To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo?

I have always had a problem with the concept of a hate crime, and I’ll tell you why.

First, does hate make the infraction worse? For example, murder. If one person murders another person, what difference does it make whether there was hate? Does the murdered person’s family feel better somehow if the perpetrator was convicted of a hate crime? 

Ah, but you say that we can have different, stronger penalties associated with hate crimes. True, and maybe this applies to something like vandalizing a house, but isn’t that just sentencing guidelines?

Second, how does anyone, except God, know what’s in another person’s heart? At best, you may be able to look at patterns of action or prior statements to imply a motive, but can you ever be sure?  Even if you are sure, see the first problem above and ask, what does it matter?

Ok, now that my rant is over, yesterday, I saw a mini devotion regarding tattoos.

“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.” - Leviticus 19:28 ESV

I’m of the age that tattoos were frowned upon for a good part of my early life. I remember going on a family drive vacation as a child and my dad talking to a woman at a motel while the family was in the car.  The woman had a rose tattoo on her chest and that was the topic of conversation when my dad got back in the car and not whatever their conversation regarded. Over the years, I’ve seen more and more tattoos (and even considered getting one several times) so I paid attention to that mini devotion. 

The woman narrating the devotion read that verse and then showed the tattoos on her arms. She then went on to explain the historical context of that time and place (I’m doing this from memory so please give me grace). She explained that some of the people that the Jewish people were removing from Israel had a human sacrifice process that included cutting oneself and tattooing yourself as part of the idolatry.  In her interpretation, the prohibition against tattoos was valid in the intent of the tattoo - was it part of idol worship or not?

This makes sense to me. God knows what’s in my heart with everything I say, do and think. I need to be most concerned with that.  I’ll even comment a step further and express concern with your (my) implicit motivation when things are done such that other people can see.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” - Matthew 6:1-4 ESV

“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “Lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” - 1 Corinthians 8:4-13 ESV

As people, especially in our great nation, tend to think of what rights are and this somehow gives us the privilege of ignoring the impact on others. The reality is that nothing is ever that simple.  I guess I’ll continue to think about what that tattoo of “Hey Waldo” pulling himself out of my armpit would look like…