Nose rings

[LoveFaith]

2 hours ago, MullumMiss said:

I am thinking seriously about getting a very small stud piercing in my nose.  I personally have not done any research but based on most decisions made today based on Bible principles I so far do not see a problem.  I’m not really a fan of the nose ring mainly due to my age etc.  I do think having 2 may at times be distracting but thats just me.  I’m also not a fan of the several ear piercing but thats just me it is also personal.  In the 70s-80s I had 2 piercings in my ears but over the years I have just kept the 1.  I’m 69yrs old a regular pioneer for decades and my husband is an elder.  These are some of the things I have to take into consideration when I make my final decision on a nose stud.  I do not want others to point to me as an example either good or bad.  

That’s understandable! You hold a cherished position in Jehovah’s organization, being a pioneer and elders wife. I’m originally from Chicago living in Dallas. So where I come from you likely to walk in a hall and see a sister with a Mohawk hair style. I know plenty here in Texas with dreads elders wife included. It all boils down to personal choice. Like it was brought out in the #5 update they don’t make rules for us. We are not yo project our view on how we think others look. I know you and your husband are loved by your congregation and plenty I’m sure look up to you. So it’s a choice that’s wise not getting it. I’m single! 😂

[LoveFaith]

4 hours ago, LeolaRootStew said:

 

Does the Brother belong to a culture where earrings or nose rings are considered dignified?

No neither of them! I have had African brothers and sisters saying they like the piercing 

[LoveFaith]

10 hours ago, Qapla said:

As with piercing the ears, one question to ask is why a person wants the piercings/rings?  This applies to ear as well as facial piercings.

 

While pierced earrings have become commonplace in the US and society in general, can the same be said of facial piercings? Personally, I do not have any piercings. However, I do have a wife and four daughters. They all have pierced ears - although my wife has not worn any earrings long enough, she things they may have closed up. As to facial piercings, my girls have never wanted any and do not really care for them.

 

You asked what we think and what we feel - As a man, I will say that I, personally, do not find any of the facial piercings attractive. As David said, I find them more of a distraction than an adornment or enhancement.

 

Thats reasonable and understanding! I know not everyone will be a fan of facial piercings. 

[LoveFaith]

6 hours ago, dannysharedstuff said:

Question: just food for thought.. was if it was a brother wearing a earring or nose ring, and he went to the platform to do a talk... what would you think about?

 

Just questioning 😉

Honestly I would not care! Every choice we make as humans is one we have to live with. I don’t care about people appearance just their personality. 

[LoveFaith]

5 hours ago, Tronora said:

I am reminded of a couple of scriptures

 

1. Sam 16:7 - " ... For the way man sees, is not the way God sees, because mere man sees what appears to the eyes, but Jehovah sees into the heart."

 

Eph 5:1 - " ... become imitators of God, as beloved children"

 

We imperfect beings find this so hard at times ❤️ And we can't see into each other's heart. How I wish we could be less 'visual' in our perception, and more spiritual.

 

I have too many times felt that dressing up to go to the KH puts a barriere of formality between us. In Norway it is uncommon to dress up if it is not a FORMAL occation, and that culture spilles over into the KH atmosphere, unfortunately! (Add to that: Norwegians are not known for being outgoing  )

 

The same with the ministry. I remember being new in service, and feeling OVERDRESSED. Skirt, seriously?? (This is now 40 years ago) It only served to create a distance between the HH and the publisher, unless we were house to house in a very upper class city area. 

 

On the subject of nose rings: I like 'bling'   

 

Further scriptures to consider: 1 Cor 10 ... 

23 "All things are lawful, but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things build up."

24 "Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person." (I think this is difficult  )

29 " ... why should my freedom be judged by another person’s conscience?"

31 " ... do all things for God’s glory."

32 "Keep from becoming causes for stumbling ... to the congregation of God,"

 

And a personal favourite of mine: Ecc 7:9

"Do not be quick to take offense, for the taking of offense lodges in the bosom of fools."

 

 Sorry for the off-topic rant in there

My sister it’s ok on the rant! I enjoyed reading your post. Like for instance the new rule that the sisters can wear pants. It took me a minute to, but I bought a few business suits. My two daughters on the other hand want wear pants like they said it don’t feel right to them. I don’t wear them in service, because I’m do use to wearing skirts or dresses and you will catch me in skirts or dresses more than anything at the hall also. 

[LoveFaith]

3 hours ago, minister159 said:

 

I think it's ostentatious:

 

"attracting or seeking to attract attention, admiration, or envy often by gaudiness or obviousness : overly elaborate or conspicuous : characterized by, fond of, or evincing ostentation."

 

We know the world is given to extremes and likes to engage in outdoing one another with a "showy display of one's means of life." The common motto is, "If you have it, flaunt it." I'm not sure if the word modesty exists in their vocabulary or if they understand what it means, if it does! 

I don’t think it does! I corrected him and told him it falls under mutilation and there is nothing mutilating about my appearance. 

[LoveFaith]

4 hours ago, Andrey said:

I wonder if this is considered acceptable for a sister?

 

 

Yes no sister will wear that. I don’t like attention that’s why you can’t see my piercings into you are right in my face. I’m n it take some a minute too notice one of them. 

[LoveFaith]

8 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Sorry for being off topic but I have heard that hearing aids can help with tinnitus. (No pun overly intended)

lol do it? 

[LoveFaith]

Thank you everyone sharing this topic with others really helps to see things from different perspectives. I know in various areas of the country or world things can mean different things, or looked upon in an unfavorable way. 

[Ludwika]

10 hours ago, Dages said:

Well summed up. earrings are fine, but everything else is very meh... to each their own?

To be honest, that's how I feel, and that would be the general consensus here. But there's no hard and fast rules.

[LoveFaith]

[LeolaRootStew]

39 minutes ago, LoveFaith said:

 

You look amazing! They look very natural and dignified.

[LoveFaith]

29 minutes ago, LeolaRootStew said:

 

You look amazing! They look very natural and dignified.

Thank you so much 

[Jwanon]

On 8/25/2025 at 9:55 PM, Andrey said:

I wonder if this is considered acceptable for a sister?

 

I literally do not care if a sister has a nose ring or dyed hair, or if a brother has a beard or long hair

 

All that matters to me is their faith

[Tortuga]

8 hours ago, Jwanon said:

 

I literally do not care if a sister has a nose ring or dyed hair, or if a brother has a beard or long hair

 

All that matters to me is their faith

But doesn't their showing respect and dignity for Jehovah and his organization show their faith?

 

Prayerfully meditate on the principles in these articles.

https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=202003127&srctype=wol&srcid=share

 

https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1102021252&srctype=wol&srcid=share

Edited August 29 by Tortuga

[LoveFaith]

36 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

But doesn't their showing respect and dignity for Jehovah and his organization show their faith?

 

Prayerfully meditate on the principles in these articles.

https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=202003127&srctype=wol&srcid=share

 

https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1102021252&srctype=wol&srcid=share

As witness we don’t pass judgement and what you are saying comes off as just that. Having such things doesn’t determines a person’s faith, nor does it show lack of dignity. Just say you don’t like it! In the article you found doesn’t justify your personal opinion. 

[Jwanon]

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

showing respect and dignity

 

What I consider respectful and dignified is not going to be the same as what another brother or sister considers respectful and dignified

 

Jehovah is the one who is going to judge since he examines the heart

Edited Friday at 04:01 PM by Jwanon

[trottigy]

It is important to note - having standards is not judging someone. No one would want someone to walk into the Kingdom Hall with full body armor, guns and an AR-15 strap to their back. Nor would anyone want someone in the Kingdom Hall that wore a stinking meat dress like Lady Gaga did. So, there must be some line somewhere that your local body of elders is going to have to establish between what is decent and what isn't. That's not judging. That's having an acceptable Bible based standard.

 

We all remember that "decency is the boundary of tolerance." The definition of decency is going to change based on the area you're in but not go beyond Bible principles.

 

PS for the body armor, I don't draw that line until they add hand grenades hanging on the outside to their kit.

 

Edited Friday at 07:08 PM by trottigy

[trottigy]

3 hours ago, Jwanon said:

 

What I consider respectful and dignified is not going to be the same as what another brother or sister considers respectful and dignified

 

Jehovah is the one who is going to judge since he examines the heart

 

And of course your local body of elders.... (See Heb 13:17)

[Shawnster]

5 hours ago, Jwanon said:

What I consider respectful and dignified is not going to be the same as what another brother or sister considers respectful and dignified

 

This is an example of different cultures and why it's advisable to reconsider our decisions when the elders express their concerns. 

 

The elders know the appearance of the flock, particularly in their congregation. They can sense when a particular choice of dress and grooming is going to be disruptive to the congregation. A modest swimsuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil might be very immodest in Farmville Virginia. 

 

How short is too short? How long is too long? How tight is too tight? These can be very subjective and vary from location to location. 

[trottigy]

Well it is true the elders don't need to tell you how to dress. It is also true that it's up to the body of elders to decide whether you're exemplary and qualify to auxiliary pioneer, pioneer, be in any type of appointed position, etc. So, work closely with those tasked to help you make it through the greatest tests mankind has EVER been through. We will need our elders. It's good to learn how to cooperate with them now as you won't be able to learn later.

[carlos]

I think the relevant principle here is in Romans 15:1: "We, though, who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those not strong, and not to be pleasing ourselves."

 

A "weak" person, that is, a spiritually immature Christian will insist on his right to dress or arrange as they wish. When they are counseled about their appearance, they will try to rally support for their cause.

 

In contrast, a "strong" Christian, that is, a spiritually mature Christian, doesn't care how nice he looks or how entitled he is to look that way. Instead of asking: "Is it wrong to wear this or that?" he will ask: "How will others feel if I wear this or that? Will they be offended? Will they think my appearance is not proper for a Christian?". 

 

Am I strong or am I weak?

 

There is nothing wrong in wearing a nose ring, an ear ring, in dying your hair purple or whatever. It's all in the context. In Jesus time it was normal for men to wear a robe and a mantle. Today in most Western countries that would be considered very inappropriate. The key is how the local friends and people in the territory will feel about it. When we are in doubt, asking the elders for their opinion is a very good option since they know well the local feelings.

 

Where I live a brother or a sister with a nose ring will probably not be considered exemplary. They won't be allowed to go in service with the congregation nor have any participation from the platform. Certainly they won't be approved as pioneers or to do cart work. In other places the situation can be completely different and those ornaments can be considered perfectly normal. The elders cannot tell anyone how to dress but they do have the authority and the duty to decide who is an exemplary member of the congregation and who is not. 

[Áine]

I appreciate that congregations around the world may differ slightly on dress and grooming but at the same time we are given clear guidelines on what is acceptable… we have the small poster on our notice board all the time reminding us of how we should dress to visit Bethel etc it’s there for a reason.

 

 Here in Ireland you simply wouldn’t be used on the school or cart work 

[carlos]

On 8/29/2025 at 6:00 PM, Jwanon said:

Jehovah is the one who is going to judge since he examines the heart

 

That's true. And He has appointed elders to decide what attire is acceptable and what is not in a given congregation. Those elders cannot judge what's in your heart but they can decide who qualifies for certain privileges and who doesn't. Jehovah trusts those elders, how will He feel if we don't trust the ones he appointed?

[dljbsp]

19 minutes ago, carlos said:

He has appointed elders to decide what attire is acceptable and what is not in a given congregation

Elders aren’t fashion police with tape measures and fabric swatches. Jehovah put them in place to shepherd, not to dictate whether a denim jacket or a nose stud is the mark of the beast. The organization doesn’t hand down a list of “yes” and “no” garments. What it does hand us is the word modesty.

 

And modesty isn’t just about whether your skirt hem covers your kneecap or your tie isn’t painted on. It’s about whether you’re walking into the hall like a spotlight looking for a stage. A tiny nose stud? That might disappear faster than a button on a dark sweater. A five-inch hoop or a blinking LED pulsing like a nightclub sign? Yeah — that’s not modest, that’s a traffic hazard.

 

The Governing Body has reminded us too that what’s seen as “normal” in the community matters. That doesn’t mean we copy the world’s trends — it means we avoid being the kind of billboard that screams extreme, rebellious, look at me.

 

Bottom line? Keep it modest and the elders won’t need to say a word. They’ve got bigger things to do than referee wardrobes.