Believers glorify God through tattoos, challenging longstanding religious objections

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Believers glorify God through tattoos, challenging longstanding religious objections
February 5, 2012
By Lindsay Melvin
The Commercial Appeal

The tattoos that emblazon nearly every appendage on Stephen Day's body trace the story of the East Memphian's life since he found Jesus Christ.

Devoted Christian Stephen Day has religious-themed tattoos on much of his body, including a colorful image of the heart of Christ on his left foot.

A sleeve of angels encircles the Hebrew word for "Mom" on his right arm, a Celtic cross runs from his left knee to ankle, and a massive tree, dedicated to his wife and kids, climbs his right leg.

But it's the heart of Christ, emanating a halo of fire, on his left foot that most embodies his faith.

"It's not only the flame Christ had for his children but the flame we should have inside all of us," Day said.

Long considered blasphemous among Christians, tattoos are being adopted by a new generation of believers who are not only getting tattoos but also choosing religious designs to showcase their faith.

Some even say their ink has opened doors for evangelism.

The heft of the Christian anti-tattoo argument stems from the Bible verse Leviticus 19:28, which states, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord."

"It's still believed strongly in a lot of places," said Andy Savage, pastor of Highpoint Church in East Memphis.

Savage, who heads a nondenominational church of nearly 1,500 people, mostly young adults, said he has no problem with people glorifying God through their tattoos.

"Anything we can do in life that's not morally condemned can be used to glorify God," he said.

Savage and many other Christians say the Old Testament verse has been taken out of context.

God was trying to persuade the Israelites not to worship false gods by marking their bodies, he said, adding it had nothing to do with our modern interpretation of tattoos.

The question of whether tattoos and Christianity mesh has been a popular topic following the recent opening of a tattoo parlor in a Michigan church.

Additionally, the 17-year-old pop singer Justin Bieber, a self-professed Christian, sparked a debate over an image of Jesus Christ recently unveiled on his leg.

It completes a trinity of faith-themed ink for Bieber, who also has a dove and Jesus' name in Hebrew.

There's no shortage of religious tattoos among celebrities, including a cross on Justin Timberlake's arm and the name of Jesus on Katy Perry's wrist.

Tattoos are a particularly popular mode of self expression for 18- to 29-year-olds, according to a 2010 study by the Pew Research Center.

Nearly 40 percent have at least one tattoo, the study found.

Overall, the study said 23 percent of Americans sport at least one tattoo.

"Big Jay" Guzman, owner of Memphis' House of Ink in Frayser, said interpretations of the Bible can often be contradictory.

"We say our body is our temple and we shouldn't defile it," he said. "Then we say our body is a temporary vessel."

When the 37-year-old tattoo artist initially chose his career, he grappled with the religious implications, he said.

Now when Guzman quotes the Bible verbatim, it often leaves people who don't know him speechless, he said.

Even Guzman admits his tattoo-etched biceps, urban-style clothes and shaved head give him the appearance of a heathen.

"You judge a book by its cover, no matter who you are," he said as he recently raced out of his shop to meet church members to feed the homeless.

Religious symbols are among the most popular tattoos Guzman does, and his clients have included pastors and pastors' wives, he said.

Christians aren't the only ones who have a history of looking unfavorably upon tattoos.

They are prohibited by Jewish law and widely discouraged.

"It's certainly an issue of my generation," said Katie Bauman, 31, assistant rabbi at Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the country.

"I even had a couple of classmates in rabbinical school that had tattoos," she said.

Nevertheless, everything you do to your body is a reflection of your Judaism, Bauman said.

"The body is a gift from God," said the rabbi, "And we should treat it as such."

Although tattoos are frowned upon, it's a dated belief that Jews with tattoos can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery, she said.

For the most part, current-day Jewish communities value honoring the dead over punishing someone for violating Jewish laws, she said.

Islamic law also forbids tattooing.

"The perception is that God created man in the most beautiful form," said Yasir Qadhi, resident scholar at the Memphis Islamic Center and professor at Rhodes College.

Making a permanent change to your body for nonmedical reasons, Qadhi says, can be interpreted as trying to outdo God.

Although you will find diverse views on the subject, mainstream Islam frowns on even the most God-glorifying tattoos, he said.

"If you want to glorify God, give charity to the poor; fast longer," he said.

Day's extensively tattooed arms and legs have received some harsh criticism from fellow believers, he said.

But the welder-machinist for an orthopedic device-maker says it has also been a conversation starter to evangelize people who otherwise may have shunned him.

Day has never regretted his tattoos and intends to add more, he said.

"I wanted something in my life that expressed what I was doing spiritually and why I was doing it," Day said. "These are the things that will never fade."