A number of reactions...

[marshd1000]

I've had a number of varied reactions to my newly shaved head.  Here are a couple:

My Mom said that I was not "Honoring my Father and Mother" by shaving my head.  I knew they would object, but that is a little harsh I think.
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Hey Slick Country!

You got me started on this one!  About a month ago a female friend of mine who is a Christian like me thought I wasn't honoring my stepmother because she would rather me grow my hair back.  Get this, I am a 46 year old balding (now sly) Christian man to boot!  So just know that even some of us older guys get this "not honoring your folks" thing.  Anyway, I do want to honor my stepmom as she has been very good to me.  But I show it in how I treat her as a Christian.  My dad passed away in 1999 and I frequently help my stepmom as I want to.  I am not Mother Teresa, but I try to be like Jesus and when I mess up I apologise and make amends.

Anyway, I told this female friend that I have a good enough relationship with God that if He wanted me to grow the hair back, then I would be able to hear Him.  I am however trying to honor my stepmom by losing weight, which I want to do for my health anyway.

If you are an adult, there are naturally going to be things that you will do differently than your parents.  Grooming habits are one of them.  I used to get the same grief in the early 1980's when I started growing a full beard in my 20's.

Hopefully no one is giving you a bad time with your earings.  I have a "sly" friend in Idaho who had gone to a church where the pastor's wife had a big attitude because of his piercings and his wife's tattoos.  She told my buddy's wife, "we tolerate you".  What a flipping un-Christlike attitude I have ever heard!  Now they go to a great church where the pastor said, "we like people like you....you can be our piercing welcoming comittee!".

Thankfully I have noticed that most churches here in the Pacific Northwest are pretty accepting of shave heads.  I know different church staff members who are "sly".  Also we have a few chromedomes in my own congregation.  There are about 4 of us in my church of about 200 people. Two white guys and two black guys.  One is a friend of mine who is the director of my church's "Celebrate Recovery" ministry.  So if my pastor had a problem with shaved heads, he would have had to tell my friend to grow the hair back or quit leading that ministry!

Anyway, here is a shameless plug for my group on Yahoo!  for us "sly" Christians: groups.yahoo.com/group/christianchromedomes .

By the way, there are a few of us "sly" Christians here on this group as well!

Welcome!

[HotCajun]

Personally I think the more spiritual you are the less hair you have!   

Bad Sarge Bad Sarge... go to your room!   

Your right....take a look at all those Monks....they are sly....don't think I've seen one with hair!!

[Cam]

Wow, don't ever come to Texas and go to church. I have earrings, a sly head, and about 7 tattoos and I get looked at like the devil. People around here are what I like to call "hypo-christians," which is a combination hypocrite and christian. They are so closed minded about everything, it's sick. I am mostly referring to the southern baptist community around here, just so people don't get confused that ALL Christians in this area are morons.

[SlickCountry]

Christians beliefs vary greatly.  I have a good friend whose church says that women shouldn't wear pants.  I personally believe that though Christianity does not change, the Bible is written in such a way that it can be applicable to daily life no matter how the times change.  My religion is between me and God and though some people may get me down from time to time, I know where I stand and where I'll spend eternity.  I hope that this thread will show people that there are those who will give anyone a hard time about anything and not all Christians are that way.  I originally post this to show that people "looking down their noses" comes from all directions and all types of people.

As with most things, confidence is the key.  I am confident that my life and yes, even my hairstyle (or lack thereof ) is what it is supposed to be and I pray that all of you have that same confidence.

I didn't intent on this thread becoming a sermon, but I am thankful for a place like this to "let it all hang out."

[jusbnme]

I like the reaction about the pastor.  Good one.    Keep being yourself and you can never go wrong bro. 

[Paul]

Our town is only 8000 people with only four churches.  When I moved to town 6 years ago everyone in the congregation knew me with a full head of hair plus the earrings.  Nothing was ever said and I was invited to join many activities.  When I walked in sly one day again nothing was said and I have even been asked to do dramatic readings and sing solos in front of the whole congregation.   I never realized how blessed I was to have friends with such open minds. 

[MR. CLEAN]

I go to a Newman Center here on the Campus.  The liberal atmosphere has been very positive and accepting in that they are not at all superficial. Coming from a Uber conservative town, I found it nice to be able to get down to Faith itself and not have it associated with your rep. or your persona.  I enjoy being able to be myself. 

[SlickCountry]

Mr. Clean
That is the way that it should be IMHO.  God made us individuals and does not expect us to conform to other peoples ideas of what we should look like.  BTW, IM me on one of the messengers, I have them all listed.  I think you may know my brother.  He goes to school with you.

[David]

I have now had two family friends who hadn't seen me in months stop by our house and say "I didn't recognize you."   "I've never seen you look this put together"  and "It looks good."

Some will hate it, some will love it.   I don't really care either way though the ones who say comments like above make me happy obviously.   I just like never having to deal with hair or paying for haircuts ever again.

Edit:  I am a christian(at a baptist church in texas oddly enough), and I have taken no flack from people at my church about it in the 5 months since I first did it.   

[jusbnme]

My mom keeps telling me that she thinks I look handsome bald but wishes I would let it grow in just a little bit.  Forget about my grandmother...She thinks I look nuts or something.  She definitely wants me to grow it back in to at least a 1/4 inch.  I keep trying to tell these people that it's my head.  I'm doing this for me because it makes me feel better about myself.  I keep trying to explain to them that if I let it grow out my hair is thinning in spots and I have a very high receding hair line.  They just keep on saying, "No you don't.  You just think that.  It looks so much better grown in."  My wife is straight up and honest with me.  She tells me that, "Yes, you do have some thinning that is noticeable in a few spots."  Talking to some of these people though is like "talking to a brick wall."

Actually, I tried talking to a brick wall the other day and I had a much better relaxing conversation.  Ha, ha.   

[Sgt. Pate]

Our town is only 8000 people with only four churches.  When I moved to town 6 years ago everyone in the congregation knew me with a full head of hair plus the earrings.  Nothing was ever said and I was invited to join many activities.  When I walked in sly one day again nothing was said and I have even been asked to do dramatic readings and sing solos in front of the whole congregation.   I never realized how blessed I was to have friends with such open minds. 

Right on Paul... sounds like a great group!

My pastor always says "First you get the fish in the boat THEN you clean it"!

Nobody comes to Jesus all cleaned up first, if they could do that they wouldn't need Him!     So people enter the Christian relationship with all their baggage and sometimes mis-represent their Savior.  That's just the peolple business!   

We just need to remember to be looking at Jesus and not people, He's the example!   

We've all got "stuff", it's just that some of us are better at hiding it than others and still others have finally learned to leave it at the cross!   

~Sarge~

[PigPen]

Well said Sarge

[MC HammerHead]

I am part of a church ministry that reaches out to "those fish".  If you think about it who did Jesus hang out with?  Not the Religious and pious but drunks, sinners, tax collectors, whores, the unclean. 

Is all about how you live for HIM and spread the Good News.

[MR. CLEAN]

Tell you the truth, I have to say that I think God is rockin' the Sly look... I mean who better?  The maker of Heaven and Earth, always portrayed with a beard; He would more than likely rock the look knowing as we do its the Slickest look around