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Is A Mohawk Sin?


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You are over-thinking this:  I actually trust your instinct.  A chance to say "yes" when possible is not a bad reason to permit something.  I feel the same way about my kids sometimes. 

The kid is....................FIVE!!  It's not a big deal.  He is YOUR son, not your parents'.  One honors their parents (which has as much to do with financially caring for them as much as anything else) but letting them raise your son is not "honoring" them.  If you can't do it with a clear conscience with respect to your own instincts and your own reading of Scripture, then don't let him do it.  It isn't "REBELLION" on the part of your son to want the mohawk.  He just wants it, because at the moment he thinks it looks kinda cool.  Does it look cool? NO....on a five-year-old...it just kinda looks like a five-year-old got the haircut he wanted to try.  He'll probably get over it in a matter of weeks or months anyway.
 
It is YOUR conscience and YOUR understanding of the Scripture which matters, not the bloviations of judgemental people who see a witch under every rock and a demon around every corner and spend their entire lives hunting for them and trying to wipe them out.  As much as I am an IFB...and love being one.....some fundamentalists are too worldly-MINDED that they see "worldliness" in almost everything.  Forget the witch-hunters.  I could find something "worldly" with just about any haircut sported today if I tried hard enough, including the Mr. Rogers look sported by the average IFB.  It is not expressly a Scriptural command, thus it is not a "SIN".  Is it "wise"?...meh.....it's up to you to decide that, not your parents or your pastor or anyone on this board to tell you that.
 
I think there's a place every now and again to "let your hair down a little" (pun intended).

Edited by Heir of Salvation
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What is the Mohawk generally associated with?

Punkers, thugs, brawlers, gangsters, etc..

Sure, the kid is only five. But even on a five-year-old the style can say a lot. It may paint a picture of a rebellious parent who is teaching his son to grow up like him.

To some, the child may look cute. But in today's society, the majority could see the onset of rebellion. And what of school? Will such a cut cause any problems from teachers? From classmates? From bullies?

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One thing my husband uses for some of our standards, since he is a pastor, is the idea of an above-board testimony....not causing others to stumble. For instance, I desperately want to take my kids to see "Despicable Me 2" in July when it comes out in the theater. However, my husband says no, because it is not a good testimony. Sure, maybe that's the only movie we would ever see at the theater, but then our church people may say "Well the preacher goes to the theater, so I can go too, and watch this R rated movie." Another thing we've discussed is that I think it's pretty when girls have two piercings in their ears, ONLY because if they wear a little diamond in the top one, and a small gold hoop in the second one, I feel it's very feminine. Again....it's a slippery slope and possibly a bad testimony. Is it wrong? No more wrong than having ONE hole. But does it tend towards the multiple piercings idea and thus a slippery slope? How many piercings is wrong? What part of the body is "wrong" to pierce? Well we all know that having about 25 piercings is rebellious and worldly, so my husband sets the line at a single ear piercing. Explanation? Testimony...being above board....being a Christian example. Which is a fine explanation, really, because we are to be "living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...."

The same reasoning for the mohawk. Is it Biblically wrong? Probably not, although if you look in the Old Testament...remember the time when Israel got into war or something, and then to shame this group of men (can't place the story at the moment)) they shaved off half their heads and half their beards, and sent them home that way. It was a horrible, despicable shame on these men. So partially shaved heads were not something they did back then. As far as today, the only examples of mohawks are Indians with spirit gods, or the punk rock generation. So therefore, your explanation could be that a funny haircut made the men in the Bible embarrassed...and then after that, the only people who wore that haircut were Indians or rock and roll guys....and therefore, even though it would be fun to wear one, it would be a poor testimony to your friends and family.

One thing you could do for him is to, during a haircut, cut the mohawk, then take a picture of him, and then finish the haircut, and then let him have the picture in his room as something "fun". I actually cut a mohawk into one of my kids during a haircut like that just to be funny but they refused to even look in the mirror and begged me to cut it off. LOL. But of course I never planned NOT to cut it off.

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 I think we are often so obsessed (in a certain weird way) with "worldliness" itself....that we are in fact...."Worldly".  I think we err often by being on such a witch-hunt against everything we dislike, and finding reasons to condemn them, that our minds are actually pre-occupied inexplicably, with worldly things.

We are often so busy "denouncing" everything "worldly" that we don't realize that we are mentally obsessing over things "of this World"....and that is IMO equally as un-productive an error as permitting a 5-year old to have a marginally stupid-looking hair-cut for the next 8 weeks if he wants it.

 

The incredibly nuanced and in-depth explanations (for instance) about why a certain hair-cut which is:

1.) Distinctively MASCULINE

2.) Satisfies the Scriptural condition (by any standard) of being "short" vis-à-vis  I Cor. 11:7

 

Is possibly inherently "evil" or "worldly" for a 5-year old boy misses the entire point.

IMO the realm of the mind is where the Spiritual battles are fought and can only by obsessed over by those who are so pre-occupied with the "things of this world" that they can even have taken the time to have developed an argument against something which is otherwise morally benign.

 

I think one has to have mentally obsessed over "worldly" things to quite an extreme to be able to correctly identify something which is inherently morally neutral as "worldly".

IMO....that is an example of LOSING the battle of the mind: (Romans 12:2)......not winning it.

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You start dressing or allowing your child to dress like the world, they're going to act like the world.  Dress like a thug, hippie, or biker, they'll be treated by society as such and begin to act the part without fail.

 

A relative recently cut their child's hair this way and bought him expensive sneakers and they wonder why this once well-mannered child has become a handful at four already!

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You start dressing or allowing your child to dress like the world, they're going to act like the world.  Dress like a thug, hippie, or biker, they'll be treated by society as such and begin to act the part without fail.

 

A relative recently cut their child's hair this way and bought him expensive sneakers and they wonder why this once well-mannered child has become a handful at four already!

 

I've always dislike the gaudy look, whether its  on a person, a lawn, or in a house. One of something can look nice, but yet many of them gets tasteless. Seems there's many that can't keep it simple.

 

I like everything plain, no show off stuff, & I did not use to be that way. I loved spinners hubcaps on cars back in the late 50 & early 60's, along with a few other things. But I out grew it.

 

And to me this tells women not to dress gaudy.

 

1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

 

And if women are not to, them men should not either.

 

Yet most of those who call their self Christian instead of being a living sacrifice & not conforming to the world they conform to the world looking very gaudy so people will take notice of them. Wow, those people with 4, 6, 8, or 10 holes in their ears is both gaudy & ridiculous. And those who go even further putting holes into heir nose, eye lids, tongue, & ect have surely crossed the line into be ridiculous & stupid looking.

 

Ro 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
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Unfortunately the idea that when it comes to matters of hair style, dress and things of such nature, that these are "personal choices" and God doesn't care about such things is even creeping into some IFB churches. Hair styles are becoming more worldly, dress styles are becoming less modest, and these things apply to how some folks attend church and also go about their daily things.

 

I've literally been surprised and shocked on a few occasions, and had to turn away and go elsewhere, after seeing a Christian woman in a store that I've only ever seen before in their church clothes, being dressed very immodestly in the store.

 

A youth pastor in the area has a goatee he sometimes colors purple or blue and he has his hair cut short but sometimes uses styling gel or something to make it kind of spike up down the middle. He says he wants to relate to the youth and show them that one can be a Christian and be cool at the same time.

 

The Bible provides us with standards of conduct and appearance but many don't want to give up their own preferences for the sake of Christ.

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In the Bible, piercing the ear is associated with being a bondservant. When a servant is offered freedom, but, for whatever reason, chooses to stay and serve, he is taken to the post of the door of the house, and his ear is punched through with an awl, attaching it to the house, symbolically showing he belongs to that house, by choice, forever. I assume that an earring of some sort was then placed into it, to remain as an everlasting reminder of his bondservant status.

 

I believe that to pierce one's flesh for decoration, anywhere, one or multiple times, is to show disregard for the temple of the Spirit, to show that we aren't satisified with the body the Lord has given us, in the form He has given it. I must pierce it, and then hang something from it. I must tattoo it and then decorate it. I must change the color of my hair, because I'm not happy with the hair the Lord gave me.

 

Nope, don't approve of any of it. Mind you, I'm not beating anyone up-it was just mentioned, and the question was asked, how many is TOO many? I say, any is too many. But that's just how I see it.

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As it is evident by my profile picture, I have a mohawk. I can also assure you that I'm a Christian, living to the best of my knowledge in a life pleasing to God. That's not to say I didn't initially receive a lot of negative feedback, particularly from church folk. I don't tell many people this, but for the sake of conversations and reasoning, I'll let you in on a secret. I have a mohawk because to me, it's a symbol of warfare. My ancestors wore their hair in this manner to signify they were warrior. It signifies the very real spiritual warfare that I am caught up in, and am struggling in. Ephesians 6:12 depicts a spiritual battle, and my hair reflects that in an outward act of symbolism. I don't have one to "be cool" (I'm from a small town that can be very judgmental, so it kinda defeats the purpose) or to "show an act of rebellion". As far as appearance goes, it can be no more a sin to have a mohawk than to shave your face. Each is an altercation to the natural way your body makes hair, and there's actually a scripture that says not to cut the corners of your beard (Leviticus 19:27). Therefore, in a moral sense, it's no more a sin to have a mohawk than to shave. I understand that the Holy Spirit may convict other people differently, which is why it is always best to pray, seek godly advice from wise people, search the scripture, and think it over long and hard before coming to a  decision. 

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As it is evident by my profile picture, I have a mohawk. I can also assure you that I'm a Christian, living to the best of my knowledge in a life pleasing to God. That's not to say I didn't initially receive a lot of negative feedback, particularly from church folk. I don't tell many people this, but for the sake of conversations and reasoning, I'll let you in on a secret. I have a mohawk because to me, it's a symbol of warfare. My ancestors wore their hair in this manner to signify they were warrior. It signifies the very real spiritual warfare that I am caught up in, and am struggling in. Ephesians 6:12 depicts a spiritual battle, and my hair reflects that in an outward act of symbolism. I don't have one to "be cool" (I'm from a small town that can be very judgmental, so it kinda defeats the purpose) or to "show an act of rebellion". As far as appearance goes, it can be no more a sin to have a mohawk than to shave your face. Each is an altercation to the natural way your body makes hair, and there's actually a scripture that says not to cut the corners of your beard (Leviticus 19:27). Therefore, in a moral sense, it's no more a sin to have a mohawk than to shave. I understand that the Holy Spirit may convict other people differently, which is why it is always best to pray, seek godly advice from wise people, search the scripture, and think it over long and hard before coming to a decision.


Thanks for your reasoned explanation.
Be aware that you will likely be opposed by some here, and whilst I still would not allow it for my own kids, I appreciate your position.
My only point to you, and I am sure you already know this, is that in certain situations it will make it substantially harder for your testimony and witness.

Some of the points in this thread are valid - the general association today with rebellion, whilst not true of you, is nonetheless a generalised truth. You will have to work hard to beat that initial impression.

However, the Lord does not want us to be whited sepulchres, and it is easy to paint up the outside without addressing the inside.

It seems to me that your 'inside' is heading the right direction. ;)
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Being blind, I would not be offended by your hair style.

But, as pointed out by Dave, it can be a hinderance to your testimony before man. If God is not convicting your heart, then all is well between you and God.

Allow His Spirit to guide you each decision you make. Do not change the style to please man if man says bad things. But if God convicts tour heart and says change, that is the One to heed.

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As it is evident by my profile picture, I have a mohawk. I can also assure you that I'm a Christian, living to the best of my knowledge in a life pleasing to God. That's not to say I didn't initially receive a lot of negative feedback, particularly from church folk. I don't tell many people this, but for the sake of conversations and reasoning, I'll let you in on a secret. I have a mohawk because to me, it's a symbol of warfare. My ancestors wore their hair in this manner to signify they were warrior. It signifies the very real spiritual warfare that I am caught up in, and am struggling in. Ephesians 6:12 depicts a spiritual battle, and my hair reflects that in an outward act of symbolism. I don't have one to "be cool" (I'm from a small town that can be very judgmental, so it kinda defeats the purpose) or to "show an act of rebellion". As far as appearance goes, it can be no more a sin to have a mohawk than to shave your face. Each is an altercation to the natural way your body makes hair, and there's actually a scripture that says not to cut the corners of your beard (Leviticus 19:27). Therefore, in a moral sense, it's no more a sin to have a mohawk than to shave. I understand that the Holy Spirit may convict other people differently, which is why it is always best to pray, seek godly advice from wise people, search the scripture, and think it over long and hard before coming to a  decision. 

Matt 6 and Matt 23 are very clear about not doing certain things (which could spiritually include haircuts) to represent your spirituality.

 

Mt 6:1 ¶ Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
 5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

 

Mt 23:1 ¶ Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you OBserve, that OBserve and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

 

If you do your hair to be seen of men as being a spiritual warfare warrior as you claim, "I have a mohawk because to me, it's a symbol of warfare. . .It signifies the very real spiritual warfare that I am caught up in, and am struggling in. Ephesians 6:12 depicts a spiritual battle, and my hair reflects that in an outward act of symbolism" as the pharisees who wore outward symbols of their spirituality "phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments," so you are doing the same so you have your reward already.

Edited by AVBibleBeliever
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