God, the exterior decorator.

[The Scaly Bard]

This one happened a couple weeks ago, and I didn't think about it until this morning.

I have a small tattoo encircling my left wrist. It's incomplete, so right now it's little more than a couple of geometric shapes connected by lines. Usually, I wear a watch over it so it's invisible, but that day I'd forgotten my watch.

The Cumberland Farms store I work at gets a lot of foot traffic due to it's location. Quite often, our clientèle consists of welfare leeches, the bitter elderly, and censure-promoting fundie whackjobs. Yes, I hate them all, no, I haven't shot anyone... yet.

Anyways, I was giving change to this one woman who's known for her fundie views, and joy of joys, she saw my tat. The following ensued:

Me = Keeper of Soul Eater, the concrete cat lawn ornament.
FWJ = Fundie Whackjob

FWJ *scowling like always*: That's blasphemy.
Me *not paying attention while getting her change*: Mm? What is?
FWJ: That tattoo! That's blasphemy unto the Lord!
Me *looking puzzled*: Er, sorry? I'm not following.
FWJ *turning red as she winds up*: Tattoos and piercings are an abomination unto the Lord! The body is a temple unto the Lord, and you've desecrated it!
Me *trying to remember if any of this was mentioned in Sunday School classes two decades ago*: Yeah, well, He should have done a better job on the exterior decorating then, or hired a professional. At least then I wouldn't have to be picking up the slack.

She turned a shade of red I haven't seen before before stomping out with a rather unChristian curse. I'm just glad the manager wasn't there, that would have been a chewing out for sure. Would have been worth it though.

[Shabo]

LMFAO!!! That was amazing. The chew-out would have been totally worth it!

I don't mind people who are religious, but I can't stand when they start telling other people what they can and can't do because of their personal religious beliefs that the other person probably doesn't hold.

[Becks]

Hmmmmmmm...that's odd. If I remember my Bible reading correctly, Rebekkah had a bone through her nose. Isn't that considered a piercing?

Bah. Some people believe what they want to, no matter what.

Nice comeback.

[The Scaly Bard]

Hmmmmmmm...that's odd. If I remember my Bible reading correctly, Rebekkah had a bone through her nose. Isn't that considered a piercing?

Granted, it's been close to twenty years since I've cracked open the Bible, but as I recall, there were quite a few prominent people mentioned who had piercings and the ancient day equivalent to tattoos back then. I dunno, I usually fell asleep during Sunday school, even after a liter of Dr. Pepper (I loved the teacher for buying us soda).

[Emmeileia]

Did she have earrings? Please say she had earrings...

[Gawdzillers]

I've seen people who've had the entire Ten Commandments on their back.

[siead_lietrathua]

i had a relig. group leader going on a rant about that. this is back when i had patiencwe, so i managed not to scream at her for being a hypocrite since she had several ear-peircings (and the topic was over her hearing some 5 year old saying he wanted a tattoo or something)

[Kiwi]

I had a friend say that because I have my ears pierced I am making Jesus cry. She actually said that I would be punished by God because I had damaged his gift to me of a physical body. I pointed out that my mum had them pierced when I was 6 weeks old.

She said "well then your mums going to hell for it"

we are no longer friends.

[air914]

Leviticus 19:28:

" 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."

I don't remember prominent people in the Bible that had piercings or tattoos.... but still, the lady had no right to tell you it was an abomination. Many Christian people have tattoos and piercings. That verse is in the Old Testament and directed at the Jews to help "set them apart" from the other cultures/peoples of the earth. My husband has tattoos. I think it can be a beautiful art form. Now if you had "666" tattooed on your body, then MAYBE she could say to herself "that's an abomination" but there is still no point in telling you that - heck if it's already there, what does she want you to do about it????

I really dislike the crazies out there that claim they are Christians and behave in a completely different manner....

[Shabo]

I also think that the tattoo thing at that period of time would have been for religious purposes, and if you were tattooing your body with symbols for other religions, then yeah, that would be pretty sacriligious. I'm not sure the same holds true today though.

[Noelegy]

Leviticus 19:28:

" 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."

Is that one of the Mosaic laws that people pick and choose from (the "homosexuality is an abomination" pronouncement is trotted out, but the mixed fibers and shellfish laws seem to get forgotten)?

Sadly, I wonder if those in charge of the WWII concentration camps were aware of the tattoo prohibition and the arm tattoos were just another way of hurting the Jews, knowing that those who strictly followed Levitican law would find it abhorrent to be marked in such a way.

[Shabo]

Is that one of the Mosaic laws that people pick and choose from (the "homosexuality is an abomination" pronouncement is trotted out, but the mixed fibers and shellfish laws seem to get forgotten)?

What about all of the sacrifice laws? Those no longer apply either. I like how people are able pick and choose which laws they want to yell at you about.

Sadly, I wonder if those in charge of the WWII concentration camps were aware of the tattoo prohibition and the arm tattoos were just another way of hurting the Jews, knowing that those who strictly followed Levitican law would find it abhorrent to be marked in such a way.

Hmmm, that's a really good point. Never thought of that one. It could also have been for identification purposes, since they all looked similar with shaved heads, and if the ID number wasn't attached, they would probably ditch the IDs or lose them, or steal them, etc.

They did keep pretty good records, from what I've read during informal research into the subject, so the ID system had to have worked for something.

[justZu]

Bleh, that sucks. I'm a Christian and I think tattoos can truly be works of art.
Of course, I also believe that it's wrong to go around shoving my religion down people's throats, but that's just me.

If Fundie Whackjob comes back and rants some more, then inform her that judging people is God's job, not hers. I believe He is a little more concerned with our hearts, and how we live our lives. I don't believe He is so hung up on appearances. I'm pretty sure Jesus said the main rule was "Love thy neighbor as thyself", not "don't get a tattoo".
Gotta fight her with her own weapons.

[Crawling_Chaos]

Being a former Christian myself(I am now Agnostic) and going to college with some pretty fundamentalist aquaintences, I have seen my share of this happening. Thankfully I was never the perpetrator of such disgusting acts, as when i was a Christian I was very liberal and understanding of others.

I have sadly seen these same people face down others on things such as gaming, tattoos, atheism, agnosticism, etc and then go listen to some music that would be none to "Christian oriented". It was rather eyebrow raising not to mention one of them ended up siring children before being married, but I digress.

The point is that the ones who rail the most can you usually be found to be caught up in their own hypocrisy. Like the people who go zealot over those with tattoos, yet have ear piercings themselves. Or those who chastise gamers playing D&D, MTG, etc. and then go off and read Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Forgotten Realms(A D&D setting), and funniest of all, H.P. Lovecraft. Its like "Your a fundamentalist Christian and you are reading short stories about alien gods, non-human intelligences, and a Godless , uncaring universe???"

So if you are caught up by one of these folks, just confront them with their own obvious faults and that usually gets them to back off, but try to do it in as polite a way as possible. Save them with kindness, no pun intended.

[Sofar]

Leviticus 19:28:

" 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."

Oo, that's only a few verses from "man shall not lie with man as with woman," and a few more from that verse what says if you sleep with your wife while she's on her monthlies you must be put to death. The rest of Leviticus is instructions on how to sacrifice properly.

New testament, people. That's why there is a new testament, the old one's out of date. I mean, what happened between then and now? Jesus.