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You're walking down the street in a t-shirt and shorts. You're sleeves are showing,
and that fresh ink on your calf is glistening in the sun. Of course, your neck
tattoos are peeking out over you collar, too. That lady on the park bench thinks
you are a Godless little punk that needs Christ in your life. She even coughs something
about Leviticus as you walk by. Well, you’re all Godless freaks, aren’t you? That's when
you turn to her and invite her to join you one Sunday for a service at your church.
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the
Lord." - Leviticus 19:28. Is the Bible open for interpretation? Or like the laws of the
government, are they set in stone? Maybe we should consult the Christian Tattoo
Association. Headed by Jayme Whitaker, the CTA works to build bridges between the
tattooed and the church. To him, and many others, tattooing seems to be a form of
praise. We have all seen the massive amounts of Christian tattoos that decorate the
walls of tattoo shops. Whether it be a glowing Jesus portrait or a small cross, there are
many pieces of art work that obviously would not be chosen by your average atheist.
Do you find that you have been looking to go back to church, but are afraid that
you won't be accepted? Well, if it is a Christian church, they are all accepting and forgiving,
right? If you don’t find that this is always true, why not look into non-denominational
churches? In particular, there is Revolution Church. Founded and run by Jay
Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. If you don't recognize those names, go look
them up. Basically, Bakker is probably the one person you can trust to run an openminded
venue for faith. The purpose, "To show all people the unconditional love and
grace of Jesus without any reservations due to their lifestyle or religious background,
past or future.” This, and other churches like it, feel that Christianity is about faith and
not about religion. With that being said, the many tattooed people out there are just a
small portion of the outsiders that are accepted.
Yet, as tattoos become more mainstream, they are becoming more accepted in any
church. In fact, there are even in existence, Christian tattoo shops. Specifically, Billy Joe's
Tattoos, with one location in Tenn. and another in Ind. What makes a tattoo shop
Christian, you ask? Well, Billy Joe feels that they are a "ministry to the lost." All the
artists in his shops are Christian, and their work will not include anything with drugs,
devils, or nudity. It isn't reserved to religious artwork, but it has a certain standard.
So, as you can see I'm an advocate for everything tattoo related, but there are many
people in the Christian community that still feel tattoos are a desecration of the temple
God gave you, and a direct disobedience to His word. But, in reality there are
amendments to our government's laws, shouldn’t there be open interpretations of the
Bible? If we should be banned from getting tattoos, should we also grow our hair out
to extreme lengths, and men grow their beards to their feet? You don't understand
what I mean by that, well here's the passage prior to the one speaking of tattoo marks:
"You shall not clip your hair at the temples, nor trim the edges of your beard" - Leviticus
19:27. Why do we take one line so literally and another so lightly? We may be freaks,
but that doesn't necessarily mean we are Godless.
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