I know I saw a beard around here somewhere...

[tesuji]

2 hours ago, LeSellers said:

Men in the Church may wear beards, but not in any significant calling (bishop, etc.), or if he works in the Temple. He may worship in the Temple with a beard, but not as an ordinance worker.

Is this official policy? I've seen it required but I thought it was a personal preference by a local church leader. I would support my leader and shave my beard if he asked, if I had a beard. Obedience is a virtue. But I would never ask someone to do this, unless it was official policy.

[tesuji]

2 hours ago, LeSellers said:

Men in the Church may wear beards, but not in any significant calling (bishop, etc.), or if he works in the Temple. He may worship in the Temple with a beard, but not as an ordinance worker.

Is this official policy? I've seen it required but I thought it was a personal preference by a local church leader. I would support my leader and shave my beard if he asked, if I had a beard. Obedience is a virtue. But I would never ask someone to do this, unless it was official policy.

[NightSG]

57 minutes ago, MormonGator said:

I like to surprise wet-behind-the-ears missionaries fresh from the MTC. They look at me and then are shocked :: shocked!:: that I can quote the Book of Mormon by memory, know more about church history then they do, etc.

It's probably more the cigar and mint julep that confuses them than the beard.

56 minutes ago, Vort said:

On my mission, the mission president had a summertime rule that the sisters needed to shave their legs and armpits if they wore dressed that revealed, well, their legs or armpits.

So the sisters were allowed to have facial hair?

(I mean, it's Italy...they have some great looking women, but I used to work with one who could manage a fuller beard than some of the men in the office.)

[Guest MormonGator]

9 minutes ago, NightSG said:

It's probably more the cigar and mint julep that confuses them than the beard.

 

LOL!!!!! Guilty as charged. 

[Just_A_Guy]

1 hour ago, tesuji said:

My point is that beards are an entirely superficial thing. Outward appearance only. Jesus harshly condemned the Pharisees of his time for thinking outwardness equals righteousness. What matters is your heart and your actions.

Sure; but it's worth noting that sometimes people deliberately modify their outward appearance as an indicator to where their heart is, and what actions they do (or don't) value. BYU's dress and grooming standards aren't particularly onerous to maintain (except on the odd morning where one sleeps in and shows up at the test center, only to be sent home to shave; or the very-rare medical conditions that make shaving impractical).  Ninety percent of the time, violations amount to nonconformance for nonconformance's sake--and that, I think, says quite a lot about a student; particularly when the Church is subsidizing these kids' educations to the tune of $20K per year or more. 

If a student wants to "find herself", she is free to go do that--on her own nickel, not the Church's.  In the meantime, the Church is pouring obscene amounts of money into keeping BYU running--and it's doing it with the specific aim of turning out graduates who will be "company men" and spend their time in Church service building the kingdom wherever they're needed, rather than neglecting their duties as they perennially scheme for a gig in the architect's office.

 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Just_A_Guy

[Aish HaTorah]

51 minutes ago, NightSG said:

(...I used to work with one who could manage a fuller beard than some of the men in the office.)

I have known a few bubbies that were fur-bearing mammals.

[David13]

The short hair and no beard i think actually dates back to Roman soldiers, in the day before the day, before ... way back there.

I have only been in the church one year.  I have short military style hair but a full neatly trimmed beard.  I know, as I have been informed that to serve as Bishop I may need to be remarried (i"m working on it) and shave.  And also to work in the Temple.

And our ward Patriarch (before he moved on to Utah) I think itched to get me to shave, tho' he only talked about it, and didn't tell me to shave.

One member in our stake told of being in SLC and Elder Ezra Taft Benson getting into the elevator with him.  He (our member) had a mustache at the time (70s or so?) and Elder Benson merely said "mustaches are inappropriate".  To this day our brother is clean shaven.

It's obedience, it's conformity.  Which I think is a good thing.  If you are a member, walk, talk and act like it.  And wear the robe like all the others do, also.

My only problem is I don't think I look good without a beard any more.  All my youthful good looks have worn off.

dc

[LeSellers]

24 minutes ago, David13 said:

The short hair and no beard i think actually dates back to Roman soldiers, in the day before the day, before ... way back there.

The Romans discovered that a man's beard was an excellent handle: grabbing it and pulling put him off balance made him ineffectual on the battlefield. The use of gun powder made that immaterial. So, after about the XV, the beard began a comeback in the militaries around the world. The British required their officers to grow mustaches even after WWI. General George Armstrong Custer was famous for his long hair and facial crabgrass. Ambrose Burnsides (after whom sideburns were named) had, well, side burns of infamous proportions.

We return to the fields of Flanders and the military use of mustard and other poisonous gasses to find the modern origins of the clean-shaven soldier.

Lehi

[Guest]

7 hours ago, tesuji said:

Is this official policy? I've seen it required but I thought it was a personal preference by a local church leader. I would support my leader and shave my beard if he asked, if I had a beard. Obedience is a virtue. But I would never ask someone to do this, unless it was official policy.

I've never seen this either.  Is that official?  Or just common practice?

https://www.ldsliving.com/-Lifestyle-Beards-Yes-or-No-for-LDS-Men-/s/64535

https://www.lds.org/new-era/1971/12/standards-of-dress-and-grooming?lang=eng

[mirkwood]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 3:06 PM, estradling75 said:

I know you are joking off my "Bring their beards with them"

But I do know a guy who from Monday to Saturday grows his facial hair and then Sunday morning shaves it all off for church. 

Funny, my days off are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I shave Sunday night before I go back to work.

[mirkwood]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 3:13 PM, tesuji said:

One day I saw a young man, I think he even had a U of U t-shirt on, in the library. He had grubby jeans and a beard. I immediately thought, "Sinner!" And then I stopped myself in horror. I had been so conditioned by the clean-cut BYU dress code that I had immediately judged someone by their mere appearance. I'm still horrified by this.

End of rant

lol...that might have been me.  I used to go visit one of my buddies and we spent time in the library.  What year?

[Guest MormonGator]

14 hours ago, mirkwood said:

Funny, my days off are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I shave Sunday night before I go back to work.

Are police officers required to be clean shaven? Just curious. I don't think I've ever seen a beard on a police officer, come to think of it. 

[LeSellers]

1 hour ago, MormonGator said:

Are police officers required to be clean shaven? Just curious. I don't think I've ever seen a beard on a police officer, come to think of it. 

Most are, but some (undercover, etc.) have permission to grow a beard.

Lehi

Edited April 17, 2016 by LeSellers

[Guest MormonGator]

8 minutes ago, LeSellers said:

Most are, but some (undercover, etc.) have permission to grow a beard.

Lehi

I've heard the Army allows some people to grow beards too, for the same reason. In the Arab world if a  grown man doesn't have some form of facial hair he won't be taken seriously. 

[mirkwood]

Most assignments you are required to be clean shaven.

[Guest MormonGator]

9 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

Most assignments you are required to be clean shaven.

I have seen visible tattoos on some police officers. Setting aside your personal distaste for them (If you have it) do most police require you to cover them up or not have them? 

 

It's nice to have a cop here. You can answer all our questions about them! 

[mirkwood]

We have a policy requiring they be covered.  It isn't always strictly enforced.

I've never been a fan of tattoos.  I don't hassle anyone about their tats if they have them.

[Guest MormonGator]

2 hours ago, mirkwood said:

We have a policy requiring they be covered.  It isn't always strictly enforced.

I've never been a fan of tattoos.  I don't hassle anyone about their tats if they have them.

 He's lying people. He has a tear drop tattooed under both eyes.

[The Folk Prophet]

Maybe I'll grow myself a hipster beard.

[mirkwood]

6 hours ago, MormonGator said:

 He's lying people. He has a tear drop tattooed under both eyes.

Dude!  I'm trying to be anonymous here!

[Blackmarch]

On 4/15/2016 at 1:01 PM, Aish HaTorah said:

I do recall seeing a few Mormon leaders with great beards back in the day.  Where did they go?  Sorry for my ignorance, but is this now frowned upon?  Is there a rule prohibiting it?

The beards I did see in old photos were quite admirable and would give some rabbis I've known a run for their money.  And Jews don't give up their money easily.

My guess is it is due mostly with culture more than anything else... at least in the US there tends to be pressure against it.  As it is seen more as a pride, rebellion, or unhygenic sort of connotation sort of thing then ya it would likely be discouraged. Sort of something similar with dress standards.

For culture influence that's the way that US business culture has evolved- if you wanted a job, you got dressed up, cleaned up and looking your best and for some reason or another "looking your best" came to involve being shaved among other things, so now that is part of "respecting" something.

[Guest]

17 hours ago, MormonGator said:

 He's lying people. He has a tear drop tattooed under both eyes.

Is that why his avatar photo has sunglasses?  I always thought there was something suspicious about a cop with sunglasses.  Are the mirrors on the inside?

[dahlia]

As I think I've said before, we have a few guys in my ward who have a beard - actually, one of the bishop's counselor's has a beard (didn't someone upthread say you couldn't have a position of authority with a beard?) 

I'm in a ward with mostly college profs, grad students, and med/dental students - a population that often gravitates toward beards. Some guys have beards all the time, some tend to let them come and go - especially around exam time. 

Here's a question - years ago, the military started letting black guys grow beards because of the skin issues they can have with ingrown hairs,etc. Would the Church not let a black guy with a beard be a temple worker?

[Guest MormonGator]

17 minutes ago, dahlia said:

 a population that often gravitates toward beards.

You forgot another population-cool good looking metalheads. 

Edited April 26, 2016 by MormonGator

[Guest]

On 4/15/2016 at 1:46 PM, LeSellers said:

any significant calling

Pedantic point: all callings are significant. 

As for leadership callings, I know a guy who always has facial hair, except the years he spent in the bishopric. They moment they released him, he stopped shaving again. Our EQ president has a full beard. At least one YM leader has one. My husband has a beautiful beard, but he's "just" ward clerk.