this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2026
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The latest edict from beard-obsessed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth adds strict new regulations to his crusade on facial hair, which rights groups have characterized as an attack on troops’ civil liberties.

In a March 11 memo, Hegseth, who has made grooming and appearances a central focus in his time at the helm of the U.S. military, raised the bar to qualify for a religious exemption to his blanket ban on beards. The guidelines lay out a strict new process by which service members may apply for a religious exemption and subject those who’ve already received one to a reevaluation, arguing they need to ensure their religious beliefs are “sincerely held” and have a genuine conflict with the grooming standards.

Service members who have spoken against Hegseth’s focus on grooming standards say his restrictions on beards are exclusionary to people from religious communities that require adherents to follow specific tenets of faith around beards, hair, and other grooming matters.

Sikhs, for example, who have served in the U.S. military since at least World War I, are required by their faith not to cut the hair on their head, to keep a beard, and to wrap their long hair in a turban. Members of many schools of Muslim tradition likewise have rules around beards and hair length.

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[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 125 points 3 days ago (4 children)

The old testament also says "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard", but he's got a pretty good haircut. It also says no clothes of mixed materials (so that poly-wool suit and poly-cotton shirt he's wearing are no-gos). And it says no tattoos too, but he pretty famously has quite a lot of tattoos. Sounds like his own faith isn't sincerely held.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 72 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yes, but you see Leviticus is from the old covenant and none of that applies anymore, because the blood of Christ washed away the original sin so now humanity no longer has to follow those rituals.

Except the part about gay people being bad. That part still applies even though nothing else does. Because... Reasons. Yeah. That makes sense, right?

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Indeed, this is the exact "logic" these people use. Their book has the character of Jesus saying that "not one jot or tittle" bit, but they claim they have a "new covenant" and get to ignore the inconvenient things about clothes, food, and hygiene, but keep the no homo stuff.

[–] marighost@piefed.social 14 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Frankly if Christians are following anything in the OT, they aren't real Christians anyway.

[–] Snailpick42@lemmus.org 1 points 1 day ago

LOL, define a real Christian. There are probably over 100,000 denominations of Christianity alone. What one is the right one?

[–] coalie@piefed.zip 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I am of a sect that only follows the Old Testament, we are called The Only Real Christians.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 20 points 3 days ago

You mean Jews?

[–] orclev@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Interesting, this wouldn't happen to be a Scottish sect would it?

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Isle of Man, ironically

[–] CXORA@aussie.zone 1 points 2 days ago

Not according to jesus. "For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

[–] hemmes@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Sincerity isn’t one of his strong suits

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago

he pretty famously has quite a lot of tattoos.

The Department of War's grooming standards tribunal has determined his tattoos are violations and must be brought to standards immediately. The flaying will commence in 3...2...