With everything there is to write about, I choose to scrape the bottom of the barrel. But yes, celeb rags like The Hollywood Reporter are announcing the Bieb’s new ink, a giant thorned Jesus now taking up space on the back of his calf. He’s never been one to be humble about his religious beliefs.
“I’m a Christian, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins,” he told The AP last year. “I believe that I have a relationship and I’m able to talk to him and really, he’s the reason I’m here, so I definitely have to remember that. As soon as I start forgetting, I’ve got to click back and be like, you know, this is why I’m here.”
I’m looking at the options for their poll, “Should Justin Bieber, 17, Stop Getting Religious Tattoos?”. 27.23% of people who bothered responding clicked the “I don’t care” option. That’s the one I did. 21.57% think there’s nothing wrong with him getting religious tattoos if he wants them.
I thought the bible had something against tattoos and it didn’t take long to find Leviticus 19:28. It reads, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” Supposedly the reason for such an edict had more to do with making sure the Lord’s chosen people stood apart from the pagans. Their religious rituals were something to avoid, not emulate. Clearly attitudes have changed a bit since then. It’s still a choice that shouldn’t be made on a whim, though. What might have seemed like a great idea on the day might be something regretted down the road. Getting them removed isn’t exactly free – or pain-free for that matter.
I don’t know where Vanishing Tattoo got its information, but this is interesting:
Modern Christians seeking historical precedent for their religious tattoos can look back to Anglo-Saxon culture. Tattoos were then so common that the Council of Northumberland (787 AD) passed legislation to restrict the practice. The biblical passage in Leviticus 19:28 notwithstanding, Christian tattoos, escaped the prohibition. A little later, during the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Crusaders went into battle with a small cross tattooed on the back of the hand or the arm, which was a virtual lifeline to their eternal salvation. Pilgrims who made a successful pilgrimage to Jerusalem marked the occasion with a tattoo which they could then show the folks back home. The tattoo was the mark of the most faithful.
The whole page is worth a read, I’d say, as might be some of the other links provided about the history of tattoos and cultures around the world. Something to peruse when I have more time, I guess.
One Minion's Opinion 