Tattoo Blog Stirs Debate

So, when I opened my Myspace account yesterday morning I saw that I had a new comment on my blog about Christians and tattoos. This comment was the first one that was not a compliment or "Amen!" The opening line spoke of "open rebuke being better than secret love." I knew it was only a matter of time before one of these types of comments came up, and it actually took a little longer than I expected. But I digress.

In an effort to make certain I didn't fly off the handle and jump to conclusions and start attacking back, I wrote the comment author and asked for a bit of an explanation for what was written. I didn't receive that email until today.

When I checked my Myspace this morning I had another negative comment regarding my tattoos. I was told that I disappointed this individual, that I was a bad example to the youth at church, and in a roundabout way, I was accused of twisting scripture to ease a guilty heart.

It was kind of difficult to keep my tongue from lashing out and striking at these people. Part of me really wanted to, but another part of me, a bigger, deeper part of me wants to be cautious in what I say and how I say it so that I can effectively wage a revolution and not shoot myself in the foot by acting childish.

It's a bit of a tightrope. On one hand, I don't want to be confrontational. On the other hand, a big part of me wants to be confrontational so that I might have an opportunity to address the closed-mindedness that I've dealt with for so long. I feel I have a right and a responsibility to defend myself when my character is attacked, yet I have to carefully draw a line between personal attack and expression of opinion. As much as it sounds like a big headache, I think it's kind of where I love to be. I love being challenged and I love causing others to think and question the status quo and discover their beliefs for themselves. Which brings me to another point.

I'm amazed sometimes (although I know I shouldn't be) at some people's willingness to just accept without question what's handed to them. When something comes up that challenges them to think for themselves, they either back up completely without an answer, or they start attacking. I would like to think that I'm not that different from everyone else. Maybe I am, but I just don't think so. As I was growing up I accepted what I was taught without questions. What my elders taught me was absolutely right and there was no need to question it. But as I got older, I started to see that maybe what I'd been taught all my life wasn't necessarily correct. So I studied. I wanted to find out for myself what God's word really had to say about things. I certainly don't know everything but I'm confident in saying that much of what I know and believe I've discovered on my own. Most of it lines right up with what I've always been taught. Some of it does not. And what blows my mind is that people would not only not think for themselves, but that they would attack anyone that does.

And sadly, this is the great truth of religion; more often than not, people choose not to think for themselves. It's so much easier to be spoon-fed truth than to seek and find it for yourself. I was actually told by one of the individuals that they always have and always will swim upstream, insinuating that I was "going with the flow." But it's easy to "swim upstream" if everyone around you is swimming the same direction. It's a whole lot more difficult when you don't fit in with the world OR the church. It's much more difficult when you refuse to fit in with the ungodly and you're mildly outcasted by your brothers and sisters because you think for yourself.

And another thing... I opened up my own can of worms by posting pictures of my tattoo and a blog explaining it. But had I not told anyone and kept it a secret, then I would have been "hiding my guilt" and "be sure your sins will find you out" and all that garbage if and when anyone did see it or find out about it. There's literally no way to win other than to do exactly what they want you to do and live up to their standard, which brings me to my final point.

I believe I've said it nearly a million times before, and I feel the need to say it again. Seek out your own soul's salvation with fear and trembling. That means study and research and figure things out for yourself with caution and reverence. That is precisely what I did. It is impossible to please everyone. That's a losing game and only losers play it. I'm sad to admit that I've tried, and it cannot be done. Sooner or later, you're going to do or say something that doesn't fit their standard of what a Christian should be. I cannot, and hereby refuse to live to anyone else's standards any longer. I must live up to the standard that God has set out for me. When it all comes down, your standard isn't going to be what gets me into heaven. As long as I'm living and walking according to God's word, and I feel no condemnation in my heart, then it doesn't matter who agrees or disagrees with me. It's God's opinion that matters to me, and whether or not I live up to your ideas of what a Christian looks like or smells like, sounds like, listens too, etc., does not matter. That's not what is going to allow God to say "Well done thou good and faithful servant..."