Remember, Dostoyevsky didn't write a novel about redemption about nice Christians who come to the ancient faith though careful reading of scriptures; he wrote about a murderer and a prostitute, because that forgiveness, repentance and redemption is what it's all about.
We sometimes think too much about the tattooed guy in prison, but there are ceo's who might have fired someone who didn't deserve it, they lose their house, can't find a job, can't send their kids to college and die of heart disease from the stress. That kind of sin is eats our soul away as much as the sins of the tattooed guy in jail.
We all know in our hearts of how we fall short, and how much we need God's help to do better.
I guess we shouldn't judge anyone by appearance though, since we can't know their story.
As for getting an Orthodox tatttoo, I guess it's up to the canons. Having said that: Ok, here's a new one for you-You're in a prison in the most anti-Christian country on earth, of course, you're cross is taken away from you, before your execution you make the sign of the cross, but you want some evidence on your body that you were a Christian. You scratch a cross in your skin (you don't have any ink.) Misjudgement? Sin? What do you think? Is this pagan thinking? I tend to think "yes." After all, God knows who you are, man's judgement means nothing.
Orthodox Christians and Tattoos
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Priest Siluan
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George Australia
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Well wrong or right its to late for me Ive got them now. Least they are Orthodox Images and not what the guy with full sleeves has. I am also in to the Punk, Gothic, Rock music scence too but I dont let it influence my life like that. In fact Im going to the Disturbed Concert on Jan 18th at the House of Blues in San Diego. Not far from my Base.
In Christ
Nektarios
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The Apostate
Piercings
I have no tattoos. I have eczema which ranges from very mile to rather severe as the years go by and so I have to be very careful. A tattoo could cause serious problems. That aside, I have never really fancied the idea.
However, I have two facial piercings: one in my left ear-lobe and one in my right eyebrow. I have had these for a few years now and only adopted these as I fancied the idea at the time. I don't plan to have any more as I wouldn't like any more. I didn't do them because of some act of rebellion or to make a point. I just chose to have them in the same way that I choose my clothing. It never crossed my mind that there would be objection to this.
I was brought up Anglican and only left the Church of England in August of last year. I am to be baptised and chrismated in ROCA next month. I hadn't had any objections to my piercings from anybody, (including my priest) until Sunday just gone, when the nun who comes to our parish said that she didn't approve, but then readily admitted that this was because of her cultural background, in Greece, where it is virtually unknown for men to have piercings.
If there is something uncanonical about it to which I can be referred, then I shall certainly approach my priest about it.
Many thanks.
Well I got one tattoo on my ankle when I was 14, and then a BIG one on my other leg for my 16th birthday (a Serbian double headed eagle with the four c's-само слога србина спашава-only unity will save the serbs, St. Sava coined the phrase). I also had several peircings, including my nose which I removed upon meeting my old fashioned hubby. The tatoos are funny now, especially since I've switched to skirts and everyone can see them, the Serbian one peeks out even with socks. So here I am, mother of three, humbly dressed, and trying to convert the world and I have a hole in my nose and what looks like biker tats on my legs. I can totally tell it freaks (or grosses) some people out and I have thought about having them lazered off but decided against it for one reason. Other than them being a sort of penance to show the sinner I was before, I weed a whole element of people out right at the beginning who are judgemental and let preconceived notions make up their minds about people. So there you have it-don't get tattoos, but if you already have them-what the heck.
In Christ
Tessa
Господе Исусе Христа, Синe Божји, Помилуј ме грешну!