One Response to “Does the LDS church have any rules on hair/facial hair? (Jew…”
Webmaster
2009-12-26 06:22:05
Hi friend. I'm very happy to learn that you're interested in the Church. Being Mormon has been a great blessing in my life. I've been thinking about those blessings a lot lately during this Christmas season. I hope you had a merry Christmas.
Your question is more about Mormon culture than about Mormon doctrine, as there aren't really any doctrinal rules about facial hair. "Mormon facial-hair fashion" has changed over the past century. It used to be that most Mormon men had beards, but now days most Mormons are clean shaven with conservative hair cuts.
I think this change happened around the 60s. I wasn't alive during that decade, but I think in the minds of many facial hair became associated with the hippie movement (drug use, free love, etc.). This is a little unfair in my opinion because there are plenty of wonderful people throughout history who have had facial hair, including most of the early leaders of our Church, but so blew the fickle winds of cultural change. :)
That having been said, in most situations having facial hair is fine. There's a wonderful fellow in my parents' congregation with long hair and a beard. He's a leader in the local Mormon young single-adult group. My Sunday-School teacher when I was a child also had a pony tail, though he's since cut it. These examples are probably more the exception than the rule, though.
A few groups are required to forgoe facial hair; missionaries and students at Brigham Young University must be clean shaven unless there are extenuating circumstances. This is particularly ironic given that Brigham Young had a healthy beard for most of his adult life. :)
Your question is more about Mormon culture than about Mormon doctrine, as there aren't really any doctrinal rules about facial hair. "Mormon facial-hair fashion" has changed over the past century. It used to be that most Mormon men had beards, but now days most Mormons are clean shaven with conservative hair cuts.
I think this change happened around the 60s. I wasn't alive during that decade, but I think in the minds of many facial hair became associated with the hippie movement (drug use, free love, etc.). This is a little unfair in my opinion because there are plenty of wonderful people throughout history who have had facial hair, including most of the early leaders of our Church, but so blew the fickle winds of cultural change. :)
That having been said, in most situations having facial hair is fine. There's a wonderful fellow in my parents' congregation with long hair and a beard. He's a leader in the local Mormon young single-adult group. My Sunday-School teacher when I was a child also had a pony tail, though he's since cut it. These examples are probably more the exception than the rule, though.
A few groups are required to forgoe facial hair; missionaries and students at Brigham Young University must be clean shaven unless there are extenuating circumstances. This is particularly ironic given that Brigham Young had a healthy beard for most of his adult life. :)