Tattoos on the Temple of God

So the question of my wife getting tattooed has came up recently in our house which has lead us to some interesting questions.

Lev. 19:28 “‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. (NIV)

Pretty straightforward, no? The trouble is, and one I have wrote about before, is context.  It is so easy for us to take verses of the Bible to beat people over the head with because they are doing something that for some reason doesn't fit with what we feel is proper.  The quote from Leviticus, in context, has more to do with protecting early Hebrews from pagan worship than it does from the temptation of getting a tattoo.  The risk, then, is a matter of legalism.  It is very easy for us to get caught up in Law because it is, well, easy.  We don't have to think or to take chances.  There is a right and a wrong, good and evil, Law and Lawlessness.  But for anyone who has any life experience at all, we know that things aren't that easy, even if we wish they were.  Looking forward to Christ, his teaching was hard to bear, but simple and elegant.  Legalism does more harm than good ans he stripped away tradition and codification and left us with some really simple commands.

Luke 10 (NIV)
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

For some reason this isn't good enough for us, though.  I think our masochistic nature doesn't want it to be this easy.  Trust me, it isn't.  Trying to make the right decisions and walk in the steps of Christ without an absolute, black-and-white law is hard.  You have to try and approach every situation with God in mind.  What does His love mean in this situation?  How should I apply myself to be the light that shines in the darkness.  Attacking people for art on their skin isn't going to bring them to God.  It will alienate them, and as I have asked before, who does that serve?

Now what does this all say about Tattoos?  It says that each person much take each situation and analyze it. You have to ask yourself questions.  Speak to your elders about it.  Get as much information as you can before you decide and if you do go through with it then get something that will do God's creation justice.  I don't follow the line of thinking that a tattoo will mar God's temple if it is done right.  No one in their right mind would consider Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel as a defilement to a house of God, so why does the thought of beautiful art on the body defile it for God?  Again I think it is an artifact of Puritanism that just doesn't serve anyone today and ultimately can push the very people who need to be saved farther away from God.

If you would like to read a little further into the subject, why not start over at Religious Tattoos.  It is a Catholic site, but I think he does nicely quoting from Scripture and showing there is more to the argument than a simple yes or no.  He doesn't claim any authority, other than as a guy "who loves Christ and Tattoos", but then, neither do I.  When in doubt, error on the side of Grace!

The Eleventh Commandment

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy .
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill .
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery .
8. Thou shalt not steal .
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

   The foundation of God's law.  It is simple and elegant.  I don't know what compelled me to use the King James Version but for some reason it sounded right.  Perhaps it is the poetry that so eloquently elaborates what is said here.  This is the will of God.  I see people get lost in the rest of the Law all the time, trying to justify what they are doing by picking and choosing what parts to use and what not to.  However, this is it! This is the cornerstone upon which righteousness is built.  Without these principals there is chaos and pain.  The land suffers and people wail.  Boil it all down and there you go. 

   Jesus added an eleventh commandment to that list, one that sums up all the Law.  A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  (NIV John 13:34)  Nowhere in that list do I see anything about hating another ethnicity.  There is nothing about hating gays.  There is not a word about going to war with Muslims.  I don't see anything about stoning women who have sex out of wedlock.  All I see is a brilliant list of things that any person should strive for.  This, in my opinion, is the cobblestone that paves our way into the glory of Heaven.  Don't get my wrong, there is a lot of other goodness in the Bible as well.  We should give generously, for example, but these eleven things are the pillar of our faith.  Even if you aren't a follower of Christ this list shouldn't be hard for you to understand.  Be kind to one another, love one another, take joy in one another.  Anyone who hates, does not love.  Anyone who hates, defies the eleventh commandment.  Anyone who hates, defies Jesus.  You get to choose where you stand.

Those Pesky Red Letters - Book of Matthew - Part 4

   Thank you for reading part four of my series, Those Pesky Red Letters.  Writing it has been more involved than I thought it would be.  It would probably do you well to go back and check them out.  You can find the start of the series here.  From there you will find links to the various posts in the series.

   In the last post I wrote on the Jesus and his proclamation about obeying the law.  I have been giving it a fair amount of thought and I personally feel that he was referring to the commandments of God and not all of the detailed Law and ritual of the Jews.  Lets take the first section of examples of Law, murder.  You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.'(NIV Matt 5:21)  Here Jesus gives a couple of examples about treating people with respect as well as murder.  This section could really have been titled "Respecting People", but murder is such a vicious subject I think that it clouds the meaning behind this text.  Don't forget that Christ also talks about insulting people here as well.

   When Christ said, When anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement (NIV Matt 5:22) wasn't he telling us to guard the spiritual part of us that compels us to commit crimes?  It is also worth noting that some texts add without cause after brother which is quite important.  When you synthesize it all together you find that Jesus was warning us that our heart controls our actions and that we are in danger when we let that happen.  However, in his infinite wisdom he also concluded that there are times when anger is justified and right.  For us today we have to use the teachings of the Bible to determine the path to follow.  When it doubt open your Bible to Exodus 20 and read.  If what you are planning or thinking are covered anywhere in those commandments then you risk sinning.


   Next Jesus speaks to us about divorce and adultery which are separated in the NIV and I don't think they should be.  In my opinion they are of the same vein and refer to the Seventh Commandment, do not commit adultery.  Again he uses language that shows us that temptation is paramount to action.  If we let our lusts run rampant then they will begin to taint the rest of our lives.  I'm sure we all have stories that illustrate the dangers here.  The issue of divorce is very important as well, and I feel that there is a lot more to that verse than can be literally interpreted.  It goes into woman's rights as children of God and that marriage is a union before Him that isn't to be taken lightly.  When a man signs a piece of paper divorcing his wife God does not acknowledge it and considers the couple to still be wed unless there was sexual infidelity.  When those people find other partners they are adulterating because their union is before God and not the law of men.   I think there is a whole post here that I will get back to one day as God guides my words.


   Now we get to oaths.  Jesus tells us that we are not supposed to swear by things and that to do so comes from Satan.  Simply put, we shouldn't have to boast oaths to be honest and upright.  There should never be a need to swear on anything and if you do they are not yours to use as collateral.  All things belong to God, even the hair on our heads.  I have also read that Jews used the various oaths listed here so that they could break them at will since any oath that didn't carry the name of God wasn't binding.  I am sure that had a part in the teachings as well.  In the end it is simple, really, as long as we are honest and true then everything we say is just and oaths are simply not needed.


   Part five will involve the final concepts and teachings in Matthew 5.  I hope to have it up soon.  Thank you again for reading!  I hope it helps you to find your way in God and if you know anyone else that could use it, please feel free to share!


Part 3 <-Previous Next-> Part 5

Those Pesky Red Letters - Book of Matthew - Part 2

  Okay, do me a favor.  Head over to your bookshelf and grab that dusty old tome.  You know, the one with the cross on it?  Once you do flip forward to a book called Matthew and read chapters five, six and seven.  Take your time with them, read them over and over.  Don't worry, I'll wait up for you.  You might also want to catch read the earlier part of this series found, here.

   Done?  Good.  Now it's time to dive into them a little bit.   I don't think that the importance of these scriptures can be overstated.  This is our first true introduction to the teachings of Jesus.  These three chapters will give you context and inspiration for everything else in the Bible.  If you are wondering where you should start.  This is as good of place as any.

   The Beatitudes.  Quoting our friends over at Wikipedia we learn,

  The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful.

and it really fits.  Verses 3 through 12 give you a great primer regarding what faith in Christ is supposed to be all about.   

   5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,

     for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. (NIV)

   5:4 Blessed are those who mourn,

      for they will be comforted. (NIV)

   5:5 Blessed are the meek,

      for they will inherit the earth. (NIV)

   5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

      for they will be filled. (NIV)

   5:7 Blessed are the pure in heart,

      for they will see God. (NIV)

   5:8 Blessed are the peacemakers,

      for they will be called sons of God. (NIV)

  5:9  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness

      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NIV)

   You know, I hate to say it but some of those don't sound like our current old-school Christian leaders, do they?  First and foremost I want to mention that Jesus liked to teach in parables, basically meaning metaphors.  However, this reads more like a prayer to me and I think it is pretty easy to take it as it reads.  The poor in spirit are all of us, really, but I think that it can be made a case that these are sinners.  People who really need God are blessed by him.   People who mourn and are meek, let's rejoice in them.  They mourning need our love and the meek need shelter.   Righteousness is a word that has been corrupted, in my opinion.  From the Biblestudytools lexicon we can get a better feel for the context of the word.  Dikaiosune in the Greek of the Bible means integrity and purity, it goes right into the next verse but it is bigger and more powerful and all encompassing.  I think that it is mentionable that Christ brought this up twice, really emphasizing the part about being pure of heart.  If you can clean your heart of it's sins then the rest of your actions will naturally follow suit.  However, I think it should be said that righteousness isn't self-righteousness nor is it a justification for oppression and violence as it has been used by Western culture for 1800 years.  It is a state of mind and a state of accepting God and trying, to the best of your ability, to emulate Him and His teachings through Christ and the prophets.  The last one, I think we have all felt or done.  I have been on both ends of the spectrum.   

   I was hoping to do the Sermon on the Mount all as one post but it is obvious to me now that it is going to be too big for that.  If this small section of it took up this much space then I think God is telling me that there is much more here to say.   The gist of this little section comes down to blessing all of those around you, whether or not you want to.  Give grace to people and try to be a wholesome and upright person.   This is extremely hard to do and you will fail, just as I do, but the more we try the better life is for us and those around us.

Part 1 <-Previous Next-> Part 3 

Those Pesky Red Letters: Book of Matthew - Part 1

   To make each part more easy to digest I am going to try and keep the articles to around 500-800 words or so.  There is no more logical place to start in the New Testament than the Book of Matthew.  Keep in mind that I am going to be quoting from the NIV and though they are generous with allowing quoted material, I would likely be breaking their agreements if I posted every red phrase in the Bible.  I will instead be listing verses for you to look up on your own unless I feel they are really important and then I will post the verse in full.

   The first time we see any red letters in the New Testament is during the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist.  John was very humble in the face of Jesus but the Messiah insisted on being baptized anyway.  This verse is Matt 3:15 and is a reference to Jewish law and custom.  Personally I think that it was a way for Jesus to be "credible" to non believers.

   Moving forward to Matt 4:4 Jesus quotes from the Old Testament (Deut 8:3) when he is being tempted to create food by Satan Matt 4:7 (see Deut 6:16) and Matt 4:10 (see Deut 6:13) also fit the same vein.  When I read this I think it is likely a parable about the temptations within ourselves and the importance in denying the lusts of the flesh when coming to God.  The final verse, Matt 4:10 I think is important enough to actually quote Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"  Now keep in mind that the word Satan originally meant enemy or adversary.  When I read that verse I really think the the adversary is myself and I am constantly struggling to keep myself clean and pure in the face of God, which my sinful animistic nature is trying to prevent.  To me it is all about denying that primal side so that we can be good people and make proper, intelligent and Godly decisions.

   4:17 is an interesting verse and one that I can feel will hold much more meaning for me in the time to come.  For now, however, it is like trying to grasp water.  I can feel it but I can never hold it.  On face value, though, it means that heaven is for the repentant and not the proud.  If nothing else, we can take that from it.  4:19 Is the call for Simon-Peter and Andrew to follow Jesus.  I don't think it can be stressed enough that these men gave up their entire lively hood to follow Jesus.  It is a testament to sacrifice that would be a good lesson for us all.  The next time you can't make it to church because of some prior engagement ask yourself if you are living up to the example of the teachers before you.  I don't think you are going to burn in hell if you miss service but it is always wise to self reflect when things come between you and God.  Make sure his Will accepts that and it isn't your will that is driving you.

Introduction <-Previous Next-> Part 2

   Matt 5 is where the teachings really start to come.  The next three chapters are nothing but red letters so I think that they will deserve more words than I have left here.  Now that we are primed to study the words of Jesus Christ lets read our Bibles and pray for the wisdom and guidance that they contain.  God Bless you everyone, I'll be writing part 2 soon!

I'm not scared

   Sometimes I take the title from what I write and other times the title comes to me first and I craft a post around it.  This is one of the latter.  In the last couple of days I've taken a stand against fundamentalism and I firmly expect to be rebuked for it.  I'm not scared.  Jesus was not a Christian.  Period.  He was Christ, but he was a Jew.  Here came this guy who spoke with absolute authority preaching things like "turn the other cheek" and "being a peacemaker" and he downright infuriated other Jews, even to the point that they hammered nails into him and hung him on a cross to die.  I am no messiah, I am not a pastor, I am a humble servant that is learning as I go along but certain truths have struck me from my reading. 
   Perhaps that is because I am an infantile Follower of the Way and I haven't had years of dogma to cloud the Bible.  Maybe it is just inspiration.  I don't know, maybe I'm just plain wrong.  None the less I have stood up and made my voice heard, and I am not alone.  I am discovering just how many of us there are out there.  People who don't let phobias and prejudices rule our lives.  People who can read the scripture and see that salvation doesn't come to us through hate.  It comes through love and joy in God.  There are others out there who feel this, I see them struggle with it but they are scared, and why not?  They are likely to be attacked mercilessly for their views but this isn't the first time a Disciple has been attacked by members of their own faith for a disillusioned opinion, is it?  History is full of them, martyrs, poets, scientists, you name it.  All people who weren't afraid. 
   I am planning a couple of diatribes this weekend, one is about verses in the Bible that we wish would go away and how we emphasize parts of scripture and hide from others.  The other is going to be my interpretation of Romans 14 which I think is an allegory telling us all to accept that each sect of the Body of Christ is different, can be different and we don't need to attack each other.  I also want to write about canonization, especially the closed canons that have lead us to the Bible we have today but I don't know that I'll have enough research in place to get it done yet.  I think the first and last are going to stir up a bit of debate, but thanks be to God for leading me to a church where that debate is encouraged and healthy.  God bless you and thank you for reading my stuff.  People are telling me that I am inspiring their faith and I can ask for no greater praise.  Don't take what I say as Gospel, instead let it guide you to the scripture and other wonderful inspired books and choose for yourself.  No matter what faith you belong to, no matter who you listen to, your faith is yours.  Please do your best to honor it, listen to it and learn it.

Unconditional Love

"Unbiased love is undoubtedly difficult to generate, but if you practice with determination, day by day your attitude will be transformed."

   Great quote, isn't it?  You must wonder what brilliant theologian said it since I am posting it here.  It might surprise you that this is from the Dalai Lama.  I have always been a fan of his and have read a number of his books over the years.  I respect a man who can always find a smile even though his past would destroy the average person.  I wanted to post this because I see Christians losing sight of wisdom all too often.  Yes, we take inspiration from Christ, and we should.  However, we are remiss to ignore wisdom wherever it is found.  His Holiness is correct, unbiased love will transform our lives.  The New Testament is full of language to support his quote so I urge you all to get out and seek benevolence everywhere and bring it into your Faith and then share it to the world.