Beards in church

[Mormon]

do men have to be clean shaven?

[uglypitbull]

Nope....I have had a goatee/beard since 2006. Its never affected my callings, nor has it ever been a subject of conversation (except when folks ask me how long I've been growing it. I just cut it down from about 8" long and am starting over.
Apparently some think it is taboo, irreverent, or makes you less of a righteous person....to which I reply, poppycock....and promptly show them several of our older prophets and apostles...even most of our pictures of Jesus show him with facial hair.

[Simon]

Yes, sarting with the seventhies..( mayby sometimes even earlier )

The highest position Christ could gain is to be an Bishop, or mayby an stakepresidet..What a shame

[Jeremy]

Yes, sarting with the seventhies..( mayby sometimes even earlier )

The highes position Christ could gain...

LOL...oh wait, He isn't at the highest? What a shame indeed.

[Simon]

I heard he started his own church, but it's just a rumor ;)

[Dannyk]

do men have to be clean shaven?

My guess is if I was in UT I might get some flak...but I don't in NYC. I've had a beard and been on the HC for the last 3 years. There are a few others in the HC as well, and we have a branch president with one of his counselors with a beard.

[TZONE]

I have my hair to to bottom of my ears. I get comments about it ALL the time, mostly from immediate family, utah/idaho.

no beard but only because I can't grow a good one

I swear people look at me thinking I am a rebel or something lol. But that is me judging and not really knowing.

[clarkkent14]

only weirdo's grow beards.

[Mormon]

Is there a policy or something the reason i ask this is because what was in the SLT today
Letter: LDS Church should quit banning beards
PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 4, 2013 01:01AM
UPDATED: DECEMBER 4, 2013 01:01AM
In the October 2013 LDS General Conference, Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “A third area of concern comes from those who, in
the name of equality, want to erase all differences between the masculine and feminine.” I wholeheartedly agree.
Our Creator, in his wisdom, made certain distinguishing characteristics including facial hair on men (with a few exceptions) and no
facial hair on women (with a few exceptions). There is a popular movement in the world today known as the “baldy-face unisex movement.” This is gender blending or gender homogenization at its worst.
Ironically, the LDS Church has numerous regulations banning facial hair. Church employees, students at church-owned colleges, missionaries and LDS temple workers are all prohibited from having facial hair. Some stakes restrict members of stake presidencies
and ward bishoprics from having beards. The beards-are-evil attitude gets passed on down to members of the church.
How ironic that good church members who have facial hair, who are emphasizing the distinctions between men and women, are
being stigmatized as being less righteous.
We men need to fight against the worldly baldy-face unisex movement. Homogenization may be all right for milk, but not for men.
Neil Spencer
Riverton
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/57 ... s.html.csp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[samizdat]

I get hounded for my beard all the time. Fact is though it is a Paul Walker beard, never more than a centimeter long. But then again I live in a ward where EVERYONE is virtually of the same family and they are descendents of pioneers. The only two people with beards are me and the EQ president (I am one of his counselors)...

[log]

Reminds me of Brigham City - if you've seen it. "Just tryin' to be more like Jesus!"

[FoxMammaWisdom]

only weirdo's grow beards.

=)) You are funny. Post your photo... ;)

Update: LOVE IT!!!! =))

[soldierboy]

I've happily worn a full-face beard for many years. Never liked to shave. I suffered thru a longish military career with only the occasional mustache. But right after that, well...

Got re-married nearly 30 years ago (yup, I'm an OF). DW had never seen me without the beard. On a whim, I decided to go beardless for a while after about 10 years of married life, and had my DW do the honors with the clippers. When she got done, she surveyed her handiwork, and exclaimed, "Put it back on!" So much for that experiment. ;-)

After we joined the church about 15 years ago, we did a 2-year stint as temple workers. The jig was about to be up. When my shift supervisor, who sported a magnificent red beard, showed up one evening in 2001 clean-shaven, I knew it was about to be all over for bearded temple workers. Happily we moved to Wyoming about then, so I didn't shave.

Out here in our rural area, it seems that bishops (but not their counselors) and the stake presidency stay clean-shaven. I did a stint as HPGL, and since as HPG teacher, and nary a word about my beard. Seems like a lot of the fellows favor handlebar mustaches and vandykes, to go with their cowboy-style vests (very popular instead of jackets) and rodeo belt buckles. Which is just fine by me!

I suppose I might be called again to work in the temple, and have to shave at least once a week, but I'm not looking forward to it!

[North_Star]

I miss my beard. My wife is not to happy about it being gone. Sigh.

[TheLion]

No one has ever given me the slightest indication of disapproval about my beard. I do keep it well groomed, and have had numerous compliments on it; no idea why it's just a beard. Others wear beards from time to time as well. I'm outside of Utah, in the Seattle area where most men are unisex so I would still expect some looks at the very least. Not a one.

[AGStacker]

only weirdo's grow beards.

Ahhh... I saw you at Orem. You were actually eye balling my brother and I...I think.

If I have it my way I'll have 1 year+ growth on my hair and practically a year growth of beard by the time Denver's last talk rolls around. I'm trying to grow my hair 2 years while my brother is on his mission.

[AGStacker]

Let's just say I look very similar to these guys:



Especially the 5th one to the right, very bottom.

[ebenezerarise]

I live in Utah, have a full beard and no one has never said a word to me. In fact, most are very supportive and complimentary. I live in farm country and many men here have facial hair of one type or another. Some are in leadership though I cannot think of a Bishop or SP with one.

[AshleyB]

I LOVE beards. My husband has been growing his facial hair out cause I like beards. He can grow a really good goatee (sp?) but has trouble growing hair in more on his cheeks. He's still trying though. Beards are manly. What's not love about a beard? Ok, seriously though. I think beard or no beard. Its all just fine. Its only hair.

[Lizzy60]

I adore my husband's facial hair -- his is also Paul Walker length. But even better, our 4-year-old granddaughter loves it! She comes up to him and rubs his cheeks and chin and tells him whether it's soft or scratchy. "It's not scratchy Grampa, it's soft!". She is a total girly-girl and this always reminds me that men are meant to look like men, and women are meant to like that.

He's received rude remarks from men at church (fallen on hard times and can't afford a razor, huh?) which is really silly among 60-year-olds. Outside of church, he's received many compliments.

[wrsales]

I can't grow a beard yet but I have very long hair. I haven't gotten a hair cut in almost three years now so its almost to the middle of my back. I don't go to church very often so I can't say whether or not I get looks from people. But the last time I was there I had a couple deacons comment on it, they loved it and were a bit jealous ;)

[kidsmoke]

I have a goatee. But I will never again sit in LDS service. So No.