Christian Tattoos

Christian tattoos might be the fastest growing segment of the tattoo industry. Once derided as deviltry by members of the church, today they are a visual expression of one’s faith and a profound way to alter one’s life experience. Christian tattoos are some of the most beautiful forms of body modification around.

Christian tattoos are by no means a recent phenomenon. Crusaders in the 11th Century used cross tattoos along their hands to not only affirm their steadfast faith, but also to indicate that they wished to have a Christian burial. Pilgrims of the Coptic Church in Egypt considered a Christian tattoo an absolutely necessary complement in their trek to the holy land.

In many respects, the survival of the tattoo in America owes everything to these popular designs. For much of the 19th and 20th century tattoos were the province of sailors and circus performers who used them to shock and awe their audiences. These extreme displays of body art were condoned only because many of them included Christian tattoos.

Today they have an unrivalled reputation as an outward sign of religious belief. Some of the most popular of these are the sacred heart tattoo, the Christian cross tattoo, and Jesus tattoos which many tattoo parlors contend are the hottest tattoos on the market.

Though some in the religious community cite evidence in the Old Testament that it is improper for believers to have Christian tattoos, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves,” it says in Leviticus, many scholars believe this is a cultural observance rather than a religious one and that Christian tattoos are just a natural extension of belief. Besides it is Paul in Galatians who writes “Let no one cause trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”

Many say that the process of getting a Christian tattoo is a mark of faith all by itself. But what is certain is that by choosing a design of this kind, believers both young and old, are able to express their spirituality in a new and radical way.

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