Long Hair?

[Joe]

On the ride home from drama, the conversation of long hair being sinful came up. What are your opinions?

Pro: Numbers 6:5. This can be debated, because it's in context of the laws of the (now apparently depreciated) Nazirate vow, and is also in the old testament.

Con: 1 Corinthians 11:13-15. However, this can be interpreted in different ways, as it says "judge for yourself".

[Sidoh]

Didn't you ever see the lego bible thing?  Those were all real quotes from the bible.  Do you think that Jews pull the laws for kosher food out of their ass?  Plus, I'm pretty sure that's referring directly to Samson.  People try to read too far into things...

[rabbit]

Why'd you split it?  It's perfectly good evidence that having long hair is NOT sinful.

[Sidoh]

Why'd you split it?  It's perfectly good evidence that having long hair is NOT sinful.

Because you stated it in an insulting way.  You're welcome to debate any religious views presented here, but you're not allowed to attack anything as you did, even if it's for the sake of humor.

[rabbit]

FINE.  If Jesus died for other people's sins, and was himself pure, then having long hair cannot be a sin in any way.

[Joe]

We *think* Jesus had long hair. I saw a documentary and apparently he looked more like Osama (minus a turban) than Buddy Christ.

If you can find a bible verse that straight out says Jesus had long hair, I rule in order of the defendant.

[rabbit]

It is commonly accepted by just about every Christian that Jesus had long hair, so that's what I'm going with.

[iago]

We *think* Jesus had long hair.

That's what I was thinking -- there aren't any pictures or sculptures of Jesus from his time, so who knows what he looked like?

[AntiVirus]

Why would having long hair be a sin?  That's very stupid.  How can one define long hair?  It seems a matter of opinion. 

[Sidoh]

Why would having long hair be a sin?  That's very stupid.  How can one define long hair?  It seems a matter of opinion. 

If you read that verse, it says specifically that cutting your hair is a sin.  Another one says it's okay, because it was after the death of Christ.  Man was no longer bound to the laws (other than the Ten Commandments) that applied in the old testament.

[Joe]

Technically it was the Nazarite law, not God's laws, so that law could be either accepted or not, unlike God's laws where He basically said "do this or else". So if you break a Nazarite law (after accepting the vow, of course) you have to offer a bunch of sacrafices and stuff, but yeah, it wasn't always a sin to cut your hair.

I'd say long hair would be below shoulder-height in the back and mid-ear length on the sides. My hair is shoulder-height and around the bottom of my ears, right now.

[Sidoh]

Technically it was the Nazarite law, not God's laws, so that law could be either accepted or not, unlike God's laws where He basically said "do this or else". So if you break a Nazarite law (after accepting the vow, of course) you have to offer a bunch of sacrafices and stuff, but yeah, it wasn't always a sin to cut your hair.

If it isn't (or wasn't) God's law, why is it in the Bible?

I'd say long hair would be below shoulder-height in the back and mid-ear length on the sides. My hair is shoulder-height and around the bottom of my ears, right now.

It doesn't matter what you think.  AntiVirus is right.  "Long hair" is a relative term.  One person's general definition of "long hair" may vary from anothers.  It's a good thing neither of the verses you quoted said anything about "long hair."  It may have been implied, but it said that cutting your hair was a sin.

[Joe]

As for the Nazirite vow, it was an optional law, or something like that, is what I meant to say. It didn't apply to everyone.

Yeah, I guess you're right about the cutting part. But I'm still not sure of the bible's stance on having long hair. I'm guessing that it's alright, though.

[MyndFyre]

It occurs to me that the entire point of the New Testament - or at least the gospels - is aimed at breaking down religiosity and to do away with religious law.  Who cares if it was Judaic or Nazarite law?  The law is gone and the new has come.

Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.  Is it beneficial to have long hair?  I can't see any real argument for or against it.  We do things and live the way we live out of a reverence for God, not because God tells us how to live.  He tells us which ways are best to live, but he does not say "live this way."

That is the freedom Christ's death gives.

[Joe]

And thus Dogma was born!

MyndFyre is awesome.