Update: at some point, the original post my post is linked to was removed. It was an article detailing mystical beliefs held by members of the UPCI about the power and virtue of a woman’s uncut hair. Once the veil is lifted, it is fully lifted. Ladies- the teaching that your hair has more power than simply calling on the name of Jesus like any believer can do is a lie. God is no respector of persons. There is no magical mystical extra powerful prayer power in hair.
I used to believe this. To my core. Now it literally makes me cringe.
There is so much going on here that is counter to what the Bible actually teaches. There is so much mysticism and blatant idolatry happening.
I don’t know where to begin, other than with my personal struggles.
1. Power is in the name of Jesus ONLY. There is no power in the length, or virginity of your hair. Saying so reminds me of when the Israelis were punished for worshipping the image of the golden snake instead of God for stopping the disease and death.
2. This is fear mongering. The Bible says that God is no respector of persons. There is neither Male nor female, we are all one in Christ, that God is just, that rain falls on the good and the evil. Having long uncut hair is NOT a prerequisite, nor a guarantee of divine protection. What is your response to the woman who has lived with this belief her entire life, and still experiences the pain of heartbreak and loss?
3. This is idolatry. Women are taught that their appearance trumps how they feel on the inside. If you are struggling with your faith, don’t touch your hair. Fake it until you make it.
For YEARS I have struggled with anxiety and depression, but because I’m very good at knowing my audience, and intuitively am able to know and meet expectations, no one bothered to ask me how I was. People, in leadership and otherwise, would ramble on and vent, completely unaware and willfully ignorant of the damage their words and zeal caused.
4. This is spiritual abuse. This takes various scriptures, with different contexts, historical settings and writing styles, and tries to mesh them together to create a proof text of every single mother’s worst fear: inadvertently being the cause of harm to their children. Add to that the hint of a threat of eternal consequences, feel good miracles that always happen to a friend of a friend, but elude you every time you ask in faith.
Every circumstance that results from LIFE is an obstacle to overcome through some grand, pre suggested symbol of your faith in action- usually a monetary “seed offering”. The unanswered prayers being explained as either a lack of faith or something even better being on the way.
5. It’s legalistic. It paints a view of a God that is more concerned with the outward appearance instead of the heart- when scripture actually says that MEN look on the outward appearance but God sees the heart.
6. It’s bad hermeneutics. “Scholars” neglect the detail that the format of most of Paul’s writings were to quote questions asked of him, then deliver his response. They ignore the law of first mention. They draw ambiguous parallels. They directly relate it to the doctrine of authority and headship, which is in and of itself false doctrine, directly counter to the ENTIRE ministry and example of Jesus.
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