Hey brother. What's up? My friends were just checking out your pages and I happened to walk in and check out what's going on. I am a Bible major at s very strict Southern Baptist College. Many of my professors and peers have very conservative views. I, like them, am very orthodox and consertive in my views of God's Word. However, I have both of my ears pierced and a few tattoos. I am very open about my beliefs on this subject. I am by no means a scholor, but there are certain truths about the Bible that are to be found by studying The Word and not just reading it. Many times uneducated Christians and educated Christians for that matter read their own prejudices into The Word. Here are my reasons for why I feel justified in having my "Temple of the Holy Spirit" decorated in the way that I have.

As far as the passage in Leviticus goes, God gave this law to His people to seperate them from the pagans of that time. The pagan religions would scar themselves to show their loyalties to their gods. GOd wanted His people to be without a blemish. I dare not infer anything else into that, because it might signify God's way of saying He wants His people to be without spiritual scars. This is of course infering something into the passage that God might not have intended it to mean. Revelations is alligorical, and very little else.

Also during this time, God would give Isreal their laws. Here is the key. God gave the Isrealites moral laws that we should follow today. He also gave them civil laws for governing themselves, which we don't follow. Example: When was the last time you stoned someone for adultry. Finally, God gave His people ceremonial laws for sacrificing and worshiping in the temple. Since Jesus died on the cross for my sins there is no reason for sacrafices.

Through studying the Bible with these things in mind, and with a loving heart for one's fellow brothers in Christ, one must come to his/her own conclusions on what is right for them. If someone feels the need to set me straight, then I want to know why God trusts you to do His work instead of the Holy Spirit. I feel that my tattoos are a witness to those who see them, and I got to share the gospel with the guy who did the cross on my arm. I hope my brothers love me and respect my opinion as far as it concerns my well-being. I love all my brothers, and I hope that one day all of Christ's children can ban together and fight for Him instead of destroying each other in this endless civil wars that hurts all of our witnesses instead of sharing what a beautiful gift we all have recieved.

Let me leave you with a parting thought. Read I Corinthians chapter 6: 1-6. Christians shouln't fight amoungst thierselves in front of lost people. It's unBiblical, and that's straight from the word.

Your Loving Brother
David Booth