may be some credence to this argument.

2. the scriptures already quoted pokes holes in a Biblical directive to wear a beard. If you are going to be a Jewish Rabbi, you have to let it grow, but only the Loewens actually grow a full beard among the H that I am acquainted with, and they trim everything else. (temples etc.) Since we are not Jewish Rabbis, this demand does not apply. Another thing that using OT commands does is opens the H up to a whole bunch of regulations they do not follow.

3. In the NT, modesty is mentioned, and not questioning our creation. There are humans in certain parts of the world unable to grow a beard. If God wanted a man to have a beard, then all men would be created with the ability to grow one. (I might mention here that I have an H nephew who can "barely" grow a beard, and he would be dramatically more handsome without the few pitiful stragglers on his chin) Folks who are native to harsh weather typically have a beard, and those native to the tropics do not. With the movement of people today, there are tropical folks in the harsh weather and folks from harsh climates living in the tropics.

4. I believe this is one time that if someone is convicted to wear it, they should. By the same token, i don't believe they have a scripture mandate to require it of anyone else.

No matter how you cut it, the H "doctrine" of the beard is one of the very weakest of all from a biblical standpoint, really to the point of being laughable. And yet, it has huge significance in their assessments of one another's spirituality. I guess it's an easily quantifiable spirit-o-meter for them. Life is easy when you're a legalist. Just grab a ruler and voila!, instant spiritual measuring stick.

Musical instruments may be ahead of the beard or a close second, Brent D. calledoutPTL

Yes but I can and sometimes have been able to wear a beard. But musical instraments I have not had the courage to try.

I have never tried the beard, (somehow, don't think I could. LOL) But I tried musical instruments and cannot do that either!!! But I love listening to music. It ministers to one's soul in a way that wearing a beard doesn't. That is one gift or talent I would love to have. But back to the beard. --- calledoutPTL

>>Why have you made me thus (Romans 9:20)< <br>
The 'why have you made me thus' argument is probably the weakest of all of the weak scriptural arguments the H use for 'THE beard'.

If you take that argument to its logical conclusion, (i.e. if God created you a certain way you'd better not change it), you would do absolutely nothing to change anything about yourself. Heck, you'd walk around naked and never trim your nose hairs or fingernails (they DO grow naturally, don't they?). Women would never scrunch their hair up into a bun to be covered by a black beanie, nor would they shave their legs (which apparently is now de rigeur for all but the oldest and most conservative H women). You'd never go to a doctor because of birth defects or health problems because, hey, God made me that way. Is the ludicrousness of the 'why have you made me thus' argument apparent to all the diehard Holdies reading this already or do I need to go on?

Steve you wrote, -- You'd never go to a doctor because of birth defects or health problems because, hey, God made me that way.--- Sad, but some actually feel that way at least I know of some that did at least partially. calledoutPTL