Letter to the Brethren: September 5, 2024

The Book of Ecclesiastes has the following as part of its introduction:

2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”  (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

And vanity of appearance is something that Satan deceived himself by:

12 … ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.

14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.

16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; (Ezekiel 28:12-17)

But it is not just Satan who has been affected by vanity of beauty.

While males are certainly often vain, females in many societies are immensely focused on outward appearance.

Yet, the Bible teaches:

4 … glorious beauty is a fading flower (Isaiah 28:4)

Looks do not last, but many spend a lot of time on their outward appearance. And while that can please them, and sometimes others, there are risks.

A couple of decades ago, a chiropractor telephoned me and asked if she could send me a copy of her anti-cosmetic book titled Dying to Look Good.

She sent it and I read it.

Basically, the book warned of the dangers that many of the commonly used chemicals in cosmetics posed many health risks. Specifically, it classified over 1200 cosmetic ingredients according to safety, whether they may cause allergic reactions, whether they have been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel and if they are approved or recognized as safe by the FDA. It also lists over 750 cosmetic and personal care products that have been evaluated as “safe.” Related to it, the author claimed:

Many of the ingredients in the cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products you use every day are harmful. Studies have found that nearly 50% of cosmetic products evaluated were contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane. Cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products do not require FDA approval before they are sold to the public. A harmful product can only be removed from the market if the FDA can prove in a court of law that the product is harmful, improperly labeled or violates the law. …

You can’t depend on the FDA or the manufacturers to make sure the products you buy are safe. It’s up to you! Protect your family’s health.

Well, that book came out back in December 2000.

What about the situation today?

Well, many dangerous chemicals are still used.

And most, while not dangerous in small amounts, can be in large amounts.

One of the reasons for this post is that the Associated Press published the following several days ago:

Young girls are using anti-aging products they see on social media. The harm is more than skin deep

August 31, 2024

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When she was in fifth grade, Scarlett Goddard Strahan started to worry about getting wrinkles.

By the time she turned 10, Scarlett and her friends were spending hours on TikTok and YouTube watching influencers tout products for achieving today’s beauty aesthetic: a dewy, “glowy,” flawless complexion. Scarlett developed an elaborate skin care routine with facial cleansers, mists, hydrating masks and moisturizers.

One night, Scarlett’s skin began to burn intensely and erupted in blisters. Heavy use of adult-strength products had wreaked havoc on her skin. Months later, patches of tiny bumps remain on Scarlett’s face, and her cheeks turn red in the sun.

“I didn’t want to get wrinkles and look old,” says Scarlett, who recently turned 11. “If I had known my life would be so affected by this, I never would have put these things on my face.”

Scarlett’s experience has become common, experts say, as preteen girls around the country throng beauty stores to buy high-end skin care products, a trend captured in viral videos with the hashtag #SephoraKids. Girls as young as 8 are turning up at dermatologists’ offices with rashes, chemical burns and other allergic reactions to products not intended for children’s sensitive skin.

“When kids use anti-aging skin care, they can actually cause premature aging, destroy the skin barrier and lead to permanent scarring,” says Dr. Brooke Jeffy, a Scottsdale, Arizona, dermatologist who has posted her own social media videos rebutting influencers’ advice.

More than the physical harm, parents and child psychologists worry about the trend’s effects on girls’ mental health — for years to come. Extensive data suggests a fixation on appearance can affect self-esteem and body image and fuel anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

The skin care obsession offers a window into the role social media plays in the lives of today’s youth and how it shapes the ideals and insecurities of girls in particular. Girls are experiencing high levels of sadness and hopelessness. Whether social media exposure causes or simply correlates with mental health problems is up for debate. But to older teens and young adults, it’s clear: Extended time on social media has been bad for them, period. …

The cosmetics industry has acknowledged certain products aren’t suitable for children but has done little to stop kids from buying them. …

Ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants like hydroxy acids are inherently harsh. For aging skin, they are used to stimulate collagen and cell production. Young or sensitive skin can react with redness, peeling and burning that can lead to infections, acne and hypersensitivity if used incorrectly, dermatologists say.

Dermatologists agree a child’s face typically needs only three items, all found on drugstore shelves: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen. https://apnews.com/article/influenced-skincare-routine-mental-health-f59bb09114ab93323e3a47197a1ad914

I would suggest that young women do not really need a moisturizer, but the reality is that they want to use more chemicals than that.

The prophet Jeremiah was inspired to write:

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.  (Lamentations 3:25-27)

Yes, it is better to start as young as you can to serve God.

The Psalmist wrote:

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:5)

Living God’s way is best for the young and those older.

That said, society has long put an excessive value on female appearance.

But with the internet and social media, the pressures on young women have escalated and not helped them.

Looks are not everything.

And according to the Bible, temporary and not that important.

The Bible teaches:

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  (Proverbs 31:30)

3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.  (1 Peter 3:3-5)

No matter what people do, if they do not die, they will age.

And then eventually they will die.

Yet, “righteousness endures forever” (2 Corinthians 9:9).

Therefore, “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

Be careful not to take steps to die to “look good.”

That said, we all age.

Related to that, we put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

14:18

Let’s Talk About Aging

Could you have the wrong attitude about aging and the elderly? Should your goal to be to retire and cease being productive? What did Herbert W. Armstrong say about it? What does the Bible say about aging? Is it better to listen to God when you are in your youth? What about later? Since physical life is temporary, should that motivate us to better obey God? What are some things we can do physically in order to be healthier? What about avoiding things like smoking, too much alcohol, and obesity? What about spiritual things such as prayer, Bible study, paying attention to church services, and fasting? Are there benefits from responding to God sooner than later? Who is Jesus, the author of ETERNAL SALVATION, for? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel go over these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Let’s Talk About Aging.