Fall 2021 of cases where tattoos can help other people who are not Christian empathize with you because they don’t expect to see Christians with tattoos.” Is the idea that Christians are against tattoos an accurate one? It depends. For Gosser, who got his tattoos after college and attends a church where most attendees have tattoos, there were no negative reactions from his church or community to his tattoo. Waywood and Mattackal’s experiences were a bit different. Waywood met with resistance and unapproval from her extended family, who are Catholic, and the Evangelical church she used to go to. Waywood experienced negative stigma around the fact that she was a woman with tattoos. “Tattoos are typically seen as masculine,” she explained. “If I was a man in the military it would be more acceptable than as a 16-year-old girl in high school.” While there was some support in her community, it was split between the approving and disapproving. She further remarked that different denominations and countries have “their own stigmas, their own thoughts on tattoos. I think it’s just a lot of the traditionalist views you find in the evangelical church.” According to Gosser, views that people have of tattoos is dependent largely on context. “Where we live, here, in the middle of the cornfield, we tend to be a 15 pretty conservative sect,” he said. “It makes sense that people might be a little resistant.” Mattackal had a similar perspective, remarking that in contemporary Christian circles tattoos are very common. But in other places tattoos are seen as unprofessional. In these places, he believes that tattoos are viewed as a symbol of a secular culture. Mattackal experienced some apprehension coming from his “conservative, Christian, Indian [family and community]” about his tattoos, but only initially. He said, “in the end, it’s just skindeep...After a couple of weeks, they all got over it.” Historically, Leviticus 19:28, which forbade the Israelites from getting tattoos, has been brought up in debates over whether or not Christians should have tattoos. Waywood admitted that there are historically negative connotations surrounding tattoos but pointed out that the argument that says tattoos are sinful is taking scripture out of context. Verses such as Leviticus 19:28, however, were referencing historical tattoos aligning with witchcraft. In contrast, today, tattoos aren’t generally associated with witchcraft and pagan practices. Waywood said that she would obviously never want a tattoo of something like swastikas or witchcraft, but tattoos pertaining to the grace of God in her life are something entirely different. Waywood said, “I think there’s something really beautiful about having permanent reminders about God’s grace etched on my body. We all kind of have our own scars that we carry in a lot of ways, and we don’t consider scars sinful. And I don’t think God considers tattoos sinful, either.” The general consensus was that tattoos are a form of art. Since they’re permanent, it’s advisable to think through whether or not you want to get one, but a tattoo can glorify God and be a useful tool for witnessing to people. Gosser views tattoos as art and art always has meaning. Good design glorifies God, who is the ultimate designer. Gosser said, “We create because we are placed here as tenders of this garden, that’s our whole purpose. That was the original purpose in us, cultivating. And how do we cultivate but through design? We do this everywhere; any kind of aesthetic undertaking is a part of the initial purpose we’ve been given. Of course tattoos can fall into that.” Maggie Walker is a junior Political Science major. She loves both spontaneous and planned adventures with friends, art, dinosaurs, green tea, and indulging in the occasional rant, political or otherwise. Do you think it’s wrong for Christians to have tattoos? Do you have a tattoo? Do you think tattoos are edgy? Graphics – Corrissa Smith
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