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Posted

I don't know.  It seems to be a students initiative to ban the beard, at least according to the article. I think that each state can decide about the beards and other dress codes. In my ward, the young women wear short skirts. No problem. And people pass the sacrament in black shirts or other color shirts. No problem. And beards are no problem either. I suppose that the ward is bohemian and rather liberal.

 

Do you really believe that STUDENTS initiated the ban?  Since when did students at BYU have control over ANYTHING?

 

Here is a rather extensive article about the formation of the beard ban at BYU.  As you will see, it was a one-man crusade on behalf of then BYU President Wilkinson, including the usual witch hunt to ferret out the "evildoers."

 

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V31N04_101.pdf

 

Perhaps, as you wonder about the priorities of today's youth protesting small things, you can wonder about the proprieties of top-level church officials who instituted the ban in the first place.  It's certainly something that makes me wonder that with ALL issues confronting American society during the 1960s, our young people were being asked to take a stand for ... Gillette?

Posted (edited)

I realize this varies from stake to stake and region to region but if it would get changed at BYU the trickle down would happen quickly. 

 

This, in my opinion, is the best reason to cheer on the would-be-bearded men of BYU. I've seen untold damage done by well-meaning Saints who think they've learnt a 'higher' or 'purer' form of gospel living at BYU and then attempt to impose the university's 'honour code' on the rest of the world.

Edited by Hamba Tuhan
Posted

I've had a beard for years and have never had any problem passing or blessing the sacrament. Nor has anyone else in the wards I've lived in

The lack of a winky probably made my question sound more serious than I intended.

Posted (edited)

Do you really believe that STUDENTS initiated the ban?  Since when did students at BYU have control over ANYTHING?

 

Here is a rather extensive article about the formation of the beard ban at BYU.  As you will see, it was a one-man crusade on behalf of then BYU President Wilkinson, including the usual witch hunt to ferret out the "evildoers."

 

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V31N04_101.pdf

 

Perhaps, as you wonder about the priorities of today's youth protesting small things, you can wonder about the proprieties of top-level church officials who instituted the ban in the first place.  It's certainly something that makes me wonder that with ALL issues confronting American society during the 1960s, our young people were being asked to take a stand for ... Gillette?

I don't know. It was in the article that you linked for us to read. In the scope of what is happening in the world, protesting a beard policy or protesting the wearing of pants to church etc seems a little infantile. I can understand the ban policy in the 60s when one looks at the times back then. It was a way to show difference. But if this is all mormons have to protest about, including the ordain women movement it shows a very self centered protest and only focused on their own issue as a minority religion in the world.

 

But this is the church that you and I joined. A church with many 'officials' who are making 'wrong' decisions according to you. What to do?

Edited by why me
Posted

I don't know. It was in the article that you linked for us to read. In the scope of what is happening in the world, protesting a beard policy or protesting the wearing of pants to church etc seems a little infantile. I can understand the ban policy in the 60s when one looks at the times back then. It was a way to show difference. But if this is all mormons have to protest about, including the ordain women movement it shows a very self centered protest and only focused on their own issue as a minority religion in the world.

 

But this is the church that you and I joined. A church with many 'officials' who are making 'wrong' decisions according to you. What to do?

 

What to do?  The same thing that we always do ... lift our voices to encourage all of us to do better.

 

Some would say, "If you don't like it, then leave."  But for my people, that has never been an option -- to just pack up and leave.  Where would we go?  And what would America be like if those who were dissatisfied just always got up and left?  People tried that in the mid-19th century and it didn't turn out too well for anybody.

 

So instead, we stayed and kept pointing out that America could be better than it was.  The same is true for this Church.  It can be better than it is.  I think that's baked in our theology.  We are a work in progress.  So you see, people of my ilk are not Team Apostate.  We're Team Eternal Progression. ;)

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