Are we commanded to cut our hair or not?

[Scarletprayers]

Man, you are correct in saying it is a shame and not a sin. I just don't believe in doing something shameful in the eyes of God.

As for what you wrote Firehill, I have no law that states you cannot offer an opinion with nothing to back it up. I just found it funny that you tell someone in a definate manner they don't have to cut their hair, and offer no explaination whatsoever for what you said. If I were in his place, it wouldn't be the least bit persuasive or reasuring to have someone make a comment like that since it doesn't give any reasons.

If you were in his place...sure but you weren't.

Yeah, in a definate matter because there simply is no command that a man must cut his hair. Can't get any simpler than that.

But it does say it is a shame for a man to have long hair. You can't get any plainer than that either.

Yes in the Old Testament under the laws given to Israel to show them how they are to set themselves apart from the nations around them. The laws under which Israel as a nation was to be ruled by, they don't apply to us. I am not Jewish, and I don't live in a Theocracy in Israel. Excuse me I picked up the wrong quote. I didn't mean to pick up the one about it being a shame.

Edited April 5, 2007 by Silentprayer

[Scarletprayers]

Butero you must have already "quoted" my post before I saw my mix up and went back to change it. I picked up the wrong quote, but, you are correct the NT does say it is a shame for a man to have long hair.

[RustyAngeL]

I can't believe this...I have had short hair for years. Yet I do believe my salvation is still intact. Get real.

[firehill]

Universal shame is universal shame and since Samson had long hair which wasn't shameful therefore the matter is cultural...

The reason Samson couldn't cut his hair was due to a Nazarite vow. It is ok for someone with such a vow to not cut their hair till the time of the vow is up. Afterward, they are to shave their head and weigh the hair. Samson was a Nazarite for life. We are not speaking of those under a Nazarite vow, so what you said is irrelivant.

It's not irrelevant since either it is a universal shame to have long hair or it is not. It's pretty simple. If it were an absolute shame not reletive to anything then it wouldn't have been legitimate as even a Nazarite vow. A shame is a shame is a shame.

[firehill]

It's not like God handed Adam a pair of shears or something.

[Scarletprayers]

I can't believe this...I have had short hair for years. Yet I do believe my salvation is still intact. Get real.

There are some of us who actually believe in following the Bible. The Bible says it is a shame for a woman to have short hair. Nobody has one time challenged your salvation or anyone else's in this thread, but your personal belief in whether you are saved or not is irrelivant to the discussion of whether it is right or wrong for a man to have long hair or a woman to have short hair.

This is a real question, honestly I'm not trying to get smarty or anything. Whats "to" long for a man, and what's "to" short for a woman, and that very concept would be different in different centuries, I have "medium" length hair alittle past my shoulders, yet 100 years ago that would be considered short for a woman and normal for a man.

People reading the Bible then would have a totally different idea of what that verse means.

[Scarletprayers]

I can't believe this...I have had short hair for years. Yet I do believe my salvation is still intact. Get real.

There are some of us who actually believe in following the Bible. The Bible says it is a shame for a woman to have short hair. Nobody has one time challenged your salvation or anyone else's in this thread, but your personal belief in whether you are saved or not is irrelivant to the discussion of whether it is right or wrong for a man to have long hair or a woman to have short hair.

This is a real question, honestly I'm not trying to get smarty or anything. Whats "to" long for a man, and what's "to" short for a woman, and that very concept would be different in different centuries, I have "medium" length hair alittle past my shoulders, yet 100 years ago that would be considered short for a woman and normal for a man.

People reading the Bible then would have a totally different idea of what that verse means.

You have a point here Silentprayer. I know what is long and short to me, but others have their own opinions. There are cases where it is debatable, but then there are some where we know long from short.

Well I don't think God will be mad at me about mine, it took this long to get it all to one length after the left side got burned off in the fire!

[firehill]

What did Paul mean by his use of the word 'nature' in 1 Co. 11?

This author explains it pretty well:

http://students.eng.fiu.edu/~denver/pdfs/LongHairOnMen.pdf

Wow, not to get off topic but he explained real well that an 'offense' in the bible meant to put a stumbling block in the way of a new christian so as to cause them to not follow Jesus anymore which is in conflict with what we today usualy mean by the word 'offense' in the present religious world.

[Guest Biblicist]

The reason Samson couldn't cut his hair was due to a Nazarite vow. It is ok for someone with such a vow to not cut their hair till the time of the vow is up. Afterward, they are to shave their head and weigh the hair. Samson was a Nazarite for life. We are not speaking of those under a Nazarite vow, so what you said is irrelivant.

Correct me if I'm wrong, which I rarely am. However, I am pretty sure that Samson didn't cut his hair because GOD told him not to.

[somethingcleverhere]

There are some of us who actually believe in following the Bible.

Ouch...

You know, I am continually amazed at the venom that arises in conversations like this one. Now, I am not about to do the "you might hurt someone's feelings" hokey-pokey, but even I flinched at that little gem.

Would it be at all possible to discuss the topic at hand without viciously lashing out at each other?

I am sorry to post off-topic.