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Poll: Is ear piercing really too 'liberal'?

Can an earring for a man be a positive testimony?

  • Yes, sometimes

    Votes: 4 28.6%

  • No, never

    Votes: 2 14.3%

  • Don't know

    Votes: 5 35.7%

  • Don't care

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .
Re: Is it supposedly 'liberal' to let your son pierce his ears?

Liberal to let your son pierce his ears?
Nope. Not in any political sense anyway.
All young generations have a form of revolt against the "establishment". Whatever is "in" or whatever word is used these days it's all the same generation after generation. I didn't have long hair until after college (1972) because my parents had their own ideas of how often I went to the barber.
Once loose from their "grip" I did the things I wanted to do until I found out the hard way it doesn't work real well pertaining to making a living or eeking out a niche in the world on my own. And that didn't take long at all believe me. And it seemed like every 5 years my views on things changed until I reached my late 30's where changes came much more slowly.
Getting a "job" wasn't hard with long hair. Getting a career was a whole nuther ballgame though.
When one "leaves the nest" then it's up to you to fend on your own and I guarantee you some views will definitely change. We aren't like Peter Pan. You will grow and mature. And so will your thinking. Living under the care of one's parents is way different than claiming your own place in society.
 
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Re: Is it supposedly 'liberal' to let your son pierce his ears?

handy said:
farouk,

The Ezekiel passage really caught me off guard when I first read it because, while I've always been OK with pierced earrings for women, the idea of a nose ring was totally distasteful to me... something that I would never believe God would approve of.

But, like most people, I tend to believe God shares all my prejudices. ;)

Kidron, the Leviticus passage ties the practice of cutting and tattooing in with pagan practices.

<sup class="versenum">26 </sup>‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying. <sup class="versenum">27 </sup> You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard. <sup class="versenum">28 </sup>You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.
<sup class="versenum">29 </sup>‘ Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness. <sup class="versenum">30 </sup>You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the Lord.
<sup class="versenum">31 </sup>‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19


I know most tattooing started out with religious significance, but that is completely separate from why most here in the West get tatts today.

I think piercings and tattoos are neither conservative nor liberal... good ole boys have been getting tatts for years and many sailors are conservative.

However, it does seem to be pattern that the "tolerance" of piercings and tatts come more from the liberal side of religion rather than the conservative.

That might just be perception though. At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women (no, I'm not one of them) and one of the elders sports a pony tail and earrings. And believe me, it's a very conservative church and the pony-tail/earring guy is a very conservative guy.

To me, the most important factor in all of this is what is one's ministry? If one is basically ministering to people who would find piercings or tatts to be associated with rebellion and sin... not a good idea to cover oneself with them. However, if one is ministering out on the streets, or to younger people, then most likely piercings and tatts will be a non-issue.

While I find there is freedom in this issue, anything, anything at all that would hinder our ministry or ability to effectively share the gospel needs to be jettisoned. In some places, piercings and tatts would... but not in other places. Everyone just needs to be wise in the matter.
Click to expand...

handy:

I agree; those who are too conservative to countenance things such as nose studs can maybe figure that God Himself gave Zion a nose ring! You are right. We need to make sure that our own varied sensibilities

God also sanctioned — even commanded — in a particular Old Testament context that males get ear piercings, and while this does not relate directly to its practice today, it's hard to say that the practice in itself is objectively 'unbiblical'.

(You also make various interesting points about tattoos, etc., some of which probably go beyond the topic in hand, but they would undoubtedly make a good subject for a different thread.)
 
Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Hi; a question comes to mind about something that is getting quite popular: who has, or would consider, earlobe enlargements, or stretchings?

Most ppl get their ears pierced initially at around 18 gauge. But subsequently quite a lot of folk are increasingly gauging them to larger holes, using tapers and in order to fit plugs. Some of the plugs are barely distinguishable from chunky earrings; others are more noticeable.

So has anyone done this? or would consider doing it?

(Please vote in the poll also.)
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

One vote so far! :)

Votes/ comments, folks?

(PS: Sorry I mis-spelt gauge, above, in the poll question.)
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

God made me the way I am, why change it. Physically speaking, of course.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Knotical said:
God made me the way I am, why change it. Physically speaking, of course.
Click to expand...

K:

Okay, ty.

So you think that it's kind of ethical, or whatever, for people to stick to with the basic 20- or 18-gauge when they get their ears pierced?
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

farouk said:
K:

Okay, ty.

So you think that it's kind of ethical, or whatever, for people to stick to with the basic 20- or 18-gauge when they get their ears pierced?
Click to expand...

Sure, you could take an overtly legalistic approach to this, but in my opinion as long as you are not basically mutilating your body you are not, necessarily, destroying the body God gave you. This includes excessive tattoos, piercings, etc...
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Knotical said:
Sure, you could take an overtly legalistic approach to this, but in my opinion as long as you are not basically mutilating your body you are not, necessarily, destroying the body God gave you. This includes excessive tattoos, piercings, etc...
Click to expand...

K:

Okay, ty for your clarifications; I was also thinking as well about the freed bondservants in the Old Testament who were commanded to pierce their ears if they wanting to serve their masters willingly and permanently. It would be done against a door with an awl.

The Old Testament bondservants with pierced ears wouldn't necessarily wear an earring in the hole, but I guess the hole would be big enough to be visible.

In other words, it would be somewhat bigger than the 20- or 18-gauge at which people are often pierced initially today.

The freedom from slavery and willing service symbolism doesn't directly apply today, as far as pierced ears are concerned.

But I guess what I'm inferring is that if the practice of having slightly enlarged holes was a Biblically sanctioned practice in some circumstances (although not directly applicable now), it's maybe hard to argue strongly against enlargements as being somehow inherently inappropriate. And after all, quite a lot of people do it today.

(If this makes any sense? and I take your point about not being over legalistic, as well.)

Blessings.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Speculative said:
I have not, nor would I consider it. Just not my thing.:)
Click to expand...

Speculative:

Thanks for your comment.

I guess that for those who do it, especially among young people, it could become quite a talking point sometimes to make it known that having somewhat enlarged ear piercings was actually a Biblical practice in Old Testament times (with a lead in about bondservants being offered freedom and wanting to serve their master willingly — kind of preaches well! doesn't it?)

Blessings.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

I don't have anything against it, but it's just not for me.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

LOL, so glad this was a light-hearted thread. I wasn't ready for heavy.

And for your sake farouk I'm glad our Father has a sense of humor.

:toofunny


For some people this is not funny. You have to be very serious in order to do something this drastic.

To each their own.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Sure why not, and you may as well get lip plates like a Ubangi too.

l.jpg
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Deborah13 said:
LOL, so glad this was a light-hearted thread. I wasn't ready for heavy.

And for your sake farouk I'm glad our Father has a sense of humor.

:toofunny


For some people this is not funny. You have to be very serious in order to do something this drastic.

To each their own.
Click to expand...

Deborah13:

Ty :) .

Bear in mind that with stretchings, the point of no return for most people is at around 2 gauge. Otherwise, with most people, the holes will shrink back eventually.

I'm glad you found the subject lighthearted. :)

Even if you've preferred to keep your holes at around the usual 18 gauge, do you think for some young people gauging them a bit could be an effective talking point for them to get talking in witness to others about the Old Testament practice?

Blessings.
 
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Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Nope, not for me... not now... not ever.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Thanks for the comments & votes, guys.

I guess a secondary question is: do you think that for the Christian young people who decide to do it, it can be a useful lead in to converse with other young people about the meaning of the bondservant ear piercing, which involved larger holes, with its Gospel application?

Blessings.
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

farouk said:
Thanks for the comments & votes, guys.

I guess a secondary question is: do you think that for the Christian young people who decide to do it, it can be a useful lead in to converse with other young people about the meaning of the bondservant ear piercing, which involved larger holes, with its Gospel application?

Blessings.
Click to expand...

I suppose anything is possible, but would it really be necessary?
 
Re: Earlobe enlargements: who has them/ would consider them?

Knotical said:
I suppose anything is possible, but would it really be necessary?
Click to expand...

K:

Ty for the comment.

I guess that particularly among young people one could say that there are a lot of things that aren't strictly necessary. But if done, there could be useful applications, whether talking about the meaning of the Old Testament bondservant, or from faith based tattoo designs, etc.

(I guess an 18 year old for example could ask an aunt why she wears stiletto heels to church: there would be no particular benefit, but it's not realistic to expect her to stop doing so. Whereas some things do have some thematic application in gospel-related witness conversations.)

Blessings.
 
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