New Celtic Tattoo
This is my first tattoo - inked by Garghoyle Tattoos of Elland, West Yorkshire. I chose this design for several reasons:
- As a Christian, the cross of Christ is very important to me; He died that I may live.
- The Celtic weave pattern is made up of one continuous line. God is above all, in all and through all that I do, part of the ongoing tapestry of my life.
- The circle behind the cross represents the world, for whom Christ died.
- A tattoo is permanent; God will never let me go.
- The Celtic design represents my ancestry; I am about a third Scottish - my grandfather and my great grandmother were both Scots.
- IC XC NIKA is "Jesus Christ, Conqueror" (or Victor) in Greek. IC XC are the first and last letters of Jesus Christ in Greek. NIKA means "conqueror" or "victor" (Nike was the Greek goddess of victory).
Many Christians seem to have severe hang-ups regarding tattoos. Their main argument is that Leviticus 19:28 appears to forbid marking your body. However, "A text without context is a pretext"... and this passage has often been quoted out of context. Leviticus 19:26-31 is clearly speaking of pagan ceremonies which were in danger of being accepted by the Israelites. The pagans would drink the blood of a sacrificed animal to gain its life source, but don't we eat meat, which has blood in it? This passage also prohibits the trimming of your beard - how many Christians today even have beards? Likewise, the pagans would cut themselves and inscribe their bodies on behalf of the dead, to appease false gods. Are Christians with tattoos really paying homage to false gods? Of course not! A Christian tattoo is proclaiming the living God! Incredibly, I have even met "Christians" who thought that eating onion bhajis was to concede to false islamic doctrines! As Christians, we should be mature in our faith. Making up the rules based on our own assumptions, generalisations and prejudices is the way that the enemy leads people away from God's truth. Read His word, and let the truth set you free!
Comments and faves
psalm_6616 (53 months ago | reply)
dude, I like this one. And I'm a CMA'er as well.
politbike (53 months ago | reply)
Thank you for your comments. I've looked at your pictures and notice that I've already left a positive comment for your tattoos. I'm the West Yorkshire chairman in CMA UK. I presume you're from the USA - which area?
christianimpactnews (49 months ago | reply)
I really like what you had to say about your tattoo. I would like to post what you have said, as well as a picture of your tatoo(s) in our new Christian newspaper-Christian Impact News. This will be on line and may possibly end up in our next print issue. I believe that you have valid points and would like to give our readers something to chew on. Please email me, publisher@christianimpactnews.com or feel free to call 281-791-0200 ext. 71 as soon as possible.
mikescottnz (49 months ago | reply)
Interesting , Slainte .
wonderstate (48 months ago | reply)
Ride on, brother!
johnay3ch, donwayne18, tattooblogger, and canttalkdancing added this photo to their favorites.
chopperchick (45 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Biker Life ~ show us your tatts in our latest comp, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
pasivirta (44 months ago | reply)
farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/2111346624_8fb58 7f4e1_b.jpg
n1yln (42 months ago | reply)
Wonderful tatoo! I got mine for the same reason you got yours only your words are more elequent than mine.. I would like to share mine with you: www.flickr.com/photos/n1yln/2280905104
mikescottnz (42 months ago | reply)
St Patrick was not the first to preach Christ to the Irish clans or tribes.Though he might have been against slavery as he was pirated away by the Scoti or Gaels. There is a Irish legend of how St. Patrick when preaching to some soon-to-be converted 'pagans' /'heathens' was shown a sacred standing stone that was marked with a circle that was symbolic of the moon goddess. Patrick or Palladius, is said to have made, made the mark of a Latin cross through the circle and blessed the stone making the first Celtic Cross. This legend implies that the Saint was willing to adapt , make ideas and practices that were formerly Druid into Christian ideas and practices.; and or they were savvy enough to see the inevtiable and parallels of colonisation.This is consistent with the belief that he might have converted and ordained many Druids to lives as Christian priests.There was a four hundred year flexible fusion of both the old and new ways in Ireland, Iona and Scotland from the 4-5 centuries AD some of the few places where Christainity came in, more gently , humanely, not with the colonising, evangelizing sword.
The Cross did not become a common symbol of Christianity until the 4th century. Images of the cross were in fact quite rare before the Golden Legend became popular and the "discovery" of the "True Cross" promoted fragments of the "True Cross" as powerful relics.
www.celtarts.com/celtic.htm
politbike (42 months ago | reply)
Thank you for your comments. I quite agree that we should put Christ back into many things which the world has left Him out of. It's called evangelism. The Celtic tradition is believed to have come first to Ireland through St. Patrick and then to England. Later, the Roman catholic tradition came to these isles through St. Augustine, who landed in Kent. The Roman tradition carried with it the notion of "out with the old, in with the new", and trampled on many of the accepted traditions of the native population, bringing a form of Christianity which, to many of them, was totally alien. The Celtic tradition, however, was showing people that Christ was already in what they knew, but they just needed to recognise Him - in their respect for nature, the created order of things, the cycles of the seasons, etc. Patrick came to recognise the latent potential for salvation in what the people already had. In the words of Gerard Hughes in "Christianity Rediscovered", he came to "Meet the people where they are, take them by the hand and go with them to a new place in Christ."
TPRCAM added this photo to his favorites. (41 months ago)
Tattoo Gallery 2009 [deleted] (40 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called People with TATTOOS are just that much more fun to see naked , and we'd love to have this added to the group!
WAY OF LIVING added this photo to his favorites. (38 months ago)
chopperchick (37 months ago | reply)
seen in
Biker Life
love you to add to our latest comp,,tatoos and piercings
chopperchick (37 months ago | reply)
seen in
Biker Life
love you to add to our latest comp,,tattoos and piercings
funky_haggis, nicholas_milak, and Dryden1975 added this photo to their favorites.
andrewrosspoetry (31 months ago | reply)
Great tattoo. I also like what you have written. I am a Christian with three tattoos and I too have been criticised by those who take verses out of context.
This one in the picture even opens up opportunities to share my faith. People sometimes ask me what it means, and I have explained that in the text, but because the image features koru, it can also symbolise new life, which I have of course found in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tim Monzon and gemini1127 added this photo to their favorites.
jlosbon (23 months ago | reply)
Love it!
mark.o'shaughnessy and kellycollinsworth2002 added this photo to their favorites.
livideyez (4 months ago | reply)
THis is awesome :)
livideyez and parmaredmen16 added this photo to their favorites.