When that sharp tip of the tattoo gun neared my wrist it never once crossed my mind that it could be considered a sin. The only thought that was stuck in my head was something along the lines of: “Oh goodness, needle.” There are some people out there, though, who believe getting a tattoo is sinful. In Leviticus 19:28 it says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” Even though this comes from the Old Testament, many Christians still believe that it applies and therefore is a sin.
The only rule regarding tattoos known to me was: “You have to wait until you are 18 before you even think about getting one.” And that rule came from my father. So growing up I never thought that when I turned 18 and finally got one it would be deemed a sin. I could understand if it was something that was impersonal and meant nothing, but surely not symbols that are held dear: the name of a friend from long ago or the footprint of a lost child, or most of all the Scripture verse that changed a life. How could these things be thought of as unholy?
So it came as a surprise to me when, after I got my tattoo, a fellow student walked up to me and stated, “You’re OK with having a tattoo even though it’s a sin.” I was so taken aback I didn’t know how to respond. I was momentarily shocked silent. Never once had I believed what I did was bad, something condemnable.
When I finally did get my head back on straight I explained to her what my tattoo meant: It represented the people who shaped me and helped me become the person I am today. She was still not satisfied. No matter how I tried to explain it to her, she was resilient that it was a sin. It didn’t matter what my tattoo meant, but the very fact I got a tattoo was blasphemy.
Finally after we had argued about it long enough, I left her with a simple statement: “How can showing my love for the people who made me be a sin if God was one of those people?”
